College Student & Full Time"RV" Living
I'm a full time college student as the thread title says, but I'm looking to purchase and convert a Ford Econoline style cargo van into a mini-RV. I live in Pierce county Washington but I'm going to b...
Forum Discussion
Grim_Knight wrote:Jim Shoe wrote:
So you're 35. But you have the same amount of Rving experience as some 20 year olds that want to do the same type of thing. None. You've received 4 pages of responses from people that do have experience. Most of them asking questions that you don't have an answer to.
You've stated that you don't want to commute from home, but no mention of how far that commute might be. Maybe because it would be a lot cheaper? If you want to have an adventure go for it, but don't expect me to tell you its a good idea.
70 miles round trip 5 days a week = about $5500 a year in gas alone. I would save $4400 a year or more just by camping out in the van during the week and only making that 70 mile round trip once a week.
As for my experience with living in an RV, I use to be a long haul truck driver. I'm use to living on the road. I was never the owner of the truck nor was I responsible for maintaining or repairing the truck I was driving.
Is that the job that you can't do anymore? But you are physically able to do all the work you will need to do to outfit a van?
Another question, where do you plan on parking and running the generator? You just going to sit in a parking lot with a generator sitting on the ground running? And then the daily lifting that genny in and out of the van everyday to charge the batteries. They aren't light. If you are physically unable to work another job, then how will you be able to continuously run that genny? You are worried about driving and gas. That genny will cost you in gas as well. Probably at least a gallon every other day. Are you going to mount it outside the van so you don't have to lift it? If so, there goes the stealth idea.And lets not forget the carbon monoxide issue.
Many people have made good recommendations on here. It might be better, to go and do what you plan to do and then come back and post what you did and share. Then maybe people can help you tweak it to a better situation.
Sorry for the reference, but this sounds too much like Matt Foley's character played by Chris Farley on SNL. "35 years old, eating a steady diet of government cheese, thrice divorced, and living in a van down by the river!"
