Van Life: A Tiny Home On Wheels 

Part I Of The Hook & Barrel Van Life Series

The thought of traveling the country in a van or in a converted school bus harkens back to the hippie days of the late 60s when the spirit of Easy Rider mixed with the lore of trekking to Woodstock by any means possible. The VW transporter with Westfalia camper options was built for these wayward adventurers who didn’t have much money but had ample time to cruise in the slow lane, seeing America. Though converting an old derelict school bus, a used box truck, or an Amazon delivery van into a recreational vehicle, the art of living on the road full-time is nothing new, but lately the trend has boomed and is growing.  

Thanks to two years of lockdowns, skyrocketing inflation, all-time high interest rates, a dip in jobs, a rise in the cost of housing, and businesses shuttered on every corner, a cadre of normal, everyday people who work from home decided that “work from home” can mean work anywhere. Computers, modems, and internet connections can function in the back of a van just the same as they can in a cramped spare bedroom. The difference is your spare bedroom likely doesn’t overlook a national park, the beach, or a remote forest in the middle of nowhere.  

In this 26-part series, we are going to take a close look at the phenomenon of van life, how it has developed, and how you can become one of the growing numbers of people who have shed the shackles of conventional society to live a free and happy life on the road.  

Cool, You Live in a Van?  

Driven by wanderlust, disenfranchisement, and a desire to connect with nature and one’s self, van life is movement; it’s freedom, excitement, a resistance to the status quo of jobs, mortgages, and the trappings of modern living. “In a van,” says Maria B., who has been living a wayward life with her partner in a converted school bus for nearly a year now, “you become unstuck. We’re not trapped by our jobs or bills. We can go anywhere, stay as long as we like, and then move on. I can still work, and we’ve never been happier.”  

In addition to the financial benefits of van life (working anywhere, no mortgage, reduced utilities, etc.), these modern nomads can focus on themselves and those around them. There’s no long commute to work and there’s no honey-do list around the house. You can spend more time hiking, surfing, rock climbing, or playing music, and in their travels, they are more likely to find other people involved in those activities, too. Jayme and her husband John have embraced the van life movement for a few years, exploring the country in a converted 1996 Chevy Express 1500 van with their two dogs. “There are tons of interesting people who choose this lifestyle, and when you meet another vanlifer you’ve probably met a like-minded person who instantly understands your life in ways that others do not. This means that you can often skip the B.S. and quickly form deep connections with people.” 

What It Takes To Get Started 

The largest hurdles to getting started in this nomadic lifestyle are a few. For one, unless you plan to farm out most of the conversion work to local shops (there are plenty that do this kind of work now) or you are going to buy a van/bus that has already been converted, you’ll need to know a few things about all of the major elements that go into building a house: carpentry, electrical, plumbing, solar panels, HVAC, and basic architectural design.  

The Base Vehicle

Whatever your needs, from a small VW camper to a large 80-kid school bus, there is a size to fit your needs; you just have to figure out what those are. However, it is good to know that school buses are the most regulated vehicle on the road because they spend their existence ferrying around the precious cargo of litigious parents. They have an extremely sturdy shell and can handle significant weight. After about 20 years of this, depending on the state, the school districts usually send them off to auction where they can be had for relatively cheap, usually for a few thousand dollars.  

Planning Your Conversion 

The big question here is what do you need to accomplish in your soon-to-be house? Is this something you plan to live in for the foreseeable future or is it just something for weekend getaways? Do you need all of the conveniences of home but just in a scaled-down format? Shower, toilet, king-size bed, conventional stove, range with multiple burners, full-size fridge, a garage for your quad?  

How many people will live there? Any pets? How tall are you (some buses have low roofs and you don’t want to spend the rest of your van life stooped over)? How much storage space do you need? Do you have toys like kayaks, canoes, dirt bikes, outdoor gear, and surfboards that all need to be stowed away when not in use? Do you need a big kitchen because you are an amateur chef? Do you need office space? Will you want a dedicated bathroom or a portable composting toilet (or just a shovel)?   

In the second installment of the Hook & Barrel Van Life Series, we’ll delve into the costs associated with getting started in the van life movement.