Hello r/vandwellers, I'm here to pick your brains about some practicalities I'm worrying about in regards to full time van living. Lot of questions - sorry - but I'm really trying to work out if this lifestyle is practical before I invest all of the little money I have into it.
I'm an artist - mostly making puppets and scenic art for theatre - and I don't want to sacrifice my career to get a 'normal' job just to pay rent on an apartment I don't like. However, some things are holding me back; let's not go into the negativities family are providing that I'm sure you're all used to.
Toilet
What kind of toilet do you have in the van? I've read a little about composting toilets (they seem v expensive though?) as I really don't want to add all the chemicals most casette toilets use, and disposing of their contents seems sloppy and difficult when travelling. Also is a wetroom achievable? Is it possible to get a shower that runs off of leisure batteries? I'm fine with cold showers in summer, but not winter.
How many days does your water tank(s) last, for one and two people? Do you use your greywater, and if so how does the system work? Recommendations for systems?
Kitchen
Food storage. I eat a plant-based diet so a coolbox and jars/tins of dried goods may be fine, but powered or non powered? I'd rather not have to buy ice. Also need to keep soya milk cold once it's opened. Others I've talked to freeze their dairy products beforehand but I can only imagine this working if you have access to a house. Do you run a freezer full time? I enjoy cooking large meals and freezing batches. This isn't as big of an issue as the toilet as I'm willing to change my dietary habits to fit in with the lifestyle - e.g. eating the same curry twice a day for three days before it goes off - but surely one must miss frozen chips and sausages?
Laundry
Do you pay for a laundromat? They seem expensive. Do you wash clothes the old fashioned way with a bucket and washboard? Do you use showers at campsites etc. to wash them? Do you use gentle/eco friendly soaps that won't damage the ecosystem? Do you resort to relying on friends/family for their washing machines? How do you dry your clothes in winter?
Heating
What do you use to heat the van in winter? I've seen a lot of woodburners but they seem risky and take up a lot of space. I appreciate that thermals are important but it's going to be no fun if the van is at 0*c all winter. I've seen some people having problems with condensation too?
Parking
The age old question - where do you park? The campsites around my local area seem to be £10+ a night, which would result in only being slightly cheaper than the cost of renting a small cheap room in a shared house... There is of course laybys, service stations, some car parks etc but they short term - I may want to stay in one place for a month or two when working on commissions etc. The ideal seems to be having family/friends that have land they're happy for you to be living on, but maybe it's a UK thing that people seem very reserved towards van dwellers. I'm not sure I could find such a lucky situation here.
Submitted January 01, 2017 at 03:30PM by BattenbergUnicorn http://ift.tt/2ixwqmR
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