short-term van life

I'm an avid student of simple, alternative lifestyles...tiny living, nomadic souls, living off the land, van life. And...I grew up camping in a pop-up camper with my family of six...campfires, long hikes, pit toilets + bathing in lakes. My little tribe has been tent camping for years, though rainy days + nights have dampened my enthusiasm. But nature's call is strong, and I still want to get out there (minus the rain soaked tent). A van vacation has been a dream for a looooong time.

obviously no special staging or clean-up was done for these photos :) I took them just for my reference, but thought you might like to take a peek :: the grid patterned portion of the bed shown here folds up into the back seat

After years of researching rental campers, VW vans + other vehicles (often covered with huge howling wolf advertisements)...and this year deciding to visit Oregon...I found the perfect rental for us. So the four of us lived in a van for a week!

Things we love about this van:
-the size...small enough to fit in parking spots...big enough for four full-sized people  :)
-all the amenities...sink, stove, fridge, solar panel, pop-top with lots of screened windows, swivel front seats, lots of storage space, heater (didn't need), lights
-everything we needed was included (+ even some things that we didn't use)...we each packed a backpack + bought some groceries when we got there...and that's all we needed!

the rest of the top bunk would be lowered from the ceiling :: two burners are under the shiny rectangle on the counter

All that we used (for my notes):
-pan + lid, french press 
-4 bowls, 1 plate, 4 spoons, 4 forks, 4 mugs
-1 pop-up storage container (could just use an emptied hummus container instead)
-lighter, scissors, can-opener, knife + cutting board
-kitchen towel, cleaning spray, dish soap, trash can, hand broom 
-4 bath towels, 2 sets of sheets, 2 Rumpl blankets, 4 camp pillows (we put these on top of our rolled up towels to sleep)
-atlas (cell service is not always available), lantern, 1 camp chair
(the van came loaded with lots more)

Would add for us personally:
-tea ball
-wash cloth + hook to dry it 
-I'd use an empty yogurt container to collect compost + keep it in the fridge until disposal, if a collection site was available 

What we brought from home:
-bug spray, sunscreen
-toiletries, clothes
-book, notebook, pen, phone, charger, water bottle, 2 baggu bags

I loved the van for all the reasons that I thought I would. We could be sheltered from the blazing sun, heavy winds or hungry mosquitoes with the doors + windows open + the breeze blowing through. We were dry when it rained, raised off the ground + were left with no wet, muddy tent to put in the car with the rest of the stuff we were trying to keep clean + dry. The beds were comfortable + we were warm (though two grown girls sharing the top bunk was tight). We marveled at the stars...hung out next to the river or ocean some days...heard waves + seals from our beds...and slept in a new spot every night. 

We're not really in the market for full-time van life at the moment, but I would definitely love to do it more long-term in the future...especially for just two of us. We had all that we needed right there in that pretty compact vehicle...with space left over! We could go with a bit smaller van, if there were only two of us. And just so you know that the opinions here are not just my own...here are some things (besides repeating much of what I've expressed) my companions had to say about van life:
Mr: Do it.
Jo: I could live in a van.
:)
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Love,
Jane