What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Dreams of retiring in a camper van (1 Viewer)

the moops

the moops

Footballguy
One of our good friends did this after he retired. He'd made quite a bit of money flipping houses in SF over the years and could pretty much live wherever he wanted. He retired to Santa Fe for a while until the wanderlust hit. He bought a MB Sprinter conversion and hit the road. He met a similarly inclined woman with a van and family of her own. They rent a place in Bend, OR now and see each other whenever their paths cross. But most of the time, he's on the road either solo or with his girlfriend.

We see John a couple of times a year when he swings through the Bay Area. The van is pretty decent size inside; I could stand upright and I'm over 6'. But it's still a small metal box. Mrs. Eephus and I have been married 39 years, all of them in small urban apartments, but I'd give us six months tops in a van.
 
Last edited:
Have been doing some research myself on campers and very interested in renting and buying one to travel for summer vacations, but not so far as to want it to be my retirement home.
 
My friend and his girlfriend did in for a year, as is fairly common in the “dirtbag” climbing community. Bought a used Sprinter Shuttle and hod dad, an electrician, customized it for him.

They loved it, but was only for a year. They eventually sold it and settled in Salt Lake City. But they are not near retirement age, in their late 30s.

I like the idea, but hate driving, especially big vehicles.
 
Thought about it A LOT. Those vans are sweet but stupid expensive. I've watched countless videos about how to build one. Could be a fun little project if you're handy. I've settled on just sticking to airbnbs. Couldn't see myself couped up in one of those things. In my 20's absolutely, but not as I approach 50 and beyond. I need some space and comforts.
 
If you just want to dip your toe in the camping world to see if you'd like it, Cruise America seems to be a decent way to go. Have seen many of these on the road and have talked to a few folks that rented them. You can rent them for as long as you wish, as I understand, and return them in a different location from where you started.
 
zamboni said:
If you just want to dip your toe in the camping world to see if you'd like it, Cruise America seems to be a decent way to go. Have seen many of these on the road and have talked to a few folks that rented them. You can rent them for as long as you wish, as I understand, and return them in a different location from where you started.
Click to expand...
We have done tons of camping all over this country. Had a van for a while we could sleep in, then a small scamp type camper, and most recently a pop up. Hate towing stuff though. Kinda know this is what we want to do, at least for a little while. But again, this is several years away unless I come into a bunch of money somehow
 
zamboni said:
If you just want to dip your toe in the camping world to see if you'd like it, Cruise America seems to be a decent way to go. Have seen many of these on the road and have talked to a few folks that rented them. You can rent them for as long as you wish, as I understand, and return them in a different location from where you started.
Click to expand...
To piggyback on this, if you're looking for camper vans, outdoorsy is like the turo for this. Pricey but will give you a taste for the actual setup u desire.
 
Our retired neighbor got one of these last year with a shower (his wife said a shower was non negotiable) and apparently they love it. Wife and I have batted around the idea for a few years. Schedules haven't quite worked out yet to get our promised tour of the inside, but I'm strongly considering buying one in the next 5 years. We're 100% not selling the house, but it would be a way to see the country without having to drive some behemoth or rent a place every night. I'm intrigued by a partial DYI option, because as has been mentioned these things seem stupid expensive for what's inside of them.
 
Also thinking really hard about this. Thinking more like winters in an RV and summers at home. We were all set to buy a van recently, but opted for a pull behind camper. I have a friend with one of the Mercedes camper vans all decked out, but it's a little cramped. Big in the mountain bike community and I've talked to a lot of people doing this and love the idea, just need more comfort to pull it off as a long term thing.

35ft class A is probably the goal if we're going to seriously do this.
 
NutterButter said:
Thought about it A LOT. Those vans are sweet but stupid expensive. I've watched countless videos about how to build one. Could be a fun little project if you're handy. I've settled on just sticking to airbnbs. Couldn't see myself couped up in one of those things. In my 20's absolutely, but not as I approach 50 and beyond. I need some space and comforts.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've had the same thoughts. I definitely want to drive around the country in retirement, but I'm not sure I will want to sleep in a van most nights.
 
NutterButter said:
Thought about it A LOT. Those vans are sweet but stupid expensive. I've watched countless videos about how to build one. Could be a fun little project if you're handy.
Click to expand...
I have thought about going this route, and I consider myself more than handy, but I think what I could do would 1) take way too long to finish, and 2) would not nearly be the quality of what a lof of these builders can offer.

Also, while I agree that these things aren't cheap, spending 120K + for a sweet ride that you can sleep in and can be off the grid, isn't ridiculous, IMO. Hell, there are trucks and sedans that go for nearly that.

The sprinter is a sweet ride though. The hollow shell, with all the upgrades that most of these full builds have (AWD, heated seats, navigation, upgraded suspensions, larger wheels, etc) will run you 80K +. Kind of amazed actually that the inside build "only" costs 50K or so.
 
the moops said:
NutterButter said:
Thought about it A LOT. Those vans are sweet but stupid expensive. I've watched countless videos about how to build one. Could be a fun little project if you're handy.
Click to expand...
I have thought about going this route, and I consider myself more than handy, but I think what I could do would 1) take way too long to finish, and 2) would not nearly be the quality of what a lof of these builders can offer.

Also, while I agree that these things aren't cheap, spending 120K + for a sweet ride that you can sleep in and can be off the grid, isn't ridiculous, IMO. Hell, there are trucks and sedans that go for nearly that.

The sprinter is a sweet ride though. The hollow shell, with all the upgrades that most of these full builds have (AWD, heated seats, navigation, upgraded suspensions, larger wheels, etc) will run you 80K +. Kind of amazed actually that the inside build "only" costs 50K or so.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. I'd say you're pretty spot on that the cost is about half (less if you went slightly used on the van). You really have to be into doing this type of project or like you said it could drag. I could see myself loving doing something like that. The nice thing is that its not disrupting the rest of your day to day living like a large home improvement project would. Its surprisingly pretty straightforward if you have some home diy experience. Always just amazes me the amout of helpful content out there on the web. Besides the big cost savings, the two big upsides to doing it yourself is you can customize the layout exactly how you want b/c you need to get really creative to fit everything you need inside of a van and you know how to fix things when they eventually break out in the middle of nowhere.

And I'd definitely get the one with the shower and bathroom. I've seen some cool setups where the shower is just a drain in the middle of the van that goes into the gray water tank. You use the faucet hose from the kitchen sink and its just a curtain that slides out and wraps around some rings in the ceiling so it really doesn't take up any space while not in use like a dedicated shower would. Man, now you've got me excited.

This composting toilet with an external exhaust has been on my amazon wishlish for 5 years. :lol: I've seen people put it on tracks so it slides out from undernearth your bed like a drawer would so it takes up minimal space when not in use. All of this is probably more suited for the solo van life. Not sure how the misses will feel about taking a crap in the middle of a van. :lol: Anyways, I've probably gotten way off track. Good luck.
 
Last edited:
Atomic Punk said:
Even if you don’t do it yourself, I would check out the used market. When I was looking into these last year, I found there was a pretty good market of used, fully kitted vans for sale. I imagine there is a fair number of buyers that either do it short term purposely, or find out they aren’t cut out for the nomadic life.
Click to expand...
Yea, will for sure look at used market :thumbup:
 
the moops said:
Wife and I are still years away (kids are 11 and 13) but we are dreaming up our retirement and pretty sure it is sell the house, buy a sweet camper van, and see this continent (we have seen a lot of it, but still a lot more to see). And damn, there are some sweet van builds out there.

This is my current crush https://van-craft.com/inventory/2025-waypoint-awd/

Or the larger version https://van-craft.com/inventory/2025-waypoint-xl-awd/

Anyone else dreaming of something like this?
Click to expand...
Great thread idea, may of us share the same love of the outdoors and National Parks, it's like time stands still in these places.
$150,000 on that 1st option, I will never be forking out that much, too many folks buy them at full price and then want to sell within the first 3-5 years when they realize its not for them
I would be looking on the used market to get started and work your way up. My tastes will change over the next 6-10 years, can't even think about retiring now
 
the moops said:
tommyGunZ said:
Love this idea, but selling the house seems drastic. What happens in a year or two if you decide it was more fun in dreamland than reality?

Work 6 months longer before retiring, buy the van used, keep the main residence.
Click to expand...
:shrug:

Buy a new house if the van life isn't to our liking. Would sell house either way for when kids are gone we don't need this palatial estate
Click to expand...

A good family friend (who did very well) has been retired for about a decade now. A line he said, which I’ve thought more and more about went something like - “I realized I didn’t need 4,000 square feet in North Carolina to be happy. Rather I needed 1,200 square feet in N.C., 900 square feet in the islands, and about 1,000 sq ft in Europe.” He obviously does a lot of traveling between them now. You could do something similar, very much downsizing your primary residence, getting a van, and perhaps a small place in a second location that you enjoy.
 
A friend of mine had a modified version of this idea. They sold their house and bought a big RV to live in for a couple years traveling around the country to figure out where they wanted to settle down to. They used it as a way to check out various locations across the country to decide what they liked best. They ended up doing this for about 2 years and then settled on the place they wanted to buy a house.

They enjoyed it but grew weary of it after a while. It is tough having no space after awhile.
 
Gally said:
A friend of mine had a modified version of this idea. They sold their house and bought a big RV to live in for a couple years traveling around the country to figure out where they wanted to settle down to. They used it as a way to check out various locations across the country to decide what they liked best. They ended up doing this for about 2 years and then settled on the place they wanted to buy a house.

They enjoyed it but grew weary of it after a while. It is tough having no space after awhile.
Click to expand...
And that's with a big RV. I couldn't imagine spending a significant amount of time with another human being in something as small as a camper van. Weather is great, maybe not terrible but you get a week of rain and you're just stuck in that thing together with no where to go especially if you're in some remote areas with little around.
 
Do the dream vehicles come with a crapper?

Wife and I are about 10-15 years away and we want to travel and roadtrip for a year. I would like a small motor home but have to have the bathroom convenience! I’m not paying a bunch of money to camp for a year without the benefit of my own potty!

ETA - this is similar to what we have talked about. Buy a used one, run it for a year or so and then sell it.

 
Last edited:
The vans are cool to look at but just very impractical. I think a class C is the sweetspot if you're not intending on taking it deep into the backcountry. Similar price point, still relatively easy to drive but with a lot more space.
 
I’ve always wanted to live in an RV down by the river. Then move from place to place throughout the country. But I don’t lose sight of the fact that it’s just fantasy if I want to stay married. Plus, I see a doctor at least 6 times a year and receive medications in the mail frequently. That would be difficult if I didn’t have a permanent residence. Just not practical for me, but I suppose it could be for some people.
 
Last edited:
Atomic Punk said:
Even if you don’t do it yourself, I would check out the used market. When I was looking into these last year, I found there was a pretty good market of used, fully kitted vans for sale. I imagine there is a fair number of buyers that either do it short term purposely, or find out they aren’t cut out for the nomadic life.
Click to expand...
Agreed - sprinter vans were a huge thing during COVID, and now that things are mostly back to normal, demand has waned and a lot of people are getting rid of them.

I never liked the idea of a dedicated vehicle that was solely for camping, and chose a slide in truck camper instead. That way, I get the every day utility of having a truck (picture yourself parking a sprinter van in a Trader Joe's parking lot) and the ability to turn it into a dedicated camping vehicle. We preferred the slide in camper because it can get into tighter spots than a trailer - although attaching and de-attaching a trailer is much easier if you want a vehicle to explore. We haven't spent more than 5 nights in it in a row, and I could see it getting tight if we were in it for longer or if we had prolonged rains. i guess it's better for us as we are still weekend warriors.

Another thing to consider is that there is a LOT to learn about the systems in these things. The more you understand about basic electrical and mechanical systems, the better. Being able to fix problems (there will be many) yourself is a HUGE asset.
 
NutterButter said:
The vans are cool to look at but just very impractical.
Click to expand...
For some people for sure. I think for what we are looking for it is highly practical and much more so than a travel trailer or giant *** RV. We detest crowded campgrounds, and wouldn't go near an RV park even if paid to do so. We crave spaces with few people. Hard to get to unless you have something like these AWD small'ish camper vans. I will ride my bike all day long or go climbing or go for hikes. Wife would join for some or will go for runs and read. Will have a few beers around a fire and settle in early to watch a show or read. Stay in the same place for a few days at most. Get out and explore.

Mind you, we would likely rent an airbnb every month or so for a week to get some proper sleep and do some laundry and have a nice kitchen and see some friends. So I imagine it being like 3 weeks on the road seeing several different places, then exploring a new city for a week at an airbnb. Then repeat
 
the moops said:
NutterButter said:
The vans are cool to look at but just very impractical.
Click to expand...
For some people for sure. I think for what we are looking for it is highly practical and much more so than a travel trailer or giant *** RV. We detest crowded campgrounds, and wouldn't go near an RV park even if paid to do so. We crave spaces with few people. Hard to get to unless you have something like these AWD small'ish camper vans. I will ride my bike all day long or go climbing or go for hikes. Wife would join for some or will go for runs and read. Will have a few beers around a fire and settle in early to watch a show or read. Stay in the same place for a few days at most. Get out and explore.

Mind you, we would likely rent an airbnb every month or so for a week to get some proper sleep and do some laundry and have a nice kitchen and see some friends. So I imagine it being like 3 weeks on the road seeing several different places, then exploring a new city for a week at an airbnb. Then repeat
Click to expand...
I hear ya. Being close to people in an rv park is what pretty much killed the rv life idea for me. Still look at the class C's. They're built on a truck body so might be able to handle what you're looking to do with some small modifications. You'll be glad you have the extra space when the weather is crap and you can't get out and explore.
 
Me? Absolutely not. I like nicer amenities and having to do very little work. I also want some space and my idea of being out in nature is a golf course.

That said, a friend of mine and his wife started doing this with a very similar camper van and love it. Their daughter went off to college a couple of years ago and that had some immediate marriage problems but rekindled and he credits the camper van experience for a lot of that.
 
Last edited:
I think I would want to have a home base, but I dig the camper van idea.

I have a bucket list of rivers (fly fishing) I want to hit. I figure be on the road for a month, hit a few, head home to recharge.....wash, rinse, repeat.
 
Not dreaming of it, but my daughter plays travel volleyball and we were in Orlando a couple of weeks ago. One her teammates had that exact camper van and we got to bum a ride a couple of times. It is really nice.
 
Oh yeah this is a daydream of mine, too. Kids are about the same ages (12 and 14), but I'd be solo. I know the van conversions are all the rage right now, but I think I will just opt for a more "standard" RV, like this bad boy

I will still have a home base (outside Austin, ideally) but will take 1-2 week jaunts out to visit friends or just to go somewhere new.

Maybe I'll see y'all out on the road here in about 10 years!
 
Zow said:
Me? Absolutely not. I like nicer amenities and having to do very little work. I also want some space and my idea of being out in nature is a golf course.

That said, a friend of mine and his wife just starting doing this with a very similar camper van and love it. Their daughter went off to college a couple of years ago and that had some immediate marriage problems but rekindled and he credits the camper van experience for a lot of that.
Click to expand...
Not as much room for her to escape inside a camper when you’re feeling frisky.
 
the moops said:
Wife and I are still years away (kids are 11 and 13) but we are dreaming up our retirement and pretty sure it is sell the house, buy a sweet camper van, and see this continent (we have seen a lot of it, but still a lot more to see). And damn, there are some sweet van builds out there.

This is my current crush https://van-craft.com/inventory/2025-waypoint-awd/

Or the larger version https://van-craft.com/inventory/2025-waypoint-xl-awd/

Anyone else dreaming of something like this?
Click to expand...

Cool idea but you need to step up your game little man: https://www.rvguide.com/reviews/other/elemment-palazzo-superior-review-1619/
 
the moops said:
Wife and I are still years away (kids are 11 and 13) but we are dreaming up our retirement and pretty sure it is sell the house, buy a sweet camper van, and see this continent (we have seen a lot of it, but still a lot more to see). And damn, there are some sweet van builds out there.

This is my current crush https://van-craft.com/inventory/2025-waypoint-awd/

Or the larger version https://van-craft.com/inventory/2025-waypoint-xl-awd/

Anyone else dreaming of something like this?
Click to expand...

Those look pretty sweet. You're welcome to park at our house if you're in East Tennessee.
 
I've talked about my Dad some here. He was a talented fabricator and loved cars. World class in some of the hot rod stuff he did.

He had this same idea you're having @the moops about 20 years ago.

My dad was a big man. 6' 4" and around 260 pounds. One of his pet peeves was he hated the flimsy sort of toy like features in lots of RVs. Miniature toilet and shower and a couch that converts to a bed. That kind of stuff.

So he set out to build his own. He bought a brand new GMC 25' panel delivery truck. Looked like a UPS truck. Then proceeded to outfit it with the actual king sized bed from his bedroom. A regular porcelain toilet that would go in a house. And a full size fiberglass shower that would go in your house. Added something like a 100 gallon water tank and hot water equivalent to your house. And a generator to power it all.

Of course, that left room for basically nothing else. He said he didn't need a kitchen. Said in case I hadn't heard, there are quite a few restauarants on the intersate. :lmao:

It was a one of a kind thing that fit him perfectly. And he wore it out for a few years traveling from Tennessee to California and all over. Had a blast with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Joe Bryant
A Glimpse of Beauty In an Ugly Place
Replies
0
Views
190
Joe Bryant
Joe Bryant
bigbottom
2024 Edition - Please help bigbottom win a Battle of the Bands and support Chance for Hope as a Bonus! Just a $10 donation makes a difference
Replies
28
Views
1K
Mrs. Rannous
Mrs. Rannous
Ministry of Pain
What's Normal? Baby Showers, when did this become a Co-Ed event?
2
Replies
99
Views
2K
Zow
Zow

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top