Looking for advice on fulltime van living

Bear1

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Hey there I've just joined this Forum :)
I'm Bear/Kris I was referred to this website from a group on Facebook. I've had a tough past few years and been pretty much stuck unemployed and frustrated and with itchy feet as ive not been travelling since my teens ( 0ver ten years ago :S ) but have just found employment again. Im planning on saving up and probably buying a vw t25 camper fairly cheapy ( I would love a bay window but its twice the price :S). I'm aiming to get sorted and go in about a year or so and want to travel and live in it fulltime. I'm initially planning for a few long weekends then take the plunge. I initially plan to stay in the uk till I get used to van living then am looking to go to a few countries in Europe.
So ive started investigating the do`s and dont`s of van living is there any peeps on here doing similar at the mo? Im looking for suggestions on books to read, ways to make money as I go and the kind of essentials I would need on a day to day basis. all advice and comments appreciated :D
 
Personally I'd go for a van that is completely self contained - shower, toilet, hot water, central heating, fridge - plenty of vans out there in the Sprinter size that make it easy to full time. Unless you intend living in campsites? then you can use their showers and toilets. Have a look at mobile.de to see what is available. I've lived in a Mercedes 309D T1 Westfalia conversion for 9 months, biggest hassle was finding somewhere to fill up with water and empty the toilet.

If you are looking for work it makes it easier if you can present clean and showered to an employer.

If you are flexible for work then its pretty easy to get a job anywhere - well maybe not Greece at present - as a mid twenties I sold ice creams on the beaches in Southern France for two summer seasons and drove trucks during the winter, there were plenty of other beach sellers - drinks, fake African trinkets, monokinis (best if you are a voluptuous female for those).
 
Hello Bear and welcome...
We intend to tour Europe in the near future...staying away at about 3 months at a time...but if there is anything we have learned about van 'living' it's been that our solar panel has been a godsend for wilding...we travel as lightly as we can without denying our comfort, to save on running costs...we have a 'topper' on our matress and use warm sheets in the winter and cool ones in the summer...we buy cheap 5ltr bottles of water to use for cooking and drinking...thus saving tank supply for mini showers and the loo...we carry two loos (just in case)...but we try not to use the onboard one...loads more tips but I expect others can list far better ones...but what ever you decide...enjoy...:wave:
 
If i were going to do it i would be only considering something like a 3.5t lwb van or bigger if your livense covers it
 
I have lived full time in my American RV since 2011
You really do need to get a van that has all your needs coverd ( not an easy task)

I went for American as almost all Euroboxs are built on light weight hence things brake all the time
For a proper house on wheels I went for a 34 foot with slide out
Fixed walk around bed in rear
The yanks put every thing you could possibly need in as standard
Running costs are about £0.50pence per mile
A good condition one can be found for around £25K

My advice. Get one and enjoy the freedom to go where ever the sun shines

Good luck

Ian
 
Only advice i can offer is if its a cheap vw t25 it will be a money pit. As much as i love old vw's unless its a good one which if its cheap it will not be you will always be paying out. I had a mk1 vw lt35 you could have lived in that but after owning and looking after it for 10yrs sold it for a newer lt.

Mike
 
Don't get a T25.

First they don't come cheap, even for a worn out rust bucket, and it will be a cash drain. Second not the kind of vehicle best for full timing in.

For all the VW's you pay a big cult premium. For many new people, that's the only van they have heard of. Therefore you are competing with loads of people and they go for silly prices. Not the van for a budget buy.
 
Whilst I haven't done any long time in it, I can absolutely imagine it being easy enough to live in my van. Another vote for Merc Sprinter MWB.

VW's are stupid money, and whilst all very romantic, not very good long term IMO - sorry to those who own them...
 
didn't we just do a long thread on this very subject ? if so maybe somebody with a memory could direct the op
 
st3v3 said:
Whilst I haven't done any long time in it, I can absolutely imagine it being easy enough to live in my van. Another vote for Merc Sprinter MWB.

VW's are stupid money, and whilst all very romantic, not very good long term IMO - sorry to those who own them...
Click to expand...

There's a lot of unlove for T25's above....I just can't let that go by!!!; a careful search will find you a good quality T25, reliable, easy and cheap as chips to maintain ........ Van Diesel is 29yrs old and a trusty old mate..... And in better nick than some of those more modern white boxes out there (controversy!).

That said I wouldn't want / couldn't live full time in him!!! A month is about the limit.

st3v3 is right on the advice....and I'd look for something with a shower!!! My choice, hands down, a self converted Unimog! You've got a year to build it and will know it inside out. But you'll need to be able to afford the fuel!!!!! - go sub Saharan any you'll be fine......

Lovin your dream Bear.......keep it alive....
 
i travelled all over europe and most of north africa in vw,s t2 and t25,s . they are a bit small. these days i would say get an ex prison truck like these DAF TRUCKS FA LF45.150 Prison Van | eBay
insulated and make great campers . my mate as had one for years . its bright purple . most winter travellers know it . cheap for bits etc . or get a mitsubishi canter .they drive like vwt25 but faster ,better brakes etc .
you can have permenant bed ,shower . decent kitchen and seating table area . plus garage under bed for a dax m,bike etc . plus big gas bottles and lots of payload for bringing supplies back in to uk.
 
dont be silly .bob lives in his . i go away for 6 months in winter never have a problem in my mini artic . bobs is a 14ft box and almost fits in a car space . Spain and Portugal 09 - 10 092.jpgSpain and Portugal 09 - 10 092.jpg there really isnt a problem.
 
Just a quick comment on the larger motorhomes; there are plenty of places that now prohibit vehicles over a certain length or weight, so just be aware that some great spots will be excluded to you. A MWB Sprinter sized van is about the same length as most station wagons so can go pretty well anywhere that a car can go. I don't remember coming across height restrictions anywhere in Europe other than along the Med coast in France (St Tropez and Eastwards), its a UK thing.

I do remember being behind a truck in the French Alps and the driver had to stop and do a three point turn to get around a few hairpin bends.

The other thing I omitted from my post was to have standing room in the van - nothing worse than having to stoop all the time.

This what I have james cook Search Results: Motorhomes on mobile.de
 
if you passed your test pre 97 you can .
upto 7.5ton . 8,25 with a trailer .
or vehicle upto 3,500kggvw with any trailer as long as you dont break the towing vehicles trainweight . that could be 11/12ton .
 
I'm with Alan on this , the ex prison trucks make great conversions and I doubt you would find anything better insulated,,,,,,,,,, but then I am a little biased
 
Wow blown away by the massive response from all you guys thanks :)
Right the vw t25 the reason ive been looking at one is that I previously have had vws in various different makes so I know my way round em fairly well for a start. The cost for a decent nick one with a few bits and bobs to tidy up is around £3000 ish and as I don't expect to have much more than a few grand knocking about money is tight ie im not going to be able to afford a 24k all singing all dancing new van!!. So figured id get a diesel/turbo diesel one for economy. The other reasons I was considering a small vehicle is that my dad bought a winibago some years ago and struggled to get it up country lanes and when parked was unable to visit any of the places he wanted to in it. He quickly sold it through frustration and bought a caravan instead, with that in mind I don't want a huge van. As im not overly fussed about space either as I pretty much own bugger all and am not looking for a massively luxurious van. That said im going to have another good root about at vans and see if any of your suggestions may be more suitable ie shower ( my plan is/was to go to the gym most days and shower there).
Started an inventory list today just to get me thinking heres what I got so far.

leisure battery
basic tool kit ie spanners/sockets set,jack,
heater
12v-230v inverter
massive jug for water
solar battery charger
cargo nets attatch to roof for storage
extra top mattress for bed
thick sleeping bag/extra thick winter bedding
window blackout of some sort
extra security imobiliser, strengthened locks etc
ziplock bags
12w or preferably 16w car battery charger
travel log/blog
plastic storage containers
hot water bottle
make a hidden compartment, drawer under seats?
Candles/t lights


my main concern right now is cash flow the worst thing that can happen is getting caught with your pants down. Is there agencies that can set you p work abroad??? Im pretty open to what I do I don't mind grafting but just from my recent experience of searching for work constantly ad getting very little regular employment over the past few years its tough out there, at least in Northants it is lol Im looking at certain other safe guards/low cash regular money spinners. I can do from my laptop ie setting up an online drop ship business, investigate how to make money blogging, youtube videos etc
 
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