I'm more or less fulltiming in a LWB high roof self converted (sort of) transit with 2 dogs and a cat. I have a house but can't afford to live in it and can't sell it due to negative equity so stuck till house prices pick up (am up north so the recent price rises are much slower to reach us up here). I tend to pop home maybe one night every couple of weeks to do laundry, have a bath, pick up post etc but don't even sleep in the house anymore, I sleep in the van outside it.
Yes, storage space is an issue in my van, especially as
1. I'm a woman and so probably want and have more clothes than a man, and need a range of clothes for different activities, eg dog walking, hill walking, every day, something smarter for events, and party/going out clothes etc
2. I'm a hoarder and attach sentimental value to things and find it hard to part with things even if they don't actually serve a specific purpose
3. I have quite a lot of craft materials and equipment for making things to sell
4. I have quite a big dog cage for my 2 dogs for when travelling and when they are wet and dirty (why I went down the self build route)
However, every time I go home I leave a box of stuff there of things which I've realised I don't need or don't use. I'm pretty good at making best use of space, using all nooks and crannies but you need to be organised to do this (army training is a good way of learning to do this, I see from your name that applies to you). I have a lot of things hanging from shelves etc, maybe not everyones cup of tea if you like the minimalist look, but good way of using otherwise wasted space. And am always on the look out at car boot sales, charity shops for things which can be repurposed to suit a specific need in the van or which can be adapted to create more storage - think laterally!
I have a roof rack but getting things up and down there on my own can be tricky so I don't use it much but it's good for strapping a basha to with bungees to make a temp awning in bad weather - not really suitable for one night wilding, but good for when parked up for a few nights or more where you can get away with it so this means things like wet boots, water containers, bags of rubbish etc can be stored outside (Obviously not in urban areas, but I tend to stay in remote places as I'm not tied to a regular place of work or regular hours). I'm also intending getting a tow bar fitted for my small trailer so my craft stuff can go in there and it can be padlocked to something secure or wheel clamped so I don't have to permanently have it attached.
The length of my van plus the rear step (I have a ladder on back door) means that I overhang a supermarket parking space by about a foot but all my wheels are within the bay. This means that although sometimes I may have to walk further to certain shops, I can be sure of finding parking spaces in most towns fairly easily, and can also just about fit into council roadside parking bays without the risk of being ticketed for being outside the parking space.
The longest I've lived in my van in one go without going back to my house was 5 months last year and it was ok but I had to be very organised, keep tidy and allow extra time to do even simple things like getting washed and dressed (accessing clothes in a box under the bed takes a few minutes to lift up bed, have a rummage round, then put everything back again), and washing up (my sink is underneath my bedside table so in order to wash up, I have to make sure that the bed is made so that I can lift the lid of the sink off, and put on my bed whilst washing up, and need to dry up and put away instead of leaving things to drip dry, because my drainer is on a hinged shelf which needs to be packed away when travelling). So it's not impossible, nor even that difficult once you've got into a regular routine.
As I'm travelling solo 99% of the time (except for the animals) I don't really need the passenger seats so they get used for storage as does the passenger foot well. My violin case stands up on one seat with seat belt to hold it in position, a plastic storage bin for dog food is in passenger foot well, and my bag of dirty laundry is on passenger seat - I know when I need to do my washing as the bag is so full I can't see the left hand wing mirror!
I don't have windows in the side, only a roof light, so I have shelving for storage along the full length of the sides, one shelf was already fitted at head height courtesy of Network Rail, the other side I've adapted a wooden frame which had been added by the previous owner who was a window fitter and had built the frame to stand the windows against. I added shelving inside the frame and have loads of storage. My bed is only a single bunk but is transverse, with my feet going into the wooden frame - luckily I'm only 5'3 so can fit no problems. I presently store my craft stuff behind a curtain between my bed and the rear doors, this isn't ideal and I'm looking at other options. I also have a small hanging wardrobe area there but most of my clothes are in an old recycled bread tray under my bunk. Under my sink is water storage and calor gas bottle. I've even managed to fit in a loo - an old 20L plastic paint pot with tight fitting lid hidden inside a laundry chest with lift up lid from a car boot sale. No one can tell by looking that it's actually a loo and it doubles up as a seat for visitors
It's not really a van for entertaining guests in and there's only really my bed for sitting on although I do have a folding stool so I could at a pinch have 2 visitors inside my van.
It really depends on your job and how much free time you have and whether you need storage for kit, equipment, office clothes etc, and whether you want a fixed bed, fixed table, and to be able to invite people in for meals etc. Personally I'd rather be more cramped (although I prefer to call it cosy) and less stressed about parking, I can pretty much park anywhere but especially in Greater London area, I would suggest a smaller vehicle would be much easier to park, and less chance of getting parking tickets for being outside the marked bay in a bigger vehicle. I've considered removing my rear step but it means that even if someone parks right up close to the back end, I can still open the back doors if I need to, although I rarely do, I just use the side sliding door.
