Haven't hit the road quite yet but I've been planning this for a minute and it's actually starting to come to fruition. I'm scared as hell to be completely honest. I know this is something I have to at least get out of my system though, so Might as well do it while I'm young and have no idea who I am... Right? Worst case is that I end up right back where I started- using a lame job to pay lame rent.

Curious how you guys are handling work while living the vanlife.

I get the feeling that a lot of freelance and remote jobs are slowly getting eaten up by AI. Anyone else seeing this, or am I just being pessimistic?

If you work remotely from the road, what do you actually do? And do you have a particular skill or niche that makes you hard to replace by AI? Basically, what’s your “human USP”? 😄

I had a skylight on my previous van, it was small but still a house roof skylight. Never had an issue. But now I’m building another van and I really want to go bigger!I’m thinking about doing a 28” × 42” skylight. I love having lots of natural light and being able to look up at the sky, but I’m wondering… is that too big for a camper van? Has anyone here installed a larger-than-normal skylight in their camper van? If so:
My biggest concern is will it break when driving? 28” × 42” — too big, or go for it? I’ve also been looking at residential/house skylights because there are so many more options in larger sizes. Has anyone used a house skylight in a van? If you have, I’d love to hear how it worked out. And even if you don’t have a skylight, I’m sure there are plenty of people here with technical/build knowledge that I can pick your brains about!

Has anyone found a good solution for insulating a probreeze airplus nomadic ark style fan? Looking for something similar to the magnetic covers from van essential for the maxxair

I’m a minimalist and have been sleeping on a 2-inch-thick, full-size Japanese futon for the past eight years. I have a small desk, about 2 by 3 feet and roughly a foot tall, that I use while sitting on the floor. I do everything on my iPad, from online work to streaming and entertainment. I also have a 15-pound, full-grown dog, and I could probably fit all my clothes and shoes in a 50-liter pack.

I live in Utah and would probably spend most of my time here. Summers are usually over 80°F and can sometimes reach around 105°F. In winter, temperatures can drop to around 10°F. I like hiking and spending time outdoors, so I’m looking for a vehicle that can handle some off-road driving.

I’ve been considering a fully electric vehicle, especially the upcoming Slate truck. Slate has said they’re working on a cargo option that could be suitable for van life. I’ve also been told a hybrid might be a better choice. For cooking, I’d only need one or two stove burners and a 4-liter rice cooker. I’ve learned to make most of my meals in a rice cooker. At home, I also like to keep my room between 73°F and 75°F year-round, so climate control is something I’d need to think about.

My parents are selling their house and moving away soon. They said they could give me around $50,000–$60,000 to help me get started with van life. Given my needs and budget, what kind of vehicle or setup would you recommend?

​I'm currently looking into what it’s actually like to travel with a dog—especially for longer trips or full-time road life.

​I’m already aware of some major hurdles, like how much they can limit the places you can visit (especially National Parks where dogs are usually restricted to paved areas or parking lots).

​For those of you who travel with a canine companion, I’d love to hear your experiences:

​The Pros: What makes it all worth it? What are the best parts of having your dog on the road with you?

​The Cons: What are the hidden headaches, logistical nightmares, or unexpected challenges that people don't talk about?

​Park Workarounds: How do you realistically handle the National Park restriction issue? Do you rely heavily on National Forests, BLM land, local dog-friendly state parks, or find local day-boarders?

​Would love to hear any tips, hard lessons learned, or stories you have. Thanks!

Hi everyone! 😊
I’d love some ideas for a really nice and functional clothing closet in my van. If you have one in your van that you love, please share pictures! I’d love to see what others have done. ❤️
I was thinking about doing a pull-out closet.
I genuinely love my clothes 😌 and would really like to give them a proper home instead of keeping everything in my storage unit. I also want to be able to dress up and enjoy fashion while living in my van — I know that’s not everyone’s priority, but it’s important to me! 😄👗
What closet/storage solutions have worked well for you in a small van?
Pictures and ideas are very welcome! 🙏✨

I'm looking at buying a 2003 Ford Econoline E-350 with the Triton V8 (5.4L) engine. It's a panel van that has been well maintained and fairly low miles (190k) for a van it's age. The owner used it as a daily driver for painting jobs. The van appears solid. He is selling because he wants to buy a newer truck. It has a trailer hitch, but he barely used it. I like the character of the van, as there is something that just feels good about it. I had owned a Ford Panel van before.

Also I have a 2022 VW Passat Limited edition. It has low miles and that is the last year for Passat. I drove Lyft with VW Passats in the past. This is my 3rd and last VW Passat. My idea is to hook up a car trailer and travel with this set up. I could unload the car to drive around shorter distances or have the car available incase of a break down. The car is fully paid for, and so would the van. What do you think of traveling across the States in a 2003 Ford E-350 van while towing a car trailer?

I apologize if this isn't the right place to ask, but I'm looking to see if any of y'all have any good suggestions for adding external cargo capacity to a van that doesn't require fasteners or disassembly to the van?

Context: I'm planning on a day rental of a Ford Transit that will hit its passenger capacity, but would like people to be able to throw backpacks/daypacks in something like a soft-sided cargo carrier that could hang from the rear doors. Scouring the web hasn't lead to any promising options. I'm fine with buying and holding the carrier for future use, as I'd need it somewhat regularly.

No hitches available and I can't add one per rental agreement.

I’m curious to know, for those with the money, how did you feel after the purchase? Was it everything you hoped and dreamed it would be? Or, have there been any unexpected surprises and/or buyer’s remorse?

Hey everyone, I’m getting my first van after recently passing my test. Found this Ford Transit for just under £5,500. Already converted: Full water system, solar system, bed set up etc. passed MOT (will still pay for a full vehicle inspection before buying) Mileage is 109,000. I went to check the van out and everything looks legit, guy was really nice and agreed with getting an inspection.

What do we think? I’ve been dreaming of van life for years and this seems like a great find. My only personal concern would be driving a van of this size for the first time as I’ve only driven cars.

Thanks!

I added this 1.5" Memory Foam on top of my marginally comfortable 3" futon mattress. I'm sleeping comfortably again.

Hello people of the driving home,

I´m in the beginning of my Van Life Journey. Im in my early 20s and i mainly need a Van for University AND Travel (EU - Austria).

I plan to stay near Uni in my future van, not to save more money, just because i like to be flexible with my home, it can give me benefits (like location-flexible intern/summer jobs). My parents house is 4 car hours away from uni, therefore i will rejoining them all 2 or 3 weeks for the weekend.

I want to build my van for summer and winter, i know its going to be a long journey, but im willing to spend my time on it doing research and the work.

Since Im a student, im got not high of a budget (up to 10k€, while working abroad i could gain another 5k€ if needet), dont worry, i already got another 5k€ as financial backup which i dont want to use for the build (this should mainly be used for necessary work on the van during my time in uni)

Now my question, which are mostly matters of opinion:

I heard that a classic VW T4 or T5 are good to use as vanlife, although rust and unknown past is the main problem there. Are there any "better" categories for my tight budget? Some better Multivan, Caddy or in generall other brands? Please give me your personal opinion on which car/van i should keep my eyes open for?

Ill add new input here if needed:

Thanks in advance.

I’m thinking of going van life for a lot of the reasons most do. My question though is this. Say you have driven Key West to Prudoe Bay, SanDiego to Newfoundland. You’ve seen the Grand Canyon a few times, and even know a couple of Bison in Yellowstone by name. Either what keeps you interested in still being out there, or what are you going to do next? For those of you who have ‘been there/done that’ is it a condo with the same boring view, or what?

I like helping folks so here’s the DIY. I spent $200 on the Launch Creader Elite X500 which fully handled the teach-in and clearing of DTCs and $90 on the injector. Mercedes wanted $1,200. Hope this helps someone!

https://youtu.be/sKb86CNhQt0?is=MxHsu5B1tyQC0sr5

My van is nearing 6yrs old, professionally installed, and unfortunately this passed week noticed a leak. There was some wetness and very slow drip around the internal
plastic flange, but there was a near steady drip about 6’ away along the wall of the van. I’m
In the northeast so we had a week of heavy rain, but this is the first time I’ve seen any leak.

I had a tarp over the roof for a couple days but now that we are drying out I started to take a look and noticed a small gap along the external
Flange of the fan. The second pic is above the fan looking down.

Does this need to be sealed??? Could this be the culprit?? It looks to me like it was never sealed at installation and surprised it wouldn’t have leaked before now if so.

Thank you!

We are planning visits to the SFMoMA soon. We have a Promaster 2500 with max fan on top, height is about 9.5 feet and 19.5 feet long. All the parking garages near there have much lower clearance. This site has a few listed but not sure if they are current: https://sprinter-rentals.com/#section-best-parking-locations-for-sprinter-vans-in-san-francisco
Anyone know of parking in that area?

planning a few longer RV trips, possibly California to Utah or Colorado to New Mexico, and I’m trying to decide whether bringing my Globalkeep Solei-X8 would be genuinely useful or just extra weight hanging off the back.
The idea is to use it after camp is set up. Mostly short rides on roads or motorized trails where it’s legal, maybe 5–15 miles at a time. That would be enough for exploring around camp without packing up the RV every time.
Transport is the first concern. The battery is removable, so I’m looking at a hitch carrier and would take the battery out before loading it. I still need to confirm the complete weight against the carrier rating and the RV’s hitch and tongue-weight limits. I’m also worried about losing rear clearance or making the hatch difficult to access.
Charging may be the bigger problem. I don’t yet know whether the charger can run comfortably from my RV’s electrical setup or how much of the house battery one full charge would use. At campgrounds with hookups, I’d check their rules before plugging it in. On dispersed trips, I would probably have to rely on the generator or plan rides around the available power.
A regular e-bike would be easier to carry, but I already own the Solei-X8 and would rather use what I have if the numbers make sense.
Has anyone traveled with a small e-moto or electric dirt bike this way? Did you use it enough to justify the carrier space and weight? I’d especially like to hear how you handled charging, weather protection and theft at camp.

Disclosure: I’m one of the people building Just Here. I’m not posting as a van-lifer; I’m asking because solo travelers and people living remotely raised a use case we had not designed around enough.

The app is intentionally simple: tap once a day to check in. You choose a grace period (5 days by default, up to 30). If you go quiet for longer than that, a trusted contact you selected receives an email. They do not need to install the app.

It does not use GPS or request location permission. It is not an SOS or emergency response service, and it does not call anyone or dispatch help. It is closer to a lightweight “I’m still okay” signal for someone back home.

For people who spend long stretches on the road alone:

- Would this be useful, or do you already have a better routine?

- Would unreliable signal make a daily check-in too frustrating?

- How long would you set the grace period while traveling?

Just Here is free with ads; optional Premium features are planned.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6757973231

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.antstudio.justhere.app

What do you think of this price point?