Do People Who Live as Stealth Van Dwellers Do so Because of Necessity or Choice

Van Dwellers, a Yahoo Group, maitains a forum where it's perceived that living within the confined quarters of a standard cargo van is an enjoyable experience. However, there are people who would prefer to live in more "normal" circumstances.

The response to the question was quite hearty with many stating emphatically that their mobile lifestyle was one of choice. The reasons covered a wide spectrum. Everything from a trapped feeling from living within a home, including: home maintenance and never ending expense. Others want to travel. Many felt the reduce space made their life more "cozy," or organized. Removing clutter, they found, was an uplifting experience.

Being mobile can solve a wide range of headaches. If the economy takes a down turn in your area, your not hampered by the financial drain of maintaining the one thing that is keeping you nailed down, your house. In a bad market, trying to sell a house can quickly lead to monetary hardship.

Having problems with the neighbor in the house next door can be very stressful. Dumping your house to get away will cost you money and just pass the problem on to the next guy. Neither one a good thing.

Are your in town relatives driving you crazy. Wouldn't it be nice to just pull in your slideout walls and just leave?

For what ever reason the Stealth Van Dweller feels the need to roam inconspicuously on the fringe of society, the issue of choice over necessity was clearly answered in a article published in the Chicago Tribune.

Reported by Steve Schmadeka, Retired 82 yr old master mechanic John R. Grant died of lung cancer in a motel in Sheldon Iowa. Mr. Grant spent his later years traveling throughout Iowa, Kansas and Minnesota in his White Ford Cargo Van. When discovered deceased by the authorities they were surprised with what they found in his hotel room.

In small bills, 5's, 10's and 20's, a vinyl cassette tape case contained $263,000 in cash. This seemingly impoverish transient was in reality loaded. After a lengthy search the heir to his fortune turned out to be a 27 yr old grand daughter that hadn't seen Grandpa John since she was nine yrs old. She didn't know why he chose to live as he did, but it was clearly a life of choice.

This pretty much puts to rest any notion that those who choose to embrace a mobile lifestyle by in large do it for their own personal reasons. The reasons may vary, but the key that links many to the tribe of Van Dwellers is the fact that this is truly what they want to do.