Van Dwelling with an RV Travel Trailer. is it Copping Out?

There are the purists among us who insist that to be a true Van Dweller you must live in a Van. Not an RV, or even an apartment with your Van as merely a secondary means of escape, but to completely grasp the nomadic lifestyle of one who is completely contained within the steel walls of their Van.

Though a noble notion, to those of this mindset I say Balderdash. The term Van Dweller should be looked at in a more general and flexible way, referring to a Nomadic state of mind however it be accomplished. There are a number of words and groups that could be classified as descriptive of a similar lifestyle, Gypsy, Irish Traveler, Hippy, Rainbow People, the label really doesn't matter.

The importance is in how life is approached and the willingness to accept others for who they are judging them not by their particular circumstances.

To that end your mode of transportation and housing should meet your personal needs. After all the only one walking in your shoes is "You".

When I purchased my van I knew I had a 24' Travel Trailer that I would be taking along on some of my journeys. With this in mind on my shopping, or wish list if you will, I was hoping to find a rig that already had a receiver hitch mounted for towing a sizable trailer.

The van I found, and ultimately purchased, had both the receiver hitch and the 7-pin standard RV receptacle in place. Though it was missing an electric brake controller I assumed the wiring harness accommodated the installation of one simply by plugging into an existing connector.

That's why it's call assume, making an Ass out of U and Me. No such luck, it was all an aftermarket setup with only the standard 4 wire lights being wired into the RV receptacle.

A little more work for me but it did allow me to hook the 12v supply wire to the trailer directly to my house battery system on the van. The result is I now have 3 batteries worth of power available when using the Travel Trailer all of which will automatically recharge while driving yet they are isolated from the Van's original starting battery. Once I get some solar panels I should be able to boondock very nicely with no need for a noisy generator.

My Van is a 1-ton model. I was a bit concerned that the ride would be too stiff solo to be comfortable. It hasn't proven to be a problem and the benefit has been that handling while towing my trailer is significantly better then when I was towing with a 1500 model pickup truck. The pickup handled the trailer ok, but on rough pavement the ride was less then smooth with a noticeable amount of up and down pitching even with the equalizer hitch helping to reduce this motion.

Dropping the 5,000 lb weight of the trailer onto the bumper of the 1-ton van was barely noticeable as far as ride height goes. The heavier duty suspension smoothed out all the wrinkles in the blacktop and made for a very solid comfortable ride. An added benefit with a van as a tow vehicle is the distance from the rear wheels to the bumper is shorter then a pickup. Side to side sway is all but completely eliminated the closer the pivot point is to the rear axle.

Stealth vs. being Obvious as all get out might be an issue for some. With a plain white van you can sneak into a quiet part of town and blend in with other parked vehicles. Of course there is the White Bomber Van stigma that often is more of a problem as everyone seems to assume you're up to no good.

In the Midwest RVers are generally considered a valuable part of the economy. Most, not all but most places welcome them with open arms as they leave cold hard cash behind as they mosey through the area. Many Walmarts are considered Gray Haired Resorts with many rigs of different natures spending the night parked like wagons circling for protection on the open plains. Taking up a bit more space is no problem in these surroundings.

Van Dwelling is what you make of it. For me it includes a Van when it's practical for me, or an RV when I want a bit more comfort. I also live in a larger trailer, a 16'x72' mobile home as my home base. At least I have maintained one standard throughout my varied living arrangements, the one common denominator for me is everything I live in, be it short or long term, will have wheels for a foundation.

Having the freedom to go when the urge strikes is what Van Dwelling is all about.