Van Life

I’ve spent nearly two months in the Karma van so far, so I thought I would describe van life so far. I’m sure it will change and evolve as the year passes, and as the landscape continues to change. The van is a 1985 Volkswagon Vanagon, bought from a pleasant Polish gentlemen in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The van comes equipped with two gas burners, a sink, mini-fridge, two swing out tables, a rear seat that folds into a 46 inch bed, a roof cap that rises to provide about 7 feet of headroom, and an upper 48 inch bunk. There was a furnace, but I had it disconnected. The front seats swivel to face each other and the passenger one will swivel to face the rear. There are 8 windows, counting the windshield, providing plenty of natural light, whether it’s sunny or not. All of the windows can be covered with curtains, and the back hatch has a screen that snaps over it to allow for terrific air flow. The each of the two side windows slide open and have screens. There is also a vent in the roof that pops up to allow heat to escape, and can be covered with a piece of screen and/or curtain as it does provide a great deal of light, much like a skylight. Those little pieces have long since gone missing, but I haven’t needed them just yet as the weather has been cool at night, and the side windows are enough. I’ll have to whip up a new piece of screen and curtain. They attach by Velcro, so easy to get done, possibly this week while I’m at my sister’s and have access to a sewing machine.


There are also ample cupboards and storage areas, which is great. I still manage to have a lot of STUFF, but I have been paring down as I go, trying to weed out what I haven’t really needed, or have no desire to drag around the continent with me. I brought along a square ottoman that has storage inside, providing an extra seat, footstool as well. I try to keep the floor relatively clutter free, as I despise tripping over STUFF. The only time it’s out of hand is when I’m mobile, as some things I just don’t want to travel on the bed, like my greasy barbecue and jugs of water/beer/juice. I have storage cubes under the seat that fit perfectly, storing a number of items for easy access.  I have one for food that doesn’t fit in the cupboard, one for first aid/cleaning/emergency supplies, one for bulkier dishes that won’t fit in the cupboards without hogging ALL the room such as bowls, camp kettle, thermos, big flashlight, hand wipes and such. The fourth one is the random fun stuff, like crayons, feather boas, tambourine, playing cards, dinky cars, sparklers, etc.  I often visit friends/family with children, so like to keep them busy.  I have also been known to indulge in the delight of coloring with Crayola crayons.  I just LOVE the smell of Crayolas. The imitations don’t come close, and use too much wax.

I have been rearranging things within the van for weeks as I pare down some things, pack others more efficiently.  I’ve bought and chucked storage ideas, and am still searching for more ways to maximize the storage space and cut down on clutter. With such a small living space, it doesn’t take long to crowd myself out. I am carrying nearly everything I own right now, since I sold or lost everything else in the fire. I have a few things in my mother’s storage locker in Nova Scotia, and that’s it. I do have my house in Newfoundland with a few things, however I sold nearly all the furniture and appliances from that place as the community is closing for good. Many folks I’ve spoken with across the country ask me if it was freeing to have so few belongings, even with the tragic fire that took most of it.  The fact is, yes, it is indeed freeing, but bittersweet. I have lost a great deal of personal items that cannot be replaced, but I have the freedom to move wherever I please by not being bogged down with the usual issue – how in the hell do I get all that stuff out there. Unless I took a government job in the north, I’ve had to move all of my own belongings back and forth across the country, which is getting more and more expensive these days. Now a move is not as daunting as I can drive anywhere with everything I need.

There are drawbacks to van life, I won’t lie. There is no bathroom, so anywhere I camp, I usually choose to camp where there’s a bathroom. I do have my little toilet seat, but that is for backup, not everyday. When I’m on the move, I have to pack everything on the bed and then when I land for the night, I have to move it all up overhead to the second bunk so I can sleep in the bed. I have left the back bench seat down in the bed position as it just wasn’t practical for long term living to be putting it back and forth every night, and I had nowhere else to put the foam I have brought along for my bed. The bed has been very comfortable, and I’ve gotten some really solid sleep.  Without the foam though, I reckon that would be a different story. I also have been packing up my blankets every morning when I’m on the move, as I  load everything else onto the bed. I may start just making up the bed, tucking the covers in, as it is a real drag to make up the bed every night.  The foam mattress I have on top shifts constantly though, which is an even bigger drag, as I have to yank it back straight several times a day, depending on how often I’m sitting on the bed. It also migrates when I’m sleeping. I’m not sure what the answer is as there is no footboard like you might have on a house bed. I have a poster of John Lennon on the ceiling over the head of my bed…John and I enjoy our time together…I have a beautiful original painting of Stormy on the wall beside my bed, painted by David King, in Halifax. I also have a print my daughter bought me after the fire to replace one I had lost. She had no idea, but she bought me the exact same one, which thrilled me as it was my favorite by the artist.

Other drawbacks are that storage space is not all easily accessible in my current setup, so I have to either find a way to make that work, or change it altogether. There are compartments under one of the tables, but I have to swing the table out each time I want to access them. I’ve set up my computer on this table, along with some storage bins, and so it’s a balancing act each time I need to get in there.  At first it was a royal pain, but I have managed to shift things around enough that I put things I use less regularly in there. The closet is also in the same predicament – inaccessible unless the table is moved. I have a lot of the bulkier items in there, as it wasn’t practical to store my clothing in there.  That is an issue I have yet to resolve. I had been storing it in my large backpack, but rooting through a backpack of rolled up clothing is a bit of a chore, mostly trying to fit it all back in there again after doing the laundry.  Right now, it’s neatly piled up in overhead bed, but that will have to move if I want to drive the van. I seem to spend a great deal of time moving stuff around, something I despise. However, I enjoy a tidy home, even if it is a small camper. I probably just need to keep paring things down too. I over packed I think, not knowing what would be useful on the journey, and knowing I may not always have easy access to shopping.

The van gets rather warm in the sun, so I have to get the screen in the upper tent fixed. It is there, but not attached on 3 sides. I can probably just attach some Velcro.  It hasn’t been too hot yet, but once I head down south for the rest of the year, it will be plenty hot enough.

The sliding door is rather loud when it slides along, enough to wake the dead it seems. I’m not sure if there is a cure for this, but I’ll hunt around on the internet to look for ideas.

The pop-up is the easiest thing I’ve ever set up and taken down. There is a bar on it much like a folding table and you just push it up and click it into place. Voila. Taking it down is just as simple. I know why these types of camper vans were so popular with the 60’s crowd, super easy to set up, pretty good on gas, and you can fit a lot of STUFF in here. I’m sitting in the van right now, pounding this out on my mini laptop, perched in the passenger seat with the swing table over my lap. Thankfully the front seats are fairly comfortable, so I don’t mind them too much, although nothing takes the place of a nice soft comfy couch…

When I’m plugged in, I have a natural light lamp that can sit nearly anywhere, and folds into itself for storage, and doesn’t require a bulky shade. I also plug in the speakers for my computer and blast the music. I can also charge my cameras and blackberry.  I also turn the fridge on to keep things chilled. The fridge can be powered by the van battery as well, and only turns on when the van is running to preserve the battery’s power for the starter. I just found that bit of information out by reading the guide a few days ago. I had been worried about turning the fridge on battery, thinking I might forget to turn it off when we parked. I should have known they would account for that. Smart VW people!  I haven’t used the propane yet, and haven’t had the tank filled. I probably will look into that once I get to Victoria. I haven’t really needed it as I have a portable two-burner stove, and the fridge has two other sources in addition to being able to run on propane.

The roof vent leaks somewhat, so there is water on one of the swinging tables if it pours. I’m thinking of replacing it when I get to Victoria, either that or getting at it with a caulking gun…at least it’s not over my bed…

I miss having Stormy in the van. I know he couldn’t come for the whole journey, but I had gotten rather used to sharing such close quarters with him. I know he will be well cared for by my daughter, but I miss him just the same, particularly at bedtime as he has always slept on my bed with me. Sigh…

I have  flat panel monitor to hook up to my laptop for bigger viewing size when I watch videos, but I can’t get the damn thing to work with my computer. I shall have to call Dell for that, so hope to get it done tomorrow. The mini-pc is compact, but the screen is pretty small to watch anything much on it for long.  I would like to mount the monitor somehow, but not until I can get it to work with my laptop. I have been procrastinating because it will involve a long phonecall to someone I can’t understand in India….

I try to write at least once a day, even if it isn’t much more than a journal entry of the day’s activities. I didn’t get much written in the first part of the journey as I was driving most of the time, and after a full day of driving, I haven’t always felt like writing much.  Once I plant for awhile, I expect to write for a few hours each day if I can, if not more. I do 99% of the writing in the van, either sitting on the bed, or in my current perch.

So there you have it, van life….and so much more.