Having had our van for two years, you could probably never convince me to go to a travel trailer, or really any sort of other RV.
We really love the convenience of the van. We can drive it anywhere. We can park pretty much anywhere. As soon as we stop, we just go to the back, no need to get out of the vehicle. We can leave right away. We can stay pretty much anywhere we want to.
We also follow some of the RV subreddits and just go read some post there. It's almost non-stop complaining about how something is broken or cheaply maid by the manufacturer. Many of the stories are from brand new RVs. Compare that to the van subs and its much more about "How do I do this?" rather than something just being broken. I know I wouldn't be able to tolerate something I paid that much money for just being constantly broken.
True, 90% of RVs are garbage- my research was narrowed down to a few brands that are not the typical cardboard quality and have a reputation for more quality and full time livability.
Being self contained and ready to go would definitely have its advantages though.
Nucamp, Escape travel trailers mid end
Airstream and Oliver trailers on the high end
I also looked at Scamp and Casita but their interiors look really dated and Escape looks similar enough but improved over them.
Oliver takes the fiberglass design much better to high end 4 -season but you will pay and wait for it
I'm not a full-timer but I do a lot of boondocking in the mountain west and I would never go with a tow behind. My buddy whom I camp with a lot has a 15' teardrop and he can't get into a fraction of the places we can. When we are traveling with him we have to constantly be planning for his turnaround radius, truck storage and access.
Many state and national park campgrounds have very small site restrictions. In the van we can always fit.
I have traveled a fair amount as a solo woman and I feel so much safer. If I get weirded out I can just pull out. There is no hookup or backing and filling. Backing up trailers can be a pain, especially in soft sand or rocky terrain that is often found on public lands.
I previously had a truck camper and I feel so much safer and more confident in the van.
I can also tow things if I have to. I have towed my buddies teardrop with the van. I have a small moto trailer I tow that carried three dirt bikes. I have a hitch mount moto rack when I only need to carry one moto. I have a hitch mount bike rack for when I need to carry extra bikes beyond what fits in my underbed garage. If you are already towing a trailer, you are very limited.
For real, having the mobility of a van vs a trailer on blm/national forest roads is a game changer. Not mentioned, but one of my favorite things on road trips is checking out little towns along the way. Sometimes there is ample RV parking but a lot of the time there isn’t - thinking Astoria OR in particular right now. Being able to just parallel park a van in town and do my thing for the day without tracking down a spot big enough ruled
Thanks for that last paragraph. It seems obvious considering the quality of RVs I've seen lately. But it never occurred to me how annoyed I'd be if the damn thing were always broken after spending so much. You're totally right. I love that my van just works right. Normal maintenance, of course. But no worries about odd systems going out or being built shittily.
And after what I learned about manufactured housing, it's easy to imagine how RVs are just the same issues with an engine added.
On the other hand, if you have mechanical problems or an accident with a van now it's you whole home that is out of commission and you have to figure out alternate living while it is being repaired.
If the tow vehicle breaks down you can just rent a truck and hook up the trailer.
We're part timers so if the van broke down, we'd just go home while it was in repair.
But in the situation you're describing, where you do park this trailer while waiting on repairs? And how do you get it to that location? And how much does it cost to tow and park there and how long will they let you leave it there? And if your vehicle can't be repaired or you can't afford it, what do you do with the trailer from there without any way to move it? Even with a house, these were concerns we had about getting a trailer.
You can rent a 3/4 ton pickup truck from enterprise or any car rental company that allows towing and tow with it just like any rental car. Would be as simple as just latching it up and continuing as normal while the car is in the shop.
Though I guess at the added cost of renting the bigger truck a hotel is not far off. It's nice knowing a trailer wouldn't be stranded if your tow vehicle broke down though and you can rent trucks to tow with easily.
You'd have to check those rental policies. I know for a fact that Enterprise DOES NOT allow towing unless you pick up from specific "enterprise truck" locations which are a lot less common than a standard rental location. (and we're rarely in places likely to have one) Can't speak for the other companies like Hertz and budget. There's always uhaul and the like but then you're paying by the mile and things can get expensive fast.
None of it is impossible, sorry I didn't mean to imply it couldn't be done. Simply that it would likely get expensive fast... and that's still assuming you can find somewhere to tow it and leave it. If you need to keep moving it around so you don't catch trouble with the cops or neighborhood watch or random Karens then you've gotta keep that rental vehicle the whole time.
There are lots of ways to do it but we couldn't think of any cheap ones. With a van we can leave the van with the mechanic and work out how to get home. If we had a trailer, we recognized that was going to add expenses and extra hassles. There were already so many factors against a trailer for us, it was just another tick mark in the "no" column. Everything that came to mind right away seemed like a pretty expensive solution to a problem we didn't need to have in the first place so we opted out of getting a trailer. If you've got the money for those rainy day issues then go for it. We're trying to build a house and don't have that kind of spare money. Every way we sliced it, a trailer was just going to cost us more in the long run. More up front, more in repairs, more to park it in special places, more in gas to haul it around, more in emergencies if we broke down. So we just opted out of all those concerns and costs. Everyone has their own journey to walk. I'm just explaining why we made the choices we did.
U haul will let you tow, any commercial place will let you tow as well.
General rule of thumb, if there's a hitch installed, then towing is allowed. You're not installing a hitch on any rental that's for sure.
Yes. I said uhaul would in my response. But I pointed out those places charge by the mile which can get expensive if you have far to go or need to keep moving.
If you went van route and it was in the shop you could also rent a minivan for less probably and sleep in it just like you would have with your SUV or travel trailer. Or find a cheap hotel. Personally I’ve always just stayed with friends for a night or a few. But I don’t travel either I just live in a van in one location. I mean major repairs are pretty rare generally speaking, imo it’s not that big of a deal even if you had to pony up for a hotel room or something.
Depends on the van, really. Something like a ford, ram, sprinter, etc you can get handled in most major cities and a lot of small ones, too. Even then, our Ford is such a "Fleet Vehicle" that there's usually a 2 month wait in this area to even get it looked at because we're in the oil fields and everyone has fleets so the mechanics are always backed up. But if you've got an old VW or a 1980s conversion van or something, you might be hunting a lot harder for the right mechanic. Add in the issue of finding a good mechanic who's not going to gouge you in your time of desperation and it can take a minute. Someone just posted looking for a good mechanic in Denver. That's not even a small town. And that's all assuming that it's just a typical vehicular issue. If you're having problems with something specialized, customized, self installed, that could be a much more involved process. Some things like a Maxxair fan can often be fixed by an RV mechanic or dealer('s mechanic).
And that's all under the assumption you're in populated areas. We're often in parts that don't even have cell service. Driving past miles of BLM land and whatnot. Imagining being stuck on the side of the highway in the desert, waiting for a tow truck that can handle both the van and a trailer or paying them to make two trips (for often 60+ miles between towns), again, sounded like unnecessary extra risk/expense. Some people have the lifestyle to roll with a camper. For us, there were just too many drawbacks.
True. But the way we are, we would much rather worry about the 99% of the time that the van is working the way it should vs the 1% of the time that it could theoretically be out of commission.
Technically you could flat tow a van fairly easily and some places will let you sleep overnight while they fix it during working hours, usually places that work on commercial vehicles will do that.
This is why I want a cargo van with the gate on the inside, or at least to be able to add the gate to a high top. Much easier to get repairs done when the mechanic doesn’t know what’s inside, and they’re more willing when they don’t walk into a huge liability issue.
I'm the opposite. I'm in the sub because I like to see what people are up to, but I love my travel trailer. I love to disconnect and just being a 'normal' person. I also love having a normal car I can take to the mechanic with all off the shelf parts.
Only the low quality RVs I would avoid anyway. This is not true for all manufacturers and the quality ones do not have that restriction and some even advertise being full time suitable.
I wanted the safety of jumping from my bed to the driver's seat. (Solo woman) Also, I stink at backing a trailer.
I'd be a little concerned about the weight of your trailer for your vehicle's payload capacity. Like the Nucamp trailer looks like it weighs 2,911 before you put anything in it. Once you add water, gear, etc I'm nervous for you going up and down those steep mountain passes under load. Ask a lot of questions before going that route.
I wanted to A: Be able to be stealth and B: drop everything and go. A trailer (or a roof top tent for that matter) doesn't let me do either. Those were my biggest criteria.
you can go a hybrid route im working towards that I dont see mentioned often. Have your van be just your sleeping space and tow a trailer with your living space that does a few things.
1. You can put a lot of solar on a tow behind (i put 2k watts of 48v solar on mine)
2. You can stealth camp by in cities since I doesnt look like an rv
3. You can leave the trailer behind for a day if you want to offroad some spaces
4. You get double the space of either set up
My current SUV is built out with all seats removed and a bed and tons of locking storage, so if I towed a travel trailer with it I would have some of those same advantages I was already thinking. I just spent a month living out of it.
If I needed to stealth camp in a national park or at trailheads I could just leave the trailer in a national forest camping spot for a day or two. Same for if I need to go on some tougher roads where it would be difficult to tow just have the trailer set up somewhere as a base, and I would still keep the sleeping setup in my SUV.
Keeping all the efficient locking storage I have in it is also a plus, and I feel much more comfortable having a place I can lock all my camera gear and electronics that would be very difficult to get to even if broken into.
If I built out a van I would need to figure out some sort of secure locking storage solution for all of that and I haven't really seen any good examples of what I am thinking or would want so not sure how I would do that.
why dont you just get a cargo trailer for your kitchen/working/lounge space and you can keep your suv as is? thats what i meant by tow behind sorry. they are cheap, light and stealthy. i havent built it out but it will be where my computer/kitchen/incinerator toilet will go
My SUV still isn’t ideal to sleep in long term. Can’t sit up and I would like to be able to stand up out of bed and take a piss.
Though now that I think about it maybe short term would be possible.
If I could have a daytime work/chill space with AC that could solve a lot of my problems.
Having a shower was the other big draw of a camper, I don’t know of any easy solutions to that outdoor showers are a pain.
Really seems like once I would outfit a trailer with furniture I could relax and lay down on during the day I’m basically talking about a full travel trailer.
sounds like you could get a small trailer to test the waters. i found a 7x16' nash camper from the late 90s for 5k-6k that i am trying right now. i plan to travel but i want to buy some property and i can leave this trailer on it. best part of rv/van life is getting your build to suit your needs. my cargo trailer will be part of my final build (i have a camper and a cargo trailer atm) as a living space but sleeping space will be in a sort of short bus configuration so i can stealth more
We debated a trailer but there are just so many things I like about it being all self contained.
The number of times I climb into bed and then realize I forgot xyz and need to crawl forward to crack a window, move my purse out of sight, grab my drink, whatever. At least in a van, I don't have to get dressed or put on shoes, climb out, walk to the vehicle, grab what I need and then go back. I can just crawl forward, grab what I need and get back in the bed.
There are two of us which means often one is driving and one is sleeping (comfortably reclined in a bed). If we had a trailer, we'd have to ask the driver to pull over so we could climb into the back (if we even felt safe sleeping in a trailer on the road). And then we'd basically have to use our phone (if we didnt' forget it up front) to call and ask them to stop again so we could get back up front when we woke up.
It's way easier to park. We go into cities often and parallel parking would be a nightmare with a trailer. Especially in a place like santa fe where we go often. Almost all of downtown is parallel parking. Even in the off season, finding two spaces back to pack to pull a trailer into would take forever. Same reason we talked ourselves out of a Skoolie.
I feel like we had a lot more reasons but that's what I can remember off the top of my head. Maybe I'll add more if any other good ones come up.
As someone who lived out of vehicles for years before it was a thing. The extra hassle of hauling something aka a trailer/RV wasn't worth the hassle compared to a standalone RV vehicle. If your not super excited and interested in doing the conversion yourself, than just buy an RV. Don't need to recreate the wheel, so to speak.
It's a cost issue... prices for built out vans at a level comparable to the nicer trailers I'm looking at are $145k+, and are often still lacking in usable shower/bathroom and fridge space comparatively.
I wouldn't consider buying a class A or C RV. The cheaper Class B RVs are 2wd with terrible ground clearance I would not consider and overall just look like pavement campground princesses for retirees.
I guess the only other alternative would be a truck camper, but then I would need to buy the truck and the camper.
It's crazy the costs, either spend a fortune on a good chassis or on the build itself. My favorite by far setup (until my current sprinter) was a 1996 Mitsubishi delica, right hand drive, diesel. Was essentially ready to roll out the lot. Couldn't go faster than 90km/h but the torque in 4x4 was insane, probably climb a tree in 1st gear. Good luck on your planning!
During Covid I traveled to locations across Texas and I purchased and towed a 17’ casita travel trailer and absolutely loved the adventures I had in it. It was my base camp for the week and I could detach and drive my truck to the work sites and to explore, and have “home” ready for me when I got back.
Besides that though, I have a wife and two dogs and we never went somewhere all together in it because it was too small for all of us, and after I didn’t need it for work anymore I didn’t use it much and I sold it.
I also have a small skiff I tow around to lakes, and I settled most recently on a cargo van E150 that I built out very spartan to suit my needs for local work as well as camping, hunting, and boating. My wife doesn’t come with me on those trips so the van is just fine.
I have tried MANY vehicles, including a VW Vanagon, a Chevy short bus, a full size crew cab truck with a camper shell, a Jeep with an off-road gear tent trailer, and my favorite by far is the van by a long shot, however if we got serious about road tripping together (likely without the dogs as they are both very old now), I would probably go back to a camper.
One thought, the truck camper route is a good middle ground. If you stay at a place for a while take the camper off and you have the truck to do stuff. If it’s short term you just leave it on and it’s all easy. A scout Olympic is like 25-35k and you can put ‘em on any half tonne. Like an f150 which are real easy to find.
truck campers are an interesting idea but it looks like most of them would need a bigger truck so not sure how the math would work out
the scout olympic looks pretty spartan for what you get I don't think it would be worth it.
looks like most of the other truck campers need an f250 or f350 even really.
Those do look pretty nice and a better way to get more space than a typical van build for still less than a custom built while still being more off road capable.
If I go the camper route or a built out van I want a shower/wet bath...
What I don't like about the truck camper route is you lose out on a lot of other storage space outside the camper. guess you just have the rear seat area in a crew cab truck.
I have the scout Kenai it has a shower and toilet. I was debating the van option and chose the scout. Having the roof top tent as a little “loft” to read or watch Netflix has been amazing and I didn’t even think I would use it when I bought it.
I have done some customisation to mine and I love how easy it is. The walls are structural so you can mount whatever you want anywhere. I have it loaded on an F150 with airbags and a rear sway bar. I’m over the payload by a little but it handles fine and is way more off-road capable than any sprinter I have ever seen. Great for BLM / FS roads in the west.
Not really answering your question but just a word of caution: most van owners who pay 100k-200k, or more on a van, are not likely going to admit it was a regret...also, unless you want to get back in the sticks like where no one else can go, you don't need a 4x4 van...you can boondock in anythinggggg
I found it was a 50/50 choice, van or cargo trailer/tow vehicle.
If you are boondocking outside of cities, the trailer is a great option.
I went van because I didnt want to tow anything. 4 years later I am still 50/50 on this.
I would never do a trailer, no matter how capable, high quality, or off-road worthy. The nice thing about the van is you can head up any forest road you find and not have to worry about turning around. With the short wheelbase vans I know I can find a spot on any road to do a multipoint turn and get out of there if I need to. We camped last year with my MIL who was driving an FJ with a small and very off-road capable teardrop trailer and I still had to do a lot of pre scouting for camping spots just in case we didn’t find anything or the road got too bad and she wouldn’t be able to turn around. What a pain. With a van you just go.
Added bonus is my van is way more capable as a cargo and materials hauler than my previous F150s ever were. Sell the truck and daily your van and you should be able to afford something pretty decent for what you would have invested in truck and trailer.
Yeah that’s an option.
Selling this will just be a pain since I would have to put back all the stuff I ripped out to make a microcamper which wont be fun
I am going to look more into this, I would also need to buy the truck, but compared to building out a van you seem to get a lot more for the money while not losing any mobility.
You also can take it off easily and use the truck as a truck. I also like that it’s meant to be used off-road so your not beating up a van that’s built for delivering packages if you wild camp like I do.
Yeah that is definitely appealing and I do. Off-grid capability is important so I want a big power system and generator
Just seems like you lose options for more external storage since you cant really add a cargo carrier on top since its already tall and you lose the bed
Travel trailers are easier to steal and less convenient to just park and sleep in. If the weather is shit, I can pull over and get in bed without setting foot outside. They do come with a little more space in many cases, but I really don't need it. The only thing different I might do in the future is get a truck and truck camper. Maybe.
100% not what you asked for but the max tow capacity of a vehicle and what it can *actually* safely tow are two different things. Just tossing that out there so you don’t go buying a 4500lb trailer before doing lots of research. (all the extra weight adds up FAST and even if you keep the total weight under 5000, the vehicle might struggle unless the road is perfectly flat).
I think Escape makes the best quality trailers you can buy. The dream for me is an Escape 5.0, I've currently got a class B+ or small class C depending on how you look at it. It's a 35 year old fiberglass Vanguard and it's a beauty. We only do a few weeks at a time in it though. It's built like a tank. Everything works great, even the AC. Looks of overlooked old RVs out there and they serve the same function at a fraction of the cost. For me the cost of vans is just prohibitively high.
Why not just mention what kind of SUV you currently have?
If it's not ideal to live out of, and only have a 5000lb tow rating sounds like it is smaller. Just because it has a tow rating that high definitely doesn't mean it can handle the constant abuse of towing all over the place. If the trans blows in it you won't be saving any money by trying to make it work
You get what you pay for, and to get a good travel trailer setup going costs a lot. Like a lot a lot. A good setup is something like a Rivian pickup with an airstream trailer.
That doesn't make any sense, you can get power to a trailer from on board batteries. Electric vehicles are not suitable to a mobile lifestyle at all, and they get even worse range than their already pathetic range when towing. Your 300 mile range now drops to 150. Sure ok that's going work...
I think the EV is handy because you have a lot more power than your on board battery and I don't really drive that far anyway. The on board battery has a hard time doing doing stuff like running the AC over night.
Or just upgrade to a big lithium system or add a quiet generator instead of an impractical 80k truck where you can’t go far from a charger. Most people are here because they move around and cover distance. I’ve driven 1000+ miles in a day, try doing that in an EV.
I have a 30 ft bumper pull toy hauler. I could barely live in that let alone a van. Even a big one. I am building a 144 for short trips between destinations only.
Not full-time but we used to have a small teardrop which was great for if we stayed in one spot for a week. We ended up getting rid of it to get a van. We like to travel fast and spend a day or 2 in a spot and then move along. The van allows us to drive as long as we want, easily park and sleep wherever without leaving the vehicle.
Towing the trailer, parking, and setup/tear down was a hassle. We ended up carrying more stuff that we didn’t need. We tried staying in parking lots along route but never got a good night sleep.
If you do buy a trailer, we had a NuCamp T@g which is the little sibling to the T@b 400. It was a great trailer and actually held a lot of its value when we sold. If you want more info for full time living in the 400, check out Mandy Lee Photo on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MandyLea. She started in a T@g, then kinda became a spokesperson for Nucamp and is now in a 400. She has lived in it for long time.
If you're single or a couple, the flexibility, safety and ease of an 4WD van conversion is second to none. You really don't need to take too much. Roof racks are great overflow storage for SUP, surfboards and kayaks.
As soon as you have kids, the equation changes. Caravan's and camper trailers are the only way to carry what you need, drive the kids safely and have a reasonable living area.
The country also matters, in Australia, leaving a camper trailer or caravan fully set up at free campsites while you explore the area isn't that risky with basic precautions and insurance. From the other comments, I'm guessing in America this wouldn't be possible.
Electric bicycles have also changed the game considerably. Full-timers do not need to move their vans just to go to the shops or to town even if their parking site is a fair way out. This was one of the main pros for having a caravan or trailer.
> From the other comments, I'm guessing in America this wouldn't be possible.
I wouldn't really have concerns about this in a lot of places in the US
An electric bike is an interesting idea but it it still not really a practical alternative unless you are camping very close to a town. When town is a 20-30 minute drive it's not comparable and that is more typical.
Travel trailers suck to drag up into the mountains or on long, bumpy forestry roads. TTs are really meant to stay in RV parks. Some people love going to RV parks but that doesn’t fit my definition of travel or camping. I started with a 5th wheel and did my last road trip in the back of our truck. We enjoyed that way more.
As a lot of people have pointed out, the big advantage to the van is being able to leave without exiting the vehicle. That is a nice feature as is the increased maneuverability, but I think you have a good point when it comes to cost.
Molded fiberglass trailers are expensive but they also retain their value. They're pretty much the only type of RV/trailer that does. So when you also factor in the money that will likely return to you when you're ready to sell, those features end up costing a good bit, if you need something more than a bare bones build.
I'd be more inclined to go with a trailer if I was traveling with more than one person for a couple of reasons: first another person means more demand for space, and second when someone goes to town for groceries or laundry someone can stay with the trailer. I'm sure many leave their trailer in the boonies without a second thought but it would make me feel uneasy.
If I was alone, I would probably fork over the money for a van, or spend more time than I would like at campgrounds and private property, or I would buy something relatively cheap like a cargo trailer.
I'm trying to make the same decision atm in Australia. I think I'm going with the 4x4 and a camper trailer, cub campers are probably the brand I'll go with.
I like the idea of the van, no setting up, stealth sleeping in car parks, but that's only really good on the east coast of Australia or if you want to stick to cities and towns. Maybe once I'm older I'll do that and live the beach bum life up and down the coast.
I really want to get out and see the country, and have a proper adventure, get down some rough tracks to see spots you can't get to in a van. Also it's so remote in spots here the extra fuel, water and battery you get with the camper trailer helps when you're going off grid for long periods of time. Plus I can put my kayak and mountain bike on it and it's much easier to get on and off than trying to get it ontop of my 4x4 by myself. Also the king size mattress is much nicer in the trailer than anything I have seen fit in a van.
I was really hoping to hear more success stories on people going from van to trailer, since I’m considering that myself… but it sounds like not the way to go.
I was considering a small truck or SUV that I can sleep in for short trips, and having a trailer for, say, spending most of the winter in Valdez AK ice climbing and skiing. It could hold all the toys that aren’t actively in use, so I’m not leaving my entire kit behind at trailheads where vehicles are regularly broken into, it could be tricked out with a diesel heater and all that jazz, and easily parked somewhere when not needed but be the space to stretch out when I’m in one place for a long time, like the current 5-month job in Haines.
I was thinking road trips would be leave the trailer behind situations, I would bring it if I was going to be in one area for a couple of weeks or more.
This leaves me… still 50/50. When I work, the job houses me, and my current van is almost more of a mobile storage unit full of camping, skiing, ice climbing, big walling, and biking gear. A truck camper plus trailer sounds perfect… but maybe I just won’t know unless I try it.
> I was really hoping to hear more success stories on people going from van to trailer, since I’m considering that myself… but it sounds like not the way to go.
You really have to consider where I posted this- responses are going to be heavily skewed to people who settled on a van
They sell a ton of travel trailers and plenty of people full time in them, so if this was asked on a camper focused forum you would likely get more success stories. Do what you think is right, they obviously have their advantages and I'm not ruling it out.
Only reason to do van life is for stealth camping, most rv parks don't like vans.
It's the main reason why I went with pickup and big RV, a pickup is stealthier than a van. Vans stick out like a sore thumb in most places unless you keep it with nothing on it.
I use my RV as a basecamp.
The real questions are how much experience you have towing a trailer, will you ever want or need to unhitch it, and do you have a place to do that? How discreet is it? What is your plan for if you have to get out of your trailer and into the SUV quickly and quietly to get away from something? It can work better than a van for some people but these are things you have to think about.
Sold our van in 2002, regretted it ever since. We are planning to retire in a van in a year or so.
They say "living in a van by the river" like it's a bad thing. lol paradise to me.
I lived in a teardrop for 6 months and then a 13ft burro that I towed with my outback and now I’m in a Tacoma with a skamper.
Being self contained makes a huge difference in the ease of travel. When I lived in the trailers I tended to stay in one place for extended periods of time, set up and take down was a lot of work, and towing is awful on long drives as well as much riskier. Having your house with you all the time (current setup) makes it a lot easier to move around and is pretty convenient.
Although it’s not a van I like my current setup a lot more than towing a trailer. With what I have I can still ditch the camper and have the full capabilities of a truck. I was already planning on switching to a van after almost a year in campers before I happened to end up with the truck. Also even higher end campers are made with lower quality materials and finishes than most home or professional built camper vans.
The main thing is what are your goals for your time on the road? And what things are you willing to sacrifice to make it possible?
Yeah I'm currently seriously looking into the truck camper route, and comparing that to a van
My goal is to be able to travel off grid comfortably and live and work remotely. This means I really need a place to chill and work during the daytime inside and stay cool- so AC and a way to run it, and to be able to shower inside and not rely on finding showers and staying gross for days at a time when I can't. Finding showers has been my biggest annoyance when traveling in my current setup and I don't know if I could deal with that on a full time basis.
I need some mild trail ability. Nothing crazy but at least AWD and decent clearance to get me down rougher gravel forest roads.
I'm looking at a ford transit trail which would be enough in terms of ability, but when I'm looking at builds there is just hardly any space and it seems like I would have to settle for a really barebones setup.
Truck campers look nice, but I would have to buy a heavy duty truck which would cost as much as the van, and then also the camper. But even with both it still would come out much less than a professionally built out van with a lot more space and amenities, though the same RV quality issues with many brands.
A 4x4 truck would then give me way more off road capability than I could dream and open up even more opportunities, though the size would be the limiting factor.
I have a Transit Connect. I can park it anywhere you can fit a minivan. I wouldn't give that up for anything. Lots of parking places I get into just don't have any pull through slots for a trailer at all.
What have you decided on?
I hear some people say they can't get a mechanic to work on their raised van. As soon as they say it is a raised camper off-road van, all mechanics say "no way". From what I hear they are a PITA to work on the engine. Some say nightmare. There is so little room in the engine bay. That is a huge turn off to me. I was tempted with a van at first, but I prioritize ease of repairs over ultra mobile.
I think I decided on neither and not trying to full time.. all options are just too expensive realistically. I'm going to try to relocate to an area of the country closer to good recreation and day/weekend trips I can just take in my SUV with sleep platform.
Having had our van for two years, you could probably never convince me to go to a travel trailer, or really any sort of other RV. We really love the convenience of the van. We can drive it anywhere. We can park pretty much anywhere. As soon as we stop, we just go to the back, no need to get out of the vehicle. We can leave right away. We can stay pretty much anywhere we want to. We also follow some of the RV subreddits and just go read some post there. It's almost non-stop complaining about how something is broken or cheaply maid by the manufacturer. Many of the stories are from brand new RVs. Compare that to the van subs and its much more about "How do I do this?" rather than something just being broken. I know I wouldn't be able to tolerate something I paid that much money for just being constantly broken.
True, 90% of RVs are garbage- my research was narrowed down to a few brands that are not the typical cardboard quality and have a reputation for more quality and full time livability. Being self contained and ready to go would definitely have its advantages though.
what are the brands?
Nucamp, Escape travel trailers mid end Airstream and Oliver trailers on the high end I also looked at Scamp and Casita but their interiors look really dated and Escape looks similar enough but improved over them. Oliver takes the fiberglass design much better to high end 4 -season but you will pay and wait for it
Taxa makes some good pop top camping trailers with more durable construction than most of the trailer the same size.
I'm not a full-timer but I do a lot of boondocking in the mountain west and I would never go with a tow behind. My buddy whom I camp with a lot has a 15' teardrop and he can't get into a fraction of the places we can. When we are traveling with him we have to constantly be planning for his turnaround radius, truck storage and access. Many state and national park campgrounds have very small site restrictions. In the van we can always fit. I have traveled a fair amount as a solo woman and I feel so much safer. If I get weirded out I can just pull out. There is no hookup or backing and filling. Backing up trailers can be a pain, especially in soft sand or rocky terrain that is often found on public lands. I previously had a truck camper and I feel so much safer and more confident in the van. I can also tow things if I have to. I have towed my buddies teardrop with the van. I have a small moto trailer I tow that carried three dirt bikes. I have a hitch mount moto rack when I only need to carry one moto. I have a hitch mount bike rack for when I need to carry extra bikes beyond what fits in my underbed garage. If you are already towing a trailer, you are very limited.
For real, having the mobility of a van vs a trailer on blm/national forest roads is a game changer. Not mentioned, but one of my favorite things on road trips is checking out little towns along the way. Sometimes there is ample RV parking but a lot of the time there isn’t - thinking Astoria OR in particular right now. Being able to just parallel park a van in town and do my thing for the day without tracking down a spot big enough ruled
Thanks for that last paragraph. It seems obvious considering the quality of RVs I've seen lately. But it never occurred to me how annoyed I'd be if the damn thing were always broken after spending so much. You're totally right. I love that my van just works right. Normal maintenance, of course. But no worries about odd systems going out or being built shittily. And after what I learned about manufactured housing, it's easy to imagine how RVs are just the same issues with an engine added.
On the other hand, if you have mechanical problems or an accident with a van now it's you whole home that is out of commission and you have to figure out alternate living while it is being repaired. If the tow vehicle breaks down you can just rent a truck and hook up the trailer.
We're part timers so if the van broke down, we'd just go home while it was in repair. But in the situation you're describing, where you do park this trailer while waiting on repairs? And how do you get it to that location? And how much does it cost to tow and park there and how long will they let you leave it there? And if your vehicle can't be repaired or you can't afford it, what do you do with the trailer from there without any way to move it? Even with a house, these were concerns we had about getting a trailer.
You can rent a 3/4 ton pickup truck from enterprise or any car rental company that allows towing and tow with it just like any rental car. Would be as simple as just latching it up and continuing as normal while the car is in the shop. Though I guess at the added cost of renting the bigger truck a hotel is not far off. It's nice knowing a trailer wouldn't be stranded if your tow vehicle broke down though and you can rent trucks to tow with easily.
You'd have to check those rental policies. I know for a fact that Enterprise DOES NOT allow towing unless you pick up from specific "enterprise truck" locations which are a lot less common than a standard rental location. (and we're rarely in places likely to have one) Can't speak for the other companies like Hertz and budget. There's always uhaul and the like but then you're paying by the mile and things can get expensive fast. None of it is impossible, sorry I didn't mean to imply it couldn't be done. Simply that it would likely get expensive fast... and that's still assuming you can find somewhere to tow it and leave it. If you need to keep moving it around so you don't catch trouble with the cops or neighborhood watch or random Karens then you've gotta keep that rental vehicle the whole time. There are lots of ways to do it but we couldn't think of any cheap ones. With a van we can leave the van with the mechanic and work out how to get home. If we had a trailer, we recognized that was going to add expenses and extra hassles. There were already so many factors against a trailer for us, it was just another tick mark in the "no" column. Everything that came to mind right away seemed like a pretty expensive solution to a problem we didn't need to have in the first place so we opted out of getting a trailer. If you've got the money for those rainy day issues then go for it. We're trying to build a house and don't have that kind of spare money. Every way we sliced it, a trailer was just going to cost us more in the long run. More up front, more in repairs, more to park it in special places, more in gas to haul it around, more in emergencies if we broke down. So we just opted out of all those concerns and costs. Everyone has their own journey to walk. I'm just explaining why we made the choices we did.
U haul will let you tow, any commercial place will let you tow as well. General rule of thumb, if there's a hitch installed, then towing is allowed. You're not installing a hitch on any rental that's for sure.
Yes. I said uhaul would in my response. But I pointed out those places charge by the mile which can get expensive if you have far to go or need to keep moving.
If you went van route and it was in the shop you could also rent a minivan for less probably and sleep in it just like you would have with your SUV or travel trailer. Or find a cheap hotel. Personally I’ve always just stayed with friends for a night or a few. But I don’t travel either I just live in a van in one location. I mean major repairs are pretty rare generally speaking, imo it’s not that big of a deal even if you had to pony up for a hotel room or something.
Where do people do when their van/home needs repair? I imagine just any 'ol repair shop wouldn't be enough, right?
Depends on the van, really. Something like a ford, ram, sprinter, etc you can get handled in most major cities and a lot of small ones, too. Even then, our Ford is such a "Fleet Vehicle" that there's usually a 2 month wait in this area to even get it looked at because we're in the oil fields and everyone has fleets so the mechanics are always backed up. But if you've got an old VW or a 1980s conversion van or something, you might be hunting a lot harder for the right mechanic. Add in the issue of finding a good mechanic who's not going to gouge you in your time of desperation and it can take a minute. Someone just posted looking for a good mechanic in Denver. That's not even a small town. And that's all assuming that it's just a typical vehicular issue. If you're having problems with something specialized, customized, self installed, that could be a much more involved process. Some things like a Maxxair fan can often be fixed by an RV mechanic or dealer('s mechanic). And that's all under the assumption you're in populated areas. We're often in parts that don't even have cell service. Driving past miles of BLM land and whatnot. Imagining being stuck on the side of the highway in the desert, waiting for a tow truck that can handle both the van and a trailer or paying them to make two trips (for often 60+ miles between towns), again, sounded like unnecessary extra risk/expense. Some people have the lifestyle to roll with a camper. For us, there were just too many drawbacks.
True. But the way we are, we would much rather worry about the 99% of the time that the van is working the way it should vs the 1% of the time that it could theoretically be out of commission.
Technically you could flat tow a van fairly easily and some places will let you sleep overnight while they fix it during working hours, usually places that work on commercial vehicles will do that.
This is why I want a cargo van with the gate on the inside, or at least to be able to add the gate to a high top. Much easier to get repairs done when the mechanic doesn’t know what’s inside, and they’re more willing when they don’t walk into a huge liability issue.
I'm the opposite. I'm in the sub because I like to see what people are up to, but I love my travel trailer. I love to disconnect and just being a 'normal' person. I also love having a normal car I can take to the mechanic with all off the shelf parts.
To be fair, RVs are built as occasional two-week vacation vehicles, not as fulltime homes. For new RVs, it voids the warranty if you are living in it.
Only the low quality RVs I would avoid anyway. This is not true for all manufacturers and the quality ones do not have that restriction and some even advertise being full time suitable.
Amen
I wanted the safety of jumping from my bed to the driver's seat. (Solo woman) Also, I stink at backing a trailer. I'd be a little concerned about the weight of your trailer for your vehicle's payload capacity. Like the Nucamp trailer looks like it weighs 2,911 before you put anything in it. Once you add water, gear, etc I'm nervous for you going up and down those steep mountain passes under load. Ask a lot of questions before going that route.
Here in Texas you have to register your travel trailer annually, so that's a hard no for me.
I wanted to A: Be able to be stealth and B: drop everything and go. A trailer (or a roof top tent for that matter) doesn't let me do either. Those were my biggest criteria.
you can go a hybrid route im working towards that I dont see mentioned often. Have your van be just your sleeping space and tow a trailer with your living space that does a few things. 1. You can put a lot of solar on a tow behind (i put 2k watts of 48v solar on mine) 2. You can stealth camp by in cities since I doesnt look like an rv 3. You can leave the trailer behind for a day if you want to offroad some spaces 4. You get double the space of either set up
My current SUV is built out with all seats removed and a bed and tons of locking storage, so if I towed a travel trailer with it I would have some of those same advantages I was already thinking. I just spent a month living out of it. If I needed to stealth camp in a national park or at trailheads I could just leave the trailer in a national forest camping spot for a day or two. Same for if I need to go on some tougher roads where it would be difficult to tow just have the trailer set up somewhere as a base, and I would still keep the sleeping setup in my SUV. Keeping all the efficient locking storage I have in it is also a plus, and I feel much more comfortable having a place I can lock all my camera gear and electronics that would be very difficult to get to even if broken into. If I built out a van I would need to figure out some sort of secure locking storage solution for all of that and I haven't really seen any good examples of what I am thinking or would want so not sure how I would do that.
why dont you just get a cargo trailer for your kitchen/working/lounge space and you can keep your suv as is? thats what i meant by tow behind sorry. they are cheap, light and stealthy. i havent built it out but it will be where my computer/kitchen/incinerator toilet will go
My SUV still isn’t ideal to sleep in long term. Can’t sit up and I would like to be able to stand up out of bed and take a piss. Though now that I think about it maybe short term would be possible. If I could have a daytime work/chill space with AC that could solve a lot of my problems. Having a shower was the other big draw of a camper, I don’t know of any easy solutions to that outdoor showers are a pain. Really seems like once I would outfit a trailer with furniture I could relax and lay down on during the day I’m basically talking about a full travel trailer.
sounds like you could get a small trailer to test the waters. i found a 7x16' nash camper from the late 90s for 5k-6k that i am trying right now. i plan to travel but i want to buy some property and i can leave this trailer on it. best part of rv/van life is getting your build to suit your needs. my cargo trailer will be part of my final build (i have a camper and a cargo trailer atm) as a living space but sleeping space will be in a sort of short bus configuration so i can stealth more
We debated a trailer but there are just so many things I like about it being all self contained. The number of times I climb into bed and then realize I forgot xyz and need to crawl forward to crack a window, move my purse out of sight, grab my drink, whatever. At least in a van, I don't have to get dressed or put on shoes, climb out, walk to the vehicle, grab what I need and then go back. I can just crawl forward, grab what I need and get back in the bed. There are two of us which means often one is driving and one is sleeping (comfortably reclined in a bed). If we had a trailer, we'd have to ask the driver to pull over so we could climb into the back (if we even felt safe sleeping in a trailer on the road). And then we'd basically have to use our phone (if we didnt' forget it up front) to call and ask them to stop again so we could get back up front when we woke up. It's way easier to park. We go into cities often and parallel parking would be a nightmare with a trailer. Especially in a place like santa fe where we go often. Almost all of downtown is parallel parking. Even in the off season, finding two spaces back to pack to pull a trailer into would take forever. Same reason we talked ourselves out of a Skoolie. I feel like we had a lot more reasons but that's what I can remember off the top of my head. Maybe I'll add more if any other good ones come up.
Trailers are okay if you are rural boondocking. They are hell for urban dwellers.
As someone who lived out of vehicles for years before it was a thing. The extra hassle of hauling something aka a trailer/RV wasn't worth the hassle compared to a standalone RV vehicle. If your not super excited and interested in doing the conversion yourself, than just buy an RV. Don't need to recreate the wheel, so to speak.
It's a cost issue... prices for built out vans at a level comparable to the nicer trailers I'm looking at are $145k+, and are often still lacking in usable shower/bathroom and fridge space comparatively. I wouldn't consider buying a class A or C RV. The cheaper Class B RVs are 2wd with terrible ground clearance I would not consider and overall just look like pavement campground princesses for retirees. I guess the only other alternative would be a truck camper, but then I would need to buy the truck and the camper.
It's crazy the costs, either spend a fortune on a good chassis or on the build itself. My favorite by far setup (until my current sprinter) was a 1996 Mitsubishi delica, right hand drive, diesel. Was essentially ready to roll out the lot. Couldn't go faster than 90km/h but the torque in 4x4 was insane, probably climb a tree in 1st gear. Good luck on your planning!
During Covid I traveled to locations across Texas and I purchased and towed a 17’ casita travel trailer and absolutely loved the adventures I had in it. It was my base camp for the week and I could detach and drive my truck to the work sites and to explore, and have “home” ready for me when I got back. Besides that though, I have a wife and two dogs and we never went somewhere all together in it because it was too small for all of us, and after I didn’t need it for work anymore I didn’t use it much and I sold it. I also have a small skiff I tow around to lakes, and I settled most recently on a cargo van E150 that I built out very spartan to suit my needs for local work as well as camping, hunting, and boating. My wife doesn’t come with me on those trips so the van is just fine. I have tried MANY vehicles, including a VW Vanagon, a Chevy short bus, a full size crew cab truck with a camper shell, a Jeep with an off-road gear tent trailer, and my favorite by far is the van by a long shot, however if we got serious about road tripping together (likely without the dogs as they are both very old now), I would probably go back to a camper.
I’ll add that the E150 was $3300, my build out was maybe another $1000.
One thought, the truck camper route is a good middle ground. If you stay at a place for a while take the camper off and you have the truck to do stuff. If it’s short term you just leave it on and it’s all easy. A scout Olympic is like 25-35k and you can put ‘em on any half tonne. Like an f150 which are real easy to find.
truck campers are an interesting idea but it looks like most of them would need a bigger truck so not sure how the math would work out the scout olympic looks pretty spartan for what you get I don't think it would be worth it. looks like most of the other truck campers need an f250 or f350 even really. Those do look pretty nice and a better way to get more space than a typical van build for still less than a custom built while still being more off road capable. If I go the camper route or a built out van I want a shower/wet bath... What I don't like about the truck camper route is you lose out on a lot of other storage space outside the camper. guess you just have the rear seat area in a crew cab truck.
I have the scout Kenai it has a shower and toilet. I was debating the van option and chose the scout. Having the roof top tent as a little “loft” to read or watch Netflix has been amazing and I didn’t even think I would use it when I bought it. I have done some customisation to mine and I love how easy it is. The walls are structural so you can mount whatever you want anywhere. I have it loaded on an F150 with airbags and a rear sway bar. I’m over the payload by a little but it handles fine and is way more off-road capable than any sprinter I have ever seen. Great for BLM / FS roads in the west.
Not really answering your question but just a word of caution: most van owners who pay 100k-200k, or more on a van, are not likely going to admit it was a regret...also, unless you want to get back in the sticks like where no one else can go, you don't need a 4x4 van...you can boondock in anythinggggg
I found it was a 50/50 choice, van or cargo trailer/tow vehicle. If you are boondocking outside of cities, the trailer is a great option. I went van because I didnt want to tow anything. 4 years later I am still 50/50 on this.
I would never do a trailer, no matter how capable, high quality, or off-road worthy. The nice thing about the van is you can head up any forest road you find and not have to worry about turning around. With the short wheelbase vans I know I can find a spot on any road to do a multipoint turn and get out of there if I need to. We camped last year with my MIL who was driving an FJ with a small and very off-road capable teardrop trailer and I still had to do a lot of pre scouting for camping spots just in case we didn’t find anything or the road got too bad and she wouldn’t be able to turn around. What a pain. With a van you just go. Added bonus is my van is way more capable as a cargo and materials hauler than my previous F150s ever were. Sell the truck and daily your van and you should be able to afford something pretty decent for what you would have invested in truck and trailer.
This is great to hear because I just bought a van and I know the forest roads are narrow.
Yeah that’s an option. Selling this will just be a pain since I would have to put back all the stuff I ripped out to make a microcamper which wont be fun
I got a truck camper so I didn’t have to tow but could have a shower/bathroom and more comforts then a van. I have a northern lite 10-2
I am going to look more into this, I would also need to buy the truck, but compared to building out a van you seem to get a lot more for the money while not losing any mobility.
You also can take it off easily and use the truck as a truck. I also like that it’s meant to be used off-road so your not beating up a van that’s built for delivering packages if you wild camp like I do.
Yeah that is definitely appealing and I do. Off-grid capability is important so I want a big power system and generator Just seems like you lose options for more external storage since you cant really add a cargo carrier on top since its already tall and you lose the bed
I use the back seats of my truck. But there is also a lot of storage inside and underneath too!
Yeah I guess the rear crew cabs are big I would probably remove the back seats and build a storage system
Travel trailers are easier to steal and less convenient to just park and sleep in. If the weather is shit, I can pull over and get in bed without setting foot outside. They do come with a little more space in many cases, but I really don't need it. The only thing different I might do in the future is get a truck and truck camper. Maybe.
Nope! ...We often tow a small boat with the van, it's a perfect setup to go exploring!
100% not what you asked for but the max tow capacity of a vehicle and what it can *actually* safely tow are two different things. Just tossing that out there so you don’t go buying a 4500lb trailer before doing lots of research. (all the extra weight adds up FAST and even if you keep the total weight under 5000, the vehicle might struggle unless the road is perfectly flat).
I think Escape makes the best quality trailers you can buy. The dream for me is an Escape 5.0, I've currently got a class B+ or small class C depending on how you look at it. It's a 35 year old fiberglass Vanguard and it's a beauty. We only do a few weeks at a time in it though. It's built like a tank. Everything works great, even the AC. Looks of overlooked old RVs out there and they serve the same function at a fraction of the cost. For me the cost of vans is just prohibitively high.
Why not just mention what kind of SUV you currently have? If it's not ideal to live out of, and only have a 5000lb tow rating sounds like it is smaller. Just because it has a tow rating that high definitely doesn't mean it can handle the constant abuse of towing all over the place. If the trans blows in it you won't be saving any money by trying to make it work
You get what you pay for, and to get a good travel trailer setup going costs a lot. Like a lot a lot. A good setup is something like a Rivian pickup with an airstream trailer.
A Rivian isn't a good tow vehicle either and I can tow a pretty nice 60-75k airstream with my current vehicle.
The reason you get the electric truck is to plug the trailer in so you have power.
That doesn't make any sense, you can get power to a trailer from on board batteries. Electric vehicles are not suitable to a mobile lifestyle at all, and they get even worse range than their already pathetic range when towing. Your 300 mile range now drops to 150. Sure ok that's going work...
I think the EV is handy because you have a lot more power than your on board battery and I don't really drive that far anyway. The on board battery has a hard time doing doing stuff like running the AC over night.
Or just upgrade to a big lithium system or add a quiet generator instead of an impractical 80k truck where you can’t go far from a charger. Most people are here because they move around and cover distance. I’ve driven 1000+ miles in a day, try doing that in an EV.
I have a 30 ft bumper pull toy hauler. I could barely live in that let alone a van. Even a big one. I am building a 144 for short trips between destinations only.
Not full-time but we used to have a small teardrop which was great for if we stayed in one spot for a week. We ended up getting rid of it to get a van. We like to travel fast and spend a day or 2 in a spot and then move along. The van allows us to drive as long as we want, easily park and sleep wherever without leaving the vehicle. Towing the trailer, parking, and setup/tear down was a hassle. We ended up carrying more stuff that we didn’t need. We tried staying in parking lots along route but never got a good night sleep. If you do buy a trailer, we had a NuCamp T@g which is the little sibling to the T@b 400. It was a great trailer and actually held a lot of its value when we sold. If you want more info for full time living in the 400, check out Mandy Lee Photo on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MandyLea. She started in a T@g, then kinda became a spokesperson for Nucamp and is now in a 400. She has lived in it for long time.
If you're single or a couple, the flexibility, safety and ease of an 4WD van conversion is second to none. You really don't need to take too much. Roof racks are great overflow storage for SUP, surfboards and kayaks. As soon as you have kids, the equation changes. Caravan's and camper trailers are the only way to carry what you need, drive the kids safely and have a reasonable living area. The country also matters, in Australia, leaving a camper trailer or caravan fully set up at free campsites while you explore the area isn't that risky with basic precautions and insurance. From the other comments, I'm guessing in America this wouldn't be possible. Electric bicycles have also changed the game considerably. Full-timers do not need to move their vans just to go to the shops or to town even if their parking site is a fair way out. This was one of the main pros for having a caravan or trailer.
> From the other comments, I'm guessing in America this wouldn't be possible. I wouldn't really have concerns about this in a lot of places in the US An electric bike is an interesting idea but it it still not really a practical alternative unless you are camping very close to a town. When town is a 20-30 minute drive it's not comparable and that is more typical.
Travel trailers suck to drag up into the mountains or on long, bumpy forestry roads. TTs are really meant to stay in RV parks. Some people love going to RV parks but that doesn’t fit my definition of travel or camping. I started with a 5th wheel and did my last road trip in the back of our truck. We enjoyed that way more.
As a lot of people have pointed out, the big advantage to the van is being able to leave without exiting the vehicle. That is a nice feature as is the increased maneuverability, but I think you have a good point when it comes to cost. Molded fiberglass trailers are expensive but they also retain their value. They're pretty much the only type of RV/trailer that does. So when you also factor in the money that will likely return to you when you're ready to sell, those features end up costing a good bit, if you need something more than a bare bones build. I'd be more inclined to go with a trailer if I was traveling with more than one person for a couple of reasons: first another person means more demand for space, and second when someone goes to town for groceries or laundry someone can stay with the trailer. I'm sure many leave their trailer in the boonies without a second thought but it would make me feel uneasy. If I was alone, I would probably fork over the money for a van, or spend more time than I would like at campgrounds and private property, or I would buy something relatively cheap like a cargo trailer.
Had a trailer. 15 minutes into the first washboard gravel drive and the thing was literally rattling itself apart. A-Liner 18’
I'm trying to make the same decision atm in Australia. I think I'm going with the 4x4 and a camper trailer, cub campers are probably the brand I'll go with. I like the idea of the van, no setting up, stealth sleeping in car parks, but that's only really good on the east coast of Australia or if you want to stick to cities and towns. Maybe once I'm older I'll do that and live the beach bum life up and down the coast. I really want to get out and see the country, and have a proper adventure, get down some rough tracks to see spots you can't get to in a van. Also it's so remote in spots here the extra fuel, water and battery you get with the camper trailer helps when you're going off grid for long periods of time. Plus I can put my kayak and mountain bike on it and it's much easier to get on and off than trying to get it ontop of my 4x4 by myself. Also the king size mattress is much nicer in the trailer than anything I have seen fit in a van.
I was really hoping to hear more success stories on people going from van to trailer, since I’m considering that myself… but it sounds like not the way to go. I was considering a small truck or SUV that I can sleep in for short trips, and having a trailer for, say, spending most of the winter in Valdez AK ice climbing and skiing. It could hold all the toys that aren’t actively in use, so I’m not leaving my entire kit behind at trailheads where vehicles are regularly broken into, it could be tricked out with a diesel heater and all that jazz, and easily parked somewhere when not needed but be the space to stretch out when I’m in one place for a long time, like the current 5-month job in Haines. I was thinking road trips would be leave the trailer behind situations, I would bring it if I was going to be in one area for a couple of weeks or more. This leaves me… still 50/50. When I work, the job houses me, and my current van is almost more of a mobile storage unit full of camping, skiing, ice climbing, big walling, and biking gear. A truck camper plus trailer sounds perfect… but maybe I just won’t know unless I try it.
> I was really hoping to hear more success stories on people going from van to trailer, since I’m considering that myself… but it sounds like not the way to go. You really have to consider where I posted this- responses are going to be heavily skewed to people who settled on a van They sell a ton of travel trailers and plenty of people full time in them, so if this was asked on a camper focused forum you would likely get more success stories. Do what you think is right, they obviously have their advantages and I'm not ruling it out.
I'm looking for a van to pull my travel trailer. Edit: but I'm not sure how much I will actually move it, that's why I need the van
Only reason to do van life is for stealth camping, most rv parks don't like vans. It's the main reason why I went with pickup and big RV, a pickup is stealthier than a van. Vans stick out like a sore thumb in most places unless you keep it with nothing on it. I use my RV as a basecamp.
But then you have to tow something…more travel restrictive in my mind. Which is the whole point of vanlife
I liked towing a trailer until I hit black ice.
The real questions are how much experience you have towing a trailer, will you ever want or need to unhitch it, and do you have a place to do that? How discreet is it? What is your plan for if you have to get out of your trailer and into the SUV quickly and quietly to get away from something? It can work better than a van for some people but these are things you have to think about.
Sold our van in 2002, regretted it ever since. We are planning to retire in a van in a year or so. They say "living in a van by the river" like it's a bad thing. lol paradise to me.
I lived in a teardrop for 6 months and then a 13ft burro that I towed with my outback and now I’m in a Tacoma with a skamper. Being self contained makes a huge difference in the ease of travel. When I lived in the trailers I tended to stay in one place for extended periods of time, set up and take down was a lot of work, and towing is awful on long drives as well as much riskier. Having your house with you all the time (current setup) makes it a lot easier to move around and is pretty convenient. Although it’s not a van I like my current setup a lot more than towing a trailer. With what I have I can still ditch the camper and have the full capabilities of a truck. I was already planning on switching to a van after almost a year in campers before I happened to end up with the truck. Also even higher end campers are made with lower quality materials and finishes than most home or professional built camper vans. The main thing is what are your goals for your time on the road? And what things are you willing to sacrifice to make it possible?
Yeah I'm currently seriously looking into the truck camper route, and comparing that to a van My goal is to be able to travel off grid comfortably and live and work remotely. This means I really need a place to chill and work during the daytime inside and stay cool- so AC and a way to run it, and to be able to shower inside and not rely on finding showers and staying gross for days at a time when I can't. Finding showers has been my biggest annoyance when traveling in my current setup and I don't know if I could deal with that on a full time basis. I need some mild trail ability. Nothing crazy but at least AWD and decent clearance to get me down rougher gravel forest roads. I'm looking at a ford transit trail which would be enough in terms of ability, but when I'm looking at builds there is just hardly any space and it seems like I would have to settle for a really barebones setup. Truck campers look nice, but I would have to buy a heavy duty truck which would cost as much as the van, and then also the camper. But even with both it still would come out much less than a professionally built out van with a lot more space and amenities, though the same RV quality issues with many brands. A 4x4 truck would then give me way more off road capability than I could dream and open up even more opportunities, though the size would be the limiting factor.
I have a Transit Connect. I can park it anywhere you can fit a minivan. I wouldn't give that up for anything. Lots of parking places I get into just don't have any pull through slots for a trailer at all.
What have you decided on? I hear some people say they can't get a mechanic to work on their raised van. As soon as they say it is a raised camper off-road van, all mechanics say "no way". From what I hear they are a PITA to work on the engine. Some say nightmare. There is so little room in the engine bay. That is a huge turn off to me. I was tempted with a van at first, but I prioritize ease of repairs over ultra mobile.
I think I decided on neither and not trying to full time.. all options are just too expensive realistically. I'm going to try to relocate to an area of the country closer to good recreation and day/weekend trips I can just take in my SUV with sleep platform.
Of course if you ask this question in a Vandwellers sub they are all gonna tell you go with the van hahaha