The Van

 My first foray into mobile living was a truck bed tent I purchased for my 2004 Ford F-150. I took the tent and air mattress designed for the truck to Talladega Superspeedway for the October 2010 race weekend. I had already purchased some awesome car camping gear and it was the perfect complement to that gear.

After many jokes about living full time in a motor home and taking my home on the road I started to do a little more research. Eventually, it led me to THE van, a 2012 Chevy Express 3500 extended cargo van for sale at Gastorf Chevrolet in Warrenton, Missouri.

I purchased the van a few short weeks prior to a planned vacation that involved a few days camping in Virginia at the Devils Backbone Basecamp and Brewpub. I altered my reservation to fit the larger vehicle and modified my plans as well. While the trip as a whole didn't go as planned (TOO DAMN HOT) it was a good first test of the concept.

As you will see I've made a few modifications. The most noticeable is the solar system. I generally followed plans found in Will Prowse's book Mobile Solar Power as well as on his YouTube channel. I also added a Fantastic Vent RV Roof Vent to help pull hot air out. EVERYTHING I used can be found on Amazon.com.

I traded in my 2012 Chevy Express and its 203000 miles for a 2023 Winnebago Solis Pocket with less than 2000 miles.

It is a Class B built on a 2022 Ram Promaster 1500 chassis with 136 inch wheelbase. The Pocket is geared toward the new #vanlife person and potential DIYer. It was introduced in 2022 and the main upgrades for 2023 are safety features in the Ram chassis.

While eating breakfast at the Hi-Way Diner in Vinita, Oklahoma I noticed they have a car certified by the Guinness Book of World Records to have the most stickers applied. While I can't hope to achieve that level, nor would I want to, I can at least get a sticker when I visit someplace. Some places shockingly don't sell stickers. They are out of luck as this is a great conversation starter on the road.