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Old 06-03-2016, 03:12 PM   #1
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The Holy Grail (cheap, efficient, easy)

Don't want to labor you all too much (as I've been reading your posts and you seem busy!) but i am looking for advice. Wife, dog, and I are leaving Hawaii to start a life / family on the US mainland (she's from Tahoe I'm from Jersey). We want to travel around the east and west looking for places to live/ work and eventually start a farm as our own business. All the while stopping in national parks and forests to sight see. We are thinking for ~6months. Primarily boondocking and staying with friends but some paid hookups as well. We've never been rving. But do backpack and camp a lot. I love the idea of building a van rig as it would provide us with the mobility i think we'll need to visit larger towns and small cities. We want to move into a semi urban area to find work. We don't know what rig would be best.
1. We could build out a cheap van (possibly an old dodge)... Though the wife wants to get on the road within a month of when we arrive back on mainland(semi negotiable). I know I can do it but am also nervous about time and money. It's seems we'll have little of both. ~10k... i know I know... But that's life
2. Buy a cheap travel trailer or pop up and retro fit it for our needs. With this one I'm worried that the trailer will really hamper our mobility in and around towns and cities (again we have no rv experience so don't know what it's like) When we arrive in a place we've already determined to be worth checking out we'll want to go to farmers markets and restaurants and see neighborhoods / potential employers and spend a day or 3. I'm thinking that the trailer will not be very good for this, assuming boondocking locations are far from towns(... Are they?) and that we won't (shouldn't?) be comfortable leaving our home at boondocking location to go to town.

Once we find a place/job we'll be in a normal home/ apartment so its not a permanent thing.

Please, any info you can give would be greatly appreciated. Especially if you've used both to travel.

Thanks
E

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Old 06-03-2016, 04:31 PM   #2
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It would seem to be that everything is not always as easy as one thinks.
Where will you park while over there. Do they allow for people to camp in vans
on the street? A little research needs to be done as things have changed over there
from the 1970's. just saying....good luck and I think that whatever is allowed is the best
way to go. Probably easier to find parking with a RV Van than anything else. Call the local police stations and inquire as each Island may be different. Good Luck sounds like fun in the making
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Old 06-03-2016, 04:52 PM   #3
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I know it sounds silly... But we a living in Hawaii NOW and moving to the mainland USA. So rving around the US to hopefully find a place we can get ahead and start a business
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Old 06-03-2016, 07:46 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Surfmore72 View Post
I know it sounds silly... But we a living in Hawaii NOW and moving to the mainland USA. So rving around the US to hopefully find a place we can get ahead and start a business
I think its a swell plan!

If I had a month to get ready for a trip, I think Id find a sub5k conversion van made in the last 15 years, remove the middle row seats, throw a few plywood boxes in it for a kitchen and call it good. You can alsways modify on the road.. the key to life is simplicity. There's some super awesome vans being built here by some seriously gifted folks... but at the end of the day, the trip happens by dropping the little black lever out of park.
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Old 06-03-2016, 10:20 PM   #5
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X2 on finding q conversion van and doing a real basic build. All you really need is your camping gear and a comfy place to sleep.
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Old 06-04-2016, 10:42 AM   #6
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X2 on finding q conversion van and doing a real basic build. All you really need is your camping gear and a comfy place to sleep.
Agree. Until you know how you are going to use a van, I wouldn't invest too much up front.

There's no one answer that fits everybody, and an answer that works for you at one point in your life, may not work for you at another point in your life.

I think the following thread is a good read that may give you some perspectives to think about.
http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...ive-10696.html


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Old 06-04-2016, 12:13 PM   #7
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Awesome! Yeah that all seems like sound advice.
So something like a 2000 smb or roadtrek? I know some where in that time frame all the van manufacturers changed series. Any major pluses of being in the newer version ( or the older one for that matter...)? I assume newer is better but more expensive. I've seen a few online but they weren't cheap (+30k).
I'm probably looking in all the wrong places. Are there any specialized sale sites you guys would search for "diamonds in the rough" ? I've just been clicking the first few sites in Google and I once randomly found a sportsmobile Texas classified page. Or is craigslist the place to get the cheap ones because they don't know what they have???

I also assume you'd be interested in a resto-mod build thread! ?

I assume a lot
Thanks
e
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Old 06-04-2016, 01:34 PM   #8
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I do not want to sound like I am discouraging you, this is just reality. Finding a 2000 and newer SMB that fits within your $10K budget will be difficult. Even a good 1990ish SMB will be hard. Look at the member classified section and you will see what we mean.
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Old 06-04-2016, 01:41 PM   #9
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X3 on finding a conversion van and make it work for your needs. There are some cheaper older SMBs out there but not many, I've seen some home builds on Craigslist (Craigslist pro app is great for searching). Your backpackers like me so a van will feel like the Hilton so don't bother with a pop top trailer - had one of those and you'll hate putting it up n down everyday. Good luck!
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Old 06-04-2016, 01:59 PM   #10
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Damn... I just today I saw a used van "short-bus" / shuttle conversion here in NE WI for $4800. Tear out the seats, bolt in the basics you think you'll need for a few months of road-tripping, and let 'er rip. Already walkable height, not too huge, yet with space to build in a nice bed, and plenty of room for storage for toys, and some conveniences like coolers / fridge, house battery, water jugs, kitchen stuff, etc.

Also... check with fleet rental companies that sell vehicles regularly as they turn over for new fleets. Check with Enterprise, Avis, Hertz, Uhaul, Penske, etc. etc. etc. May not be the best thing in the world, but they presumably ran well enough to rent.

I suggest keeping the "conversion" simple... look at using floor track tie points and just keep things temporary and convertible (making sure they are tied down decent so you don't end up squashed from behind against the dashboard in the event you stop suddenly). Many years of sleeping in the back of my pickups with toppers taught me the biggest thing of all is having a dry place to get out of the weather. Everything else can fall into place as you play and figure things out, but that dry, warm bed with no tent to set up when you pull up to sleep is the best. And a port-o-john of some nature (bucket with lid-seat or one of the relatively small and cheap flushable types). Gotta have that...
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