By Rachel Puryear

Nowadays, in cities and towns all over the place, you commonly see people living in vans and RV’s – not just in traditional parks, but parked on streets, and moving around.

Some who live in a mobile camper vehicle view it as a glorified version of homelessness, while others see it as a frugal choice – perhaps for the purpose of saving money to have a more comfortable lifestyle in the future.

As with many things, this probably depends a lot on individual circumstances, including what feasible paths someone has – or doesn’t have – to a more prosperous way of living.

Some people go into camper vehicle dwelling intending to choose an economical way of living, and hope that it will ease their financial hardships, or give them an opportunity to save enough money to buy a house later on.

There are certainly people who have made success stories out of such, and sometimes that happens – where it does, it’s great.

However, there can be pitfalls to camper vehicle dwelling, too – and it’s not always the cheap, easy lifestyle that it might appear to be at first blush.

Therefore, here are some things people who do (or have done) camper vehicle dwelling wish they had known, before they started doing it:

Choosing Your Vehicle

A big consideration in living in a camper vehicle is choosing the vehicle itself.

Many people start off with an older vehicle in order to save on the purchase price, but this can easily mean large repair bills later on – making a “cheap” vehicle not so cheap after all.

At the same time, buying a newer vehicle is more expensive up front, and increases the likelihood of needing to finance, and borrow more money. This also adds to the cost. Newer vehicles are also easier to be accepted into RV parks, and tend to draw less negative attention from nearby residents or even police if you’re boondocking.

There’s no right or wrong choice here, and people have been happy and unhappy with choices going both ways. Rather, it’s important to look at costs of a vehicle as a whole, rather than just the purchase price.

There are lots of makes and models available, and it’s a good idea to look inside – or watch videos on – a variety of them to see what suits you and your family and circumstances. For van conversions, one of the most popular choices is Ford Transits – due to their general reliability, and ease and relatively lower costs of repairing them (within the United States, at least).

Another factor will be the size of the vehicle – you will have to choose between a bigger vehicle that offers more space and comfort, or a smaller one that’s easier to park (see more about that below) and uses less gas/charging.

You will also need to decide whether you want to buy a factory-made vehicle that’s already got everything you need installed (typical for an RV or trailer), or buy a van and convert it into a camper vehicle. Of course, factory-made will be more convenient, but will cost more up front – while converting your own is cheaper up-front, but will cost money to convert – and you might make mistakes if you don’t know how to do it right. At the same time, converting does offer you some flexibility.

If you do decide to convert your own vehicle, see here for easy no-plumbing toilet ideas, here for easy no-plumbing shower ideas, and here for easy no-propane and no-plumbing kitchen ideas.

Utilities, and Weather

Just like you need water, power, Wi-Fi, and waste disposal in a stick-and-brick home, you will need these in a camper vehicle, too. Depending on the climate in which you will live, your need for cooling and/or heating the vehicle will also vary.

If you’ll park on land that has utility hookups, or you’ll be in a park that provides hookups and other amenities, this won’t be an issue. Of course, there will be a cost per night to park there.

However, if you’ll be boondocking a lot (parking off the grid), then you’ll need such utility sources.

Many people choose solar packages to power their vehicles off the grid, and this is certainly a clean option that doesn’t require ongoing power bills, but can require a large up-front investment for panels and batteries – plus, you need enough sunlight and a secure place to charge your batteries.

Whether or not you have a traditional plumbing system, you’ll need to regularly dump dirty water and waste, and obtain fresh water.

Many people stop at public libraries to connect to Wi-Fi, or use Starlink, if they don’t have Wi-Fi available otherwise.

Where to Park, and Choosing a Domicile

A big consideration is where you’ll park your vehicle.

There are parks and campgrounds, but these are subject to availability, and of course they cost money. If you can afford them and get into them, they can be very convenient, though. Note that most campgrounds have size limits, so very large camper vehicles can be difficult to park in RV parks. Age limits on the vehicle are also common.

You can also rent on private land, but will have to find a homeowner willing and able to do that with you, and negotiate price with them.

You could get a paid membership with a company like Thousand Trails, and save money on parking in various campgrounds that way. However, you are subject to their limits.

You can also boondock, and people are allowed to park for limited amounts on time on BLM land.

Cities and towns vary in terms of their tolerance for people parking camper vehicles on their streets overnight, and in terms of how safe it is to do so.

Some chains like Costco or Walmart have some stores that will let you park overnight, but be sure to verify that with the store ahead of time – and if you take advantage of this offer, please be a considerate guest, to preserve that same privilege for others in the future.

There are also rest stops available for short periods of time.

Gas/Charging, Food, Supplies

For someone living in a camper vehicle, their vehicle will likely need more gas or frequent charging than vehicles they drive for everyday purposes while living in a stick-and-brick home. That is a consideration for their budget.

There are some people who use camper vehicles to reduce the number of days they commute to work, though, if they have a commute – if that’s the case, that could offset the increase in the greater gas or charging needs of such a vehicle.

Food and supplies might be more difficult to buy in bulk if you’re living in smaller quarters. However, if you’re mobile, you can also stock up while you’re in areas where goods tend to be cheaper.

Legal Matters, and Choosing a Domicile

If you will be mobile rather than staying in one place, you will need to choose a state as your domicile. What’s best for you depends upon your priorities and circumstances.

For instance; some states offer lower taxes, but fewer services – whereas in other states, taxes are higher but you get more services for that. Your rights and obligations can also vary between different states. You can decide what state domicile fits you best.

Also, if you don’t have a fixed residence, you might still need a mailing address. There are post office boxes, as well as private services that can give you a mailing address, and process your mail (some might also have somebody open it up and scan it to you).

Medical Care

If you use Obamacare or other government-backed health care plans, your options and rights might vary from state to state. Your choice of domicile could significantly affect this.

Furthermore, if you are of reproductive age and have a uterus, your reproductive and medical care rights vary drastically between different states – whether you plan to have children, don’t plan to have children, or aren’t sure. Choose wisely.

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Thank you, dear readers, for reading, following, and sharing. Here’s to creative ways to live more economically.

Check out my other blog, too – World Class Hugs, at https://worldclasshugs.com. It’s about celebrating empathic and HSS/HSP people, balanced versus toxic relationships, loving spirituality and spiritualism without religious dogma, and visiting gorgeous natural places.

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