4 Things I Didn't Know About VanLife

VanLife was an unknown entity to me when I moved into my van. I had no idea what I was doing and didn't know anyone else that lived in their van on the road. You could say, instead of 4 things I didn't know , there were a million things I didn't know.

Here are 4 things I didn't know about VanLife.

Where Can I Stay

At first, I knew little about boondocking. I knew I didn't want to stay in the campgrounds. They were too expensive and too crowded. I needed alternatives.

Somehow I heard about Boonockers Welcome/Harvest Hosts. It wasn't expensive to join and it suited me well.

Folks all across the US (and other countries) invited other RVers to park in their driveways, fields, on the back forty, and anywhere else we could fit.

On my first trip as a Vanlifer, I was heading to Maine. There aren't a lot of places to boondock in the east ( I later learned) and that was before I knew about IOverlander. I planned my entire trip around Boondockers Welcome/Harvest Hosts. I stayed in some amazing places.

I didn't meet a lot of people because we were sheltering in place. I felt safe and knew where I was going next.

What Is This Black Tank All About

I knew how to use it but I had no idea how to dump it. I didn't even know the term "dump it". I got my van a few months before I moved in. I took a practice run and went to Colorado.

After a couple of days, I noticed my gauges and noticed my black tank was full. It can't be as difficult as brain surgery to empty my black tank, I told myself. Somewhere between Denver and Fort Collins, I found a little campground that said anyone could dump for the price of $5. Seemed like a good idea. I paid my $5 and got in line.

I knew I had all of the necessary pipes and hoses and whatnot but I had no idea what to do when I got to the dump station, I asked the guy ahead of me in an old beat-up RV if I could watch when he dumped. He said sure. He had a marijuana plant in his cupholder but he told me it was hemp.

I watched him but was still a little confused. He could probably see that I was confused so he asked me to just pull ahead and he would help me. This has to be true love when someone offers to empty your black tank for you.

He did and I was in love.

I have had many mishaps since then. That is why I wear rubber boats and elbow-high rubber gloves.

How to Park

When I taught my daughter to drive, I insisted she learned on a stick. We took my Jeep into parking lots and back roads to practice.

When I first got my van, I should have gone to the parking lots, too. I learned how to become the worst parker in the world instead. To this day, I cannot find the pivot point. My van is only 22' long but that is quite different than my Sport Trac that I had.

In addition, there is rarely a flat spot when you are boondocking off-road so I am constantly parked at an angle. I feel like a mountain goat with one leg shorter than the other. Cooking is a challenge because everything moves to one end of the pan. All of my blood rushes to one side as I sleep.

Once I had those leveling blocks. I ruined those though. You have to drive onto them somewhat straight. If you fall over the edge they tend to break. Who knew?

How Tall Am I

It never occurred to me that I might be too tall to go some places. A pick-up truck is about 7' tall and as it turned out I am 10 feet tall!!

I learned I couldn't go to the car wash, no drive-throughs, there are low-hanging branches everywhere and some overpasses weren't tall enough. This was very eye-opening. Never had I noticed these things.

The low-hanging branches got me the most. I have an awning on top of my van and that thing is like a clogged-up wood shredder. It rips branches off trees and gets stuck. One time I got half a tree stuck and I couldn't get it out. I don't have a ladder to get on the roof so I had my 11-year-old grandson climb onto the windshield and walk up to the top. He was able to pull it out. So far I haven't destroyed the awning.

To wash my van I have to find those tall, open, self-serve wash bays. They are hard to find and you can't google car washes or truck washes to find them because you won't find them. You have to notice them if you are driving.

Overpasses are interesting. They are all tall enough on a highway but not necessarily in other places. I had to back up and go out of my way 30 miles because the covered bridge was only 9' tall. I did learn this, though. If an overpass says it is 10' tall they are measuring from the lowest point which is on each end. The middle is normally higher and you should be fine if you straddle the middle line. Probably.

The tallest drive-through is at best 9'. Most are 8' or less. That includes banks, fast food, Starbucks, and drug stores. I didn't realize how many drive-throughs there were! That killed Starbucks for me. My life was forever changed.

There were tons of other things I didn't know. I keep learning every day. Would I do it differently next time? No. I love adventure!!

Pam and Coco

BoondockandBeyond

pam@bondockandbeyond.com

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