Moving in my van

Christian Nomad

Christian Nomad

Unconfirmed Account
Jan 7, 2016
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Waterford, MI
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#1
It's official, I'm done being pennyless!
I told my apartment that I'm not renewing my lease.
I'm moving into the van Sept 30th. The Michigan winter should prove interesting.
Anyone have tips on keeping warm? I've slept in the van before while traveling. I've experienced 40 degrees and was perfectly warm. Below that will be a new experience.
 
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#3
Another Michigander! 'Ello!
I second what Dmac said about heading south if able. But if you do stay up here for the winter: wear layers, get yourself one of those super cold weather sleeping bags, a little space heater, and definitely a CO2 sensor. And Pinterest has all kinds of tips and tricks as well. Treat it like camping in winter, basically. Another thing to keep in mind is condensation build up inside tour van.

I was going to move into mine this fall as well, but due to circumstances it will actually be late winter/early spring.
 
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#5
This is my van setup for winter livin back home in the midwest. I've since moved to florida and hardly use this stuff. But I could comfortably survive anywhere cold with this simple setup in the future.

The red thing next to the blue water jug is a mr. buddy heater. They are super popular and easy to find. The black thing is a camp stove wire twisted onto a table that is part wire.

You'll also notice I have 2 propane tanks. This is important because it saves a lot of money in the long run by being able to completely empty a tank before buying a replacement. It also is more convenient at 3 am after a long night of drinking when you want eggs.. Equally as important is the carbon monoxide/ smoke detector. You need these two things if you have propane.

Congrats on your van life adventures! It is an incredibly fun way to live. I hope everything goes great for you up there.
 

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#7
dude if you get one of these mr. buddy heaters and propane + cover your windows with reflectix, you end up having to pop windows open so you don't get hot. You'll be warm no matter what. This is definitely something I wish I would have known when I was first moving into my van in February in MN..

Once I figured it everything out, life was awesome. I was paying like 15 per tank at the cheapest tank exchange and they lasted about 2 to 3 days of constant heat running in the van. When it's not super cold and you don't have to run it a lot, 1 tank can last a week or longer. I kinda miss van living in the cold actually... It was literally a blast. Went out all the time and got hammered literally wherever. Spent like nothing. Survived off mainly oatmeal and eggs since you don't have to refrigerate them and they're tasty. The water jug just about anyone will let you fill up at their place or business if you ask nicely.
 
#9
I lived in a camper threw the winter in Indiana. No heat besides space heaters and that didn't help much. Best thing to do is get a heating blanket ! You could get a one of those things that allows u to plug stuff into ur van. A converter of some sort. Make sure u have a great battery. Maybe even invest in a solar panel. Good luck !
 
#11
PatchTwist said:
Another Michigander! 'Ello!
I second what Dmac said about heading south if able. But if you do stay up here for the winter: wear layers, get yourself one of those super cold weather sleeping bags, a little space heater, and definitely a CO2 sensor. And Pinterest has all kinds of tips and tricks as well. Treat it like camping in winter, basically. Another thing to keep in mind is condensation build up inside tour van.

I was going to move into mine this fall as well, but due to circumstances it will actually be late winter/early spring.
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Thank you PatchTwist!
 
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