Inspiring Vandweller
Charlene's Story (as told to Bob)
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I first met Charlene Swankie in 2009 at a get-together of the Yahoo group
vandwellers. She had just bought a 2006 Chevy Express van and was just
getting started on her conversion. She realized the most important thing
was getting adequate ventilation in the van. So she bought a FantasticFan
and had us help her install it. I say "help her" in only the widest terms. She
did every bit of the work herself and refused to let us do any of the actual
work (that's me with her in the picture to the right).
Like most of us it was a long trip for Charlene to move into her van. As a
young woman she had done a lot of backpacking, taking multi-week trips with
only the things on her back. Later as a young mother, the family had gone
car camping out of a van. So in 2005, when she was having financial trouble,
it occurred to her that if she could live with only the things on her back, she
should be able to live like royalty out of a van. So she moved into a Ford
Aerostar minivan, her first brand new vehicle. She started vandwelling out
of necessity, but like so many of us, she quickly fell in love with it!
Unfortunately, double knee replacement surgeries required her to move
back into a house for awhile, but her heart was still in vandwelling. She had
always suffered from breathing issues but they had gotten much worse and
she was diagnosed with asthma and COPD in 2008. Living in a house became
intolerable to her because of her chemical sensitivities. She found that
being in a van solved all her breathing issues, so in January of 2009 she
bought her Express van and started converting it into her home.
I have talked to a lot of people about vandwelling. The majority of them say
they would love to do it, but.... and they come up with a reason they can't.
Charlene wasn't going to let any excuses hold her back from the life of
freedom and happiness she wanted. So as a 64 year-old woman, she took
the leap and found the life she has longed for. I hope you find her as
inspiring as I have and say to yourself, "If she can do it, so can I"
She has done a lot of really great and creative things with her van that we
can all find very helpful. Let's look at some of them:
Installed a Roof Rack:
I have always thought a roof rack on a van was a great idea. She has a
KargoMaster that she covered with plywood. That means the roof of her
van is always in the shade, greatly cooling the van! It also gives her a great
platform to mount things on her roof without more holes in it. She attached
a solar panel to the plywood as well as a Winegard Roadstar over-the-air
TV antenna. She also carries her kayak on the rack. At some point in the
future she could add a solar hot water system if she wanted one.
She Pulls a Cargo Trailer:
One problem every Vandweller faces is what to do with all their excess
stuff. Some of us keep a storage place, but that gets expensive fast.
Instead, Charlene bought a cargo trailer to carry her excess stuff. When
she sets up camp, the trailer allows her to carry the things that bring a lot
of extra comfort, such as a canopy for outdoor living. Another example is
she carries a portable sewing machine. That allows her to repair her clothes
and even make new ones (or gifts for the grandkids). Genealogy has been a
life long passion to her and she has a huge volumn of notes, photographs and
various documents on her family that she is carrying with her. She has a
scanner and is digitizing all this material so eventually the trailer will clear
out enough for her to add a bunk and kitchen. A scanner has a lot of
advantages to a vandweller, since it allows you to digitize books, receipts,
articles and other things so she keeps the info, but it doesn't take up room
or add weight.
Eventually, if she ever gets done with her travels, she may buy a little
piece of land and settle down on it (or use it as a base camp), using the
trailer as a cozy little cabin.
She Installed a Desk:
Because she spends so much time at the computer scanning in her genealogy,
a desk was essential. She had this one at home so she modified it to fit in
her van. It gives the scanner and printer a home and she gets online there
also. The majority of vandwellers use computers to get online, so this would
be helpful to many of us. Especially for those who work from their vans. She
uses a Verizon data card to get online, and she has been very happy with
their service.
She has Hobbies and Goals
One question that comes up fairly often from newcomers to vandwelling is
"How do you spend your time?" And it is very true that living in a van frees
up a lot of time. Many of us are like Charlene, living on Social Security
Disability, a pension, or Social Security, so we have a lot of extra time. For
many people, the free time of retirement is actually unhealthy, leading to
lethargy or even an early death. Charlene has her passion for genealogy to
keep her busy, but she wanted more for her new life of vandwelling. For
years bad knees had restricted her activity and kept her from the outdoors
and caused her to steadily gain weight. After a double knee replacement
she wanted a new hobby to keep her active and in the outdoors. She looked
around and fell in love with kayaking (she loved being on the water and it
was easy on her knees). She wanted a grand goal for her life so she
determined to kayak all 50 states! Already in her first year she has
kayaked 8 states and is still going strong.
Installed a Solar Panel and Inverter
Because of her work digitizing her genealogy, she needed an abundance of
power, so she installed a 130 watt solar panel on her roof rack. She tried
buying lead-acid golf cart batteries, but just having them in the van without
being hooked up caused a flare up of her asthma. So she returned them and
bought AGM deep-cycle batteries instead. While they cost more, they can
be put anywhere and are maintenance free. She decided to place them on
the floor of the passenger seat. It was ideal because that moved something
very heavy as far forward as possible, and used what was otherwise
wasted space--and you can't waste any space when living in a van! As you can
see from the picture, they are on their ends in a box and the inverter (a
1200 watt Xantrex bought from Amazon.com) is mounted on top of the box.
I can attest that it is still possible to sit in the front seat and put your seat
belt on. I wouldn't want to do it for days on end, but for shorter trips it is
quite comfortable.
vandwellers. She had just bought a 2006 Chevy Express van and was just
getting started on her conversion. She realized the most important thing
was getting adequate ventilation in the van. So she bought a FantasticFan
and had us help her install it. I say "help her" in only the widest terms. She
did every bit of the work herself and refused to let us do any of the actual
work (that's me with her in the picture to the right).
Like most of us it was a long trip for Charlene to move into her van. As a
young woman she had done a lot of backpacking, taking multi-week trips with
only the things on her back. Later as a young mother, the family had gone
car camping out of a van. So in 2005, when she was having financial trouble,
it occurred to her that if she could live with only the things on her back, she
should be able to live like royalty out of a van. So she moved into a Ford
Aerostar minivan, her first brand new vehicle. She started vandwelling out
of necessity, but like so many of us, she quickly fell in love with it!
Unfortunately, double knee replacement surgeries required her to move
back into a house for awhile, but her heart was still in vandwelling. She had
always suffered from breathing issues but they had gotten much worse and
she was diagnosed with asthma and COPD in 2008. Living in a house became
intolerable to her because of her chemical sensitivities. She found that
being in a van solved all her breathing issues, so in January of 2009 she
bought her Express van and started converting it into her home.
I have talked to a lot of people about vandwelling. The majority of them say
they would love to do it, but.... and they come up with a reason they can't.
Charlene wasn't going to let any excuses hold her back from the life of
freedom and happiness she wanted. So as a 64 year-old woman, she took
the leap and found the life she has longed for. I hope you find her as
inspiring as I have and say to yourself, "If she can do it, so can I"
She has done a lot of really great and creative things with her van that we
can all find very helpful. Let's look at some of them:
Installed a Roof Rack:
I have always thought a roof rack on a van was a great idea. She has a
KargoMaster that she covered with plywood. That means the roof of her
van is always in the shade, greatly cooling the van! It also gives her a great
platform to mount things on her roof without more holes in it. She attached
a solar panel to the plywood as well as a Winegard Roadstar over-the-air
TV antenna. She also carries her kayak on the rack. At some point in the
future she could add a solar hot water system if she wanted one.
She Pulls a Cargo Trailer:
One problem every Vandweller faces is what to do with all their excess
stuff. Some of us keep a storage place, but that gets expensive fast.
Instead, Charlene bought a cargo trailer to carry her excess stuff. When
she sets up camp, the trailer allows her to carry the things that bring a lot
of extra comfort, such as a canopy for outdoor living. Another example is
she carries a portable sewing machine. That allows her to repair her clothes
and even make new ones (or gifts for the grandkids). Genealogy has been a
life long passion to her and she has a huge volumn of notes, photographs and
various documents on her family that she is carrying with her. She has a
scanner and is digitizing all this material so eventually the trailer will clear
out enough for her to add a bunk and kitchen. A scanner has a lot of
advantages to a vandweller, since it allows you to digitize books, receipts,
articles and other things so she keeps the info, but it doesn't take up room
or add weight.
Eventually, if she ever gets done with her travels, she may buy a little
piece of land and settle down on it (or use it as a base camp), using the
trailer as a cozy little cabin.
She Installed a Desk:
Because she spends so much time at the computer scanning in her genealogy,
a desk was essential. She had this one at home so she modified it to fit in
her van. It gives the scanner and printer a home and she gets online there
also. The majority of vandwellers use computers to get online, so this would
be helpful to many of us. Especially for those who work from their vans. She
uses a Verizon data card to get online, and she has been very happy with
their service.
She has Hobbies and Goals
One question that comes up fairly often from newcomers to vandwelling is
"How do you spend your time?" And it is very true that living in a van frees
up a lot of time. Many of us are like Charlene, living on Social Security
Disability, a pension, or Social Security, so we have a lot of extra time. For
many people, the free time of retirement is actually unhealthy, leading to
lethargy or even an early death. Charlene has her passion for genealogy to
keep her busy, but she wanted more for her new life of vandwelling. For
years bad knees had restricted her activity and kept her from the outdoors
and caused her to steadily gain weight. After a double knee replacement
she wanted a new hobby to keep her active and in the outdoors. She looked
around and fell in love with kayaking (she loved being on the water and it
was easy on her knees). She wanted a grand goal for her life so she
determined to kayak all 50 states! Already in her first year she has
kayaked 8 states and is still going strong.
Installed a Solar Panel and Inverter
Because of her work digitizing her genealogy, she needed an abundance of
power, so she installed a 130 watt solar panel on her roof rack. She tried
buying lead-acid golf cart batteries, but just having them in the van without
being hooked up caused a flare up of her asthma. So she returned them and
bought AGM deep-cycle batteries instead. While they cost more, they can
be put anywhere and are maintenance free. She decided to place them on
the floor of the passenger seat. It was ideal because that moved something
very heavy as far forward as possible, and used what was otherwise
wasted space--and you can't waste any space when living in a van! As you can
see from the picture, they are on their ends in a box and the inverter (a
1200 watt Xantrex bought from Amazon.com) is mounted on top of the box.
I can attest that it is still possible to sit in the front seat and put your seat
belt on. I wouldn't want to do it for days on end, but for shorter trips it is
quite comfortable.
She uses a Microwave and
RoadPro 12 Volt Stove
Charlene was uncomfortable with the idea of using a gas stove
in the van. She didn't like storing the propane or butane
bottles in the van. Even worse, the open flame creates the
danger of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. She decided on
electric cooking instead. With the solar panel she had enough
power, so she bought a 12 volt RoadPro stove at a truck stop
and someone gave her a microwave. Together, they work very
well for her cooking needs. Because of their very large power
draw, she starts and runs the engine when she uses either one.
The 1200 watt inverter handles the microwave quite well, and
she limits the length of time she uses it. The RoadPro stove is
generally just used while driving.
The RoadPro stove is particularly handy. It is about the size of
a workman's lunch-box, and plugs into the cigarette lighter of
great job. It is great for frozen dinners, but it does so much
more. She has cooked, eggs, corn bread, stews, cookies and
many other things in it. Because she uses an aluminum foil liner,
she even avoids washing dishes!
RoadPro 12 Volt Stove
Charlene was uncomfortable with the idea of using a gas stove
in the van. She didn't like storing the propane or butane
bottles in the van. Even worse, the open flame creates the
danger of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. She decided on
electric cooking instead. With the solar panel she had enough
power, so she bought a 12 volt RoadPro stove at a truck stop
and someone gave her a microwave. Together, they work very
well for her cooking needs. Because of their very large power
draw, she starts and runs the engine when she uses either one.
The 1200 watt inverter handles the microwave quite well, and
she limits the length of time she uses it. The RoadPro stove is
generally just used while driving.
The RoadPro stove is particularly handy. It is about the size of
a workman's lunch-box, and plugs into the cigarette lighter of
great job. It is great for frozen dinners, but it does so much
more. She has cooked, eggs, corn bread, stews, cookies and
many other things in it. Because she uses an aluminum foil liner,
she even avoids washing dishes!
She Uses Solar Hot Water
Like all of us, she needed hot water to bathe and wash
dishes. In a stroke of genius, she painted a one gallon water
bottle black and placed it in the sun, and that worked pretty
well. But the bottles. She had an aluminum screen that goes
across the windshield to keep the heat out of the car so why
not put one behind the water bottle to aim the heat at the
bottle? That worked great! She places three, one-gallon jugs
in front of a windshield screen on a sunny day and by
afternoon the water gets up to 150 degrees! That was great
if she wanted to use the water then, but what if she wanted
to use it the next morning to wash her hair? So she took the
old cooler she had and painted the inside black and added
extra insulation. She leaves the cooler open to the sun with
the bottles and when the water starts to cool off she puts
the three jugs in the prewarmed "cooler." The next morning
the water is still warm enough to be very comfortable to
bathe with. Free and easy hot water! Because of the risk of
toxins from the paint leeching into the water, she doesn't
drink from the plastic jugs. For drinking and cooking she
painted a glass jar black and puts it in front of the sunscreen
and the water easily gets hot enough to make Ramen noodles
or hot drinks.
Like all of us, she needed hot water to bathe and wash
dishes. In a stroke of genius, she painted a one gallon water
bottle black and placed it in the sun, and that worked pretty
well. But the bottles. She had an aluminum screen that goes
across the windshield to keep the heat out of the car so why
not put one behind the water bottle to aim the heat at the
bottle? That worked great! She places three, one-gallon jugs
in front of a windshield screen on a sunny day and by
afternoon the water gets up to 150 degrees! That was great
if she wanted to use the water then, but what if she wanted
to use it the next morning to wash her hair? So she took the
old cooler she had and painted the inside black and added
extra insulation. She leaves the cooler open to the sun with
the bottles and when the water starts to cool off she puts
the three jugs in the prewarmed "cooler." The next morning
the water is still warm enough to be very comfortable to
bathe with. Free and easy hot water! Because of the risk of
toxins from the paint leeching into the water, she doesn't
drink from the plastic jugs. For drinking and cooking she
painted a glass jar black and puts it in front of the sunscreen
and the water easily gets hot enough to make Ramen noodles
or hot drinks.
Charlene needs to watch her spending, so she parks for free on
public land whenever possible. She stays in National Forests and
on BLM desert land whenever she can. There are numerous
advantages in that.
If you are dreaming about mobile living but aren't sure, I hope
you find inspiration in Charlene's example of boldness and
courage and it helps you follow your heart. On the other hand, if
you have been doing it for awhile now, I hope you have found
some of these ideas useful and they make your life better.
To follow Charlene's adventures, go to her blog at:
http://SwankieWheels.blogspot.com .
public land whenever possible. She stays in National Forests and
on BLM desert land whenever she can. There are numerous
advantages in that.
- It's free so she saves lots of money.
- The pure, fresh air is wonderful for her asthma.
- She developed a new hobby of rock-hounding which keeps
her active and she hopes to turn into a business some day. - She has reconnected with nature and fallen in love with it
all over again. - Being very active walking and exploring, she has lost 65
pounds since hitting the road and is healthier than she has
been in 25 years. - She isn't a hermit but she likes her privacy. Living in
crowded RV parks or campgrounds is not for her. Camping
on Public Land gives her all the privacy she can want.
If you are dreaming about mobile living but aren't sure, I hope
you find inspiration in Charlene's example of boldness and
courage and it helps you follow your heart. On the other hand, if
you have been doing it for awhile now, I hope you have found
some of these ideas useful and they make your life better.
To follow Charlene's adventures, go to her blog at:
http://SwankieWheels.blogspot.com .
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