Living out of a bus... Realistic?

[Sweece]

Hello everyone!

I am a newbie here on the forums and I have been researching Bay Windows for quite sometime now. My reason for actually having the desire to own one is to live out of it. I plan on going on a very long trips, maybe even for over a year at a time. I specifically want to get a camper model (late 1970's) to be able to use it the way it was intended to be used. I currently live in California and I want to take this bus all the way up the coast to Washington and maybe even head east after that.

I guess my question is... Does this sound realistic? Living out of a bus for over a year and being able to park it wherever I want, sleep, and pick up in the morning to some place new? I know that these vehicles take extra care and I am willing to learn and to be able to work on it myself if something goes wrong (which from reading the forums already, this sounds pretty common). I already read the discussions between vanagons and bay window campers and I think I have made my decision with the bay. But remember, I want to be able to be on the road with it pretty much 24/7.

So what do you think? Any thoughts or experiences with this would be extremely helpful.
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Here to learn.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

possible? yes. you had better have deep pockets or macgyver type skills.
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[Bret2094]

Welcome to the samba! Lots of guys used to do it back in the day, thousands of people have gone on multiple thousand mile journeys, look up Hasta Alaska on youtube. As far as living in it all year, someone posted like 20 min before you about how he's been living in a bay for 4 months. I attached the thread.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=617254&highlight=


It would be hard to do if you have no mechanical experience. That takes time to learn. It would be great to do, but you really need a decent setup going, well prepared, armed to the teeth with information, and plan out all the little things like where to shower and such. If you are up for all of this, then by all means folloow your heart


Bret
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1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)

1977 Westfalia Camper

1972 Plymouth Duster

Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A)

[grtfldan]

Its been done many times. I lived out of mine for a summer on Dead tour. Ben (from the stranded on the way to Alaska thread) is living proof, But he has sponsors and folks on here helping out alot.
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79 Bay 2.0 Fuel Injection

79 Bay project

[sonofamitch]

My buddy Jeff has been doing it for the past year. He's driven his '72 High Top all along the east coast and is now making his way west. I met him when he rolled through Colorado and stopped in my town. His T4 engine came out of a junkyard and the only problems he's had have been with his carbs. I think he has put something like 30-40K on his bus. It can be done.
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'77 Westy 2.0L FI

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=568454&highlight=

[PITApan]

[wanderglobe]

[Tcash]

Welcome to TheSamba.

What Do YOU Look For When Buying A Bus?
Bay Window Bus Buyers / Spotters Guide

http://www.vwvagabonds.com/jova.html

[old DKP driver]

I am getting ready to do this in a few weeks for a short time period as I drive from San Jose, CA. to Idaho and then to Spokane Washington and then back down the coast to see an old friend in Florence ,Oregon.

Have a great adventure!

As for being able to pick where you spend nighttime has really changed since the 1980's so, be sure you are sober when you look for a campsite so you will not be endangered either by the law or others.
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V.W.owner since 1967

[Stuartzickefoose]

[Xevin]

I will not spill any beer
Safe travels. Look me up if you travel through my neck of the woods.

[Stuartzickefoose]

[tjet]

I lived in a 77 pop-top camper for about a year back in the mid 90's. I was working temp contract jobs away from home, & this was the only way to save money. I was "stealth" camping even before it was a term. IMO, it's not for everyone.

I never parked longer than overnight anywhere. You need to separate your overnight parking event from your meal making events & your van maintenance events. This is directly related to priorities. My #1 priority was safety. Once you are safe, then sleeping is much easier. The #2 on my list was discretion. You need to be discrete in order to be safe. That means making it look like the van is empty so no interior lights, cooking, etc. I would usually "find" good sleeping areas during the day, & go back to park around 10pm. I was usually gone between 5-6am. Nevr past 7am. Once the sun hit the van it was an oven anyway, so no sleeping.
Next on the priority was staying clean & keeping the van clean (inside & out). I had a gym membership for around $150 per mo. Went there daily. Truck stops are also very handy to take a shower. Just make sure you have shower shoes & keep a small spray bottle of bleach/ water mix.

Lots of good daytime places to carry out things & go unnoticed, self-serve car wash, store parking lot, gas stations, auto parts stores. Thats where I would cook food, do maint etc. Note, I never deployed the roof, & I rarely cooked in the van. Too hard to clean up. I had a few coffee shops I went to. Most public "day only" parks have a built in BBQ. I always kept charcoal in the van

Another priority was always keeping the cooler cold & fresh. It's nice to always have cold beer, milk & 1/2 & 1/2. You also need to have fresh water & the ability to make coffee - very important. I had a small single burner coleman stove) To keep the cooler fresh, add a cap of bleach to the inside. Best ice to use is 1 10 pound block (if you can find it) & 1 10 pound bag. This will keep it cold for 3-4 days in the summer.

Anyway, I cant remember all I did, but it's doable once you get a system.

good luck...

[c_wilburn]

Can't find it now but there is a blog about a boy named Brodie who traveled through most of South America with his parents in a bus. Last time I read it they had been on the road 3 years. It is a great blog and makes me want to load it up and head out.

[airschooled]

[wanderglobe]

[pantone149]

The only minor caveat to your plan is that assuming the vehicle is registered in CA and is 1976 or newer that you need the smog check thing. Either find a bus that is 1975 or older or expect the smog thing. Have fun too.

[tjet]

Couple of other things I want to mention:

Get a AAA+ card & a pre-paid basic cell. This is very important because if you break down, you will need to hitchhike to an auto parts house & hitch hike back. Not easily done. I broke down twice. Once, I was 75 miles away from Twin Falls Idaho at 11pm on a cold Sunday night. It was the middle of nowhere. I ended up just pushing the van far off the road & just crashed out until daylight. In the morning, I discovered I only needed an alternator (& battery), so I called around & found a parts house that had both about 85 miles away. I then called AAA & had my van (& myself ) towed the entire way. My + membership gives me a 100 mile free tow. Going to a parts house gives you access to more tools too (they will lend them out)

Also, just because you are living out of a van, it's not free. It's just a big time money saver. You will still need to work, say part-time or temp work at least.

Ultimately, the reason I stopped living out of a van was because it was tough to stay warm. My van had no heat, & I did not want to spend another winter in Idaho w/o heat. I did have a very warm sleeping bag (expensive) & I would crawl into it with a military parka on. I think if I did it now, I would invest in a solar power battery system, & install a small efficient heater & a mattress heating pad (& good one). The solar systems available nowadays were n/a back then. I would also fabricate an interior insulation pad to cover the back hatch. I cant remember how many times I would wake up if my hand touched the frozen window or metal.

[vw76westy]

[PITApan]