Week One of Living in a Tiny Van

Okay, so to preface, so far i’ve only spent one week in my van (he’s called Nevis) and it’s been a mixture of ups and downs so far. I’m not sure what my intentions are with writing this post but I thought i’d give a review of what my thoughts are so far. I’m going to detail the construction process in a separate post so this is purely a collection of thoughts from my first week in a van.

Freedom is great

So far i’ve only been to Ben Nevis (the tallest mountain in Britain) and the east coast of Scotland for a surf trip, but the freedom to live wherever is astounding. Usually I would be tied down by available accommodation or camping spots (weather permitting). Now, I can rock up to wherever, cook up a big scran from the comfort of my own van and head to bed. This can be on the side of a road, in a free car park, in a wee village or wherever. The freedom to adventure has been truly liberating so far and I hope to delve more into this feeling as Nevis and I explore Scotland and beyond.

Nature shits ain’t that bad

One of the big debates in doing any van build is wether to put a toilet in it or not. On one side, if you have a toilet then you don’t ever need to dig a hole In the ground or use a public restroom. You can rest assured that your shit don’t involve nature. On the other hand, it takes up space, can stink up your van and you have to periodically empty it. For me, disposing of literal buckets of shit every week didn’t appeal. So, i’ve opted for the no toilet option. So far, i’ve ventured into the wilderness, dug some holes and done my business among nature. This hasn’t been too bad as i’ve had clear, autumnal weather but I can imagine as the Scottish winter approaches, it may not be as pleasant. For the less luxuriously minded, you can always opt for the ‘piss bottle’ which does what it says on the tin.

Minimalism in Practice

Living in such a small space forces you to discard of any unnecessary possessions. Be that a spare book, one too many jumpers or a pair of shoes that you don’t get much use out of. You have to scrutinise every decision to ensure you’re not overloading your space with useless shit. Practicing minimalism not only helps with physical space, but also gives you financial space. The less shit you need, the less shit you buy, the more money you have. Furthermore, the mental clarity gained from having a clean and clear space alleviates the stress f a messy environment. It seems to clear up room in your mind as you have less things to worry about. Ultimately, minimalism might not be for everyone but giving it a shot can’t hurt.

DIY experience is liberating

For someone who couldn’t operate basic power tools before the building process, the achievement and feelings of competency felt amazing. I was literally unaware of the basic processes involved in DIY and kept referring to “nails” as “screws” and other such daft things. Throughout the month it took me to build Nevis, I managed to learn a great deal and can now confidently say that I have a basic understanding of DIY. In my mind, professional adulting has some significant barriers to entry. Controlling your own finances, finding a career and basic DIY come to mind. Now, I can tick one of those off the list.

It’s too fucking small

Being 6ft1 and fairly broad in stature, it would of been sensible to buy a large van with ample headroom and lots of living space. That would of been the sensible option. That would of made my existence comfortable, secure and roomy. Instead I opted for the cheap, shoestring budget, epitome of student existence ford transit connect option. If you’ve never seen a transit connect before then here’s a picture of my beautiful little van Nevis.

Now, he is beautiful, but he is also tiny. Unfortunately, that doesn’t fare too well for me as I definitely cant stand up in my van and I can barely sit comfortably on my bench.

At this point, you’re probably thinking — well why did you go for the smaller option? In one word — money. It’s cheaper to buy smaller vehicles, cheaper for tax and insurance, cheaper for fuel, cheaper to build and insulate. Plus, they’re easier to park, (usually) more discreet and cosier inside. I’ll have to live in the van for a while to truly make my decision on wether the smaller option is worth the payoff but for right now all I can think is that It’s too fucking small.

I’ve only been in the van a week so my takeaways are minimal but my intention is to provide rolling updates on van life and all that comes with it. I’m still at the very start of the blogging process so i’m still discovering my niche but expect to see content and advice on the topics of: Van life, Minimalism, Student Life, Stoicism, Money & Travel.

Yours Honestly,

Liam Lawson