Fulltiming in a motorhome - a blog
Discussion
I promised to blog on full timing in a Motorhome; as much for the benefit of an insight into the trials and tribulations as well as a way of me coming to terms with my current situation. I don't have any photos right now, but I will pad out with photos in due course.
The lead up to moving into the van has been challenging, but as it happens, far less challenging than actually doing it. The preparation involved not just packing with clothes and personal belongings, but working out what was actually needed for a protracted period of time in the van but also the "life support" systems and how these would cope with the additional strain of me being in full-time and what other requirements I'd have with living "off grid".
After all of that, most of which is covered in the Hymer ownership thread, I finally left the marital home yesterday and moved the van down to the local campsite, which shall be my base, more or less, for the foreseeable future. At this stage, most likely for around a year.
Unfortunately, not all the plans came together - the idea of bringing the pushbike didn't materialise since I've somehow mislaid all my D-locks, so I've had to buy another one which I'll use to secure the bike to the rack. But by and large, everything has come with me - even the generator which I was concerned about how I'd bring along.
So yesterday I officially moved out. In a lot of ways it went very well. My wife took the little'un out for the day so although we had a goodbye of sorts, it wasn't a protracted goodbye with tears. It was horrible looking around the house and checking I had everything, but I left with a full van and the dog. Only 5mins down the road, but I pitched up before walking the half an hour across the fields back to the house to drop off the dog and pick up the Yeti.
What is involved in "pitching"? Well, very little in all reality. Particularly at this site given there is no electricity. I merely levelled the van up using one chock on the offside rear wheel (sadly now sunk a little into the ground, so the van's not as level as I'd like!
). I then added the thermal "blanket" which wraps around the whole of the cab windows. Glass is a great conductor of heat, so to keep the van warm (or cool in the summer) the reflective mini-duvet is very effective at insulating. Lastly, although I have a built-in 120l "grey" water tank (shower, basin, kitchen waste water), I don't want to be storing it, since I will have to empty it at some point. Doing that every other day when you're touring isn't an issue since it's part of a normal routine, but if you're pitched for a long time in a static position, you don't want to be moving the van to empty. So I have a 40l "Wastemaster" tank which I have left under the grey waste valve with the valve left open, so the water directly runs in and I can just wheel it around the site to empty it as and when. My pitch is right next to the drinking water tap, so filling up will be a doddle. But given there's just me in the van - it'll take a while to get through 120l of fresh water.
As far as electricity is concerned, I have 2 x 120aH batteries which provide all the necessary power for the (LED) lights, fan for the blown air heating and the water pump as well as charging 12v devices. Once the batteries deplete to around 11.5v (currently around 13v) I will deploy the generator. This is currently stored under the sofa inside the van, but I will obviously run this a reasonable way from the van (the length of my armoured cable which it will be locked to the chassis with) (y). But I don't plan on using this for anything other than charging and when I need a microwave meal (my parents bought me a compact 600w microwave).
In spite of moving out of the house yesterday, tonight is my first night in the van (I stayed with my parents yesterday evening). The reality of the situation is now hitting home. What I have learnt just today is that it's very easy to talk about doing things, but when you actually have to do them - that's a whole different kettle of fish. My daughter was missing me a lot today (as I was her, obviously) and so I went around to the house for a couple of hours this afternoon. In a lot of ways, the worst possible thing I could have done. We had lovely cuddles, giggles, games and fun - she told me how much she missed me and I did the same. She told me she loved me, and I said the same. 
And then I had to go. Heartbreaking. She was crying and I was stifling back the tears until I got in the car and my whole being just cracked and wailed like some kind of grieving widow. 
I'm back in the van now. I've had dinner, washed up, read some emails, sent some texts and just said goodnight to the little'un on FaceTime. Now it's just me and the van. I have a healthy library of books to read (but can't be bothered), a couple of movies on the iPad (but can't be bothered) and steering clear of the copious amounts of Stella Artois in the fridge. I reckon, given I've got an early start for work tomorrow, I'll save some battery power and head to bed for an early night. What I've never noticed before is that although the heating works well, it's not the cosiest of environments. The heating is set to 20degs C. But it almost feels like there's a bit of a draught when the heating' not on - unlike central heating where there's a constant warmth, blown air heating is quite binary. So I'm sitting here with a light blanket over my legs like an old lady. I guess all these little things I will adapt to and become second nature.
At the moment it's just me and my thoughts. I am adamant the future is bright. I will be holding on to that thought through what is likely to be a dark period over the next few weeks as I get used to the new norm.
It could be worse, however. There's a chap who's just pulled into the site in his Peugeot 307SW. In itself unremarkable, but the Farmer tells me he split with his wife 3.5yrs ago and has been living in the car ever since.
He drives to the local gym in the morning for a shower and then goes to work. It's true what they say - there's always someone worse off than you. I have a toilet, shower, fully stocked fridge, drinks cabinet, bed, sofa and armchair. Life's really not bad.
But I do miss my little girl something dreadful.
The lead up to moving into the van has been challenging, but as it happens, far less challenging than actually doing it. The preparation involved not just packing with clothes and personal belongings, but working out what was actually needed for a protracted period of time in the van but also the "life support" systems and how these would cope with the additional strain of me being in full-time and what other requirements I'd have with living "off grid".
After all of that, most of which is covered in the Hymer ownership thread, I finally left the marital home yesterday and moved the van down to the local campsite, which shall be my base, more or less, for the foreseeable future. At this stage, most likely for around a year.
Unfortunately, not all the plans came together - the idea of bringing the pushbike didn't materialise since I've somehow mislaid all my D-locks, so I've had to buy another one which I'll use to secure the bike to the rack. But by and large, everything has come with me - even the generator which I was concerned about how I'd bring along.
So yesterday I officially moved out. In a lot of ways it went very well. My wife took the little'un out for the day so although we had a goodbye of sorts, it wasn't a protracted goodbye with tears. It was horrible looking around the house and checking I had everything, but I left with a full van and the dog. Only 5mins down the road, but I pitched up before walking the half an hour across the fields back to the house to drop off the dog and pick up the Yeti.
What is involved in "pitching"? Well, very little in all reality. Particularly at this site given there is no electricity. I merely levelled the van up using one chock on the offside rear wheel (sadly now sunk a little into the ground, so the van's not as level as I'd like!
). I then added the thermal "blanket" which wraps around the whole of the cab windows. Glass is a great conductor of heat, so to keep the van warm (or cool in the summer) the reflective mini-duvet is very effective at insulating. Lastly, although I have a built-in 120l "grey" water tank (shower, basin, kitchen waste water), I don't want to be storing it, since I will have to empty it at some point. Doing that every other day when you're touring isn't an issue since it's part of a normal routine, but if you're pitched for a long time in a static position, you don't want to be moving the van to empty. So I have a 40l "Wastemaster" tank which I have left under the grey waste valve with the valve left open, so the water directly runs in and I can just wheel it around the site to empty it as and when. My pitch is right next to the drinking water tap, so filling up will be a doddle. But given there's just me in the van - it'll take a while to get through 120l of fresh water.As far as electricity is concerned, I have 2 x 120aH batteries which provide all the necessary power for the (LED) lights, fan for the blown air heating and the water pump as well as charging 12v devices. Once the batteries deplete to around 11.5v (currently around 13v) I will deploy the generator. This is currently stored under the sofa inside the van, but I will obviously run this a reasonable way from the van (the length of my armoured cable which it will be locked to the chassis with) (y). But I don't plan on using this for anything other than charging and when I need a microwave meal (my parents bought me a compact 600w microwave).
In spite of moving out of the house yesterday, tonight is my first night in the van (I stayed with my parents yesterday evening). The reality of the situation is now hitting home. What I have learnt just today is that it's very easy to talk about doing things, but when you actually have to do them - that's a whole different kettle of fish.
My daughter was missing me a lot today (as I was her, obviously) and so I went around to the house for a couple of hours this afternoon. In a lot of ways, the worst possible thing I could have done. We had lovely cuddles, giggles, games and fun - she told me how much she missed me and I did the same. She told me she loved me, and I said the same. And then I had to go. Heartbreaking. She was crying and I was stifling back the tears until I got in the car and my whole being just cracked and wailed like some kind of grieving widow. I'm back in the van now. I've had dinner, washed up, read some emails, sent some texts and just said goodnight to the little'un on FaceTime. Now it's just me and the van. I have a healthy library of books to read (but can't be bothered), a couple of movies on the iPad (but can't be bothered) and steering clear of the copious amounts of Stella Artois in the fridge. I reckon, given I've got an early start for work tomorrow, I'll save some battery power and head to bed for an early night. What I've never noticed before is that although the heating works well, it's not the cosiest of environments. The heating is set to 20degs C. But it almost feels like there's a bit of a draught when the heating' not on - unlike central heating where there's a constant warmth, blown air heating is quite binary. So I'm sitting here with a light blanket over my legs like an old lady. I guess all these little things I will adapt to and become second nature.
At the moment it's just me and my thoughts. I am adamant the future is bright. I will be holding on to that thought through what is likely to be a dark period over the next few weeks as I get used to the new norm.
It could be worse, however. There's a chap who's just pulled into the site in his Peugeot 307SW. In itself unremarkable, but the Farmer tells me he split with his wife 3.5yrs ago and has been living in the car ever since.
He drives to the local gym in the morning for a shower and then goes to work. It's true what they say - there's always someone worse off than you. I have a toilet, shower, fully stocked fridge, drinks cabinet, bed, sofa and armchair. Life's really not bad.But I do miss my little girl something dreadful.
Hi
Good to read your post and I hope things get better for you with time.
It will be interesting to read how you get on through the year - I have a mate who lives in a converted Volvo truck. He now loves it and wont go back to 'normal' living. I can't imagine doing the same in my T25 camper though
Best of luck to you.
Mike
Good to read your post and I hope things get better for you with time.
It will be interesting to read how you get on through the year - I have a mate who lives in a converted Volvo truck. He now loves it and wont go back to 'normal' living. I can't imagine doing the same in my T25 camper though
Best of luck to you.
Mike
pleased your transition has started and it seems relatively smooth, I couldn't imagine the emotional tension of a goodbye with your daughter and well done for not breaking down in front of her
Oh and on the chap in the SW ... 3.5yrs ... either he must have a poorly paid job or a gambling problem to still be in a car like that after 3yrs!!!
Oh and on the chap in the SW ... 3.5yrs ... either he must have a poorly paid job or a gambling problem to still be in a car like that after 3yrs!!!
Thanks for all the words of support and wisdom fellas. It really is much appreciated. I didn't actually set out to pour out my heart & soul but blog a fulltimers experiences; but clearly the reason I am fulltiming is because of what's going on at home, which I guess means the two are inextricably linked. It probably was helpful writing it though as last night was not the heart-wrenching misery that I expected upon going to bed.....
As I already knew, the van is a comfortable home away from home. It can't replace home, but it's by far the best solution - a place with which I am familiar, has creature comforts (well, some) and affords a comfy bed and ability to perform necessary ablutions.
After starting the thread last night, I made up the pull-down bed - only have a relatively lightweight duvet but with the addition of a dark duvet cover, makes it feel warmer (I hate anything other than white normally) and a heavy wool blanket and it was toasty and very comfy. I left the skylight over the bed uncovered so I could see the stars and because it gets light so late that I would have to wake up to the alarm clock rather than be awoken prematurely by the sunrise. I'll have to pull the blind come Spring, but nice to look up at the stars during the night.
Before going to bed, I set the thermostat at 15degs. I think I heard the heating turn on once during the night, but it wasn't too cold when I woke up at 05:30. Hopped out of bed, whacked it up to 20degs, popped the kettle and little expresso-maker on the stove and 5mins later poured myself a coffee and took it back off to bed. By the time I had finished my coffee, the van was a toasty 20degs C and I was ready to brush my teeth, shave and get dressed for work. Left the van at 06:30 for the Station and it was only when I got on the road that I realised that 1) I was 5mins earlier than normal & 2) I was 5 mins closer to the station than normal. So I actually arrived a good bit ahead of time. So now I know i've got an extra 10mins in bed!
FT'd daughter this morning and she's looking forward to me looking after her tonight (as am I, obviously). I'll pop her to bed and then wait for the wife to get back before I head to the van.
I'm guessing the next few nights and weeks will also give me a view on what to do to the van to make it more comfortable. So far what I've noticed:
- probably need a throw for the sofa as although the leather is lovely and supple, it can feel a little chilly of an evening;
- by the pull-down bed, there's nowhere to pop items like books or glasses. A simple solution will be to screw some netting to the end of the overhead cabinets - this would be fairly invisible given there's a curtain in the way which pulls across to separate bed from living space. I will order one and pop it up one evening. A shelf would be good too, for cups of tea or water, but there's nowhere I can see at the moment I could obviously fashion something;
- need a bathmat for the portion of floor in front of the basin for when I step out of the shower;
- need to look into van wifi properly. I added a huge bolt-on of 12GB to my iPhone and tethered that to my iPad but the tethering kept dropping off.
I'm sure more will follow!
As I already knew, the van is a comfortable home away from home. It can't replace home, but it's by far the best solution - a place with which I am familiar, has creature comforts (well, some) and affords a comfy bed and ability to perform necessary ablutions.
After starting the thread last night, I made up the pull-down bed - only have a relatively lightweight duvet but with the addition of a dark duvet cover, makes it feel warmer (I hate anything other than white normally) and a heavy wool blanket and it was toasty and very comfy. I left the skylight over the bed uncovered so I could see the stars and because it gets light so late that I would have to wake up to the alarm clock rather than be awoken prematurely by the sunrise. I'll have to pull the blind come Spring, but nice to look up at the stars during the night.
Before going to bed, I set the thermostat at 15degs. I think I heard the heating turn on once during the night, but it wasn't too cold when I woke up at 05:30. Hopped out of bed, whacked it up to 20degs, popped the kettle and little expresso-maker on the stove and 5mins later poured myself a coffee and took it back off to bed. By the time I had finished my coffee, the van was a toasty 20degs C and I was ready to brush my teeth, shave and get dressed for work. Left the van at 06:30 for the Station and it was only when I got on the road that I realised that 1) I was 5mins earlier than normal & 2) I was 5 mins closer to the station than normal. So I actually arrived a good bit ahead of time. So now I know i've got an extra 10mins in bed!
FT'd daughter this morning and she's looking forward to me looking after her tonight (as am I, obviously). I'll pop her to bed and then wait for the wife to get back before I head to the van.
I'm guessing the next few nights and weeks will also give me a view on what to do to the van to make it more comfortable. So far what I've noticed:
- probably need a throw for the sofa as although the leather is lovely and supple, it can feel a little chilly of an evening;
- by the pull-down bed, there's nowhere to pop items like books or glasses. A simple solution will be to screw some netting to the end of the overhead cabinets - this would be fairly invisible given there's a curtain in the way which pulls across to separate bed from living space. I will order one and pop it up one evening. A shelf would be good too, for cups of tea or water, but there's nowhere I can see at the moment I could obviously fashion something;
- need a bathmat for the portion of floor in front of the basin for when I step out of the shower;
- need to look into van wifi properly. I added a huge bolt-on of 12GB to my iPhone and tethered that to my iPad but the tethering kept dropping off.
I'm sure more will follow!
Edited by Spuffington on Monday 20th February 10:43
There's a rabbit-hole of information on reddit, if you haven't found it already. Try the /r/vandwellers and /r/simpleliving subreddits, and also some of the light-travelling subs like /r/onebag and sort of go from there.
There's a lot of crossover with anti-consumerism and alternative possession-free lifestyle choices which won't apply to your situation, but filter out the background noise from idealistic yoofs and you'll probably find some good practical tips, and certainly a lot of genuine van-life experience if you needed to pick any brains.
Good luck.
There's a lot of crossover with anti-consumerism and alternative possession-free lifestyle choices which won't apply to your situation, but filter out the background noise from idealistic yoofs and you'll probably find some good practical tips, and certainly a lot of genuine van-life experience if you needed to pick any brains.
Good luck.
Thanks TP - I'm a bit of a stranger to redit but I'll give it a go.
In some ways there is something appealing about it. The Family home is located down a half a mile track and away from the rest of the world, but it struck me again last night whilst being in the van, that in spite of being used to quietness, there is a connection to the outside world which you don't get even in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. You hear the owls calling to eachother, the animals in the hedgerow near the van and the gentle whisping of the wind. Obviously it's Camping, but with the Level of comfort I have, it's Camping one step removed. But not like living at home.
I like that connection with nature.
Then there's resource management. I'm thinking about how much I turn the lights on - do I need the big light on or just the little ones? Do I need to run the water as much? How much is the battery going to be hit by the heating / water pumps? How much gas am I using?
It's probably a good thing thinking about these things in a world where resources are finite. I have a feeling I will be learning a lot from this experience.
In some ways there is something appealing about it. The Family home is located down a half a mile track and away from the rest of the world, but it struck me again last night whilst being in the van, that in spite of being used to quietness, there is a connection to the outside world which you don't get even in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. You hear the owls calling to eachother, the animals in the hedgerow near the van and the gentle whisping of the wind. Obviously it's Camping, but with the Level of comfort I have, it's Camping one step removed. But not like living at home.
I like that connection with nature.
Then there's resource management. I'm thinking about how much I turn the lights on - do I need the big light on or just the little ones? Do I need to run the water as much? How much is the battery going to be hit by the heating / water pumps? How much gas am I using?
It's probably a good thing thinking about these things in a world where resources are finite. I have a feeling I will be learning a lot from this experience.
That's a great philosophy.
It's almost fun evolving your storage to discover what you really need close to hand every day. The first time you have to put on shoes and a headtorch and go out in horizontal rain to search for something out of a box in the rear locker, I'll bet that thing finds a new home inside. It's never the things you thought you'd need, either. That super-cool titanium multi-tool with the webbing belt-pouch and para-cord lanyard that you thought would be the most useful do-everything survival gadget you've ever spent money on? Gathering dust in a drawer somewhere. The elastic washing line with suction cups on the end? Should have bought 3.
It's almost fun evolving your storage to discover what you really need close to hand every day. The first time you have to put on shoes and a headtorch and go out in horizontal rain to search for something out of a box in the rear locker, I'll bet that thing finds a new home inside. It's never the things you thought you'd need, either. That super-cool titanium multi-tool with the webbing belt-pouch and para-cord lanyard that you thought would be the most useful do-everything survival gadget you've ever spent money on? Gathering dust in a drawer somewhere. The elastic washing line with suction cups on the end? Should have bought 3.
I presume for now you are using the gas heater inside the van?
My advice if you have mains is to use a wireless remote controlled mains switch to turn on the heater in the morning. Before we go to bed we turn it to high then flick it off with the remote. Then when we awake trigger the switch and its warm before we get out of the bed. We have taken to bringing the dyson heater with remote control with us as it rotates and you can set the temperature with the remote. But it is mains only.
If it is Gas you are using consider running a switch from the heater to nearer your bed. It not going to be cold for much longer so may not be worth the effort just now.
My advice if you have mains is to use a wireless remote controlled mains switch to turn on the heater in the morning. Before we go to bed we turn it to high then flick it off with the remote. Then when we awake trigger the switch and its warm before we get out of the bed. We have taken to bringing the dyson heater with remote control with us as it rotates and you can set the temperature with the remote. But it is mains only.
If it is Gas you are using consider running a switch from the heater to nearer your bed. It not going to be cold for much longer so may not be worth the effort just now.
Turning a negative into a positive. You have the infinite freedom to go where and do what you want, within reason of work and your daughter. She could even join you for periods and to her it'll be a mini adventure.
Very best of luck with it, i'll keep a keen eye on this as I look to live in a van whilst at work being so far away from home. I havent got the luxury of gas and want to camp stealthily in a number of locations so cant plug into electric. I considered a diesel heater but even those are noisy and the exhaust fumes are strong outside. I'll probably look at blankets and duvets like you have and make sure the entire floor of the van which currently has ply lino combo, is fully carpeted to prevent cold coming up from the floor.
Very best of luck with it, i'll keep a keen eye on this as I look to live in a van whilst at work being so far away from home. I havent got the luxury of gas and want to camp stealthily in a number of locations so cant plug into electric. I considered a diesel heater but even those are noisy and the exhaust fumes are strong outside. I'll probably look at blankets and duvets like you have and make sure the entire floor of the van which currently has ply lino combo, is fully carpeted to prevent cold coming up from the floor.
@TP - I'm sure you're right. And you're certainly right about washing line. I need to get myself one or two of them!!
@chasingracingcars - unfortunately I don't have EHU. Only when genny is being run, which I won't do first thing in the morning. But a good idea for the future when I am on EHU. As it happens, I have to jump out of bed to pop the stove on to boil the kettle, so no great shakes to flick the dial up to 20degs when I do so. Conscious, however, that it has been relatively mild the last few nights. Will be interesting to see how things go later this week and into next as the frost starts reappearing.
@gavin - 95% of the bulbs were changed to LEDs when I bought the van. There are only a couple (one in the bathroom and one by the door) which are still halogen as I couldn't get the covers off without fear of breaking them!
@chickenchaser - that's the way I'm trying to look at things. I've got a trip up to Scotland for a family Birthday on 15th March. I'm taking my little girl with me and will be stopping off in the Lake District (Quiet Site) and Loch Lomond before getting to Port Appin. I've then got a business trip so I'll be flying back with the little'un before heading off to Berlin for a week. Then straight back up to Scotland to spend a week doing the North Coast 500 (aka NC500). That will just be me and the Labrador. Then in June I've got 4 days free which are shoe-horned around other Events, but taking the Dover-Calais Ferry, hot-footing it down to Honfleur and then spending 3.5 days doing the Normandy beaches before taking the overnight ferry back from Cherbourg to Poole and then off to a Stag Do in Somerset!
Trying to make it work for me, whilst balancing Family life. I've got little'un on Thurs night, taking her to school Fri morning, working from the van, picking her up in the evening and having her until Saturday night. Will be really nice to spend time together and she is really excited too.
Other than that, got back late last night. Had a shower (really may need to think about uprating the water pump), cup of camomile tea (ooo - living on the edge!) and off to bed. Didn't sleep brilliantly in spite of the bed being super-cosy. Think I have too much on my mind.
Batteries holding up well - showing 12.8v when I left this morning. I've realistically got another couple of days before they'll need charging, but I may run the genny tonight as I'm out tomorrow night and won't be back until late (and drunk) so don't want to get a surprise if they start going off suddenely on Thurs.
Oh and levelling chock hasn't sunk anymore so won't do anything about that. I may put a couple of skid mats down first next time around, to help spread a bit of the load. Wastemaster is completely full - that will need emptying tonight. But so grateful for having got that and not needing to drive the van somewhere to discharge the grey water.
Other than that, business as usual!
@chasingracingcars - unfortunately I don't have EHU. Only when genny is being run, which I won't do first thing in the morning. But a good idea for the future when I am on EHU. As it happens, I have to jump out of bed to pop the stove on to boil the kettle, so no great shakes to flick the dial up to 20degs when I do so. Conscious, however, that it has been relatively mild the last few nights. Will be interesting to see how things go later this week and into next as the frost starts reappearing.
@gavin - 95% of the bulbs were changed to LEDs when I bought the van. There are only a couple (one in the bathroom and one by the door) which are still halogen as I couldn't get the covers off without fear of breaking them!
@chickenchaser - that's the way I'm trying to look at things. I've got a trip up to Scotland for a family Birthday on 15th March. I'm taking my little girl with me and will be stopping off in the Lake District (Quiet Site) and Loch Lomond before getting to Port Appin. I've then got a business trip so I'll be flying back with the little'un before heading off to Berlin for a week. Then straight back up to Scotland to spend a week doing the North Coast 500 (aka NC500). That will just be me and the Labrador.
Then in June I've got 4 days free which are shoe-horned around other Events, but taking the Dover-Calais Ferry, hot-footing it down to Honfleur and then spending 3.5 days doing the Normandy beaches before taking the overnight ferry back from Cherbourg to Poole and then off to a Stag Do in Somerset!Trying to make it work for me, whilst balancing Family life. I've got little'un on Thurs night, taking her to school Fri morning, working from the van, picking her up in the evening and having her until Saturday night. Will be really nice to spend time together and she is really excited too.
Other than that, got back late last night. Had a shower (really may need to think about uprating the water pump), cup of camomile tea (ooo - living on the edge!) and off to bed. Didn't sleep brilliantly in spite of the bed being super-cosy. Think I have too much on my mind.
Batteries holding up well - showing 12.8v when I left this morning. I've realistically got another couple of days before they'll need charging, but I may run the genny tonight as I'm out tomorrow night and won't be back until late (and drunk) so don't want to get a surprise if they start going off suddenely on Thurs.
Oh and levelling chock hasn't sunk anymore so won't do anything about that. I may put a couple of skid mats down first next time around, to help spread a bit of the load. Wastemaster is completely full - that will need emptying tonight. But so grateful for having got that and not needing to drive the van somewhere to discharge the grey water.
Other than that, business as usual!
regarding mobile wif-, you could do worse than get one of these.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/EE-Osprey-Mobile-Wi-Fi-In...
I did, and assuming that EE signal is ok where you are, you can just pop in replacement data sims and use it like a mobile wifi router
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/SIM-Cards/EE-PAYG-Prelo...
You get the idea anyway, other makes are available.
We used ours when on long trips and the kids and wife can all connect tablets/phones to it and use like at home, I think it's a 10 device connection limit.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/EE-Osprey-Mobile-Wi-Fi-In...
I did, and assuming that EE signal is ok where you are, you can just pop in replacement data sims and use it like a mobile wifi router
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/SIM-Cards/EE-PAYG-Prelo...
You get the idea anyway, other makes are available.
We used ours when on long trips and the kids and wife can all connect tablets/phones to it and use like at home, I think it's a 10 device connection limit.
techguyone said:
regarding mobile wif-, you could do worse than get one of these.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/EE-Osprey-Mobile-Wi-Fi-In...
I did, and assuming that EE signal is ok where you are, you can just pop in replacement data sims and use it like a mobile wifi router
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/SIM-Cards/EE-PAYG-Prelo...
You get the idea anyway, other makes are available.
We used ours when on long trips and the kids and wife can all connect tablets/phones to it and use like at home, I think it's a 10 device connection limit.
If ee signal is no good you can also buy a data only SIM from three, they sell a sim that is valid for 12 months or 12gb data (whichever gets used first) for £30. When away from home we use one of those in a hauwei mifi device similar to the ee osprey. The mifi device has external antenna ports and we have a netgear 4g antenna ( from amazon) which we stick in a window or rooflight. Even if we have zero or low signal 3g on our phone the antenna will often pick up 4g or full strength 3g, putting the antenna on a window behind the blinds also keeps signal when the blinds are closed. The mifi device also has a battery should you be worried about electricity availability.https://www.amazon.co.uk/EE-Osprey-Mobile-Wi-Fi-In...
I did, and assuming that EE signal is ok where you are, you can just pop in replacement data sims and use it like a mobile wifi router
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/SIM-Cards/EE-PAYG-Prelo...
You get the idea anyway, other makes are available.
We used ours when on long trips and the kids and wife can all connect tablets/phones to it and use like at home, I think it's a 10 device connection limit.
The other great feature of the sim is that its on the three roaming plan so it works abroad with no extra data costs.
The bIggest issue is that when iphones or android phones are attached to the wifi they automatically do upgrades etc which can eat data as they assume they are on a home network.
Edited by dterry on Tuesday 21st February 20:31
Spuffington said:
@TP - I'm sure you're right. And you're certainly right about washing line. I need to get myself one or two of them!!
@chasingracingcars - unfortunately I don't have EHU. Only when genny is being run, which I won't do first thing in the morning. But a good idea for the future when I am on EHU. As it happens, I have to jump out of bed to pop the stove on to boil the kettle, so no great shakes to flick the dial up to 20degs when I do so. Conscious, however, that it has been relatively mild the last few nights. Will be interesting to see how things go later this week and into next as the frost starts reappearing.
@gavin - 95% of the bulbs were changed to LEDs when I bought the van. There are only a couple (one in the bathroom and one by the door) which are still halogen as I couldn't get the covers off without fear of breaking them!
@chickenchaser - that's the way I'm trying to look at things. I've got a trip up to Scotland for a family Birthday on 15th March. I'm taking my little girl with me and will be stopping off in the Lake District (Quiet Site) and Loch Lomond before getting to Port Appin. I've then got a business trip so I'll be flying back with the little'un before heading off to Berlin for a week. Then straight back up to Scotland to spend a week doing the North Coast 500 (aka NC500). That will just be me and the Labrador. Then in June I've got 4 days free which are shoe-horned around other Events, but taking the Dover-Calais Ferry, hot-footing it down to Honfleur and then spending 3.5 days doing the Normandy beaches before taking the overnight ferry back from Cherbourg to Poole and then off to a Stag Do in Somerset!
Trying to make it work for me, whilst balancing Family life. I've got little'un on Thurs night, taking her to school Fri morning, working from the van, picking her up in the evening and having her until Saturday night. Will be really nice to spend time together and she is really excited too.
Other than that, got back late last night. Had a shower (really may need to think about uprating the water pump), cup of camomile tea (ooo - living on the edge!) and off to bed. Didn't sleep brilliantly in spite of the bed being super-cosy. Think I have too much on my mind.
Batteries holding up well - showing 12.8v when I left this morning. I've realistically got another couple of days before they'll need charging, but I may run the genny tonight as I'm out tomorrow night and won't be back until late (and drunk) so don't want to get a surprise if they start going off suddenely on Thurs.
Oh and levelling chock hasn't sunk anymore so won't do anything about that. I may put a couple of skid mats down first next time around, to help spread a bit of the load. Wastemaster is completely full - that will need emptying tonight. But so grateful for having got that and not needing to drive the van somewhere to discharge the grey water.
Other than that, business as usual!
It sounds like you have plenty plans to keep you busy. I'll look forward to your vanning updates as they come! Jealous in some ways!@chasingracingcars - unfortunately I don't have EHU. Only when genny is being run, which I won't do first thing in the morning. But a good idea for the future when I am on EHU. As it happens, I have to jump out of bed to pop the stove on to boil the kettle, so no great shakes to flick the dial up to 20degs when I do so. Conscious, however, that it has been relatively mild the last few nights. Will be interesting to see how things go later this week and into next as the frost starts reappearing.
@gavin - 95% of the bulbs were changed to LEDs when I bought the van. There are only a couple (one in the bathroom and one by the door) which are still halogen as I couldn't get the covers off without fear of breaking them!
@chickenchaser - that's the way I'm trying to look at things. I've got a trip up to Scotland for a family Birthday on 15th March. I'm taking my little girl with me and will be stopping off in the Lake District (Quiet Site) and Loch Lomond before getting to Port Appin. I've then got a business trip so I'll be flying back with the little'un before heading off to Berlin for a week. Then straight back up to Scotland to spend a week doing the North Coast 500 (aka NC500). That will just be me and the Labrador.
Then in June I've got 4 days free which are shoe-horned around other Events, but taking the Dover-Calais Ferry, hot-footing it down to Honfleur and then spending 3.5 days doing the Normandy beaches before taking the overnight ferry back from Cherbourg to Poole and then off to a Stag Do in Somerset!Trying to make it work for me, whilst balancing Family life. I've got little'un on Thurs night, taking her to school Fri morning, working from the van, picking her up in the evening and having her until Saturday night. Will be really nice to spend time together and she is really excited too.
Other than that, got back late last night. Had a shower (really may need to think about uprating the water pump), cup of camomile tea (ooo - living on the edge!) and off to bed. Didn't sleep brilliantly in spite of the bed being super-cosy. Think I have too much on my mind.
Batteries holding up well - showing 12.8v when I left this morning. I've realistically got another couple of days before they'll need charging, but I may run the genny tonight as I'm out tomorrow night and won't be back until late (and drunk) so don't want to get a surprise if they start going off suddenely on Thurs.
Oh and levelling chock hasn't sunk anymore so won't do anything about that. I may put a couple of skid mats down first next time around, to help spread a bit of the load. Wastemaster is completely full - that will need emptying tonight. But so grateful for having got that and not needing to drive the van somewhere to discharge the grey water.
Other than that, business as usual!
So, a bit more of a motorhoming update today since I'd finally reached the point where the thing needs "servicing". And some promised photos too! (y)
I've got the day off work today - lord knows what I'll end up doing. But unlike living in a house, the utilities are a little more scarce and sometimes require some work. Today was that day.
First up - toilet! :sick:
TBH, it's not actually that bad..........normally. Problem here is that at this site, all there is for emptying is a cesspit. Normally you empty into a waistmounted toilet bowl and try and direct your toilet cassette as close to the u-bend as possible so that you avoid seeing what comes out. In all honesty, most of the time it's just chemical stained water, but every now and again you get a clue as to what's in there. Today was worse, however - today I had to lift the lid on a tank full of human waste :sick:, stand over it whilst needing to get close enough to pour my cassette into there that it went in and didn't splash, but not so close that I got wafts of fumes. :sick: Frankly my worst experience in emptying and to think I'm going to be doing this twice weekly for the next 12 months is a pretty grim thought and genuinely makes the whole situation more grim. If I dwell on it, which I won't.
Anyway, that over - time for other utilities.
Water - well, considering I've been showering in the van 5-6 times now, hand washing, brushing teeth, drinking water and making cups of tea and a bit of washing up. I only used 60litres (roughly half a tank). The van has been purposely parked next to the drinking water tap, so I ran the hose and within 5mins the tank was full and the hose was put away.
Next up - electricity.
Technically, as far as the batteries were concerned, I didn't need to run the generator. But I've been coming home so late of an evening that I have no desire (nor would it be polite to do so) to run the thing late at night. Given the little'un is staying for the next couple of days, I'm working on the basis the lights will be more intensively used, plus charging iPads etc so I figured now was the time.
Manoeuvred the generator out from under the sofa, turned on the fuel, set the choke, turned on the switch, 2 x pulls and she purred into life beautifully. Backed off the choke relatively quickly and the green AC light went on so I connected the van to the lead, ran the lead to the genny and plugged in. 10aH showing on the charging meter. Happy days.
Within an hour the batteries were showing 14.5v and fully charged. I've continued to run the genny in order to charge my electric toothbrush (only have as mains adapter for it), charge the iPad and phones (might as well) and switched the fridge and hot water to AC for a while to save me some gas. Probably inconsequential, but makes me feel like I'm getting some use out of the genny.
So - that's it.
Harry continues to be comfy home away from home. Given how well he's coped with being off grid for the last 5-6days, it's given me even more confidence about my trip to Scotland next month and the fact I will be able to head to some pretty remote places without the need for servicing the van for a good few days at a time - especially given the batteries will be topped up by the alternator during the trip.
Other than that - a few more pics of the living space to give you an idea of where I find myself.
Clearly some washing up to be done.....:unsure:
And one of the most important devices on board - an espresso maker!
I've got the day off work today - lord knows what I'll end up doing. But unlike living in a house, the utilities are a little more scarce and sometimes require some work. Today was that day.
First up - toilet! :sick:
TBH, it's not actually that bad..........normally. Problem here is that at this site, all there is for emptying is a cesspit. Normally you empty into a waistmounted toilet bowl and try and direct your toilet cassette as close to the u-bend as possible so that you avoid seeing what comes out. In all honesty, most of the time it's just chemical stained water, but every now and again you get a clue as to what's in there. Today was worse, however - today I had to lift the lid on a tank full of human waste :sick:, stand over it whilst needing to get close enough to pour my cassette into there that it went in and didn't splash, but not so close that I got wafts of fumes. :sick: Frankly my worst experience in emptying and to think I'm going to be doing this twice weekly for the next 12 months is a pretty grim thought and genuinely makes the whole situation more grim. If I dwell on it, which I won't.
Anyway, that over - time for other utilities.
Water - well, considering I've been showering in the van 5-6 times now, hand washing, brushing teeth, drinking water and making cups of tea and a bit of washing up. I only used 60litres (roughly half a tank). The van has been purposely parked next to the drinking water tap, so I ran the hose and within 5mins the tank was full and the hose was put away.
Next up - electricity.
Technically, as far as the batteries were concerned, I didn't need to run the generator. But I've been coming home so late of an evening that I have no desire (nor would it be polite to do so) to run the thing late at night. Given the little'un is staying for the next couple of days, I'm working on the basis the lights will be more intensively used, plus charging iPads etc so I figured now was the time.
Manoeuvred the generator out from under the sofa, turned on the fuel, set the choke, turned on the switch, 2 x pulls and she purred into life beautifully. Backed off the choke relatively quickly and the green AC light went on so I connected the van to the lead, ran the lead to the genny and plugged in. 10aH showing on the charging meter. Happy days.
Within an hour the batteries were showing 14.5v and fully charged. I've continued to run the genny in order to charge my electric toothbrush (only have as mains adapter for it), charge the iPad and phones (might as well) and switched the fridge and hot water to AC for a while to save me some gas. Probably inconsequential, but makes me feel like I'm getting some use out of the genny.
So - that's it.
Harry continues to be comfy home away from home. Given how well he's coped with being off grid for the last 5-6days, it's given me even more confidence about my trip to Scotland next month and the fact I will be able to head to some pretty remote places without the need for servicing the van for a good few days at a time - especially given the batteries will be topped up by the alternator during the trip.
Other than that - a few more pics of the living space to give you an idea of where I find myself.
Clearly some washing up to be done.....:unsure:
And one of the most important devices on board - an espresso maker!
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