Not having a van is the number one obstacle I have. But as mentioned, this obstacle will be overcome. I’m going to borrow my Dad’s van starting August 1, 2015. It is a 2001 Ford e250 conversion van. Believe me, I’m grateful to have that option, but I’m a little concerned about whether I’ll get harassed in it because it’s a pretty obvious sleeping vehicle. In any case, it’s noticeable, and none-the-less so because it has Nevada plates, and I’m in California.
I need to not be noticed in those first few days because, obstacle number two: I think my driver’s license might be suspended. I’m not sure because they don’t seem to think it’s their responsibility to notify you until they have to ask for your driver’s license for some reason. And then it’s, “did you know your drivers license is suspended”? This is one of those problems that I need a significant amount of money to solve, but don’t have money due to having to pay high rent… waiting to move into the van so that I can have money…a catch 22 type problem. I can solve this problem easily enough too, though, by not paying my rent on August 1, and going directly to the DMV with my “would be” rent money and paying this off. The stupid thing is that the original ticket was only $33. I just totally forgot about it until Nevada county was sending me a $400 plus bill. I paid part of it already, but didn’t follow up…so I have no idea what they did about it!
Problem number 3 is actually my most difficult problem. I have a cat that is 19 years old. Until recently, I had two cats – her and her sibling, but her sibling died almost a month ago – a very sad time for me. The two cats is the only reason I didn’t move into a van two years ago when my rent in Albany, CA was raised by 10% (for the second year in a row). Mind you, my income didn’t go up by 10%. I think it was 2%, and this is the reason that paying rent has become increasingly difficult. OK, I’m on a tangent… let me get back. Cat… my beautiful girl kitty… I’ve moved quite a bit, so she’s no stranger to moving. Right now she basically lives in a room with me and sleeps all the time. She’s old! She does that! If I can guarantee that my van won’t get hot while I’m away at work, or broken into, even this won’t be a problem. One cat who sleeps is far easier than two that play and run around and meow all the time (my situation two years ago).
Now, I can guarantee that my van stays cool, and isn’t broken into IF my dad’s conversion van isn’t too tall, because I can get a parking pass and park it in the garage at my job… where I will have to go in the morning anyway, because there is a gym there where I can shower. So it’s back to the conversion van. And this is another reason that, while grateful as mentioned, the conversion van isn’t the best vehicle for my situation, though it WOULD be the most comfortable. Oh, I should add that it’s a bitch to drive on the narrow streets too… and to park and back up.
Well… any advice about living in a van with pets here would definitely be appreciated!
Well, a possibility would be a quick and easy solar set up to provide a fan for the cat and a fantastic fan? Depending on where you park, how hot would it be? If it fits in the parking garage, problem solved 🙂
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Wheely, Are you nuts?!?!?!?! Parking a van or RV in the sun to have power makes about as much sense as parking it in the ocean to stay cool. The people who recommend solar panels are either getting paid to promote them, and/or have no actual experience in living in a van or RV. There’s no amount of insulation or anything else that will work as good as simply parking in the shade. Charging your batteries while driving is a much better solution. Cheaper too.
In all but my home state, I have out of state plates, and this has never been an issue for me.
Keeping your van cool enough to keep your cat happy may be an issue. If the parking garage doesn’t work, you will need to park in the shade at the very least. Normally, the lower the level in the parking garage, the cooler it will be too. You can also make 12v powered A/C units that use ice for the cooling power. They don’t use much juice, but I would guess that you would want a separate house battery just to be safe. You can find lots of instructables on these around the web, and on youtube. They have been used by pet owners and van dwellers for many years.
Don’t worry too much about how difficult the van might be to drive at first. Like with many things, it gets easier with practice.
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I definitely won’t park the van in the sun with my cat in it. But does the solar panel gather energy that can be stored for later use? I’m very ignorant about how all that works. Fortunately, as mentioned, people don’t even have air conditioning in their houses here. If the sun is blocked, the van will stay cool enough even on an atypical hot day. Usually there isn’t morning sun because there are clouds in the morning. So even if I have to park, doing so where there is tree coverage blocking the afternoon sun should keep things pretty safe. Still… I would probably test this on a weekend when I don’t have to work, before leaving my cat there for the day when I work. Anyway, I think the parking garage at work should be good. It’s never hot in there! I have never gone to my car – even in the middle of the sunny day, and had it be hot in the least when I was parked in the garage.
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Nope, not nuts. Heard of portable panels that can be moved into sunlight? Heard of areas where the temperature doesn’t get into the 90’s? In both of those cases, solar would work quite well at keeping her cat cool enough to sleep comfortably.
There are many people that live in vans that do use solar panels along with charging their house battery while driving. Cheaprvliving and countless people with Youtube channels are proof.
The Blog Owner asked for possible solutions which I provided. I am pretty sure she is intelligent enough to figure out that leaving a cat in a van in 100 degree weather t\in order to get solar on the panels on the roof was a bad idea.
Thanks for the insult, though 🙂
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You will learn to park and back up the conversion van. Having to do it makes you learn. I have been driving vans for five years, and I’m just learning to back into my space because I have to. I’m still not great at parking. Never learned to parallel park, but I’m getting by.
Also, plenty of people have solar panels. I don’t, and I’m happy with that arrangement. However, I don’t have a cat to keep cool. The parking garage option sounds workable. What about a battery operated fan to blow on the cat to help keep her cool in the parking garage?
Remember, you don’t have to find the permanent (often expensive) solution to every problem. Sometimes you will have to find a cheaper in the moment (although possibly more expensive in the long-run) solution to get you through until you could afford to do something else. Do what you can, as you have to, with what you have or can afford.
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I think one issue with the solar panels is that it may make the van higher and possibly not allow me to drive it into the garage. I think the garage will be the best option at this point. It really doesn’t get very hot here except a couple days a year, and I probably (and sadly) won’t have to worry about my cat next summer. Her sibling died about 6 weeks ago, and I think she definitely won’t live another year. They are 19 years old!
As luck would have it, the place I work is closing for two weeks on August 1st. So I will have two weeks to test out spaces, including the parking garage, since I am to work from home during those two weeks.
Yes, I have been checking out battery operated fans too, and I think that’s a worthwhile investment – both for me and for my cat.
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