Van Life, Shipping Container Homes, Box Truck Stealth Conversions (My Recent Research)

in life •  last year 

As we know people get raging hard ons for these van life, bus / box truck conversions, and the idea of doing this. I will admit I have popped more than a semi chub at times for the types of videos.

With real estate prices out of control in the United States and Canada it is no wonder people will continue to look for alternatives that are going to be unique and cost effective.

What I Have Learned

For starters it is personal preference for what route you want to go. I personally have two friends doing van life and one did a very basic build with a Ford Econoline Van and another friend who did a more in depth build with a Sprinter Van and has heater, water, and solar panel systems. I see positives in both those builds but I think for both those guys the whole thing wears on them living in it fulltime and that was always the conclusion I had with those van builds. I think they would be great for a 2 - 4 week road trip but it would be tough to have my entire life in those.

Another major thing I have learned is the cost can get way out of control and I find it hard to believe that some of the people who did some of these builds in a sprinter van can really mentally justify it at the end of the day and especially if they go to sell it it might be tough to find that buyer willing to pay that. I have literally seen these builds people are claiming they spent $60,000 - $150,000 on and I'm like WTF????

This situation exists with the shipping container homes, bus / van conversions, box truck conversions. Prices of vehicles went way up so that throws the whole thing off. Lumber was way up but has came down now.

Shipping Container Homes

I certainly think these are cool but some of the things people run into are getting it all approved with their county officials and then having someone who can cut and weld and really build the layout you want. Some super cool builds out there and I thought this one was a great breakdown of something that to me made sense. Where there really does seem to be value created here.

I like this guy's build and for the cost it makes sense. He is a crypto guy as well which is cool. Personally I like this better than manufactured homes because I feel like it would stand up to the weather better.

This guys build is way more expensive but wow! Super cool. That being said it may be hard to really run this as an AirBnB but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this will be a banger for him!

Box Truck / Step Truck Conversions

Personally I feel like this is a pretty good route because seems like you don't need a CDL to drive a lot of these and seems like there are a decent amount of them on the market to where you could pick one up at a reasonable price and that is a big part of this. Either off PublicSurplus, eBay, Facebook Market Place or some other market. It seems like you can find something for $10,000-$15,000 that is in working order in good condition and has very common parts.

I really do like these setups and what these guys are trying to do in a lot of respects.

Charter Bus Conversions

I honestly like these probably the best because I have looked around for these a few times and seems like normally you can find some out there for $10,000-$20,000 that seem reasonable and are working. Retired out of some companies fleet. Lots of storage and really can make a cool setup without being crammed. You are going to spend way more in fuel on these but honestly I think these are really awesome.

In my opinion if someone can do the Box or Step truck for under $25,000 and do one of these charter buses for under $45,000 I feel like that is a win with the prices out housing these days.

Places to park always becomes somewhat of an issue with just about any of these builds. Being in an RV park to me doesn't make a lot of sense but that is a big issue with the Tour Bus conversion. Wal-Mart Parking lots / Truck Stops can be a better option but it is so much harder to just "car camp" on BLM land or National Forest Land with something like these.

Conclusion

I think all these situations are awesome to be honest but I feel like it would only make sense to do it like 50% of the time and still have a home base whether that be a piece of land with very little improvements or a homestead type property where you can be with that. Honestly if you could do the shipping container build for $80K and a Charter Bus conversion for $45K for $125K total and were able to grow food on your land to me it sounds like a huge win compared to all this other stuff I see out there.

In general I just don't see a lot of value in US Real Estate right now. A few properties here and there that would have some sort of equitable potential but not seeing a ton that really makes me feel like there is a lot of value.

Also the other thing is that I feel like if a guy goes into this whole process single, his complete game would have to be super buttoned up to have an sort of traction with the situation. Remember you are always a suspect and you aren't really needed by the modern woman and even if there are all these other things that you might have. The reason I mention this is because everything in this world is done for women so by doing this it can give you more freedom and save money which I think is great.

I just don't want these things to become all about what you can't have type of a thing. I think if you make this stuff work for you to where you are able to have more freedom and not be encumbered by debt and gave you the ability to buy even more toys I think it is a huge win.

I like the idea of having a large homestead with a private runway and then having a hanger where you have jets, atvs, a home on wheels, and all that where you could park it all inside that would be amazing.

image.png

What do you guys think about these builds? Could you live in these conversions?

Authors get paid when people like you upvote their post.
If you enjoyed what you read here, create your account today and start earning FREE BLURT!