Living in vans, cars, RVs, etc

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We're not homeless, we're houseless! By choice or by circumstance we are living in our vehicles. Don't worry about us -- it can be a very good life.

Anything that affects us as vehicle-dwellers is probably on topic.

external resources

emergency guide to suddenly living in a vehicle <-- start here if you don't have a choice in the matter
vanlife FAQ
introduction to power in the vehicle
gentle introduction to solar power
overview of charging by alternator
guides to hygiene and toilet

fedi resources

rules of engagement

be civil
use descriptive thread titles. Pro tip: "Help" or "Question" are not descriptive titles.
old-timers: assume people are different and have different needs, preferences, budgets, and use cases
newbies: demonstrate effort and willingness to learn; you'll need it on the road anyhow. Links have been added below to help get you started. When asking question state your "use case" (what you are trying to accomplish); we are terrible guessers.
tire-kickers: yes, we've heard that "in a van down by the river" joke. It was hi-larious in 1993.

vandwellers vandwelling vanlife urbancarliving

founded 1 year ago

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Good deal on a generator (a.co)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

7 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I use this guy to supplement my solar panels in the winter. It does 30a, I haven't had an issue running the microwave and ac off it simultaneously. I just finished my second year with it, so far it's just needed an oil change.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Whatever I happen to have extra of. The land where I use it has some propane heaters, and I try to keep 5 gallons of gas on hand.

This year was mostly gas, a 5 gallon tank lasted about a week running 4-8 hours a day, averaging 10 amps or so.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Whatever I happen to have extra of

A man after my own heart.

running 4-8 hours a day, averaging 10 amps or so

Have you observed a power output level where the genny is most fuel-efficient ($/kWh or whatever)?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I never did the math that far down. There aren't many weeks where I needed to run it every day. The lower your draw the better has been my rule of thumb.

I have a couple jackery batteries that I keep topped off in addition to my solar system. The jackery stuff has it's own solar panels that I can run through a window in fair weather. That stuff, $/kWh, is the ay cheaper. But of course it has a huge up front investment.