Van life isn’t always the cat’s pajamas, and sometimes van life sucks.
We were just at a campsite on Vancouver Island and met an older couple that couldn’t believe that we’d been in the van for so long, and they asked what the hardest part of van life were. This is what we came up with.
1. More than one day of rain in a row
Okay, it’s really more like two or more days of rain—especially when there’s mud or those tiny rocks that get tracked into the van for days.
Nothing dries. We either have to get wet to work out or find some kind of shelter. We usually choose not to bike in the rain, although the trails in the Pacific Northwest can actually run great when they’re wet.
2. Laundry
Sometimes you get lucky and find a campground with nice laundry facilities. But a lot of the time, you have to travel to a laundromat—and although there are some really nice ones, most are exactly what you’d expect: dumpy.
Then you spend a couple of hours trying to work from an inconvenient location while your clothes spin around.
It is what it is, but it’s not ideal.
3. Our freezer is the size of a shoebox
For most of the year, our tiny, tiny freezer is stuffed with frozen berries and a couple of packs of ground meat. That’s it. That’s all we can fit.
The rest of the fridge has plenty of space for two people, but not being able to freeze much meat has changed how often we need to visit the grocery store.
The biggest difference is that when we lived in a house, we sourced our own meat and bought a half or quarter animal to freeze for the year. That’s definitely not happening in the van.
4. You’re stinky all the time
Showering is less of a routine and more of an essential intervention.
Meaning: you don’t shower often, but you do shower when you—or your partner—can’t take it anymore. 😅
That probably sounds bad. Or disgusting. But honestly, it’s one of my favorite things about van life.
Most days, instead of showering, we dip in a fresh lake or river—and it’s wonderful! And no, we don’t use soap in lakes or rivers. Soap is overrated.
5. No community—and no gym
For us, these were the same thing. Our community was our CrossFit gym.
If you’ve never been part of a good CrossFit gym, the community can be just as valuable as the health and fitness that come from great programming and coaching.
It’s not just a group of friends. It’s a community of incredibly positive people who encourage you to be great—in and out of the gym.
It’s a bummer that we haven’t figured out how to have both.
That being said, we’ve met some of the coolest people we’ve EVER met on the road, and we still keep in touch with them regularly.
Why we still do it
Want to know what makes van life well worth all of these things? Let us know in the comments below!
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