Thoughts About Bob Wells and Cheap RV Living
Bob Wells is a well-known man on You-Tube who advocates for the man or woman wanting to find a more satisfying life living as a nomad.
He is a trusted creator, who is real at heart and strives to help the homeless and nomads navigate life.
Bob demonstrates how to convert an empty van into a home
Here are the key steps needed to make a comfortable living space.
A comfortable place to sleep
Cooking facilities
Bathroom facilities
Leisure/work area
Building a bed
I built a simple frame made of 1x4’s for bed slats and 2x4’s for the legs and I used 2x6’s for support to attach the frame to the walls of the van. I spaced the slats 2 inches apart for air circulation. Then I purchased a 6 inch foam gel mattress to go on top.
I’ve slept on the bed for closed to four years now and it’s still in good condition. It’s very comfortable to me. I like a firm mattress to support my back and help me sleep well.
My bed is twin sized. It stands 19 inches off the floor, giving me plenty of storage room under the bed. And it’s comfortable to sit on and serve me as my couch. The lumber and mattress total costs around $200 in 2020.
It may be safe to guess the price may be doubled in 2024 or more. I don’t know, as I haven’t checked prices. I’m just guessing here. OF course, you could use old lumber to build a frame and use your current mattress.
Cooking Facilities
Less is more while living in a camper van and small spaces. A frying pan and a small pot is plenty to cook with. But you may want to add a crock pot and a coffee pot to the inventory.
Some paper plates and a couple of forks, spoons and a good butcher knife is sufficient. And add a couple of drinking glasses and coffee cups if you wish. But the paper cups could serve your needs.
Everyone needs a cooler or refrigerator and a cook stove. I like the Coleman 2 burner portable stove. But you could get by with a single unit stove. Propane affords you the ability to cook eggs or heat up some soup or maybe cook a hamburger without needing electricity.
Sometimes while traveling, we like to pull over to a rest area and fix something to eat and rest for a while. It’s so handy when you’re all prepared with a stove and refrigerator and are stocked with a good food reserve.
Bathroom Facilities
There are several options to choose from, but I like the trusty 5 gallon-bucket method using disposal plastic bags. It’s simple and easy to manage and fairly low cost. But some people prefer to use public facilities or the composted toilets, which can get pretty pricey and they are hard to manage sometimes.
There are fairly inexpensive portable shower options to choose from. I like the USB shower head that you place in a bucket and shower yourself.
Leisure/Work Area
There isn’t too many choices when living in a 72- square- foot area. I use the bed as a sitting area and a fold-down table for writing and typing on my computer. It works well for me. But you must be well organized in a tight space, otherwise it is all too easy to lose things. Remember less is best. You don’t need so much stuff.
With the homeless population growing because of our high inflation, there are things you and I can do to help out. Knowledge is power.
More and more people are living out of there vehicles because of evictions. And some like to Bob Wells choosing to live the Nomad life. He preaches the true peace he enjoys from living the lifestyle of being free on the open road for close to 25 years.
I can’t help but think about all those people living in tents under the bridge or near the library in Dallas or the homeless people living in the same miserable conditions around Los Angeles.
I hope my substack newsletter will help educate people to realize not everyone homeless person has an alcohol or drug problem, but find themselves in a helpless situation.
It would be nice if every homeless person could get a solar product to help keep them warm on these cold winter nights.
If you enjoyed reading this articles, please give me a heart or comment or do both.
Kindly,
Carol