I Want A Roadtrek!

I've come to the conclusion that I want one of these for my traveling adventures:

I normally don't take photos from other people's sites, being very aware of copyright issues, but I don't think Roadtrek are going to mind me creating a little bit of extra publicity for their brilliant conversion vans. The 190P is built on either a Dodge or Chevy van chassis. It's just 19 feet long but has a galley, toilet and shower, 2 beds at the back and a smaller one at the front, as well as a lot of storage space both inside and out:

The beds at the back can also convert into one big bed. Talk about luxury in a van:I can't justify buying one of these new (they're close to US$100,000), but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find a 15 year-old one with reasonable miles for somewhere in the region of $15,000, which is a price I can justify.

Before I start waxing lyrically and getting all excited about the Roadtrek, let's backtrack a little, in case you're thinking you too want to experience the excitement and freedom of living in a van or small RV, but don't have 15 grand to spend on a vehicle. Before we go any further, the following has become very apparent to me:

It is possible to live the traveling RV lifestyle on almost any budget with almost any level of savings (including no savings).

If you don't have much money, you can make up for it by buying something older and working on it yourself. How about buying an old van and doing your own conversion, like this fellow. If you don't feel your skills are up to it, you could always have a go anyway and be prepared to live with something a bit less than perfect, or you could even not bother about custom fitting the van. Some people put a small futon in the back of a van and then cobble together plastic crates and other bits of furniture, with a camping propane stove and a chemical toilet to make themselves completely self-contained. There are many ways to do it. The usual rule of life applies - the less money you have, the more creativity you'll need, and the greater the degree of satisfaction you'll experience :-) There are lots of ideas on how to do your own van conversions on this cool site.

On the other hand, if you have oodles of money, you can buy something that looks like The Rolling Stones' tour Bus and live in that. It's all up to you:

This is a Newell Coach. You and I probably don't have enough money to buy it.

I started out by thinking that I might do my own van conversion but I do want to live in something that looks reasonably nice and makes maximum use of the small available space. I decided that if I'm going to do this full-time, then I want a van that offers me a certain minimum degree of creature comfort, meaning that the walls will have to be insulated, and there will have to be a kitchen as well as a shower. When I found out that Roadtreks offered me everything I wanted and used ones in good condition were affordable on my budget, my problems were solved.

Roadtrek are a Canadian company that perform the van customizations, starting with either a Dodge, Chevy, or Mercedes chassis, depending on the model. The floor is lowered, and roof cut off and replaced with a fiberglass top to increase headroom, The walls and roof are insulated and the whole van fitted out with custom cabinetry. The cabinets are made of plywood as opposed to particle board, so they last. Roadtreks are made well, so a used model that has been cared for represents a good bet.

Not sure of my timing yet, but I'm thinking about trying to get something in March or April of next year. That gives me plenty of time to work on thinning down my collection of "stuff" here in the apartment and lots of time for reading up about my upcoming adventure. At least when I begin to hit the road I'll be well-informed. Gotta love the internet!