Figure out if you really like the lifestyle before getting something expensive. “I would say go cheap for your first one. A ton of firefighters live out of vans and trucks, the guy I stole this idea from was a coworker when I was on a crew in Alaska.”įor anyone considering living in a van full time, here is Carl’s top piece of advice: “I feel retired in my 20s which is kind of priceless in my opinion. If I had come from living in my own apartment, and had owned a car, downsizing to a van would be saving me well over $1000 a month.”īy working for 4 to 5 months a year as a wildland firefighter, Carl is free to travel around the world for the rest of the year. “Between car payments and insurance, my monthly “rent” has been cut by about 60%, of course, that’s compared to what I was paying as a roommate in a shared apartment. Overall, Carl is saving a lot of money now that he lives in his Ford Transit. That being said, Carl pointed out Transits can be a lot more expensive to buy than alternative RVs. He knew this would save him money when compared to a Diesel engine. For the rest of the year, he takes off to explore the world.Ĭarl chose the Ford Transit because it was cheaper to fix than the Mercedes and because it had a gas engine. For 4 to 5 months a year, he parks his Ford Transit near his firefighting crew. Here is what they had to say about their vehicles… Wildland Firefighter Carl’s Ford TransitĬarl ( is a wildland firefighter and full-time vanlifer. I spoke with some van lifers living in their Ford transit vans full time. Also, being a USA company, there are plenty of dealerships around to get any mechanical work done as the need arises. They’re not just a holiday vehicle! All over the world people are opting to live full time in their Ford Transit vans.Ī combination of easy handling, cheap replacement parts and reliability make living in a Ford Transit perfect for full time vanlife. Ford transit conversions are becoming ever more popular in the US.