In the pursuit of a Van

Malahat Viewpoint, Vancouver Island

My plan had been to buy a campervan in August, or September, move in, go to Mexico for the winter. However the plan was quickly sped up after an altrication with a roommate. Tensions has exsisted previously, but we’d managed co-habitation civily. Until the day I returned from a trip to Scotland. Things boiled over and I decided to speed up my search, and contact my landlord.

My other roommate, who’d spent about 2 years living in cars off and on, gave me some advice. “We all have some creature comfort we can’t go without. Whatever yours is, make sure you have it. You’ll feel better.” Their creature comfort, had been a sink.

I need a way to brew my coffee in the mornings, safely. Be it a camp stove, propane mini burner or some other clever contraption. I need a flat surface or space to write and draw on. These, were my creature comforts. I lived in a trailer for a little more than a year, spoiled by solitude, and a seemingly endless hot water tank for showers. kept in check by black mold, visiting black bears and strange carpet mushrooms.

Then, there followed two others with no water, no propane. I had adjusted to both fairly well, but I don’t want to suffer more than neccesary. And, finally, my Cat, Odysseus. I’ve heard countless times about the dangers of leaving pets and small children alone in locked cars in the summer heats. I needed something to keep him cool and safe.

Odysseus

My budget was $20,000 CAD, on Facebook Marketplace. Something livable with Odysseus, but not obviously a camper. M- gave me another bit of advice. “If it’s obvious it’s a camper, you’re more likley to be bothered by police and the homeless. Homeless more if it’s a nicer or newer vhiecle.

There were a few dozen campers for sale that suited my needs. Part of the lure of Vancouver Island is the Van Life here. Some campers were fitted with large beds and kitchen vaneties. Others had wood stoves welded to the insides. SOme had paint jobs, others were in desperate need of one.

I began to reach out to sellers, asking about the conditions of the campers, what they found most challenging about living in their vans. Several sold before I got a reply. Others simply never got back to me. I decided I needed to prove I was serious, and requested a test drive of one that looked promising.

The Blue Beast was clean, bright, and made me grin once I spotted it, parked in the grass with a red “For Sale” sign in the windshield.

The owners explained thet had bought the camper themselves a year or so prior, roadtripping it south of cancun and back with no issues. Their two large dogs and cat had made the trip quite crowded, so they had upgraded. the new RV, roughly the size of a schoolbus sat parked a short distance away.

The interior was well kept, clean, and had all my needs. A stove top, a table, I could set up or take down for space. A celing fan for airflow and cooling. even a small fridge and sink with running water. The test drive proved turning took more strength than my smaller, newer Jeep. Checking my blindspots, I was surprised how large they were. It will take some adjusting. It ran smoothly, the high drivers seat making me feel a little as though I were floating.

A deposit was placed, with the next steps being an inspection, insurance, and the remaining payment. Driving back to the house I still live in, for now, I couldn’t stop grinning.

Being rushed into this had both rattled and excited me. To leave Duncan had been my fervent wish since the day I first moved here in September. But, with my new job being mobile around the Cowichan Valley, the prospect of spending the summer camping all over Vancouver island with Odysseus lifted my spirits.

This is the chaos my soul craves.