Van Life vs Truck Life

[Winchester30]

With a van you don’t have to stop to eat a meal or for bathroom breaks either.

 

[Lilla Kharn]

We would primarly live in Air BNBs (or short term rental) 4-6 weeks at a time. The reason is my wife works remotely she needs a good work space. Van or truck working remotely for her would be tough. My question is for traveling between points which would make more sense?

This is something we can’t answer. It’s really personal preference. The raptor is comfortable and great for traveling between point A and point B and is definitely capable. But it also depends on what points you’re going to. Are you going to way out back on 4x4 trails that require what the raptor can do?

Really, attempt it before anything. You’ll welcome having a place to work on the truck while you have a house and you can see the things that work and don’t work. What works for others won’t work for you. I don’t think there’s enough information here that you’re asking yourself.

 

[Donovan]

Wait..

Lets not forget I Thought he said they are staying in hotels? Do the dogs need a bunch of space to sleep? Are you bringing dogs in the hotels/airbnb?

DOJO

 

[pbtjrlmrt]

Sorry if this is long winded. My wife and I are planning on selling all of our possessions (house, cars, furnitue, valubles, etc) and travel/explore the US for a year (or longer). Our plan is to stay in Air bnb for 4-6 weeks at a time and then move on to the next city. While we are in each town we will be doing adventures, exploring, site seeing, etc. My wife will work remotely and I will be documenting our travels (youtube and IG).

We obviously will need a vehicle to do this traveling. My question is whether or not to use my truck or to buy a 4x4 Sprinter Camper? Our plan is not to stay over night in our vehicle while we travel but just in case we have to we need be able to easlily. Mind you we have to larger dogs too. However when we are at our destination (Air bnb) we will do some light camping exploring in that area. Right now my truck is almost "overland" ready, I just need a RTT, a few more camping items and to beef up the suspension. But I can also get a Sprinter Van that has all we need to be comfortable to sleep and camp in. Mind you this vehicle will also serve as our DD while in any given city/town we happen to be in.

So which travel vehicle should I do? Which would you do? Is the Raptor dependable enought to do this for more than year? If I use the Raptor we will not have a vehicle payment but we probably will have one for the Van (they can be expensive). I think the Van will def be more comfortabel but less pratical as a DD while in any given city/town. Then I have to think about operation cost too. Thoughts? Advice?

Well...my wife and I are doing something similar in the near future but we aren't selling everything. For us we want every option available. Off road exploration, campground, etc, etc. We want no limits on where we decide to go or where we decide to explore. If cost isn't a consideration you might look at a patriot camper X3 model. Spendy but worth it and nothing like it really. Slight rear spring modification to handle the rougher off road stuff and you're good to go. You can disconnect and DD anywhere you want. It really is the best compromise of everything. No one solution will be perfect for everything but this is as close as it gets IMHO.

 

[isis]

Well...my wife and I are doing something similar in the near future but we aren't selling everything. For us we want every option available. Off road exploration, campground, etc, etc. We want no limits on where we decide to go or where we decide to explore. If cost isn't a consideration you might look at a patriot camper X3 model. Spendy but worth it and nothing like it really. Slight rear spring modification to handle the rougher off road stuff and you're good to go. You can disconnect and DD anywhere you want. It really is the best compromise of everything. No one solution will be perfect for everything but this is as close as it gets IMHO.

That thing is wild.

 

[Turbo_lander]

Wait..

Lets not forget I Thought he said they are staying in hotels? Do the dogs need a bunch of space to sleep? Are you bringing dogs in the hotels/airbnb?

DOJO

I'm planning our route as we speak and looking for the places we will stay. So two things are must, dogs allowed and good internet. So far I'm not having issues but at the same time I have back plans for each place we will go.

 

[Turbo_lander]

Well...my wife and I are doing something similar in the near future but we aren't selling everything. For us we want every option available. Off road exploration, campground, etc, etc. We want no limits on where we decide to go or where we decide to explore. If cost isn't a consideration you might look at a patriot camper X3 model. Spendy but worth it and nothing like it really. Slight rear spring modification to handle the rougher off road stuff and you're good to go. You can disconnect and DD anywhere you want. It really is the best compromise of everything. No one solution will be perfect for everything but this is as close as it gets IMHO.

I have thought of that too and may consider it. That set up looks nice by the way!

 

[RaptorRnr]

I recommend towing a small to medium trailer. You can get to a campsite that is reasonable, unhook and go in to town. It has a fridge that will keep food cold while running on propane for weeks at a time. It will have all your belongings: clothes, dishes a decent mattress, etc. and it will be yours, as opposed to using AirBnB items. With a van, if you camp you have to tear down to go exploring. With a trailer you simply disconnect and head in to town. A Raptor will allow you to explore trails that most vans can not. And, it's much more comfortable than you would think. Get some nice seat covers in the back for the dogs and you're set. I have enjoyed AirBnB, but it's nice to have your things on multi-day or multi-month outings.

 

[JefferyGT]

Ford Transit tall vans have a better reliability record than the Sprinter. You can even get them with the 3.5tt motor or diesel.

You will need to modify rear suspension on a Raptor to haul all that gear.

 

[JefferyGT]

We would primarly live in Air BNBs (or short term rental) 4-6 weeks at a time. The reason is my wife works remotely she needs a good work space. Van or truck working remotely for her would be tough. My question is for traveling between points which would make more sense?

Toyota Venza.