Couple Lives Year-round in a Van in Vancouver Canada
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Haley and Kita live in a Campervan that they’ve made their home and given the name Bodhisattva. Kita started this lifestyle in June 2014. Three years in Haley joined him, and so far they’ve loved the lifestyle. Kita’s always seen RVs and vans and been intrigued by the people who lived in them full time. When he shared his interest with a woman he was dating at the time, she showed him a picture of her van, which she ended up giving to him to live in for a while. It was this first taste that convinced Kita that it was totally the lifestyle for him. Every van he saw he would go ask the owner if he could peek in and look in, which taught him everything he’d know about starting his own van life journey. Haley had been jumping around from collective house to collective house in Vancouver living an artist lifestyle, having numerous jobs on top of her dance career teaching and performing contracts and then paying $600 -$700 for a tiny room in a house with five to eight other people. It was a tiring existence for her, and so she decided to look for another way to make ends meet that was more sustainable. When they met, they got along, were really compatible and he ended up being in Bodhisattva. it worked out.
Bodhisattva is a 1980 Dodge Van 200 which they bought for $1200 bucks. Kita got it off a guy who had it in storage for like six, seven years. The owner was an old retiree who saw just how excited Kita was about it. Kita says that when you go buy a vehicle from old people, he finds that they really like passing on their gems because they were once young just like you by passing the vehicle along they get to live vicariously through you. The owner originally wanted $2500, but all Kita had was $1200, so he took it.
For electricity they have a King Canada 950 watt generator which they use to recharge two deep cycle batteries. It gives them plenty of power to make smoothies off their Nutribullet, as well as almond milk, hemp milk, walnut' milk. They lock up, they start it, they leave for the day and then they just let it run, but they make sure to park in areas where they won’t disturb anyone.
The van came with a sink. It was like a small counter but the counter was actually double and inside was a sink so they could fill up water from a hose, gas station, whatever. The water tank was all underneath, but it didn’t have a greywater tank so the water would come out so they're careful where they park when they use it. The fridge is three way, so they’re able to power it off propane as well as off the front 12 volt battery and AC electricity. This way they can save propane whenever they have a chance to plug in. It has their cream for coffee, and in the freezer they have a big block of ice and some berries for smoothies. The galley inside the van also as a built in stove which is great for making coffee and cooking. It even has an oven which is great for baking things like cookies.
Another vanner gave Kita the idea to turn the seat around and this is actually the vinyl seat out of a parts van that Kita has, while the cloth driver's seat was the original. They ended up going to Value Village and got brand new shower curtains for additional privacy. They have screens on the windows that are great for letting air in without worrying about insects.
The bed in the back is able to be turned into a dinette, but they primarily keep it in bed mode. This allows for plenty of storage underneath for long items like lumber, as well as yoga manuals, deep-cycle batteries, laundry, as well as a filing cabinet with all their papers and important documents. Overhead they have plenty of storage to throw all their bedding and clothes. To keep organized, they use various bags to store their clothing, Kita’s got three bags and Hayley's got four.
For dishes, they usually just use Pyrex storage containers. That way, if they have leftovers, they just put the lid on, throw it in the fridge to eat later. To do the dishes, they use a spray bottle which helps keep their water usage down to a minimum. For cleaning, they have a special essential oil that is handmade on Salt Spring island. It is a blend of clove oil, lemon oil, cinnamon oil, eucalyptus oil, and rosemary oil. All organic. They put 20 drops in the spray bottle, and that's their air freshener as well as their counter cleaner,
For their bed they have two double mattresses extra firm from IKEA. They cost $149 each, so $300 total with tax. Since they spend so much time sleeping and sitting on them, they eventually get flat, so they replace them as needed. In the front up beside the passenger seat they use the space as a mudroom, which is where they store their rain boots, as well as an air compressor for their tires which only cost him $30 at Canadian Tire. To keep pests away, they have a speaker that plays a rodent repelling frequency that they plug into their inverter when they’re away.
Haley and Kita’s best advice is just patience with the process. For them, it's just four questions. What do they like? What do they require? What do they desire? And, what do they deserve? This is a simple lifestyle choice and to get there there's so much that they say no to and to let go of. Once you’re able to let go of your previous attachments, you’re able to experience a deepening sense of peace as well as a stronger relationship with nature. That is perhaps the biggest thing they’ve learned from this lifestyle.
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