Choosing my vessel

After a few months of research, countless consultations with my brother-in-law/the mechanic of the family, and my go-to Uncle Terry, I whittled down to my must-haves in whatever vessel I chose to tackle Vandylife in.

The day I picked up Vandy; my beloved 2002 Dodge 190 Roadtrek Poplar.

1. I needed something manageable in size that would fit in one parking space:

I don’t need much space and I wanted to be able to easily pop into a space for a night if need be. This is ideally a scenario I try to avoid but the peace of mind knowing I don’t need to account for more than one parking space is nice in a pinch.

2. Bathroom and shower are non-negotiable:

I am unlike most who want to live in a van in that I cannot sacrifice my shower or toilet access.

And of course…

I wanted to never have to rely on going into civilization. After all, isn’t that the point of getting in a van and getting lost?

3. BONUS: Bed in the back with backdoor:

The idea of throwing my back door open to the ocean/lake/forest was an entirely superficial and very basic want on my end.

I am sure, however, you can understand the appeal if you’ve bothered to read this far and have even an ounce of interest in Vandylife in your blood…

The solution to these wants = The 190 Roadtrek Poplar, of course.

It turns out I was not the only one hot on the Trekys. I searched high and low, all over the country for months until I finally found my Vandy on Facebook Marketplace in Akron Ohio.