Sprinter Van

Many people choose to use sprinter work vans as a permanent residency rather than paying rent on an apartment or a mortgage payment. These vans have even given the traditional RV market a run for their money due to their relative economic cost, their ease of parking, and the living space they provide in return.

So can you live in a Sprinter van? 

Yes, full-time Sprinter van life is possible, provided the owner has the financial means to buy and maintain a converted vehicle and that there is some portable source of income that allows a nomadic lifestyle.

Van life in a converted Sprinter van might seem imminently Instagram Mable with its stunning vistas, and carefree lifestyle. However, some trades must be made in comfort to secure the sort of freedom that van life provides, and these inconveniences can be too much for many would-be nomads. 

Continue on to find out more about life in a Sprinter van and whether it would be the right life for you. Many advantages come with living out of a Sprinter van. Here are some of the benefits you can enjoy from a nomadic van-based lifestyle:

Freedom: If you live in a vehicle, you effectively have the option to pick up and leave and settle someplace new any time you feel like it. For people who aren’t tied to a single location by their jobs, this can be a great way to see the world and travel while working at the same time.

Low costs: Compared to a monthly mortgage on a house, the costs of living in a van can be minimal. The solar setup typically used to power a Sprinter van’s living quarters cost pennies on the dollar relative to the cost of utilities in a house. Also, you can enjoy the freedom of not needing to pay property taxes and other costs associated with homeownership.

Minimalist lifestyle: It can be challenging to implement a minimalist lifestyle in a traditional home setting. In general, humans are consumers who like to buy tons of stuff and keep it in one place. 

For people who prefer gathering experiences to things, living out of a Sprinter van at least for a few years can let them focus on paring down their lives to make room for the life experiences that are most important to them.

While there are many benefits of living in a Sprinter van, there are some distinct drawbacks too. It definitely isn’t a lifestyle for everyone. Here are some of the disadvantages of living in a Sprinter van:

It doesn’t work with all careers: To be able to move around from place to place in a nomadic sort of lifestyle, you obviously can’t work a job where you have to report to the same office day after day. 

Van life is suitable for retirees, freelancers, artists, and very few other careers. Those constraints can make it hard for anyone who wants to live out of a Sprinter van to be able to pull it off.

Cramped spaces: One of the most significant disadvantages of living in a van is the reduced living space. Many people who consider a studio apartment too cramped for a comfortable living would not be able to cut it in van life. To prevent feeling cramped by a lack of living space, many people who live in a Sprinter van spend the majority of their time outside of it.

Lack of water and basic amenities: Most people who live in a house or apartment take their easy access to water for granted, and don’t take into consideration how many household tasks require it. When living out of a van, cooking, bathing, and even just grabbing a drink becomes more complicated than when you’re living in a house.

Extreme temperatures: Many people in this modern society wouldn’t think about being without air conditioning or an insulated residence. As a result, the fluctuating temperatures of living out of a van, especially in geographies with extreme high and low temperatures, can be a significant discomfort for some people. This is especially true for those who are more vulnerable to extreme temperatures, such as children or the elderly.

Difficult hygiene: Living out of a van requires van owners to bathe out of public baths a lot of the time. Since vans don’t come with bathtubs and showers, it’s harder for people living out of vans to stay clean compared to people who own private bathrooms in a home. 

This can mean a life spent in porta-potties and questionably clean public restrooms, not for the squeamish. Displaced due to repairs: Like any other vehicle under heavy load, a Sprinter van outfitted for living quarters will eventually need to go in for mechanical repairs, and this can involve the van being out of commission for days or even weeks. Van owners will need to have money saved up to rent other living quarters during repairs, not to mention saving up for repairs themselves.

Finding a place to sleep: Finding a place to park the van can be difficult in some areas, as it isn’t legal to circle the wagons just anywhere. If you stay in the wrong place, you might find yourself waking up to a policeman knocking on your van window. This means people living out of a Sprinter van always need to be thinking ahead and researching places they can rest.