In this interview series, “5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Living on the Road”, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mandy “Veggie” Redpath, thru-hiker, unconventional life -r, and overall incredible human being.
By Bekah Whitney
I live with my partner Kevin (Karma) in a Ford Transit 2020 AWD High Roof, Mid-Sized van. This is our second rig together and we both had individual vehicles that we adventured out of before meeting.
Our first rig was a Ford Econoline 2000 E250. We didn’t know if we’d like transitioning from cars to a van, so we only put $500 into the build and went traveling. Well, it turned out we love it! This first rig allowed us to understand what we really needed in a van. Going out and actually living in one is totally different than drawing tape outlines on a carpet.
For example, we LOVE to cook and cooking is integral to how we save money, work less, and adventure more. Having a two burner Coleman stove in our first van worked, but I quickly tired of having to set it up and break it down, especially on longer trips. I found myself not having that extra cup of tea because of the effort to make it. Hence, in our current van we have a fixed 3 burner stove and a vented propane locker under our bed.
Moreover, we had to use AAA all too much with our old van. It was old, it had mechanical problems and when the mechanical problems began to drain our adventure funds, we knew we needed to upgrade. So, we went with the AWD Ford because we love those long rutted dirt roads and any mechanic anywhere can work on it.
I knew a long time ago that I wanted to live an unconventional life. Then, I was a sophomore in college when a friend of mine graduated and she wanted to climb as much as possible. She made it work living between her tent, her car, and my couch. That was when it occurred to me that I could live out of a vehicle and that I already had one that would work. I had a Toyota Matrix and I began adventuring from that. I even lived out of it for a full semester later in grad school.
One of our lowest lows was in our econoline after we let it sit for a winter of ski bumming. Since it did not work at all in the snow, we stored it at my Mom’s house near Seattle. We added insult to injury by letting it sit half the summer so we could thru-hike the Scottish National Trail.
When we got in the van in August and decided to drive from Seattle to the Tetons, we accidentally created a bad situation. We were on i90 near Moses Lake and the temperature was 99-100 degrees Fahrenheit. I was driving and sipping some tea when I heard a noise you do not want to hear. Something was clearly wrong with the front driver’s side tire.
One-handed as I put the tea down, I immediately let off the gas, hit the hazard lights, and slowly added small breaks until we cruised to the side of the interstate. We had a tire tread separation. The entire tread of the tire was gone. I was amazed and grateful that the tire didn’t blow completely.
So, on the side of the interstate in 100 degree weather in a black van, we went to change the tire. However, spare tire tool that lowers the tire in our Craigslist van didn’t actually fit.
We called AAA and waited an hour for them to come lower the spare tire and change it over.
After 3 hours in Les Schwab, we had two new tires and we headed over to REI in Spokane. There, we got out of the van only to hear a “hisssssssssss.”
We ran into REI, grabbed what we needed and drove to the nearest Les Scwab 10 minutes away only to arrive at 6pm on a Sunday where they closed at 5pm.
Sleeping in a Les Scwab parking lot at an angle as our tire slowly went flat was a huge low. In the morning, we found out that the last Les Scwab had overtightened the valve and broke it.
The trip went on, but we then had another saga with a dozen mice. That’s another story though.
I’m a big fan of the Sonoran Desert in the winter. Admittedly, it has a lot to do with the fact that we did not install a heater. However, I find such beauty in the desert and enjoy learning about all the life that survives in such arid environments. Saguaro National Park is amazing, but so is a lot of the BLM and State Trust land around it.
Check the gray tank under the sink often so it doesn’t overflow. This applies to any tanks you have. That’s not at all fun.
We overflowed our sink gray tank once and I never want to clean it up again. The sink gray tank stinks more than our composting toilet.
You need a fly swatter. Or a bug net for the door. Desert flies are intense.
Never underestimate how annoying flies can be. They can really ruin a mood. Same with mosquitos. When a lot of your temperature control is opening and closing doors, think about nets to keep out most of the insects.
Most things you need, you can figure out how to get along the way. There are stores everywhere.
We hesitated on leaving the convenience of a parent’s driveway several times waiting for packages or trying to make sure we had everything. Instead, make sure you have enough, but don’t dwell on it. Get adventuring and grab it along the way. There are box stores in and near every city and you can always Prime something to a locker or Whole Foods.
If you want to meet people, go to a nomadic event or gathering.
A lot of nomadic people living in vehicles are introverted or introverted extroverts. The best way to meet others is to go to a gathering where all the introverts are pulling out their internal extroverts for the weekend. Make friends there, then leave with them and go for an adventure. Then, you can stay in contact and meet up later.
You’ll be continually making your rig more efficient as you go, so make sure you actually leave and get out there. Don’t let all the projects hold you up.
The most important thing is to get out and adventure. You’ll figure the rest out along the way. If you get out and realize you still need to do another major project, you can always go back and build or build on the road. We’ve been in this van for two years and Kevin just got out the sander and did a van project in the middle of nowhere while I wrote this.
I think being on the road helps grow one’s adaptability. For example, when finding campsites, I always have 3 in mind. Inevitably, you’ll encounter situations where options 1 and 2 are no good. Once, I got to a spot and there was a dead cow in the middle of it. And dude, that stunk. No way. Another time, it was already occupied. Sometimes you get to a spot and it’s totally covered in dumped trash and old furniture. You have to adapt and find the next option.
If you take each hardship or frustration to heart, you’ll burn out. Take them as lessons and roll on to the next spot. I used to take too much of it to heart. Now, I let the hardships roll off as we drive somewhere else.
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Hi! I’m Bekah, but you can call me Beks, all my friends do! I travel full-time in a tiny home on wheels that my partner, Sawyer, and I built from a cargo trailer shell in 2019. We started out in beautiful Colorado and have been all over the United States over the years. This space is designed to inspire and guide the nature obsessed nomad, weekend warrior, and future roadlifer. I’m so excited you’re here!
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We wanted a watercraft for a long time, but didn’t quite know what to pull the trigger on. We wanted something that was durable and folded up nice and small. After watching videos of a jeep driving over the kayak and hit it with a hammer, we knew it was the one for us!
If you don’t already have a hammock, you really need to get on it! The Eno is a lightweight, packable, and durable hammock perfect for anyone living on the road. We have a single nest because neither of us seem to want to be in the hammock at the same time, but they do make a Double Nest if you are looking to cuddle up with your significant other in it.
Listen, everyone with photos of their van door wide open has flies. Adding a screen door was an absolute game-changer for us, plus it is attached through velcro so that you can easily remove it when you are ready to take those idyllic photos. If you haven’t hit the road yet, just get one. If you already have, this is the answer to your fly problem, you’re welcome.
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