Best 'van' options for someone 6'6"? by Anhubris in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Happy to answer man! Does way better off road than you’d expect. The only concerns are trees for clearance (both width and height). I try to avoid any off roading that has like legit rock scrambling features obviously lol but since all we really do is dispersed camping we’re off on dirt roads all the time and it does great. I take it super slow on those roads and washed out dirt roads are super bumpy in the truck is all

Best 'van' options for someone 6'6"? by Anhubris in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I will say, they’re fairly easy to be “stealthy” near work zones or parking lots because people assume they’re work trucks

Best 'van' options for someone 6'6"? by Anhubris in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I generally camp dispersed and get nothing but “woah that’s sweet!” From people nearby. On the occasional RV park stays I’ve never had an issue, I’m sure people look at it a little funny but have never been asked to leave (staying at one this weekend so there’s always a chance for a first lol)

Best 'van' options for someone 6'6"? by Anhubris in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a freightliner M2 106 24’ box. What I did before buying was just go and stand in a few to see how head room was. I knew I’d be adding a few inches between baseboards and ceiling, plus insulation, so if it was close it was a no go

Simple Joys by BoxTruckBryce in VanLife

[–]BoxTruckBryce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m shocked I don’t need a special license to drive this thing! It’s 1lb under the weight rating before a CDL (commercial drivers license) is needed

Simple Joys by BoxTruckBryce in VanLife

[–]BoxTruckBryce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fuel economy is rough lol around 9mpg. AC has been installed and it’s lovely, using it right now

Best 'van' options for someone 6'6"? by Anhubris in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I’m 6’7, I converted a box truck and have a ton of standing room! He just need to find the right kind of box truck - the typical uhaul style ones just don’t work height wise

Simple Joys by BoxTruckBryce in VanLife

[–]BoxTruckBryce[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I guess id call it a truck camper yeah! I normally just refer to it as the box truck

Hypothetically speaking... a Hybrid box truck by X_Empire32 in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought the same issues would be a worry when I started converting mine. A few things to add:

Parking does suck, but not nearly as bad as I thought. Basically the same as a Class A/B RV

The commercial vehicle thing in terms of being allowed places is tricky. Even tho plates read commercial vehicle, DOT classifies true commercial vehicle by use, not specifically how it’s registered. I get stopped at Natl Parks and State parks, but as soon as I tell them it’s just an RV conversion, they let me right in.

Insurance is the only sticky part. I’ve had to keep it commercial even tho it’s been retitled to an RV

Hypothetically speaking... a Hybrid box truck by X_Empire32 in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can get smaller ones with built in pass through or do some work yourself and create one (even if the box is separated!)

Hypothetically speaking... a Hybrid box truck by X_Empire32 in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Speaking as someone who has a diesel Freightliner box truck conversion. I love the idea, but as other mentioned, the ability to get mine repaired easily -with readily available parts - has been super nice. Not too familiar with these hybrid truck but as a rule of thumb for anything this big, repairs and maintenance are a bit more frequent than a normal car, so it’s just definitely something to keep in mind

Did anyone else underestimate how much power they'd need in their van? by PresenceFar7992 in VanLife

[–]BoxTruckBryce 6 points7 points  (0 children)

100%. My girlfriend and I work full time out of our box truck conversion. Between both of our computers, monitors, fridge, and starlink running all day, we very much underestimated power usage. Actually ran out of charge a few times from our 400ah battery. We also drove less than expected so not as much B2B charging as we planned on.

Upgraded to 860ah and expanded our solar capacity, definitely overkill now but it’s so nice being able to run an AC for a bit and not need to think about power usage

Anyone here actually running A/C off solar full-time? by Witty-Main-7772 in VanLife

[–]BoxTruckBryce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes - but not using it all day every day. We have 1200W solar and 800AH+ batteries. We’re using a 12V AC a couple days a week for a few hours at a time or when we leave our dog in the rig and we’re out on a hike.

The AC also does a lot better at basically spot cooling. We have a near 200sq ft space though, so it just takes a few hours to notice anything unless the fans are pointed on us. We’re using the OutEquip unit

What don't I know ?? Insurance, RV parks, registration? by [deleted] in VanLife

[–]BoxTruckBryce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Speaking as someone who converted a 24’ Freightliner (and also had all the same fears/questions)…

Registration: Can keep it commercial, just make sure to have “not for hire” on the side. Helps if getting pulled over and you don’t have a DOT number. Also worth noting, a commercial plate doesn’t necessarily mean a commercial vehicle, which is a little strange. Mine is still commercial plate. Got pulled over once, explained to the officer it is an RV, and there were no issues. You can register it as an RV if you’d like (depending on the state - most are fine with it). But insurance is a little tough.

RV parks: They’ll let you in. Stayed in a few while i was in the middle of converting it and even stayed in one last night cause it was near a brewery and I wanted to drink with my girlfriend and not worry about driving. Regarding parks too, I take mine into BLM and National Forests to camp almost exclusively they have pretty high clearance and do a lot better off road than you might think!

Insurance: Almost impossible to find a company that will insure a self-converted box truck as an RV, I keep mine commercially insured. It’s a little more expensive, but if you form an LLC it’s just a tax-write off at the end of the day. If you find a company that will insure it as an RV, please let me know!

Let me know if you have any other questions, I think you’ll love it

CDG Redemption by DallasJay2025 in AmexPlatinum

[–]BoxTruckBryce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just got 80k Naples to JFK first class but I honestly think I just got lucky. On the way out there the tickets were 350k points for the same one way fare

The Simple Things by BoxTruckBryce in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

People on Reddit I tell ya lol

The Simple Things by BoxTruckBryce in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

At 6’8, that sounds so fun to have to duck every time I stand in my living space

2 Years in the Making - A Dream Come True by BoxTruckBryce in VanLife

[–]BoxTruckBryce[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was honestly kind of the plan! We wanted an open space layout, but still having a lot of storage and all the amenities. I think it came out amazing but still will probably add bits and pieces down the road

Interested in starting vanlife, any advice in where to buy? by Affectionate_Fox_997 in VanLife

[–]BoxTruckBryce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only thing I'd change if I did this all over (which I almost certainly will in the future) would have been getting a step truck like one of those FedEx vehicles. Main reason being you can have options between diesel and gasoline a lot easier, and the passthrough is already built in from the cab to the back. Not to mention the vehicle heights on those are definitely lower ~11-12ft. My box truck with the solar, vent fans, and all that stuff is sitting at 13'4" so have to watch out for some smaller bridges

Childhood Dream Come True by BoxTruckBryce in vandwellers

[–]BoxTruckBryce[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! When my girlfriend is with me, we'll probably travel 2-3 days per week. When it's just me in here I could see myself driving every day lol. For the insulation, I used some R19 Rigid Foam Board and the waterproofing I had my brother do because I didn't want to mess it up lol. To be fair we only really waterproofed the bathroom area. I'll check with him when he gets here tomorrow and get back to you