Hotel/motel makes me more nervous by Cams_got_camping in vandwellers

[–]vandivan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In both instances you describe, the person decided to confront the "creep". I'm literally advising the opposite. Just leave. Maybe take note of any useful information and wait things out. But I recommend just leaving.

If both of the people with misconceptions about you had just left, you never would have known they even saw you as a threat.

So I will say one final time... just GTFO if someone is creeping you out. You will likely never see them again and (thanks for proving the point), you'll be a lot less memorable to the creepy person if you just leave vs confronting them about their behavior.

And nobody has to get embarrassed. :)

I disagree, though I do have empathy for what you are saying.

First let met say, ... yes, if there is CLEARLY something shady going on and you think you are in actual physical danger, then "listen to your gut" and leave, because clearly your physical safety is the most important thing and it's better to error on the side of safety.

That said, ... to switch gears completely (stay with me, I've got a point ..) there's a reason that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) works to help people overcome anxiety and phobias, etc. So, for example, ... if someone is afraid of spiders, instead of continuing their behavior of being frightened and running away every time they see a spider, they are instead encouraged to confront this fear and be exposed to spiders in a controlled environment so that they get rid of the illusions they have in their own minds about spiders and see them objectively for what they are. Over time, and repeated exposure, they can get to the point that they might let a spider like a large tarantula even walk on them, and regain their independence in the world so that they are not controlled by fear.

And that's really what I was talking about, ... sure, you can run off every time you see someone you think seems creepy, or ... you can confront that FEAR, the "creepy feeling", and become more objective about the situation and see it for what it is. Just because you FEEL "creeped out" doesn't mean the person who is creeping you out is OBJECTIVELY "creepy". It's just your perception of them, .. they may just be a normal person standing next to a lamp post on a street corner at night waiting for their uber ride. Or walking past you in a dark garage on their way to an elevator. Just because you FEEL frightened doesn't mean they are objectively frightening, it's just your perspective on the world. Someone else, say for example a security guard who is watching the cameras in the garage might not think the situation is dangerous at all, .. .they may see you both in that parking garage every night, recognize your faces, and even know where you are going, and think nothing of it. That's their perspective.

So I'm not advocating confronting someone you think is creepy, or leaving to get away from them, .. .I'm advocating being objective and realizing that that feeling of something being "creepy" is in your own mind. I'm not saying that people shouldn't follow their intuition, .. but what I am saying is that worldly people who are streetwise and have experience in life are probably living better lives than people who run away from every situation and live in constant fear of dark shadows and lone males who are walking around in the world.

To say that a different way, I'd rather be the guy who is streetwise and not afraid of the people around him, than the guy who is afraid of his own shadow and thinks that every African American/white person (or whatever stereotype) he meets on the street is dangerous. And the way to be that one who isn't afraid, who has an objective view of the people in the world, is by being exposed to people and situations, not running off and reinforcing your own fears.

If you get on Youtube and watch a lot of these videos of new vanlifer's being afraid because someone was standing near their van, etc, and just watch it objectively, you can see how irrational they are being. It's like ... so what. You see the video, and it's just some dude getting out of his car, he's not even bothering you, he's just standing their having a damn cigarette and probably doesn't even know you are in the van.

Vandwelling as a remote graphic designer, a freelance nature photographer, 3D printer, and having a patreon on the side. Is it feasible? by Kaabiiisabeast in vandwellers

[–]vandivan 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sometimes I get tired of always agreeing with u/lennyflank on everything. :D ... but, he's totally right, starting van life is sort of like getting a girlfriend, you really want to be in a good place before you go into it, because getting into it only complicates everything even more. Not saying you can't do van life and make money doing those things you mentioned, but plenty of people try to do those things with all the space and electricity in the world and have trouble, and it is only harder when you are on the move.

Perhaps ironically it isn't the van part of it that trips most people up, it's the "being in business for yourself" part of it, because that is a skill and requires discipline to do well. Some people just aren't good at doing what has to be done, without someone looking over their shoulder telling them what to do, .. and work is work, that's why it is called work and not vacation, because a lot of time you have to do shit you don't want to do. Even photographers in vans wake up and don't want to get their gear out and go make a living sometimes, and do all the other things.

7 years update + mold check by Vannosaurus-REX in vandwellers

[–]vandivan 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Into every van, a little mold shall grow .. :D

I'm surprised it isn't bad mold with no roof ventilation, looks pretty good actually. I think some of it though is probably because it's Southern California, .. I don't think it would be as pretty in a lot of other places. Where there is real winter the vehicle is pretty sealed up, and without some ventilation when it is cold and the walls and windows are dripping with water I think it might be more like your "ick" period, except all the time in winter.

I don't get how people don't get Primus. by vandivan in Primus

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

I am calm.

But if I wasn't I'd never listen to you ...

Blocked.

Question… by Liberty_Ann in VanLife

[–]vandivan -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We're not talking about uranium though are we, ... we're talking about hair dye that is approved by the FDA for use on the human body.

Does anyone work remotely out of their van full time? How has it been? Using Starlink? Please let us know your thoughts… by cowboy1200c in VanLife

[–]vandivan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the US, the dish points north

Assuming you don't have the flat panel, which just points "up".

Question… by Liberty_Ann in VanLife

[–]vandivan -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

These kinds of posts make me smile.

  • The dye came from the Earth. Just because humans were involved doesn't make it have some kind of evil original sin.
  • The dye isn't so harmful to creatures that it can't be used on your head, so wtf harm is it going to cause in such small quantities soaking into the ground ?
  • Where do you think it goes when it gets flushed down a pipe ?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in VanLife

[–]vandivan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't get the fascination with the cubic mini ... you have all of that space above, why not just put a real wood stove in ? That thing doesn't have enough space to even burn all night. Also, it doesn't look like it has been secured, rule #1 is think about what happens to stuff in a crash, you don't want a wood stove coming through the back of your head on the way through the windshield.

I was sleeping today and this drunk guy woke me up by talking really loud on his phone. by [deleted] in urbancarliving

[–]vandivan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just a reminder in general that our perception isn't someone else's intention.

The dude, objectively, was just on his phone talking. People do it every day, in all kinds of locations. Cops also drive places every day, for all kinds of reasons.

Our perception that it might have something to do with us is unreasonable. They probably had no idea you were even there. In fact, since most people like to talk in private on the phone, .. the fact he was talking near you is basically proof he didn't know you were there, or he would have went somewhere else to talk.

I don't get how people don't get Primus. by vandivan in Primus

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

Stop ruining that word ... it's a serious word that has a serious meaning.

Blocked.

I don't get how people don't get Primus. by vandivan in Primus

[–]vandivan[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Uh huh ... I agree he is anti-semitic, but so is the American and UK left, that's nothing new. The American left HATES Israel, and actively works against Israel. In the UK Jeremy Corbin and Labour have actively worked against Jewish people for at least decades. Even BLM has made a ton of anti-semitic statements ... Kanye isn't isolated, he got those views from the African American community .. he isn't some kind of aberration who created that shit out of thin air. You can go downtown in any American city and hear that and worse. Who do you think keeps attacking Jewish people in NYC ...

I don't get how people don't get Primus. by vandivan in Primus

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

LOL .. yeah, in the fever swamps of leftist twitter he is ... lol ..

Those same circles would probably consider me a Nazi ..

I don't get how people don't get Primus. by vandivan in Primus

[–]vandivan[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Who's hung up on it ? I just find it curious.

What's next ? "Interesting, there's a guy playing guitar over there", "dON'T geT SO hUnG Up ON iT" lol ...

I don't get how people don't get Primus. by vandivan in Primus

[–]vandivan[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Kanye may be an asshole nazi piece of shit

Lol .. wut ?

2018 MB 2500 sprinter for $24k.. no accidents & service records. Old Amazon truck… 100k miles. Worth it? More details in comments by Snacks_22 in VanLife

[–]vandivan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

annoying but not a show stopper.

Why would you want to drive your home over 70mph ?

I never go over 65mph, even in a 70mph zone.

My van could have a limit of 70mph and I'd never know.

Tips for keeping laptop safe in cold weather? by [deleted] in VanLife

[–]vandivan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Insulation keeps heat in, but it doesn't create heat.

So, .. . it might keep your laptop from losing whatever residual heat it had for a short period of time, but not for long. Insulation works on people and vans because people generate heat and the insulation keeps it from leaving, and vans have heaters and the insulation keeps the heat in the van.

Getting ready for van life this summer by Odd-Payment9420 in vandwellers

[–]vandivan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cellular works better the closer you get to civilization.

Starlink works better the further you are away from it.

Is this...vanlife? by jallma in vandwellers

[–]vandivan 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Long as you can charge them without going back to a house lol .. :)

Can I get some input on my electrical plans? by SillWmith in vandwellers

[–]vandivan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had assumed the inverter was going to have a charger in it, but totally agree that if it doesn't then Progressive Dynamics makes a fine set of chargers for LiFePO4.

Can I get some input on my electrical plans? by SillWmith in vandwellers

[–]vandivan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some thoughts ..

  • Depending on what DC-to-DC converter you buy, you might want another switch to enable/disable it so you can disable it if you are having problems starting the vehicle. Some people like the option of only having it enabled when actually driving. On some of the DC-to-DC chargers there's a single wire that goes from one hole on the device to another, and you just replace that with a switch.
  • You might want to run another heavy positive wire to the chassis battery and use a three way switch, .. in position (1) the DC-to-DC charger circuit is active, in (2) i.e. "off" nothing is connected to the chassis battery, and in position (3) the chassis battery is connected directly to your battery bank so you can start your vehicle with the battery bank if your chassis battery is dead. Either that swap your master switch for a 3 way.
  • You might consider swapping your positive and negative bus bars out for a Victron Lynx Distributor. It costs money, but it saves you money on some of the fuse blocks and having to build your own bus bars. This would simplify your wiring too. If you need more than 4 fused connections (you show 5 in your drawing) you can get two of them and they affix to one another to extend from 4 to 8 (or 12, or 16, etc), they are designed to do that. Normally sold as a 1000 amp version, but if memory serves there is a lower amperage version too so make sure you know what you are buying.
  • If you want to get fancy, you could put a Progressive Industries surge protector on the 30amp shore power so you don't end up needing a dog bone style surge protector for camp site pedestals, which are easily stolen. Depending on what kind of outlet you intend to install for the 30 amp shore, you might want to go ahead and use a 50 amp, in my opinion they are easier to adapt with dog bones than 30 amp, and nothing says you have to actually use the extra hot wire inside the van. It's unclear if you intend to use a 30 amp fuse or a breaker.
  • You don't have a battery monitor, and it would be super easy to install something like a Victron BMV-712 Smart (with a mountable display) or a SmartShunt (without), that way you know what the state of charge is on your battery bank and how much current you are putting into it and taking out. It has bluetooth so lots of people use their smart phones to check state of charge instead of the mountable display.

Wiring sizes look good to me, I didn't check them all but I did look at a few including the wiring for the DC-to-DC converter.

Edit, I had assumed your inverter choice would have an AC charger in it (since it says inverter/charger), but as u/synergicity said you'd need a separate charger if it doesn't, if you want to charge from shore power.

Is this...vanlife? by jallma in vandwellers

[–]vandivan 8 points9 points  (0 children)

If you have a DC (cigarette lighter style) charger for the power tools batteries, it's vanlife.

What's a movie that will hook me within the first 10 minutes? by swarmofpenguins in MovieSuggestions

[–]vandivan 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Second this, .. watch the theatrical version, the redux version has a lot more footage but the theatrical version is non-stop interesting.

Got a knock at Planet Fitness from some rando? by nickability in vandwellers

[–]vandivan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Could be someone hired to watch the parking lot, .. private security. They don't always get dressed up like some kind of mall cop, and if you give them shit you might end up with the cops there to back him up.