My point was the moment something relatively minor that happens to us all, happens to a van dweller, it becomes a major crisis. The things we take for granted, like being able to go to the bathroom when we want, or live without fear of police knocking on the door and demanding we suddenly up and relocate because we've broken laws, don't exist for this guy. If he gets into an accident on the road, he just imperiled his entire house.

And he's doing it for what? The great experience of having to sleep every night in a wal-mart parking lot or a side street? Not being able to live in one place, invite his friends over to his house, have a long-term girlfriend, and more?

Living in a van is hard. It doesn't become less hard because a yuppie does it as a voyage of self-discovery, or makes a pretty web site about it.

editing my language some. I'm sorry, I get really strident about things like this.

I lived on a boat for a few years. The experience is almost interchangeable with van dwelling. The biggest destroyer of boats? Docks and other boats.

One of many things I took away from that life is that I was truly free. The only money I was required to pay were cruising permits, annual registration, and insurance (you'll want it if you're not a complete idiot). Having to move everyday was a minor, minor inconvenience.

Am I missing something that's exceedingly lethal to van dwellers but not traditionally-homed humans?

Worse case, you drive to the nearest ER. Worst case, call 911 or stumble out onto the street and ask someone to do so. No different than if I had a heart attack in my house.

Reacting to this so negatively is ignoring the billions of humans around the globe who live in much more rustic conditions and (largely) manage not to die.

I have no experience in this but it occurs to me that the van won't be inspected to the same standard as a building permit inspector or some such.

Imagine you screw up the ventilation and have a carbon monoxide problem, or, you screw up something electrical and put yourself at risk of fire. I suppose there are a lot of spotty contractors out there that still manage to do their thing on more traditional dwellings too, but DIY in the tight space of a van seems like some of the things described are not without risk.

Granted. But these things aren't rocket science.

There was a time when everyone managed to get by without building codes. Sure we had a few fires and collapses, but statistically speaking they were still outliers.

Don't let the 1% risk of bad hold you back from trying good, is my only point.

Lol. Living in a van isn’t hard. If you’re going to be judgey at least pick a topic you know something about.

> Just because it's not for you doesn't mean it's not for everyone.

Your argument appeals to the subjective (and I do love the idea), but the parent's points are more about the objective (flu, health implications, hygiene, etc.); also, having to pee into a bottle at night is definitely not for everyone.