New 'VanLife App' Collects Best, Most Vanlife Content

Hungry for vanlife photos and articles? Wish you could find 'em in one place? UK vandwelling aficionado Benji Smalley curates the best in his VanLife App.

It's a pretty kickass app, in Vanholio's not-so-humble opinion. Even a salty ol' vandog like me gets lost in all the cool content.

And Benji's just gettin' started! He and Vanholio pow-wowed by email. Here's what he's got ta say about what the VanLife App does and what it will do in future ...

Vanholio: What is the VanLife App? Who should use it?

Benji: I created the VanLife app to make it easier to access content, pictures, videos, and news articles from all over the web and to bring all that content into one place! Anybody can enjoy using the app, whether a new traveller or somebody building their own van, to somebody just interested in what the vanlife has to offer.

Vanholio: What does the VanLife App do? What are its capabilities?

Benji: The VanLife App has started it's life as a place where I can share what I consider to be the best and most recent "van-lifing" news, photos and videos shared online. Featured content on the app might relate to anything from campervans to motorhomes or RVs and trailers.

I always make sure to give credit to the vanlifers and writers by sending people to their websites for the full article. I think this is very important to be able to introduce and connect vanlifers. You can read news, check popular Instagram feeds and see new updates from great vloggers in the vanlife world.

Vanholio: Is the VanLife App complete? Or are you adding more features?

Benji: No good app development is ever complete, and in terms of the VanLife App, well, it's still a baby learning to crawl. I vision huge new features being added and truly being a one stop place for EVERYTHING VanLife, whether it's park up spots, site reviews, or DIY build guides. There are hundreds of opportunities for new features, and I really like when people suggest new features to be implemented.

[As of today] the VanLife App is only available on Google Play for Android-powered smartphones and in the Amazon Appstore App. The release of the VanLife App for iOS is the first major update the app will receive.

Vanholio: What's your dream for the VanLife App's future?

Benji: In a more developed stage, I hope to provide a full social network app rich in features across all smartphones for vanlifers across the world to be able to connect with each other easier and to share their stories within the app and to introduce the vanlife to people everywhere.

Vanholio: Thanks for the insights, Benji. You got me excited about where the VanLife App is goin'.

Benji: Well I hope I've covered enough here for you, and again thanks so much for the feature.

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Get mail on the road – Traveling Mailbox! (review)

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Also See ...

• Buying a Van First Was a Huge Fucking Mistake
• 5 Chrome Extensions to Accelerate Your Web Browsing
• 10 Trims for Lean, Low-Bandwidth Web Surfing
• VanLife App (Official Website)

5 Unusual Stealth Camping Spots OTR

Here's some crazy stealth boondock spots Vanholio's used travelin' on the road. He's always keepin' an eye out for 'em, especially when Walmart ain't nearby.

Some are legal. Most is legal or iffy. Unless overnight campin' is specifically allowed, I advise ya get in near dark and leave early, and stay alert. If it's a touristy area, maybe don't push it too much. Cops will check on their rounds.

1. Fishin' Access

Tiny Colorado reservoir (more a pond) with fishin' access

Where there's water, people camp. That's a fact. If ya pass a body a water, however tiny, look for a spot. If ya see blue on the Google Map, swing by and check it out.

Lotsa states got legal fishin' access areas, even on small creeks and reservoir ponds. Rocky mountain states make a point of it. Those states also usually allow overnight campin' (if it's not a touristy area). They often got a vault toilet, too.

In places where it ain't exactly legal, it's usually tolerated. The local teenagers and hobos know where these spots is. Look for a dirt vehicle trail headin' inta brush. Dollars ta donuts that down by the water, you'll find a old campfire with broken glass and beer cans all around.

2. Bridges

Dirt road goes down under bridge and along the river

Bridges all kinds usually got someplace ya can camp overnight. And they space under and around a bridge is often a kinda no man's land. That and shelter's why hobos love 'em.

The problem with boondockin' by a bridge is traffic. Remote bridges where there ain't much night traffic is best.

In that photo above, the road down by the bridge is for fishin' access. But you'll find a way down under bridges that cross washes, canyons, gulches, train tracks, and roads, too.

3. Road Maintenance Cache Pulloffs

Found this almost-hidden pulloff in New Mexico's Black Range

Not sure what ta call these exactly. What I'm talkin' 'bout are little roadside pulloffs where state and county road crews keep piles a sand and salt. Also sometimes they park equipment there.

The pulloffs are all over. In the mountains, they usually got 'em just before the steep and snowline. As it's public land, it should be legal. Not sure. Only signs I ever seen were warnins not ta steal from the maintenance piles, if they got 'em.

4. Utility Substations

Parked right afront this substation one night, just like I belonged

Substations for electric, water, and telecom is all over the country. Often they're surrounded by chain link and on private land. But maybe 1 outta 3 times, ya can get in there without crossin' Farmer Brown's land.

Park behind them. Or if your rig looks like a work truck, just park it right out in the open. It'll look like utility workers just left it there overnight.

5. Vacant Buildings

No one'll see ya in that loading bay

Old buildings or buildings under construction are great places to boondock. Who the hell is gonna be there overnight!? Especially as zonin' separates most from residential areas.

Commercial buildings often have a loading bay, and it's usually in the back or otherwise hidden from the road. Perfect!

If there's construction vehicles and your rig looks like a work van or truck, just park by the construction equipment. Who's to say ya don't belong?

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Get mail on the road – Traveling Mailbox! (review)

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Also See ...

• 5 Reasons NOT to Camp by Water
• Map of Walmarts Where Camping Is Allowed or NOT Allowed
• Unusual Places to Stealth Camp… (Open Roads Forum)
• Unique Overnight Stops at Wineries, Farms and Attractions (Harvest Hosts)

Vanholio's Growin' Some Wisdom, Takin' Fewer Risks

Was smart 'nough to hold still by this spot for 4 nights last week. Better than gettin' stuck in the mud. Maybe I learned a thing or two ...

Read about it in this Steemit post. I got out Sunday.

Then today, I was drivin' down some forest roads, tryin' ta get ta the top a the mountain. When I come to a sandy stream bed, I turned back. Maybe I coulda made it without gettin' stuck. But I didn't risk it.

Why Vanholio grown so smart? Check out the links in the "Also See" below. And that's just some a the fuckups I posted about!!! There's more, trust me.

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Get mail on the road – Traveling Mailbox! (review)

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Also See ...

• Stuck on a Freezing New Year's Eve
• Mud Bogging on Mesa de Cuba
• Digging Myself Into a Hole – Literally (Part 1 of 2)
• What’s the Damage to My Van, Mr. Mechanic Sir?

Are You Homeless if You Live in a Van?

Per Uncle Sam, if you don’t live in a code-approved building, you’re "homeless." That shit ain't realistic for van life nomads. It’s about being broke and short on options. Here’s a tale of two vandwellers, Vanholio and Vanholio Sr., to show you why.

A Tale of Two Vandwellers

Vanholio Sr. (Pops) Was Homeless

Pops had problems. He could never hold down a job for one thing. I think he had major depression, along with some notions on life that didn’t help him none. Never could get a straight answer from family, and Pops died in my teens. Whatever his problems were, his life was a goddamn mess.

I remember a year or two that Pops lived in his old VW Bus. It was parked in the fenced lot behind his friend’s car repair shop. You know, where they keep the cars they’re gonna fix.

I’d visit him and stay in the old vanagon. Even in winter with four foot of snow. Even in sweltering, sticky summers.

He’d avoid driving the VW because he couldn’t afford gas and maintenance. Probably wasn’t insured, I bet. We’d walk or take public transport everywhere.

To get a shower, we’d walk to an old YMCA after dark, climb up the fire escape, and a buddy would let us in a window.

At the time, I didn’t think nothing of it. Didn’t realize Pops was homeless until I was an adult. He was out of money and short on options. He lived in a van as his best worst choice.

When Pops was almost dead, I asked him, “What do you dream about?” I guess I’d seen too many dumb movies and thought the dying had some spiritual wisdom. But what he said was, “All the shitty places I’ve lived.”

Vanholio Ain’t Nothing Like Homeless

Unlike Pops, I got options – shitloads of options. In America, that means cash. Hell, I’m better off than the average American, who can’t handle a $500 surprise bill!

Vanholio owns his comfy van outright and ain't got no debts. He’s got plenty of savings for a rainy day. He’s got an adequate income. He’s even got medical insurance!

Most important, thanks to cheap, effective antidepressants, therapy, and some good life lessons, Vanholio ain’t got Pops' problems. (Yes, I inherited the famil depression. Written the morbid poetry to prove it!)

Vanholio is living the good life: plenty of money, plenty of friends, a cheerful outlook, and decent health. Plus I wake up in beautiful places. Today that’s a Utah mountain forest!

I could live in gov’ment sanctioned bricks and sticks. But I don’t wanna. Vanholio has made the happy choice to live in a van, a choice uncoerced by shitty circumstances. And that’s why he ain’t homeless, whatever fucked up definition for “homeless” Uncle Sam uses.

A Better Understanding of 'Homeless'

Read a 2014 interview with Andrew Waits, photographer of “Boondock,” a collection of vehicle dweller photos. He looked at both those who didn’t embrace van life and those who did, those who consider themselves homeless and those who consider themselves lucky.

I observed that many times the deciding factor in whether an individual identifies as homeless has to do with whether or not that person has a safety net in place. This could mean money in the form of savings, a pension, health insurance, or disability. However, the impact is much greater when that safety net also includes family, friends, or a community of support.

So there you have it. In their own eyes, homeless people are those who can’t live in a place they consider safe and decent because they lack a safety net. A defining part of being “homeless” is being so broke and isolated that you’re short on good options for the necessities of life. Living in a van down by the river is almost despite the point.

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Gettin' mail on the road? Traveling Mailbox! (review)

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Also See ...

• Traveling Mailbox Saves Vandweller $$$$
• Top 10 Questions About Living in a Van (YouTube)
• Former Homeless People Explain What Really Helps (Warped Speed)

What Are BLM and Forest Service Roads Like to Drive?

If ya wanna get inta vanlife boondockin', ya likely been curious 'bout what it's like to drive unpaved backroads. That and what gear ya need. Let me tell ya!

Now, Vanholio ain't no offroad drivin' expert. But he's gone down plenty a forest service roads and other unpaved roads in near three years a vanlife. So he's got a view to the situation. Plus he's made plenty a mistakes and paid in hassle and repairs. So listen up!

Vanholio's Advice on Drivin' Forest Service Roads

Look what Vanholio! did to hisself!

This below conversation (edited somewhat) is from when Vanholio got hisself stuck last fall. A fellow handled "Antigroundhogday," who's workin' toward vanlife, wanted intel on the forest service roads. Been meanin' to post it for all ya'll's education for a while.

Antigroundhogday: What recovery gear do you roll with?

Vanholio: Not enough! Digging supplies [e.g., shovel], good jack, Slime, 12v air pump, spare tire, tow strap, tools. Really need some traction pads.

[I'd add to this list several days of food and water, blankets or sleeping bag, lighter, flashlight, first aid kit, cell phone (or satellite communicator if you're waaaay back), tree strap, and Come-a-Long winch or HiLift Jack.]

Antigroundhogday: As a guy who is sitting at a desk watching you live the life, I wish I knew what the terrain looked like, that requires rescue tools that you mentioned. There are these picture as places I see vandwellers go to, but I have a hard time associating them with tools required.

Vanholio: 95% a the time, forest service roads are pretty smooth, like these two below.

2 Average FSR in Good Repair

Sometimes they're a bit more wore down, like these two. Then ya just gotta watch for the occasional rock stickin' up a bit.

2 FSR Slightly Eroded But Passable

Where I get in trouble is when I hit mud, sand, a creek crossing, or serious erosion (like these last photos) and think to myself, "Oh, I can pick my way ..." 'cause I don't want to turn back.

2 FSR Highly Eroded, Mainly Jeep Trails

Understand, I don't really got a offroad vehicle. I'm using something designed for street and pushing my luck.

[Vanholio's got a Ram Promaster City. Since this conversation, he's gotten a lift and all-terrain tires.]

Antigroundhogday: Many thanks for the photos. So these tougher roads... are they the road to these incredible places with views for miles or just you being a guy and saying "why not, let's see what's down here?"

Vanholio: Yeah, the latter mainly. Ya really don't need 4WD to get most places, including WOW places. In fact, WOW places often get the paved roads. The only thing I would really advise for any of the gravel or dirt roads is good tires. Don't go cheap on those. More clearance and 4WD or AWD gives you more slack and options [especially with snow, sand, and mud]. But it is far, far from a must.

Dig Deeper

Antigroundhogday posted ta the Cheap RV Living forum, seekin' more advice. Read the thread. It rounds out what Vanholio said and fills in the cracks. Ya might learn somethin'! I did!

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Get mail on the road – Traveling Mailbox! (review)

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Also See ...

• Finding FREE Public Lands for Boondocking
• Need 4WD for Van Life Backwoods Boondocking?
• An Introduction to Off-Roading (The Art of Manliness)
• Forest Service Road System (USFS)
• What Will It Take to Navigate These Roads Safely? (Cheap RV Living forum thread)

Chicken Gizzards, Hearts, and Rice

Today, Vanholio didn't do shit but cook up some chicken gizzards, hearts, and rice. Sound gross to you? Well, you don't know what's good! Try this recipe.

You Eaten Gizzards Plenty!

Besides, if you been eatin' chicken, I guarantee you been eatin' gizzards and hearts. Probably ground up into sausage-type things. Maybe nuggets.

Gizzards and hearts and nothin' but strong, active muscles. No nasty organ flavor.

And like all tough muscles, they's best stewed slow to break up the collagen inta gelatin, makin' it mouth tender. Ain't nothin' to it!

AND they're fuckin' cheap! Got a 3/4 of a pound for $1.02! That means 2 meals, at least, for less than $2 total!

Vanholio's Recipe, As Such

OK, now let me say right off that Vanholio don't normally use recipes nor provide them. He's been cookin' since he was tall 'nough ta see the top a the stove. He learned by experimentin' and watchin' cookin' shows. So now it's all by feel.

But I'll do my best. Here goes …

I put the gizzards and hearts in my Max Burton Digital Stove to Go, added a chopped onion, two chicken-herb bullion cubes, a handful a Auguson Farms Vegetable Stew Blend, and covered with water. Set the stove ta heat and let 'er rip for about 3 hours.

Then I added a tad more water, a tablespoon or more of Old Bay Seasoning, canola oil for fat and ta prevent boilin' over, and dry white rice. How much a all that? Not sure. Eyeballed it.

After another hour, she were done. Tender chicken. Flavorful rice. Full bellies for Vanholio and Ms. Barkley.

It ain't hard. It ain't expensive. And it sure is good. Ain't nothin' weird 'bout eatin' gizzards and hearts, no siree!

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Get mail on the road – Traveling Mailbox! (review)

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Also See ...

• Review: 12v Max Burton Digital Stove to Go
• Install Marine Plugs on High Amp 12v Devices
• What Makes Meat Juicy and Tender? (Science of Meat)
• 10 Best Chicken Gizzard Recipes (Yummly)

Best Van for Vanlife Conversion? 2 Articles and Some Considerations

That's the question everyone thinkin' about vanlife asks. The answer is there is no perfect vanlife van. Far as Vanholio's concerned, "vanlife" means livin' minimalist on the road. To do that, even a bicycle could work.

That said, ya probably wanna build a *van* van – if ya can't buy a conversion campervan outright, that is. Most folks do.

That's where this article on Curbed is a real help: "The 5 best vans for your DIY camper conversion." I think it's a fair overview of the fullsize vans out there.

But Why Go So Big? Small Vans Rock!

Vanholio's in a Promaster City, a tiny van that serves him just fine. Similar are the Ford Transit Connect,  Nissan NV200, and Mercedes-Benz Metris.

The smaller vans got two major advantages, to my mind. First, they got better mileage. Second, if you're not a fulltimer, they do better double duty as daily drivers. You can find lotsa conversion examples online for the smaller vans.

6 Questions to Ask of Every Van

But whatever kinda a vehicle you're considerin', take a look at my "6 Questions to Ask when Choosing Your Van Life Rig. I bring it back ta First Principles. That's where ya wanna start, not in a showroom.

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Get mail on the road – Traveling Mailbox! (review)

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Also See ...

• Don't Buy a Van Before You Hit the Road
• Do I Need a 4WD to Boondock?
• Van Interiors (VanGrrrl on Pinterest)
• Vanlifeideas (Instagram Channel)

When Your Fuckin' Air Mattress Goes Flat!

Goddamit, Thursday night sucked. Just as I was about to go to sleep, my air mattress went flat. Ended up in a pricey  fuckin' motel room. I want my van back!

Wahhhhhhhhh, haaahh, awahhhh!!!

(In case ya missed the memo, my van's in the shop. And the fuckin' air mattress is part of temporary digs.)

Yeah, so, I got all settled down back in Cibola National Forest, up on a mesa between Gallup and Grants, NM. Was there for hours, no problem! Then about 10:30 pm, just I was settlin' in to sleep, the air mattress sprung a leak. Still don't know where.

A flat air mattress in that rental Dodge Grand Caravan meant almost no insulation on a 20° F (-7 C) night, a hard bed, and a good chance a tie rings diggin' inta my back! Fuck that shit!

So I loaded up and drove inta Grants. It were about 11:30 when I got in.

Now, a tougher (or broker) man woulda gotten a new air mattress at Walmart and slept in the lot. But Vanholio was a whiney wimp that night. He got hisself a Motel 6 room.

Not only did that shit cost me $45 with tax, it sucked. The room was blasted hot. The mattress was old. The room stank a sewer gas. And Ms. Barkley got stirred up by every sound of the neighbors. We didn't get no sleep till near 3 am!

Then I woke up at 8 am anyhow and was draggin' all day. Didn't get shit done.

Got myself a new air mattress. Hope it lasts til the van's done, Wednesday latest they say. ...

Goddammit, I'm tired of the fuckin' air mattress. I want MY van back NOW!  Waaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!

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Get mail on the road – Traveling Mailbox! (review)

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Also See ...

• Starting Vanlife for About 100 Dollars
• Stuck on a Freezing New Years Eve
• Air Mattresses Suck (Wamzlee)
• How to Sleep on the Floor (and Why You Want To!) (Sleep Sugar)

Fort Bowie National Historic Site

I bumped inta Fort Bowie yesterday, where Geronimo was captive. It was a center in the United States campaign to liberate the Chiricahua Apaches (from their own land). Now it's a ruin ya gotta get off your ass and hike to!

Here's the National Park Service's summary a the place:

For more than 30 years Fort Bowie and Apache Pass were the focal point of military operations eventually culminating in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of the Chiricahuas to Florida and Alabama. It was the site of the Bascom Affair, a wagon train massacre, and the battle of Apache Pass, where a large force of Chiricahua Apaches under Mangus Colorados and Cochise fought the California Volunteers.

Decent. But what that doesn't tell ya is that Apache Pass' history goes back as far as man in North America.

Apache Pass Used for Millennia

See at over 5,000 foot (1500 m), Apache Pass has reliable water at Apache Spring, plus wood for fires, grazin' for horses and other livestock, and bearable temps in Arizona's brutal summers. That made it a beacon for everyone crossin' the desert since … forever. Plus it's the pass between the Chiricahua and Dos Cabezos Mountains.

Apache Spring: just a trickle, but reliable for 10,000 years

Archaeologists have found Mogollon pottery dated back 10,000 years. That don't surprise me none. Everywhere I been in the Southwest USA, where there's water, Native Americans have camped there since at least 10,000 years.

Apaches stopped over and lived at the pass and in the surrounding mountains. You might even say it was their sovereign country.

Reenactment of 19th century Apache camp with wikiup (grass hut),
ramada (shade awning), and horse hitch camp

Meantime, they let Spaniards and Mexicans usd the pass (sometimes without hassle and for a fee). Forty-Niners headin' for the California Gold Rush cut through the pass. Other American prospectors tried to find gold and silver there. (One had a cabin, and you can see its foundation.)

In 1858, the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach company ran through Apache Pass and had a permanent station. The Apache let them run the stage in peace in exchange for a trade deal.

Butterfield Overland Mail: Butterfield Trail (left) and station foundations (right)

U.S. Conquest of Apache Land

Then for the next 30 or so years, things got ugly between the United States and the Apache. Mainly it was because the United States decided it was now in charge of Apache Pass, Arizona and New Mexico, the Apaches, the gold, and pretty much the whole kit and kaboodle. After all, the USA and Mexico agreed to it 1848 to end the Mexican-American War.

In 1862, a couple a nasty battles between the US Army and the Chiricahua Apaches took place at the pass. So the Army set up the first Fort Bowie as a staging point ta beat the Apaches down. And to hold the spring. That first fort was more a camp.

Post cemetery: originally, 95 people buried here

In 1868, the Army built the second, permanent Fort Bowie, which you can see in the old photo.

19th century photo of Fort Bowie

The Chiricahua Apache and the United States went back and forth between fightin' and not until 1886, when the last free Chiricahuas, then led by Geronimo, were captured and sent to Florida and Alabama (and I think later resettled in Oklahoma).

Apache Chief Naiche (left) and Chief Geronimo (right)
at Fort Bowie awaiting exile, 1886

The U.S. Army abandoned Fort Bowie in 1894. Today, it's mostly foundation ruins and some bits of adobe-stucco walls. Plus the Park Service's got a visitor center up there.

About the Fort Bowie Hiking Trail

Like I said, the other day me and Ms. Barkley took the hike up to the Fort Bowie ruins. The trailhead is close to Bowie, Arizona, USA. From Apache Pass Road (map link), it's about a 3 mile (5 km) round trip hike of moderate difficulty. The route goes south from the road, up the valley, past Apache Spring, and ends at the ruins of the second Fort Bowie (built 1868)

Looking back down the valley from the Post Trader's ruins.
Apache Spring is center among the trees.

Along the trail you see remains of the first Fort Bowie (built 1862), the old post cemetery, foundation of the U.S. Indian Agent's office, foundations of the Butterfield station, the Butterfield stagecoach road, and foundations of a miner's cabin. The Park Service also has lots of signs identifyin' native plant species and a reenactment of an Apache camp.

Oh, and if ya go, be sure to visit nearby Chiricahua National Monument.

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Get mail on the road – Traveling Mailbox! (review)

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Also See ...

• Digging Myself Into a Hole – Literally
• Stuck on a Freezing New Year's Eve
• Fort Bowie, Arizona National Historic Site (Legends of America)
• Fort Bowie 1958 Full Lenght Western Movie (YouTube)