I’ve Lived in Vehicles Since 2015. These Are the 14 Mistakes That End Van Life Early, and the One Nobody Budgets For.

My first nights in a van were in San Francisco and Marin County, just north of the Golden Gate, and every car door was a threat. I had planned exactly where I would sleep, because I always do that first, and I still lay behind a thin metal wall waiting for a knock that did not come. Planning the spot was the thing I got right. The list below is what I have watched new van lifers get wrong, every season since.

Here are the 14 mistakes that end van life early, from the budget nobody sets aside to the roof vent people skip, with what we do instead. The honest catch: most of them are cheap to fix before you leave and expensive to fix on the road. The one that costs the most money is first. The one that costs the most sleep is number eight.

1. Not having an emergency fund

The biggest mistake new van lifers make is hitting the road without money set aside for the month that goes wrong. It is easy to fantasize about spontaneous travel, but van life has hidden costs that can end the lifestyle before you cross a state line.

I am still shocked at how much adds up at the end of a month. A random $1,000 maintenance bill is not unusual, and so is going over budget because every campground in an area is $50 a night and there is nowhere nearby to boondock. Set the money aside BEFORE you leave; the peace of mind is the point. Our hidden costs of van life list is the budget line nobody shows you, and camper van insurance for DIY conversions is the other half of the emergency plan.

2. Heating your van with propane

Propane heaters put moisture into the van. Most van lifers I know use either a gas or diesel heater or a propane heater like Mr. Buddy; a few run a wood stove or a hydronic system. The issue with propane is condensation, which means mold and damp bedding by February. A gas or diesel heater makes dry heat, which is better for the van and for you.

Two of the top-rated heaters are the Webasto Air Top Evo 40 and the Espar Airtronic AM3 B4L. Our full guide to the best diesel heaters for campervans covers sizing and installation. Whatever you burn, carbon monoxide is the real danger: a couple died in their campervan from a heater that looks almost identical to the ones many of us own. A detector costs less than a tank of gas.

3. Relying 100% on solar

Solar is not a complete power plan. Once you have bought the panels, batteries and inverter, your running costs fall close to zero, and I am a fan. But panels depend on weather and daylight, so a rainy region or a winter with short days runs you out of power fast: no lights, no fridge, nowhere to charge a phone. Have a second way in: charge from the engine while you drive, or plug in at a campground or a friend’s house. A portable power station is the simplest backup for a small build, and walkable panels solve the roof-space problem on a short van.

4. Overpacking

A converted van is tiny, so everything you bring has to earn its place, especially if there are two of you. It does not take much for a van to feel cluttered, and the weight adds up on the suspension. Items you were sure were essential end up gathering dust in a corner and making the space more stressful.

I still see first-timers bring every kitchen utensil they might need, then all the outdoor gear, because who knows whether they will be in the mood for mountain biking, surfing or kayaking. Buy multi-purpose things, and when something new comes in, something old goes out. Everything we actually keep in our van is in the van life essentials checklist.

5. Neglecting maintenance

Living in your van means more miles than a work vehicle and a load close to, or over, its payload, so maintenance comes due sooner than you think. On an older van, parts give out faster than the schedule says. Whether you use a shop or do it yourself, do the work BEFORE it is required. The cheapest repair is the one you make in a town with a parts store, not on a shoulder.

6. Not investing in the community

Van life gets lonely without other people, and the community is bigger than Instagram makes it look. Most people living in vans are not bloggers or influencers; they just prefer the lifestyle. Go to a gathering, join the Facebook groups, say yes when a neighbor at camp invites you over. Privacy becomes rare in a van anyway, and those conversations are where the best boondocking spots and the honest advice come from. Our guide to beating van life loneliness has the specifics.

7. Not renting a campervan before you buy

The most unfortunate mistake is spending tens of thousands of dollars and months of work on a build, then finding out you do not like the life. Van life is not for everybody, and it is not as dreamy as it looks online. Rent a van for a week or two first. You learn how the space feels, which amenities you actually need and what your deal-breakers are, and you can try two layouts before committing to one.

Outdoorsy is our favorite rental company, with vans across the U.S. including near the national parks; it works like Airbnb for campervans, and prices typically run $100 to $400 a day. Use the coupon code “waywardhome” for $50 off a conversion van rental.

8. Not researching local parking laws

Sleeping in your van is illegal in a lot of places, and the knock in the middle of the night is the way you find out. I have had it exactly once, in a gravel lot we had used for years that had been privatized without us noticing; the security guard could not have been nicer, and it still rattled me for an hour. Many cities ban overnight parking outright, so you either go stealthy or camp somewhere legal. Read the signs. And call the Walmart before you shut the engine off; more and more of them no longer allow overnight stays.

We have written the whole playbook since this article first ran: where to park a van overnight, every option from Walmart lots to BLM land; the 90-second script for when someone knocks; and the unwritten rules, including the city ones. The stealth camping guide covers the rest.

9. Underestimating your water supply

Water becomes a precious commodity the first week you boondock, and running out in the middle of nowhere is the mistake you only make once. How much you need depends on how often you shower, what you cook (soups and dried beans drink water) and how you wash dishes. Sponge baths, a spray bottle and paper towels for dishes stretch a tank a long way. We carry a lot of water because we like to shower: 10 gallons of drinking water plus a 25-gallon underbelly tank on our Sprinter.

10. Not following the weather

Weather dictates your whole life in a van, and ignoring the forecast makes it miserable. Van life is awful when it is too hot or too cold and you have no heating or cooling, which is us. A diesel heater or an air conditioner lets you go more places; without them you move. We do not like days of rain either, so when the forecast fills with it, we drive to a better climate. Most van lifers are migratory birds for a reason: we have movable homes. We typically spend summers in northern states like Oregon or Minnesota and winters in Arizona or Baja.

11. Not securing your van before driving

Something will fly off the counter the moment you pull out of camp. A cup, a spoon, a water bottle hits the floor and both of us jump every time. We try to remember to secure the cabin before we drive, and after years of van life things still move. Close the cabinets, latch the drawers, and make sure every bin is wedged so it cannot slide forward when you brake. Bins and packing cubes keep ours in place.

12. Not putting in a roof vent

A roof vent is one of the most important parts of a van build, and we have never gone without one. We installed a Fantastic Fan in our Chevy Astro and a Maxxair in our Sprinter. Both run two ways: one pulls outside air in, the other pushes inside air out. On hot nights we pull cool air in to sleep. While cooking we push the steam and the smell straight out, which is also how you keep condensation off the walls in winter.

13. Not getting an unlimited data plan

You will use far more data than you expect: campsite apps, maps, a hotspot for work, a show at night. We started on Google Fi and paid more than we should have every month for gigabytes. Now we both have the Visible wireless plan, $25 a month for unlimited talk, text and data, with a $45 tier that adds faster data and use in Mexico and Canada. For work from anywhere, cellular plus Starlink is the complete answer; here is what the Mini costs and when it is worth it.

14. Waiting too long

The last mistake is waiting for the perfect van, the perfect plan, the perfect time. I bought an old Astro, put a mattress in the back and left; everything I actually needed to know I learned on the road, not in the planning. A used minivan or a secondhand cargo van with a bed in it is a complete van. How to start van life is the step-by-step version, and the 11 honest truths are what the first year actually feels like.

What I would tell myself before the first night

Know where you are sleeping before dark. Set the emergency money aside. Carry more water than you think and less stuff than you want. Put in the vent. And go, because the mistakes on this list are survivable and the one that is not survivable is never leaving. If you want the harder lessons, the worst parts of van life, the 12 security mistakes and the build mistakes are the rest of the syllabus.

Questions new van lifers ask

Prices and plans checked October 2026.