Van Life: Winter Edition- Our Thoughts, Tips, and Tricks

 Hey Y'all!

Welcome to winter!

So, because of doctor's appointments, holiday's, etc. we've been sticking around NE Tennessee this winter. It's our first true winter in the van, since we didn't go Full Time until mid February 2024. 

What are our thoughts, tips, and tricks? Glad ya asked!

Weather? As you'll see in the pictures the weather can change a lot in the winter, especially here in NE Tennessee. We've had day's in the mid 50s and slightly above, and days it didn't really reach much above 20 (degrees F) for the day.

How do we fill our days?

We've adapted pretty quickly, and learned we really like winter nature watching, and hiking.

Neither of us are going to shout a love for winter from the mountain tops, but there is a quiet beauty to it all that we have grown to love this past month or so.

Some days though, we just really don't want to get out in it... On those days we watch the nature unfold from the warmth and comfort of the van. 

We catch up on blogging, and social media posts, we read, as well as watch YouTube and other streaming services. (Goosebumps series, Disney+, is turning out better than we thought.) We also play PC games, and just hang out, Chris works on coding, Amanda crafts. We play on our phones, and work on our Work Kamp resume(s):

*Please do not call us unless you are a potential employer. 

You can DM us on any social media, or email us anytime. Thanks!*

On days that are nice enough we also explore the areas around us... and indulge in a local treat or two:

If we're not exploring nature, and the areas around us we're doing "normal" things- like preparing food, reorganizing the garage, and cleaning up the van, doing laundry or other household type tasks and errands.

Food? What are we eating, and how?

Other than the absence of a freezer, and that we cook almost exclusively outdoors in all weather/seasons we eat better than before. Maybe partly because summer camping type foods aren't as readily available, and really they aren't that great. 

We take the time now to make good foods more often, and don't rely on the quick heavily processed items. We cook on propane, so staying warm while cooking is easy if dressed accordingly. Not all our meals require cooking though. For example lunch today was a vegetable tray, crab dip, and sandwiches- all made from the comfort of the van.

Dinner last night:

 

Breakfast:

Attire?

A bit of common sense here will go a long way. When we're inside we're typically in long sleeves, and lounge pants. Outside for any extended period of time, we bundle up... Gloves, hat, jacket, etc. 

What about at night? We have our sheet and comforter set, a quilt, and a weighted fleece blanket. At times we get a bit too warm, and shut off the heat for a few hours, and turn it back on when we wake up and let it run for a little bit.

TIPS:

1) It's supposed to be fun, and enjoyable- whatever that looks like for you is always number one.

2) Layers for outside activities! We recently purchase some fleece lined hats at Dollar Tree that added a whole extra element for warmth. Good wind resistant top layers help too. Amanda likes to double up on the pants, then she adds her gloves and jacket and stays toasty. Chris doubles up on the gloves since his hands are always cold. A good pair of insulated (and waterproof) boots is also a good idea! 

3) Comfortable bedding is a must. If you can't get a good night sleep it's no longer enjoyable. We love our foam mattress, combined with the bedding we mentioned above. Some like to add in a wool blanket, or sleeping bags.

4) Heat! On these nights it's been in the teens our heater has been a must. We have two. One is electric- just a little space heater that has all the safety features one may need and a few fan settings- nothing fancy. The other is propane, and we use it on the nights we aren't enjoying the pleasure of an electric hook up. (Our solar set up can only handle the electric heater for about 6hrs. We never intended to run it on this set up.) Why not a diesel heater? We don't see where we'd put one in, between the space we'd need to carve out for something we'd use maybe 30 days out of the year, and admittedly we don't know enough about them to continue, plus the storage of said diesel and holes needing drilled into the van... that was a no for us.

5) Make sure you've done all the winter maintenance on your vehicle. Check your fluids, air your tires, make sure all your heating system(s) are in good working order. Check all your seals, inspect your battery. Add in some emergency gear if you don't already carry it- flares, spares, a shovel, etc.

Want more tips? Let us know in the comments below!

Thanks,

The Outlands