[Atlantic]

“Passion is the love of turning being into action. It fuels the engine of creation. It changes concepts to experience…. Never deny passion, for that is to deny Who You Are, and Who You Truly Want To Be.” –Neale Donald Walsch

For the people who have followed my posts on the Oil Sand thread where I have been quite prolific about earning big bucks and working like a dog this thread will be representing my dramatic shift in lifestyle:

I am quitting drilling, selling a lot of my stuff, going to start working for myself or at least on my own terms and most dramatically I am going to start living in my van.

It won't happen all at once but I hope by the end of the summer to be living a very minimalistic lifestyle that maximises my personal freedom and happiness. Its been brewing a long time under the surface but I have now started to put my plans into action. I purchased something similar to this earlier this week:



My lease is nearly up in Edmonton and next week when the camper deal is finalised I hit the road for two months. Ill be driving down to New Orleans by myself initially while I start building the skillset needed to live out of a van and survive on the road. I know a girl who has a place where I can park it and use their showers and kitchen for the length of my stay. Using that as a home base I can come and go as I please on multiday road trips up and down the coast. I have done my fair share of surfing road trips but this will be the first time I will being living in a camper for an extended period of time.



Plan for the year:

Learn to get by on just the basics. While fancy stuff is nice I don't need it and I would rather have my money for extended surf trips and travel.


Move from drilling to a more independent location-free profession - most likely welding. I see this as the trade equivalent as quitting your office job and starting an online business. Although welding will initially mean a drop in pay it will allow me to travel for bigger blocks of time and hopefully mean that one day I can pick and choice my own work, run my own company and most importantly decide my own time off. Welding is also a handy skill for any country if things really hit the fan and I want to survive in some third world town.

I am not hating on drilling but I see how guys end up who do it for an extended period of time and that's not what I am about.


Health and well being. I am going to start learning to rely more on myself for life's essentials: growing food, catching fish, hunting, repairing stuff instead of endlessly buying new things etc. I want to start eating a lot better and doing things like yoga and meditation. I will still lift heavy and get my protein!



Why the change?

Since I have stopped drinking (thanks to the Lizard of Oz drink thread) I have gotten great clarity and have been on a bit of a soul search. I dug up some of the old and new posts by Roosh. Mike CF, Giovinny and lots of the other guys here. I started to picture a life where I was as free as possible, could travel, surf, experience nature and move around a lot. I started thinking back to all the old adventures I had on the road and the many people I have meet who lived in vans who really enjoyed the experience.

I did a lot of research a came across a whole sub culture of van life - search #vanlife. They share a lot of the same philosophy that we promote on here: health, freedom, travel, independence, unplugging from the matrix etc. I think its one way to live a location independent 'red pill life' while still remaining in the west. Plus it appeals to me on a core basis.

So I will be sure to keep everyone updated on what its like to live in a van and still pull young hot ass. So far I have quite a few tinder girls wanting to help me 'break it in'


As for how I am going to manage the Alberta winters:

I will get a storage unit for my regular truck that I can switch out when I want to go work. I will leave the camper somewhere warmer during the winter that I can fly to between jobs and try block my work as much as possible during the winter to avoid having to stay in hotels up here. Scotian seems well able to work 3-4 months straight and take large blocks of time to avoid paying rent in Edmonton. I will be using a similar approach.

[el mechanico]

That VW ran is going to ruin your experience buy a Chevy.

What was your old name?

[Atlantic]

Irishman.

I got a really cool old VW lined up. Runs great and is perfect for the surf bum lifestyle.

Forgot to mention you as to one of the people who's posts has highly influenced me.

Thanks man for all your advice on living on your own terms and doing it your own way.


Edit: good post detailing some of my background.

[RexImperator]

The freedom of that choice does have a certain appeal. However...it also makes me think of this:

"Motivational speaker Matt Foley talks to teens about living in a van down by the river. "

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4183

[Atlantic]

Can't watch that outside the states unfortunately.

Want to breakdown what it says?

My mind is made up though. This thread is more about outlining the experience to possibly motivate other people to make similar moves in becoming more free.

[el mechanico]

(03-11-2014 05:26 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  

Irishman.

I got a really cool old VW lined up. Runs great and is perfect for the surf bum lifestyle.

Forgot to mention you as to one of the people who's posts has highly influenced me.

Thanks man for all your advice on living on your own terms and doing it your own way.


Edit: good post detailing some of my background.

They're cool but they're also slow as fuck, get blown around in the wind, leak oil and break down. They do not have good heat an AC is no existent. If you take it to the next level (Mexico and beyond) you'll wish you didn't make that move but for tooling around Santa Cruz it's fine.

[attachment=17556]

Buy one of these

[Atlantic]

Appreciate the advice El mechanico.

Your right - a newer vehicle would have provided better comfort and more reliability.

As is this vehicle has less then 40k miles and has been garaged most of its life. It is a stepping stone vehicle to move towards the nomadic lifestyle.

Maybe down the line I will sell this and get a more hardcore travel van. Something with 4 wheel drive and a bit less conspicuous.

[el mechanico]

I hope you know how to work on it.

Anyway where are you going to start?

Here's our van thread..

http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-7153.html

[davyjose]

Might be doing something similar myself in the next few months, starting in Montreal. I'll be keeping an eye on your progress Atlantic.

PS Where you from back home?

[Veloce]

Atlantic I hope you're heeding El Mech's advice.

Busses are cool and the ultimate van to bang a chick in but they are notorious for everything he mentioned. I've known several people who have owned them (including my parents) and oil leaks and constant breakdowns are common at any mileage.

And they're slow as shit.

Like he said, if you're just tooling around a small town and not driving it very much and want to look cool, give it a shot. But forget taking it on any road trips or relying on it for anything.

[Atlantic]

(03-11-2014 06:05 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

Atlantic I hope you're heeding El Mech's advice.

Busses are cool and the ultimate van to bang a chick in but they are notorious for everything he mentioned. I've known several people who have owned them (including my parents) and oil leaks and constant breakdowns are common at any mileage.

And they're slow as shit.

Like he said, if you're just tooling around a small town and not driving it very much and want to look cool, give it a shot. But forget taking it on any road trips or relying on it for anything.

Ya I hear ye both.

I am aware this vehicle isn't practical for continuous roadtrips. I am driving it south, parking it up most of the time and driving it back. When things progress I will sell it and get a more hardcore van.
I appreciate your advice and concern.

I have already bought this one (it is better then the one pictured and in great condition) so I will have to stick with it for now.

Hopefully I am not posting 'where to find a good mechanic in Texas' style threads next week haha

[Atlantic]

(03-11-2014 05:58 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

I hope you know how to work on it.

Anyway where are you going to start?

Here's our van thread..

http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-7153.html

haha we have a van bang thread? Class

I will keep this updated.

I got to run out but I will sure to keep this updated on my adventures.

Again man thanks for the advice and I know I am being slightly reckless but that's what a couple of months north does to you...

[rudebwoy]

Cool as fuck but will it make the trip down south!

[Grit]

I've considered this. I go camping a good bit, and i would suggest making sure you have a really good way to make yourself a workspace, be it custom cabinetry, portable furniture, etc. You will crave a space to be productive, editing video, making stuff, repair shop, browsing rooshvforum, etc. When christmas comes, i get depressed to get gifts, if you gave me drawstring stuff sacks, releaseable zip ties, and rubbermaid actionpacker boxes, i would cry tears of joy.

P.S. saw a dude camping in a local lowes parking lot in a van. He had the curtains drawn but i could see he was watching a movie. Looked cozy.

His bumper sticker said http://rvwestfalia.com/

[Suits]

[RexImperator]

^^^ Suits found a quick clip that gives you the basic idea

[Parlay44]

Good luck man and please check in once in a while to update us. You should get a gym membership at a nationwide chain so you use their showers as you travel. It's a small monthly cost.

[WanderingSoul]

Unlimited supply of young hot ass.



Good luck man, sounds like an adventure.

[RexImperator]

As far as vans go, I think this would be cool

[Fujiwara]

Irishman, can you perform your own work on cars?

I'm a big Subaru/VW fan, and the thought of a Subaru-powered Type 2 gets me excited. Pretty much every modern Subaru engine has been installed into the air-cooled VWs. You could put in an EJ22, have decent power and drive it 'til the wheels fall off, or you could put in a WRX engine and really blow some minds when they get smoked by a breadbox...

Example: http://www.carscoops.com/2008/04/volkswa...ubaru.html

Of course, this goes against the bit about living on necessities, but I'd say that having a vehicle that can get out of its own way is somewhat important.

[CaP7]

As someone who has lived out of a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2004 GMC Explorer Conversion van for extended periods, you need to think a little harder about the VW. It's very conspicuous to sleep out of it. If you close the curtains and park it near someone's house, the cops will show up.

Make your life easier and take the necessary steps to blend in to society. You can live the hippie life, but don't get hung up on hippie style.

[germanico]

(03-11-2014 05:49 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  

As is this vehicle has less then 40k miles and has been garaged most of its life. It is a stepping stone vehicle to move towards the nomadic lifestyle.

The newest VW camper should be around 25 by now.

If its mint and really has 40k miles, sell it to collector and use the extra cash to pimp out your new van.

[Atlantic]

(03-11-2014 08:10 PM)Grit Wrote:  

I've considered this. I go camping a good bit, and i would suggest making sure you have a really good way to make yourself a workspace, be it custom cabinetry, portable furniture, etc. You will crave a space to be productive, editing video, making stuff, repair shop, browsing rooshvforum, etc. When christmas comes, i get depressed to get gifts, if you gave me drawstring stuff sacks, releaseable zip ties, and rubbermaid actionpacker boxes, i would cry tears of joy.

P.S. saw a dude camping in a local lowes parking lot in a van. He had the curtains drawn but i could see he was watching a movie. Looked cozy.

His bumper sticker said http://rvwestfalia.com/

Ya I definetly want to get into some video and photo editing and have a little workspace set up to work on some projects.

Checked out that website.

A website that I would really recommend and that is inspiring me to live a new type of life is Korduroy TV.

Check out the amazing health section:

http://www.korduroy.tv/shows/health-nuts/

D-I-Y not? section:

http://www.korduroy.tv/shows/d-i-why-not/

[Atlantic]

(03-12-2014 12:11 AM)Fujiwara Wrote:  

Irishman, can you perform your own work on cars?

I'm a big Subaru/VW fan, and the thought of a Subaru-powered Type 2 gets me excited. Pretty much every modern Subaru engine has been installed into the air-cooled VWs. You could put in an EJ22, have decent power and drive it 'til the wheels fall off, or you could put in a WRX engine and really blow some minds when they get smoked by a breadbox...

Example: http://www.carscoops.com/2008/04/volkswa...ubaru.html

Of course, this goes against the bit about living on necessities, but I'd say that having a vehicle that can get out of its own way is somewhat important.

I can do some of the basics like changing a tyre and oil changes but I am definitely not proficient.

That sounds like a lot of fun though. Down the line if I like this camper I might look at beefing it up for more adventures. My best bet though is probably to sell it at a profit and work on a new project camper over the winter that can handle longer roadtrips a but better.

[Atlantic]

(03-12-2014 12:23 AM)CaP7 Wrote:  

As someone who has lived out of a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2004 GMC Explorer Conversion van for extended periods, you need to think a little harder about the VW. It's very conspicuous to sleep out of it. If you close the curtains and park it near someone's house, the cops will show up.

Make your life easier and take the necessary steps to blend in to society. You can live the hippie life, but don't get hung up on hippie style.

Can you tell me more about your adventures?

In New Orleans I have off street parking for it and if I go on any weekend trips Ill use 'camper friendly' spots like the beach to rock up.

I have also been studying the art of being incognito.

(03-12-2014 01:57 AM)germanico Wrote:  

(03-11-2014 05:49 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  

As is this vehicle has less then 40k miles and has been garaged most of its life. It is a stepping stone vehicle to move towards the nomadic lifestyle.

The newest VW camper should be around 25 by now.

If its mint and really has 40k miles, sell it to collector and use the extra cash to pimp out your new van.

Its got around 35k and only one owner since new. All parts are original too except for a retro fitted sound system which I don't mind.

It should be able to turn a profit as long as doesn't experience a mechanical meltdown.