Part time living in a camper?

[SDDiver5]

Anyone do it?

I have a great opportunity to start a program through work that would allow me to greatly improve my book.

So here's the deal. My gf and I own a house. We bought it last year unaware that this opportunity would come up. The program is for 1 year and it will be in Irvine, CA. We live in Pacific Beach, CA and if I were to commute it would be about 1 hour and 45 mins without traffic. With traffic it could be up to 2 hours and 30 mins, at least. I have my F-150, which doesn't like to commute very much. I don't want to get a rental due to the mileage of the commute. To be honest, I don't even want to make the commute on a daily basis.

So here's my idea...buy an older 3/4 ton truck (or something similar) and throw on a camper and live out of that. My initial thoughts are be at my house Friday night to Monday morning and make the commute up. Stay somewhere with my camper Monday night to Thursday night and leave work early on Friday to make the commute back down. There is a 24 hour fitness conveniently located right across from the office so I could shower there in the mornings after a workout.

Now bare with me, I have never even been in a truck camper. Just seen pics. Is this even do able or practical? I think it would be ************ and prob a little more cost effective than renting a place close by. Rent starts around $850 in the area my the office and I would hate to have to pay rent and a mortgage. Also, I will wear a suit mon-fri and will have to be presentable. I will be working at least 10 hours a day so wont really need a TV or internet or any of those types of conveniences. If I were to commute every day it would take up at least 3-4 hours of my day.

Still not sure if I would do a hard sided camper or a pop up. I think a hard sided camper, in this case, would be more practical...

So, any thoughts or advice? Please don't tell me it was dumb to buy the house (great price and ocean view) or I should break up with the gf or any other BS comment that won't be useful to me.

All helpful thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[fog cutter]

trailer & leave it on-site for a year? sell it or give away at the end?

 

[plh]

Boondocking, lots of people do it. Finding a place to park every day could be an issue...

 

[SDDiver5]

Thanks for the responses.

Not sure what I would do after the one year. If I like it I imagine I would keep it and use it to go camping with... But most likely I'd sell it afterwards.

Finding a place to park might be an issue but it's an industrial area so I should be able to find some parking somewhere...or cut a deal with a local business owner and park there for a night??...There's always Wal Mart!

 

[dlh62c]

It's doable. When shopping for any used camper, being a trailer or a truck camper, make sure you inspect it for water leaks. Fixing interior water damage can be an overwhelming task.

 

[SDDiver5]

Awesome thanks for the tip!

I hadn't even thought about a pull behind camper. Why get a 3/4 truck when my truck could pull a camper...Duh.

 

[GordigearUSA]

You might look into a Roof Top tent. Would fit nicely on your rig and quick to open and close. You could keep the bedding, blankets and pillows folded in the RTT. Might be a great fit for what you are trying to do.

 

[jgardiner]

You might look into a Roof Top tent. Would fit nicely on your rig and quick to open and close. You could keep the bedding, blankets and pillows folded in the RTT. Might be a great fit for what you are trying to do.

Too obvious for this application. With a fixed wall camper you can't tell if it's occupied or just parked.

 

[plh]

Thanks for the responses.

There's always Wal Mart!

Or is it?
http://www.walmartlocator.com/no-park-walmarts-in-california/

 

[SDDiver5]

You might look into a Roof Top tent. Would fit nicely on your rig and quick to open and close. You could keep the bedding, blankets and pillows folded in the RTT. Might be a great fit for what you are trying to do.

I thought about that and I would consider it if I had a designated place to be at everynight like a campsite.

 

[calicamper]

Just get a shell looking cap for your F150 you need to keep a low profile a RV looking camper on the truck isn't very stealthy. Socal isn't exactly ideal for boon docking either. I had a co worker living out of a F350 with a huge Camper on it in the Bay Area for years. He would park the truck in the north 40 back parking lot in the mornings after gym and shower etc. Then evenings he would move over to a 1 story garage with a large ramp to the top level which was never used after 5pm and park dead center, basically no one knew he was there. He did that for three years. Weekends he would head to the coast camp out and surf. Last I heard he had purchased property up in the PNW and had built a home and was consulting.

My wife does a 55 mile commute though we bought a Ford plugin hybrid and got the HOV lane sticker. 89mpg is typical with the plugin charged up 40mpg with it not charged. The HOV lane sticker keeps her commute to about an hour and 20 minutes, but if she leaves late its a 2hr mess. She travels a bunch and isn't at the office all the time so its not a daily grind day after day.

 

[calicamper]

Another idea just rent a room in the area $400 -$500 a month when your done with the job no big deal.

 

[1leglance]

For what you need....stealth...
Here is my order..
Craigslist box van, cheap and almost invisible
Step van like fedex, ups or other places uses...also almost invisible
Sprinter...see above
Conversion van or other normal size van, also plenty of space a

Most of all you want the pass-through aspect. Getting out of a drivers door and entering the back of a truck camper gets you noticed and puts you in the weather.
Getting up from a drivers seat and moving back while INSIDE your vehicle is stealth.

Already converted for $4k
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/5244770196.html

No emissions req'd
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/5246742953.html

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/5258402875.html

 

[SDDiver5]

CaliCamper- If there was an HOV lane going south I would definitely do that. Unfortunately, the HOV lane stops before the really bad traffic hits. Its a work in progress.

1leglance- I hadn't really thought about a box van like that and its 1/2 the price of a truck camper...and I like the pass through idea...Kinda creepy tho haha.

 

[fog cutter]

if you had a trailer, maybe you could convince a local business to let you park in their lot, run a cord through a window, and just provide overnight presence Chief Unser style?