His little “How-To Guide” focuses on how to live a cheaper, lighter existence while still being independent. He discusses van conversions, boondocking, workamping, financial freedom, traveling with pets and children, safety and cleanliness issues, how to choose a vehicle, overcoming your fears, living on a boat, homesteading and working while on the road. He also shows how living a life on a $500 to $1,000 a month budget is possible.

Some of his fellow nomads discuss how they took the leap:

On a fateful day in 2006, I was struck by an idea so powerful that I stood up from my desk, walked to the personnel department and resigned. I would sell my house, the extra cars, all that important “stuff” and live on a boat with my family, and travel the seas as a free man.

Captain Keith of the Kismet

After 22 years of working at the Post Office, I was tired of not being happy with my job or my life and knew I had to do something. I remembered those happy days traveling in the travel trailer and was sure I could be happy again. I already owned my 1983 VW Westphalia, so it was the obvious choice when I decided to downsize. I wasn’t sure exactly how I would do it, or how long I could stand living in a van, but I knew it had to be better than the life I was living. I am delighted to say it has been 2 years now and I have no desire to go back to a more conventional life.

Barb Cotton

Photos courtesy of Cheap RV Living

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Thompson faces eviction from his 38 acres in Madison County. The county lawyer tells 24-Hour News 8 it’s because Thompson is breaking too many rules, laws and ordinances; Thompson has no water, no sewer and no electricity in his recreational trailer that he calls home.

Source: Brad Edwards – WishTV8

I’ve been investigating little houses and got to thinking about the trailer my father built in 1937. He was an electrician working for a contracting company in Rapid City, SD, in the 1930s. His company was taking on new construction jobs assigning him as foreman. Some of them were government jobs as the country prepared in case the problems in Europe overflowed to the US. One job was for a Naval installation in the middle of South Dakota, if you can believe that.

The problem was that these jobs were going to take my dad away from home and into the surrounding states of North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska for extended periods of time.

My older brother was an infant and my dad didn’t want to leave his wife and young son behind seeing them only every couple of months. Remember, this was the late 1930s and people didn’t drive hundreds of miles just for the weekend. Being a practical fellow, he built a tiny house on wheels.

At that time there were several magazines that printed plans for various projects. Mechanics Illustrated and Popular Mechanics had plans for all sorts of projects in every issue. I loved reading those magazines when I was growing up in the late 1940s and ‘50s. All the projects were fun to read about and learn from. They also had ads for plans you could purchase from third parties. I assume that my dad got plans from such a source. He may then have modified the plans if he thought of ways to do things better.

The trailer base that he used was probably about six feet wide by about ten feet long. He built the ends so they bowed out. My mother’s grandfather, who was a builder, always said that my dad had lost space by not extending the trailer bed and having straight ends to the trailer. My dad maintained that he had a certain sized trailer and had increased space by making the bowed ends. In addition to a few small windows, it had two vents in the roof to help release heat in the summer.

My parents and brother moved into this tiny space in January 1938. They traveled to various towns in the five-state area, living in that trailer until late 1939.

The kitchen end contained a small oven that was just big enough to bake a chicken or a nine-inch square cake as that size pan would just fit in it to make dessert but my mom could only bake one thing at a time. There was also a small little heating stove on which she could put a teakettle but that would only have been used during the winter. We think the oven and the heat stove may have been fueled by kerosene. She may have had an electric hot plate to put a pan or teakettle on to use during hot weather.

The dining room and bedroom were at the other end of the trailer and were the same space. The table folded down to the same level as the benches on either side. The bench cushions then folded toward the center to make a mattress for the night.

There was some sort of crib arrangement for my brother but I can’t figure out where it was or just how it worked other than the side had a screen door hook on the end near the top to hook it to the wall.

I don’t know if there was a bathroom of any sort in this trailer but maybe not. I don’t believe there was any provision for running water so perhaps they always parked it in a place where there were bathroom facilities.

My dad told about one location where some teenaged boys walked by regularly and sometimes would pull the plug from their power source. After they had done that several times, he wired the plug so that the next kid who tried it got a pretty good shock. Needless to say, they didn’t do that again. But, over the next few days, he did see them hanging around and pointing– probably spreading the word to their friends.

In 1939, when my sister arrived, the family moved up to a larger, Covered Wagon brand commercial trailer and later, when two more of us came along, they bought a house. When I was about three, my parents bought a small house in a rural village east of Rapid City. My dad had grown up there and we had our grandparents, two aunts, and ten cousins on nearby ranches. We lived there for a number of years. My dad started his own business of “farm modernization”, wiring houses and farm and ranch buildings as the REA took electrical lines into the country.

The car in the photos is a 1933 Pontiac that my mother had before my parents were married.

What makes this camper unique is not only the style (polished wood fittings, teak floors, porcelain sinks and chrome faucets), but that fact that the trailer portion can be dismantled and be used as a guest room or a tiny house. Each unit includes a bed, kitchen and eating space, a small bathroom and storage for bicycles. They also include a large water tank, a combination boiler with hot water and heating system, an on-board battery, a spacious fridge with freezer and a gas stove.

The Tonke Campers cost around €45.000 ($60,000) for the unit and €80.000 ($110,000) for the complete vehicle.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

In this video, faircompanies’ blogger Bakari Kafele (biodiesel hauling from our site and from his Bio-Diesel Hauling business) invited us into his 150-square-foot home, an RV in Oakland (California), where the appliances are designed to save energy and water: in a month, he uses about 500 gallons of water and 40kwh of electricity.

Via Kirsten at faircompanies.com

The house is 8 feet by 12 feet, weighs 3,600 pounds, and has cathedral ceilings to fit Robert’s 6 foot 6 inch frame. It has a bead-board ceiling, true divided light windows, a cedar shingle roof, oak threshold, pine floors, queen sized bed up on a platform, and a closet. The house has what Robert calls a “non-integrated” kitchen: a small refrigerator, a wood shelf and a hot plate. Because the kitchen is not built into the house Robert said it has the opportunity to move and change.

When traveling or living in the truck house Robert and Susan utilized alternative and environmental solutions for personal care, toilet, and solar shower, brought in power and phone from their tree-mounted service lines. In winter, the local health club happily accommodated them by charging $1.00 a shower.

“It’s the most magical and cozy retreat,” Susan said. She added that it also makes a great meditation house.

Robert said that he appreciates the excellent craftsmanship of boat design and likes to have a place for everything and everything in its place. He gave the tiny truck house a nautical theme with white paint, white bead-board, dark blue bedding and a clean “Cape Cod” style.

As a carpenter, Robert has also taken the truck house out to job sites while he works. He mentions to clients that his little house is better built than most large homes. He adds that the little truck house is a combination of Henry David Thoreau and Martha Stewart: minimal and tasteful.

Robert is happy to take orders to build a custom truck house, or any small house for tiny house lovers. He is willing to sell this truck house to a potential buyer. If you are interested, please contact Robert or Susan at follyfolio (at) gmail.com, or leave a phone message at 978 369-6119 with your interest.

Photos courtesy of Susan and Robert O’Neil. No reproduction without permission.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Facebook Fan Page: We Can Do It! Women Who Camp with a Teardrop, Tent or Trailer

Camp Like a Girl

The Beehive Cottage

The Vintage Housewife

Cute as Pie Cottage

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Here is what Alfred has to say about it: It’s very light and supposedly 98% recyclable. No prices on the site, but from other places on the web where they are for sale, figure $10-15,000., which is not bad, considering. The company has been around for a while (and I have seen their pop-ups which are pretty nice). For me, the big plus as opposed to Scamp, etc., is the interiors are a lot less cheesy.

Here is how the company introduces the Camplite:

This revolutionary ultra-lightweight camper can be towed by a number of full size sedans, nearly every minivan, and even the Jeep Wrangler! Constructed of only aluminum and composites, the Camplite is 98% recyclable! While other trailers made of steel and wood are cutting back on their structure in order to save weight – most still tip the scales between 3,500 and 4,500 lbs.

The Camplite is a true lightweight weighing in at a feathery 1,500 lbs. So another alternative to a teardrop or other lightweight retro trailer. To learn more go to the QuickSilver website.

Each trailer is 12 feet long and weighs 1,200 pounds. They are custom made with hand built oak and birch walls and cabinets. The Vintage Trailer Crazy design team will consult with you to create your custom Woodie Love Bug. These trailers are built new from the ground up, but use VIN numbers from vintage 1930-1950 trailers. Over 500 man-hours go into the production of each little trailer. They cost around $12,500 and Dayton told me that they sell a lot of them, primarily because of the popularity of smaller trailers.

Each trailer contains a small kitchen area with plenty of storage including a charger and converter cabinet, a dining booth which converts into a double bed, and holding tanks for fresh and gray water which are stored under the sink along with the battery. A propane tank and hookup is available on the front of the trailer and a storage cabinet is located on the back. Vintage style windows and doors add to the details.

Included in each trailer:

• New heavy-duty frame with torsion bar suspension
• 12 volt battery or 110 volt for power
• DVD/CD entertainment center
• “Smart” battery charger / converter from 110v to 12v
• 2-burner propane stove
• Stainless steel sink with running water
• 12 volt fridge
• Solid wood flooring

Trailer options:

• Air conditioner/heater combo
• Interior/exterior color schemes: red and white, turquoise and white or black and white
• Hitch / propane tank painted to match tow vehicle
• Exotic woods (like birds eye maple)
• 1950’s black and white tile, vintage “Boomerang” or “Cracked Ice” counter/table Formica
• 1950′s Diner style aluminum table/counter edge trim
• Matching awning

For more information contact Dayton Taylor at Vintage Trailer Crazy.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

SylvanSport GO – reinventing how we carry gear and camp from the ground up.

GO light. At 800 lbs. GO can be towed by almost any vehicle out there. This efficient ‘backpack on wheels’ allows you to have the benefits of an RV without the gas credit card.

This is the most unique camping and travel trailer you’ll ever find. The GO was designed from the frame out to be a one-of-a-kind mobile adventure trailer that’s even more versatile than a Swiss Army knife. It’s lightweight and easy to manage in the parking lot, garage or on the road. Weighing in at 800 lbs, the GO can be pulled by even the smallest cars.

Beyond its beautiful surface you’ll find that no design element was left untouched. The tent sets up in minutes and stows cleanly into the roof’s storage box. It also comes equipped with a weather-tight gear box that locks to keep your weekend camping essentials secure and ready for whenever you go. See how easy by watching the video below.