Hey Hi Howdy

FuzzWantsABus · 09-27-2016, 08:36 AM

Heya, all! I'm a total skoolie noob, but I'm here to learn and ask (at least) a billion questions. I'll do my best to search the forums before I ask a question, and I'm looking forward to learning a lot!

I know absolutely nothing about the mechanics of busses (or any vehicle, really). I mean, I can change the oil and a flat tire and top off the fluids and change a headlight, but I have read some of the forum posts and talk of 455s and 357s and timing chains and turbos and Allisons and.....Is completely over my head.

I know a little bit about building, but not very much about that either. I built a large shed (12x14) from the ground up this summer with the help of a good friend, so I at least know some of the principles of building, but a bus is a good deal more complicated.

I'm mostly here to find out if a skoolie is a good option for me, or if getting into one is going to be way over my head.

My reasons for wanting to get into a skoolie are many, but my primary purpose is for full time living. I am a single person with two cats and a small dog, and a decent full time job. I LOVE to travel, and to be able to take my house anywhere I go would be awesome. If I do a converstion, I will also be planning on towing my '17 Suby Forester on a trailer for more flexibility. If I didn't have a house payment, it would give me a lot more freedom in what I do for money on a regular basis.

There's some stuff going on in my personal life (crazy ex husband) that makes not having a permanent address very attractive as well.

Anyway, that's some stuff about me. Looking forward to seeing what I can learn!

SDR76 · 09-27-2016, 05:59 PM

Welcome from Utah.

Jolly Roger · 09-27-2016, 06:17 PM

Hello from NC.
Tear out the seats put a fouton and a small charcoal grill in it a hitch for the trailer.
Load up and go as far as your money and dreams can/will take you.
Biggest thing is to enjoy life and have fun while you can?
Ain't gonna say no more?
Good luck

dredman · 09-27-2016, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

Hello from NC.
Tear out the seats put a fouton and a small charcoal grill in it a hitch for the trailer.
Load up and go as far as your money and dreams can/will take you.
Biggest thing is to enjoy life and have fun while you can?
Ain't gonna say no more?
Good luck

x10

I will only add, you CAN do the above, and add comforts and conveniences as you go, as I stop at Home Depot regularly for modifications and additions. I love remodeling in fantastic locations!!

FuzzWantsABus · 09-27-2016, 07:13 PM

Thanks all, for the vote of confidence and the life advice. I suffer somewhat from being a bit of an over-thinker. If I can't plan it out in advance and see if it makes sense for me, I'm not very good at committing. Admittedly, this means sometimes I miss out on great opportunities. I'm getting better, and maybe doing a project like this will be the next step in deciding "who I want to be when I grow up."

Regardless of my ultimate decision, I know that hanging out here for a while is going to teach me a lot! Thanks for being open, welcoming, and friendly.

SDR76 · 09-27-2016, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuzzWantsABus

I'm getting better, and maybe doing a project like this will be the next step in deciding "who I want to be when I grow up."

I Think you'll find most people here, myself included are STILL trying to figure out that whole "when i grow up" thing..... Ive been trying my whole life, and still no clue!!

Yellow_Submarine · 09-27-2016, 08:22 PM

Hey @Fuzzwantsabus, I'm a noob in the community to and I first started to get interested in alternate living styles a few years ago when me and my wife split up. I had a mortgage a full time decent paying job with all the benefits two car payments and it was killing me. I think when people say "growing up" they really mean giving in to society and becoming a slave to the "American dream" I learned that life ain't for me. I am looking at buying a bus and converting it myself. I would like to eventually make it an off grid and comfy. I'm glad to see another noob thinking about alternative living. Let me know how your doing, maybe we can exchange info if figure something's out.

FuzzWantsABus · 09-27-2016, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDR76

I Think you'll find most people here, myself included are STILL trying to figure out that whole "when i grow up" thing..... Ive been trying my whole life, and still no clue!!

Haha! It's a journey, not a destination, right??

FuzzWantsABus · 09-27-2016, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellow_Submarine

Hey @Fuzzwantsabus, I'm a noob in the community to and I first started to get interested in alternate living styles a few years ago when me and my wife split up. I had a mortgage a full time decent paying job with all the benefits two car payments and it was killing me. I think when people say "growing up" they really mean giving in to society and becoming a slave to the "American dream" I learned that life ain't for me. I am looking at buying a bus and converting it myself. I would like to eventually make it an off grid and comfy. I'm glad to see another noob thinking about alternative living. Let me know how your doing, maybe we can exchange info if figure something's out.

Hey YellowSubmarine! I'm right there with you. I've been pretty "conventional" the last 20 years, and all I've really decided is that I'd rather not be. But, TBH, I'm also afraid of what life might be like if it is unconventional! What if I quit my job to go live in a bus, and then I hate it?

I feel like things in my life are gently encouraging me to try it and find out....And I also believe that if I don't respond to "gentle encouragement," that life might just kick me in the seat of the pants to push me into it, whether I think I'm ready or not!

Anyway, here's to journeys, growth, and unconventional living!

SDR76 · 09-27-2016, 08:54 PM

This thread is becoming a life lesson instead of a greeting... You're all right too. It is the journey, not the destination! Looking back on my life, the most miserable times of life was when I was "towing the line" based on societal rules. Life is too short to settle.
Quit your job and live in a bus and hate it?? What if you LOVE it? And the thing about jobs, they are everywhere..... Mind you, I am saying this with a HUGE grain of salt. I'm very engrained into a "good" job and life. Yet, where is the wonder? the fulfillment?

FuzzWantsABus · 09-27-2016, 08:58 PM

Who doesn't like a good life lesson every now and then?? I agree with you, SDR76, that there are jobs everywhere. I don't mind shoveling poop or mopping floors or whatever. If I don't have a mortgage payment to make, I don't have to be as picky with the work I choose. Anyway, I love that places like this forum exist so that people like you and I and YellowSubmarine can dare to reach for our dreams.

SDR76 · 09-27-2016, 09:05 PM

Its the reaching is "in process". I have a bad case of wanderlust; and the dreaming never stops. For the record, life lessons are way better than welcome cards.

"I'd rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any City on Earth."
----Steve McQueen....

Carytowncat · 09-27-2016, 10:41 PM

Welcome! How funny i was just thinking the other day how nice it is that i can be incognito in the bus. The bus is a "No drama zone" A sanctuary if you will.
And for the first time in 11 years it's finally $#&*$@ QUIET!

The secret for me was to keep my build simple. i basically brought all the stuff from my apartment to the bus and set it up. I added solar, a coleman stove, a few rugs, window blinds, and two nice locks on the doors. Pretty simple and pretty delughtful too.

Good luck, whatever unfolds!

FuzzWantsABus · 09-28-2016, 07:53 AM

Sounds like the way to go to me, Carytowncat!

Love that you have a place of refuge.

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