Re: C40's Journal
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 9:41 am
+1 giskard questions
---the more you know, the less you pay
https://forum.earlyretirementextreme.com/
https://forum.earlyretirementextreme.com/viewtopic.php?t=1344
Thank you . I promise I will.giskard wrote:@C40
I have been following you on Instagram lately, man you are shooting some great photos. Really super inspiring stuff! Superbly motivating too! Please keep that stuff coming!
So I have some questions for you about van dwelling life. I'm like 2 or 3 years away from where you are financially, but I could do it a bit sooner if I could freelance some on the road. And by freelance I mean I will need my computer and desk and good internet connection with quiet to concentrate. I have some steady clients and I can charge a good rate, but I'm just worried about working out of a van on the road if I really need to get some work done. Also, sometimes I need to quickly remote into a server and reboot or it something at literally any time of the day (and I need a good connection to do this).
What do you think are the challenges around trying to do this? Do you think it is feasible in a van / RV setting? Just want to hear your thoughts about trying to do internet heavy work on the road.
+1 on Verizon for western USA coverage. There is no substitute outside the cities.C40 wrote: Ok, first, if you're going to travel outside of cities in the western U.S., get coverage on Verizon's network. They have the best coverage out there by far. In cities, others would work just as well.
With 4G, the problem is that:
- The data is metered a lot. If you have an "unlimited" plan (which may not even be possible to get right now with Verizon, I'm not sure), your data will get metered down to 3G or maybe even 2G after you use a fairly small amount (Like 10 or 20 gigs... I don't know for sure). If you need a lot of fast data, you're fucked there.
Holy crap 800 ms ping? That would tremendously noticeable and annoying if you are shelled into a remote server.George the original one wrote:C40 wrote: The satellite has better throughput than 4G, but you can't use VPN, there's an 800+ millisecond ping, and the signal is blocked by heavy rain & snow. Other satellite problems are they drift off the antenna alignment and can be oversubscribed, particularly in the evening hours and on weekends.
48000 mile roundtrip via satellite.giskard wrote:Holy crap 800 ms ping? That would tremendously noticeable and annoying if you are shelled into a remote server.George the original one wrote: The satellite has better throughput than 4G, but you can't use VPN, there's an 800+ millisecond ping, and the signal is blocked by heavy rain & snow. Other satellite problems are they drift off the antenna alignment and can be oversubscribed, particularly in the evening hours and on weekends.
A van like mine could fit a bit more depending on panel sizes and if/where you put a roof vent fan. Probably about 600 wats is the absolute max. In some situations, using a generator would be much simpler than building a whole solar/battery eletcric system. A generator would work really well for, say, using a desktop computer for power-hungry tasks, but not at all well (on it's own) for something like running a fridge compressor whenever needed around the clock. If one really wanted to run a high power desktop and also a small fridge, the right setup would probably be a small solar/battery system (like 100 or 200 watts solar and as little as 50ah 12v battery), and a small generatorgiskard wrote: I didn't even think about power but I suppose that is an issue. I read somewhere that most 15 inch laptops draw around 50 watts on average. I also read that Macbook Airs will draw 5 watts idle and 20-30 watts under load so maybe it would be good go with a very low power consumption device to stretch out the battery life some more. Plus you can always get more solar panels right? Or do you think 400 watts of panels are about the most you can put on a van?
I don't know Arizona well but I liked Flagstaff and Sedona. There's excellent mountain biking in Sedona starting right in town.Also, do you know Arizona well? Where else should I go?
Yes. But it's not before starting my IRA conversion. I won't count the conversion as income because it's just moving money between accounts. I count any and all income as income whether it's in a retirement account or not.
Thank you. I never ever get tired of photo compliments. Yeah, that white spot is my van.
Thanks. I'll add these to my list. I really have not done a good job at researching/finding the more spectacular places in the region, so these help. I should get more on it but for some reason I've been especially lazy with my location research. I suppose some of it is because it's been easy to find spots that feel good enough, and the rest is just laziness...Gilberto de Piento wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2017 9:00 am... I liked Flagstaff and Sedona. There's excellent mountain biking in Sedona starting right in town.
In Flagstaff I'd recommend hiking to the top Humphrey's Peak (highest in Arizona) and also checking out the lava tube (bring multiple light sources). If there's snow on the peak be careful, it is steep and slippery. For both let someone know where you're going and when you'll be back....
To answer briefly:RealPerson wrote: ↑Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:24 pmJust finished reading Vanaboding. It seems to me that his setup is far more primitive than your van. Now that you have used it for a while, would you change anything to the design? I also am curious what the longest time is you have spent off-grid in the wilderness. Do you find using the van in urban environments more challenging than in nature?
Love to hear more about your actual experiences and how they compare to your expectations. Your adventures are quite inspiring! I look forward to new posts.