Imagine living with no address

Recently, I have been watching a lot of van life videos. In fact binge watching them! I am awestruck by the fact that people cross borders and continents, live inside the tiny confines of their van for years without complaining a bit. All this for a simple fact that their wheels take them to some splendid locations and give them the freedom to park and stay wherever they want. In this article I would like to indulge in a bit of day dreaming of sorts. My thoughts might seem irrational but I am yet to know someone who had an interesting life living rationally. So, let’s explore.

Alternate living Just five years ago, a roof top tent mounted on an SUV was quite rare in India. During the pandemic, van life became a hot trend. While millions were stuck inside their homes, there were a few who were actually practicing social distancing the right way. Living an RV life. A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer which includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include camper vans, pop-up campers, and truck campers. A pop-up camper is a trailer fully kitted with camping gear, camper van/motorhome is a home on wheels based on a van that is purpose-built for living on day-to-day basis. People with larger budgets have fully equipped 4WD R “Their wheels take them to splendid locations and give them the freedom to park and stay wherever they want” truck campers to make their travel and living more luxurious. Abroad, the RV is a multi-million dollar industry. India is at a very nascent stage, however this category is set to grow rapidly. Realising the tourism potential out of this trend, many state governments have proactively rolled out their RV policy. Essential infrastructure such as RV parks are also coming up slowly but steadily.

. An SUV with a SWAG setup is the most practical and least expensive option here in India. You could add a roof top tent and also a trailer to carry more stuff. However, tents are neither heat nor cold-proof. Often this kind of setup doesn’t account for an in-built toilet, shower and laundry. Hence long term sustenance of this kind of a lifestyle is reserved only for a few. While a large 4x4 ex-army truck might seem like an answer to all overlanding woes, everything about them is more expensive! Plus the policy on building a living space behind an ex-army truck is still sketchy in India. Be it the build, cost Live anywhere A roof-top tent set up on a Thar CRDe, modded with a hard-top and plenty more Options options Abroad that is – the Oka (top), UAZ Buhanka (middle) VW T3 Syncro (bottom) or Mercedes T1 4x4 (facing page) of running, maintenance, parking, and shipping, everything becomes heavy on the pocket. There are also size restrictions to the areas where these can go and be parked. This brings us to vans and buses converted to motorhomes. Vans are most practical and manageable in size, easy to drive and the park gives ample space to create a tiny house and doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. One doesn’t need to slouch while working and everything including the toilet can be placed inside the confines of the van. They are also better than the pick-up truck based caravan in terms of space management. Having said that, none of the vans available in India are exciting to me. The Force Traveller/Urbania is a great option but it’s not equipped with 4WD.

The only one As an off-roader and explorer, I would want my van to be equipped with 4WD to reach places, park and camp in a spot where others can’t. How does one manage to find a 4WD van in India? Did India ever have one? Yes, the only one — the Mahindra FJ 470D 4X4. In the late ’80s one would have a faint memory of these vans doing ambulance and school bus duties. Even to this date, these vans can be found in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. 4WD vans are specific to the Dhanushkodi region wherein tourists were ferried across the sandy beaches to reach the southern tip of India. Once these were also prevalent in mining areas and with the state electricity boards. Based on the stretched version of Jeep FC150, Mahindra FJ 470 was powered by a 2.1 litre Peugeot diesel / 3.0 litre Perkins diesel and 4 speed KMT90 gearbox along with Spicer T-18 transfer case. In its original avatar, this machine can’t be used for highway travel as it is immensely loud, slow, and has no creature comforts. Show them some hills and dirt, they will be in their elements though. This van matches the specs and persona of the rugged Russian iconic UAZ Buhanka van also fondly known as the Bread Box