Bearfoot Theory Offers Plenty of Mobile Living Inspiration

Different Perspectives on Small House Living

Small house living can mean different things depending on who you talk to. There are a wide variety of tiny house designs that can be used for a variety of uses from downsizing, to traveling, backyard offices and more. Tiny house mobile living takes small house living to a whole new level of freedom and way of life. Kristen from the Bearfoot Theory site quit her Washington DC job in 2014 to hike the John Muir Trail and start her own business. She offers plenty of inspiration, and you will learn all of the details of how she converted her van into the ultimate travel vehicle. Today she is an award-winning outdoor blogger, dog mama, half-time van lifer, and spends as much time of her time in the fresh air as she can. Her goal is to provide the inspiration and the information you need to get outside and live a life that is more adventurous, no matter your outdoor experience.

Kristen's Journey into Van Life

Her approach to mobile living might change the way you think about small house living. In 2016, she took the plunge into Sprinter Van Life, sold her car, moved out of her apartment, and bought a 4×4 Mercedes 144inch Sprinter Van and had it built out into an amazing tiny house on wheels. She traveled all over the Western United States and put 30,000 miles on it before she sold it and started over with a 170 inch 4×4 Sprinter Van that was converted by Outside Van. Even if you aren't interested in making traveling in a van across the country your ultimate goal, you will love what she has done with her van, and who knows you may even get a van of your own to getaway and enjoy some vacation time now and again.

Inspiration from Van Life Blog Archives

In her van life blog archives, you will find helpful tips and inspiration for finding or building a tiny home on wheels. Whether you want a comparison of the 144 inches vs the 170 inch Sprinter van, you can take a tour of either of her Sprinter Vans or get advice on your van builds. You'll find out how she learned to make her Sprinter van work better for her and the things that she learned along the way. She learned with her first van to make the second van that much better.

Design Priorities for the Second Sprinter Van

When it came to her second Sprinter can build some of her priorities included having the van feel open and airy while maintaining the walkway to the back door, and a bed to run vertically down the van rather than across the van so there would be more leg room while sleeping. Other priorities included having a table where she could sit and do her computer work, ample storage space to store gear, clothes, food, and a toilet and shower. The new Sprinter van would also need to have a permanent galley and a sink to do dishes in.

Tips for Your Own Sprinter Van Conversion

One of the tips you can use in a Sprinter van conversion of your own includes building the bed on a large platform with storage underneath. This easy idea provides the most amount of storage space. With this option you won't be able to have a bathroom or a walkway through the van, another option is to have a convertible couch/bed with a pop out table that faces the large side door. When it comes to van conversion there are plenty of suggestions; it comes down to finding out what will work best for you, and what you will be using your van for.