The Minimal Travelers

Its kind of wild to say we’ve been living this nomad lifestyle for two years now…whaaat! Yeah; It’s actually pretty awesome when I think about it. Most of the folks we talk with always ask us “how can you live in that?” Hmm, I guess its just wild for some folks to realize that we’ve been able to live in such a small space for any length of time, lol.

Our cute lil’ tiny home on wheels or “The Boot” as we call it, is a 2020 Anvil 6ft x 12in cargo trailer conversion camper. The husband and I, um, well… mostly J let’s be real here people, built out the cargo trailer as budget-friendly and minimal as possible. Mostly due to our current tow vehicle being a 4-cylinder Honda CRV, there were definitely some weight limits to be considered for the build. And yes, you read that correctly. We tow with a 4 cylinder. But after loads of research, lots of sweat, and even a few tears we got everything together necessary to live comfortably.

So what exactly is inside this thing…Well, it’s pretty much the basic necessities to live. And for us, that means food and something to cook it all with, a comfy bed and a bathroom, and maybe a few other extras for comfort. But basically, that’s it. We didn’t install an onboard water system or many electrical connections. Again we built minimal to limit the weight load. We know this is an ‘in progress’ living situation and there will be add-ons and removal of some things along the way. And hopefully, we can upgrade one day!

Our cargo trailer conversion is built to live off-grid. This means we don’t need to be utterly reliant on electricity. For power, we’re all set up with two 100-watt HQRST solar panels that run off a 200-ac Bluetti lithium portable power station. We also have a WEN generator for added security measures because it’s not always sunny in philadel… oops out of context hehe. But ya get it, there’s not always sunshine every day. So that generator is a lifesaver. And when we need a “vacation” from being off-grid we take advantage of being fully hooked up at campsites with the exterior 30 amp inlet. What about lights? How about twinkle lights? We have a couple throughout the trailer along with LED strip lights in the kitchen area. We also have a couple USB rechargeable lights with magnets that are perfect for attaching to the cargo trailer camper at night.

For a little bathroom area, Jason sectioned off part of the front v nose of ‘The Boot’ with a wall that sectioned it off from the open galley area.

As far as the toilet system we didn’t really want to get involved with the composting toilet and the smell since you should be letting the waste sit for months to properly break down nor did we want to dump any kind of tank. So we use a 5-gallon black bucket with a camp toilet seat. And we use a bag that fits around the bucket top to collect poo and just fill the bucket with some water for the pee. We typically use the outdoor shower/bathroom tent when we have to do our business.

Alrighty then. There’s one more main feature; the kitchen. For the first few months living in the cargo trailer camper we had a cooler to store the cold foods. And after many bags of ice bought and food getting thrown out, we decided it just wasn’t going to cut it. So we went out and bought a mini fridge. It was like a brand new world for us! It’s the little things in life you really appreciate.

Now ‘The Boot’ is set up so that we can cook inside on the countertop which is ideal when the weather outside is not cooperative but I mainly choose to cook outdoors. For what we cook with we purchased a Coleman two-burner propane stove. And just recently we were gifted a Coleman camp oven that sits on top of the propane stove. Oh boy, was I super happy about this oven, ya’ll!! I love to bake and roast foods & veggies so when we got this oven a happy dance definitely went down. The first night I baked up some bone-in chicken thighs & veggies and it was like tasting the best dinner ever! hahaha A complete game changer with this little oven. Definitely recommend for your camping adventures.

And that wraps it up. Now you have an idea of the necessities we choose to live with and just how minimal it really is. What do you think? Do you think you could do it? We know you can and definitely should give it a try.

Curious about living this lifestyle? Have you thought about nomad life or have some questions? Let’s chat about it. Leave your comments below.