About r/vanlife
For people that live a carefree, mobile, and active lifestyle on the road. Share rig images, helpful websites, road stories, tips and tricks for camping locations.
The community at a glance
r/vanlife is a Subreddit for Travelers and Van Lifers with roughly 333K members. It has been around since 2012. It uses a forum format for communication. It is the 4th largest community in the Van Life topic page.
Roughly 50K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Vanlife, Van Life, and Van. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Pain & Anger. Product recommendations often mention van and battery.
Community Topics
Community Features
This community has a forum
Subreddit Analysis
via GummySearchMember growth over time
All time (yearly)
- 2014: 59 members
- 2015: 291 members
- 2016: 1K members
- 2017: 5K members
- 2018: 11K members
- 2019: 23K members
- 2020: 58K members
- 2021: 49K members
- 2023: 75K members
- 2024: 39K members
- 2025: 45K members
- 2026: 27K members
Past year (monthly)
- Jul: 3K members
- Aug: 3K members
- Sep: 3K members
- Oct: 3K members
- Nov: 5K members
- Dec: 5K members
- Jan: 5K members
- Feb: 4K members
- Mar: 5K members
- Apr: 4K members
- May: 5K members
- Jun: 5K members
Themes
- Advice Requests11 posts in the past month
- Rate my built. If you have any recommendations let me know.
- Any advice for keeping my rig nice and healthy
- Considering the jump to vanlife to balance remote work, travel, and aging parents. Am I romanticizing this?
#111Advice RequestsRate my built. If you have any recommendations let me know. · Any advice for keeping my rig nice and healthy · Considering the jump to vanlife to balance remote work, travel, and aging parents. Am I romanticizing this? - Pain & Anger5 posts in the past month
- Bought a new Sienna for road trips with my gf, but looks like I get to enjoy them on my own!
- Rolled my van in Joshua Tree. I’m a student and this is my home/transportation. Completely stranded and have no idea on what to do.
- Did anyone else underestimate how much power they'd need in their van?
#25Pain & AngerBought a new Sienna for road trips with my gf, but looks like I get to enjoy them on my own! · Rolled my van in Joshua Tree. I’m a student and this is my home/transportation. Completely stranded and have no idea on what to do. · Did anyone else underestimate how much power they'd need in their van? - Solution Requests4 posts in the past month
- Rolled my van in Joshua tree Update: I need help finding a used engine
- Does anyone know of a portable cooktop that doesn't pulse 1800W on the low settings?
- Is there an app to find free power outlets?
#34Solution RequestsRolled my van in Joshua tree Update: I need help finding a used engine · Does anyone know of a portable cooktop that doesn't pulse 1800W on the low settings? · Is there an app to find free power outlets? - Money Talk3 posts in the past month
- This was supposed to be a budget build and now I have a $1000 refrigerator.
- My wife says financing a $45k caravan is "setting money on fire." I think it's cheap for what we get. Help us settle this, I'm showing her the thread.
- Is making $30k a year enough?
#43Money TalkThis was supposed to be a budget build and now I have a $1000 refrigerator. · My wife says financing a $45k caravan is "setting money on fire." I think it's cheap for what we get. Help us settle this, I'm showing her the thread. · Is making $30k a year enough? - Ideas1 post in the past month
- I built a free van build tool with a power audit, electrical planner, and budget component guides
#51IdeasI built a free van build tool with a power audit, electrical planner, and budget component guides
Topics
- Vanlife88 posts in the past month
- Got to try out vanlife for the first time. I can see why it’s addicting!
- What’s one thing that you’ve learned about vanlife that you wish you would’ve known good or bad before hitting the road?
- Renting to do Vanlife 1 month - need suggestions and feedback
#188VanlifeGot to try out vanlife for the first time. I can see why it’s addicting! · What’s one thing that you’ve learned about vanlife that you wish you would’ve known good or bad before hitting the road? · Renting to do Vanlife 1 month - need suggestions and feedback - Van Life44 posts in the past month
- Started van life
- Is Ford E-Transit Custom suitable for van life?
- New to van life! Not living in it full time but it's a blast.
#244Van LifeStarted van life · Is Ford E-Transit Custom suitable for van life? · New to van life! Not living in it full time but it's a blast. - Van29 posts in the past month
- Just finished my first ever van build!
- My 2012 Japanese Campervan Setup for Exploring Japan 🇯🇵
- Van Life or Truck-bed RV
#329VanJust finished my first ever van build! · My 2012 Japanese Campervan Setup for Exploring Japan 🇯🇵 · Van Life or Truck-bed RV - Struggling16 posts in the past month#416Struggling
- Travel16 posts in the past month
- Travel companion appreciation post
- Solo travel to west coast
#516TravelTravel companion appreciation post · Solo travel to west coast
Product recommendations
- van13 posts in the past month
- Best electric van?
- Best budget camper van for 10k or less
- Best van type for east-west bed for a 6' tall person
#113vanBest electric van? · Best budget camper van for 10k or less · Best van type for east-west bed for a 6' tall person - battery4 posts in the past month
- Which battery would you recommend for no more than few days of vandvelling but also capable of running powertools?
- Which battery would you recommend for no more than few days of vandvelling but also capable of running powertools?
- Can anyone here recommend me a reliable solar batter bank? I'm going to be converting a Cargo van into a awesome space for my cat Hank and me to live a simple life. My budget is about 1500 for a battery bank.
#24batteryWhich battery would you recommend for no more than few days of vandvelling but also capable of running powertools? · Which battery would you recommend for no more than few days of vandvelling but also capable of running powertools? · Can anyone here recommend me a reliable solar batter bank? I'm going to be converting a Cargo van into a awesome space for my cat Hank and me to live a simple life. My budget is about 1500 for a battery bank.
Community Reviews
Frequently asked questions
- Who is r/vanlife for?
- Best for Travelers and Van Lifers enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion.
- Is r/vanlife free to join?
- This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
- How many members does r/vanlife have?
- Roughly 333K members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
- What platform is r/vanlife on?
- r/vanlife runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
- What topics does r/vanlife cover?
- On the Hive Index, r/vanlife is organized under Travelers, Van Lifers.
- How do I join r/vanlife?
- You can join r/vanlife by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
- What are the Travel communities like?
- Communities for travelers planning trips, sharing itineraries, and swapping tips on everything from budget backpacking to luxury travel. You will find subreddits for specific regions and travel styles, Discord servers for nomads and expats, and Facebook groups for niches like solo female travel and budget flights. Active communities for both trip planning and general inspiration.
Monthly Stats
- 6
- Views
- 5
- Visitors
- 0
- Referrals
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