Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

Converting an old school bus into a home-on-wheels might be one of the ultimate DIY projects.  Imagine bringing new life to a classic vehicle with all of its history, its space, and its endless possibilities!  As a blank canvas, the interior design can fully be your own and the electrical system can be a customizable work of art crafted by your own hands.  But, a skoolie renovation can be as awesome as it is intimidating!  Where to begin on such a complex project? Do you simply put as many solar panels as will fit on top of the bus, or set up a portable solar panel to plug into a port on the side of the bus?  You could just install what your fellow skoolie friend or favorite social media influencer put into their school bus conversion project.  But how do you know that it's the right size for YOU and how you want to live off-grid in YOUR bus?  This blog is designed to help you figure all of that out.  And, if your “bus” happens to be a van build, ...

"Freedom's just another word, for nothing left to lose," sings Janis Joplin in her famous version of the Kris Kristofferson song,"Me and Bobby McGee."   We call ourselves "Freedom in a Can" because it's what we found when we bid farewell to the life we'd been living prior to 2012 -- two good careers, a lovely house, a vibrant and loving community -- and hit the road with our "canned ham" vintage camper in tow.  We didn't lose our jobs, get evicted, declare bankruptcy, or fall victim to disease or injury; we were privileged to make this decision for ourselves when it suited us best.  That decision has now sustained us for the past 13+ years, amazingly in the same can, far beyond the year or two that we initially imagined.  Who knew that  this tiny tin can trailer built during the Eisenhower administration could manage the tens of t housands of miles we've hauled?  Honestly, when we view it all from 30,000 feet, it doesn't ...