Bob Wells (vandweller)

Last updated

Bob Wells
Bob Wells of CheapRVLiving.jpg
Born
Robert Wells

1955or1956(age 68–69) [1]
Nationality American
Occupation(s)YouTuber, author
Years active2005–present
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2015–present
Genre Fulltiming
Subscribers747 thousand [2]
Total views173.3 million [2]

Last updated: August 13, 2024
Website cheaprvliving.com

Bob Wells (born 1955) is an American YouTuber and author. Known for his advocacy of nomadic vandwelling as a form of affordable minimalist living, he founded the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, an annual gathering of van dwellers in Quartzsite, Arizona, and the Homes on Wheels Alliance, a charity which converts vehicles for needy individuals to live and travel in.

Contents

Early life

Wells's father, who worked as a union clerk at a Safeway in Anchorage, Alaska, died two years after reaching retirement. Finding himself employed in the same storeand wanting to avoid his father's inability to enjoy retirementWells moved into a box van in 1995 [3] purchased with his last $1,500 after working for 20 years at the store. [4] The experience, which occurred during the aftermath of a difficult divorce with two children, [1] left Wells crying himself to sleep. [5] [6] After six years, he remarried, moved into a house, [1] and relocated with his wife to North Carolina, but eventually went back to living in a vehicle full-time. [6] After he and his second wife divorced, Wells began living in a truck camper, followed by a work van [6] and a four-wheel-drive ambulance. [7]

Advocacy

In 2005, after seeing a mother and her three children sleeping in a car, Wells created the website cheaprvliving.com, to provide tips, resources and strategies for living in a vehicle. He portrayed himself in the 2020 film adaptation of the book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century. [7] [8]

Rubber Tramp Rendezvous

As of 2024, [9] Wells organized a get-together of vehicle dwellers in Quartzsite, Arizona each January known as the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR). [lower-alpha 1] Attendees and other followers of the event are known as "The Tribe". [6] The gathering itself has been described as the Burning Man for retirees. [1] During its first year of existence in 2010, the RTR received 45 attendees. By 2018, it had attracted over 3,000 participants [1] and by 2019 it had attracted 10,000 — making it the largest gathering of its kind in the world. [3] Activities include seminars geared at vehicle dwelling, ranging from city and stealth-parking, [10] repair and improvement seminars (e.g., installing solar panels), [1] identifying resources such as inexpensive vision and dental care (e.g., in Los Algodones, or Baja California, Mexico) [6] to locating free second-hand items. [1]

YouTube

In 2015, Wells started a YouTube channel called CheapRVliving to offer how-to videos, interviews with other vandwellers, and philosophical videos with inspiration by noted authors and thinkers. [1] In May 2019, the channel was approaching 50 million views. [11]

Homes on Wheels Alliance

In October 2018, Wells announced the creation of Homes on Wheels Alliance, a 501(c)(3) charity of which he is the president. Based in Pahrump, Nevada, the organization helps those with housing insecurity by acquiring vehicles and having volunteers convert them into a habitable space. [12]

Works

Notes

  1. The term "rubber tramp" refers to a person who lives in a vehicle, which uses rubber tires.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tire</span> Ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheels rim

A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which the wheel travels. Most tires, such as those for automobiles and bicycles, are pneumatically inflated structures, providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock as the tire rolls over rough features on the surface. Tires provide a footprint, called a contact patch, designed to match the vehicle's weight and the bearing on the surface that it rolls over by exerting a pressure that will avoid deforming the surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubber-tyred metro</span> Form of rapid transit

A rubber-tyred metro or rubber-tired metro is a form of rapid transit system that uses a mix of road and rail technology. The vehicles have wheels with rubber tires that run on rolling pads inside guide bars for traction, as well as traditional railway steel wheels with deep flanges on steel tracks for guidance through conventional switches as well as guidance in case a tyre fails. Most rubber-tyred trains are purpose-built and designed for the system on which they operate. Guided buses are sometimes referred to as 'trams on tyres', and compared to rubber-tyred metros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quartzsite, Arizona</span> Town in La Paz County, Arizona, US

Quartzsite is a town in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 2,413.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recreational vehicle</span> Types of vehicles

A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans, fifth-wheel trailers, popup campers, and truck campers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances McDormand</span> American actress and producer

Frances Louise McDormand is an American actress and producer. In a career spanning over four decades, she has gained acclaim for her roles in small-budget independent films. McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award, making her one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting". Additionally, she has received three BAFTAs and two Golden Globe Awards. McDormand's worldwide box office gross exceeds $2.2 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey S. Firestone</span> American businessman (1868–1938)

Harvey Samuel Firestone Sr. was an American businessman, and the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, one of the first global makers of automobile tires.

<i>Lady and the Tramp</i> 1955 animated Disney film

Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated musical romance film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Based on Ward Greene's 1945 Cosmopolitan magazine story "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog", it was directed by Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wilfred Jackson. Featuring the voices of Peggy Lee, Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Bill Thompson, Bill Baucom, Stan Freberg, Verna Felton, Alan Reed, George Givot, Dallas McKennon, and Lee Millar, the film follows Lady, the pampered Cocker Spaniel, as she grows from puppy to adult, deals with changes in her family, and meets and falls in love with the homeless mutt Tramp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagon</span> Four wheeled vehicle (mostly pulled by draught animals)

A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people.

RTR may refer to:

<i>Easy Street</i> (1917 film) 1917 film directed by Charlie Chaplin

Easy Street is a 1917 short action-comedy film starring and directed by Charlie Chaplin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tramp</span> Danish singer (born 1961)

Michael Trempenau, better known as Mike Tramp, is a Danish singer best known for his work with the glam metal band White Lion. He was the sole continuous member of the band until their disbandment in 2013. Since 1998, he has also released several solo albums. In 2012, Tramp went on a solo acoustic tour, releasing acoustic albums in both 2013 and 2014. He returned with a full band lineup in 2015, and in 2017, he released the album Maybe Tomorrow, which charted at number 1 in Denmark.

Chevrolet used the name Chevrolet Greenbrier for two distinct vehicles. The first was a six-to-nine-passenger window van version of the Corvair "95" panel van. The Corvair 95 series also included the Loadside and Rampside pickup trucks, featuring a mid-body ramp on the right side. These variants used the Corvair powertrain in a truck body. Production of these vans was from 1961 until 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen California</span> 2003 model of campervan

The Volkswagen California is a campervan based on the mid-sized Transporter panel van, developed by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) and sold since 2003. It is the first campervan designed and built in-house by VWCV Special Business Unit, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pahrump, Nevada</span> Unincorporated town in the State of Nevada, United States

Pahrump is an unincorporated town located at the southernmost tip of Nye County, Nevada, United States, about 62 miles (100 km) west of Las Vegas. Pahrump lies adjacent to the Nevada–California border and the area had a population of 44,738 as of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van-dwelling</span> Lifestyle of living in a vehicle as a permanent housing

Van-dwelling or vanlife is an unconventional lifestyle of living in a car, van or other motor vehicle. A person who lives in such a manner, either on a full or part-time basis, is known as a van dweller, car dweller or vehicle dweller. People who live this way by choice are typically seeking a more self-sufficient lifestyle characterized by freedom and mobility. They may perceive it as being a less regulated form of housing, or one that offers a lower cost advantage over standard housing, especially in regions susceptible to housing shortages. Other van dwellers may be one step away from living on the street or in a shelter.

<i>Nomad</i> (Mike Tramp album) 2015 studio album by Mike Tramp

Nomad is the ninth solo album by former White Lion and Freak of Nature lead singer, Mike Tramp, released August 28, 2015 on Target Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloé Zhao</span> Chinese-born filmmaker (born 1982)

Chloé Zhao is a Chinese-born filmmaker. She is known primarily for her work on independent films.

The Death Valley Germans were a family of four tourists from Germany who went missing in Death Valley National Park, on the California–Nevada border, in the United States, on 23 July 1996. Despite an intense search and rescue operation, no trace of the family was discovered and the search was called off. In 2009, the remains of the two adult members of the family were discovered by experienced hikers, Les Walker and Tom Mahood, who were carefully searching a remote area for evidence of the fate of the tourists, and conclusive proof of the fate of the male adult was later established.

<i>Nomadland</i> 2020 American drama film by Chloé Zhao

Nomadland is a 2020 American drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Chloé Zhao. Based on the 2017 nonfiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, it stars Frances McDormand as a widow who leaves her life in Nevada to travel around the United States in her van as a nomad. A number of real-life nomads appear as fictionalized versions of themselves, including Linda May, Swankie, and Bob Wells. David Strathairn also stars in a supporting role.

<i>Another Round</i> 2020 film by Thomas Vinterberg

Another Round is a 2020 black comedy-drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg, from a screenplay by Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm. An international co-production between Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the film stars Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, and Lars Ranthe. It follows four high school teachers who embark on an experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Green, Penelope (January 31, 2018) "The Real Burning Man", The New York Times . Retrieved August 13, 2024. " ... Mr. Wells went through a bitter divorce that upended his finances. He couldn't afford to rent an apartment on his own; with his last $1,500 in savings, he bought a box van and moved into it, stealth-parking on the streets of Anchorage, where he worked at a Safeway and where his ex-wife and two sons lived."
  2. 1 2 "About CheapRVliving". YouTube.
  3. 1 2 Trujillo, Stevie (February 4, 2021) "Off-road, Off-grid: The Modern Nomads Wandering America's Back country, The Guardian . Retrieved August 13, 2024
  4. Horowitz-Ghazi, Alexi and Vanek Smith, Stacey (February 23, 2021) "Seeking Refuge On The Open Road", NPR . Retrieved March 7, 2021
  5. Paiella, Gabriella (February 19, 2021) "Talking to One of the Real Life Nomads of Nomadland", GQ . Retrieved August 13, 2024. "But if he was a reluctant newcomer, even crying himself to sleep the first night in his van, he eventually became the movement's greatest evangelist."
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Sammon, Alexander (January 10, 2019) "YouTube Boomers Show #VanLife Isn’t Just for Millennials", Wired . Retrieved January 3, 2021. "Soon after, [Wells] decamped from Alaska and moved with his wife to North Carolina, having ditched the van for a truck more suited to conventional domestic living. It didn't go well. "I despised living in that house. Owning a house is preposterous," he says. For Wells, it was fast becoming clear that the arrangement wasn't working. He tried to save the marriage by taking long trips, a month at a time, to the Florida Keys and to Maine for wildflower viewing. But being a mere hobbyist wasn't enough. In 2008, he left for a trip that both he and his wife acknowledged he wouldn't return from. Wells' return to full-fledged vehicle living came just as the economy nosedived ... "
  7. 1 2 "Meet the Real Nomads of 'Nomadland'". Inside Edition . April 27, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  8. James, Caryn (September 14, 2020) "Nomadland Review: 'Overflowing With Humanity and Tenderness'", BBC . Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  9. DaSilva, Ricardo (May 21, 2024) "NCA Spreads Memorial Benefits Awareness at Homes on Wheels Alliance's 2024 Rubber Tramp Rendezvous", VA News. United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  10. N.B. (September 17, 2020) "Trading Four Walls for Four Wheels in 'Nomadland'", The Economist . Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  11. (May 26, 2019) "Van Life: Making One's Home on the Open Road", CBS News . Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  12. Harris, Selwyn (November 15, 2019). "Providing 'Homes on Wheels' in Pahrump Commmunity". Pahrump Valley Times . Retrieved August 13, 2024. People will donate their vehicles and we will build them out and forward them on to someone in need ... We have purchased several vehicles.