VANLIFE

Vanlife

December 9, 2014

#VANLIFE 

Mckenna Holm

Vanlife

December 9, 2014

#VANLIFE “Home is Where You Park It!” | F.H.

@vancrafted “We are just a couple of people who like each other and like creating together. We are re-designing our lives to make each day stand out and constantly produce new work.

Sometimes we think we’re out of our minds, but mostly we are just excited to see more of this big, badass country of ours.” -Brendan & Kelly via Tumblr

@live.work.wonder “There’s a sense we don’t belong anywhere, and sometimes that’s a little bit sad.

There’s an element of constantly being transient that get’s exhausting. This feels like home to us, but there’s also that separate kind of ‘home’ to go back to. Sort of like stability, but that’s not the right word.”Jessica & Jorge via Instagram

Foster Huntington “I think living, or at least spending some time, in a van is such a good way to get out and see the world without having to make hotel reservations and shit like that. “- F.H. via vice.com

Introduction to Vanlife Vanlife is a subculture, also referred to as vanagon’s. These people are campers, surfers, and travelers, who have left their stable lives and set off in a VW or Westfalia van to “live the dream”. The west coast seems to be the westy’s favorite coast to explore, along with other parts of northern and southern America. These people take a leap of faith in hopes of finding something more than a paid vacation could find them. Instead, they look for happiness and a better relationship with not only their significant other, but mother nature as well. The vanlife clan has become very popular in blogging their experiences through several different social media outlets. This has allowed them to connect with eachother, collaborate with lifestyle brands, and inspire others to #getout and #stayout."

Home is Where You Park It!!

Foster Huntington created a “photographic exploration of #vanlife”(Foster). The book was inspired by the many people and vans he met on his 80 thousand mile journey around North America and his documentation of the vehicles through the hashtag #vanlife via Instagram.

Vanlife

December 9, 2014

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History 70’s- Peak of the Van “The result was not a small smattering of vans, but sizable display with around 30 examples present. For those that were around during the peak of vanning in the ’70s it was nostalgic trip, and for the younger crowd it was a fine look at a movement that was long buried in automotive history.”

“While I can’t speak for the entire country, it appears that Southern California is becoming a hotspot of the vanning revival. There are even a few clubs dedicated just to vintage vans.” (Vanning is Back)

The van use hype was mainly around the late 60’s and 70’s. It then died off and is now becoming popular again amongst the younger adult generation. The vans, back then, were used for surf trips, camping, and road trips with friends because of the convenient space the vans had inside and outside. It was popular among teens and was thought of as a real movement in the 70’s.

The idea of customizing vans apparently became a lot less popular between the 70’s up to about 5 or 10 years ago. " In 1968, Yvon Chouinard and friends took a trip from Ventura, CA all the way to Patagonia, Chile, South America. The journey was a road trip that was made in an old van. The trip was to visit some of the best surf spots in the world, encounter new cultures, and occupy their climbing skills all along the way. Their story explains what the van life was like back then, and what it has been revived to be now. "

- speedhunter.com!

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Origin The Van Life subculture comes from several different cultures including American campers, surfers, mountain climbers, travelers, and nature lovers. Their free spirit roots from the vagabond culture, where they posses a free spirit and can pick up and move to one place to the other on their own clock."

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Vanlife

December 9, 2014

#SOCIAL MEDIA# !

Van Life is extremely popular amongst social media. It is where they share the places they visit, products they use, stores along the way, and communicate with their fellow vanny’s. Instagram and Tumblr seem to be the most popular for the Van Life group where they can show pictures as well as give a full description of the picture. They tag the brand names or add links, include their location, and always include their hashtags, usually starting with #vanlife. Foster Huntington found a way for these people to reach out to each other and show similar stories by using that hashtag, which now has over 140,000 pictures under it via IG. Social media allows them to collaborate with environmentally friendly brands and gain a following.

Whether it is their family checking up on them or people who just enjoy to watch their lifestyle, these people have a very large following of friendly, curious people."

HASHTAGS " "

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December 9, 2014

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USERS Users share their reason to take a leap of faith and jump in a van… Here is Kelly & Brendan! !

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Hipcamp is a page for followers to “Discover the best places to camp.” They often have takeovers from different users, in this case it is Jess & Jorge from @live.work.wander. They have also featured @vancrafted, @vanagonlife, & others.

Vanlife

December 9, 2014

DEFINING THE CULTURE  - Gen x/ Gen y category!

- From the east coast city areas or west

- The Westfalia Van would be this cultures

coast residences!

- They take off from their day to day jobs,

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buy a van, restore it to fit their needs, and set off with their van, their family (usually bf/gf &dog), and a map!

They have no destination other then to explore the western parts of the united states!

They all hold a desire to explore America by van and to experience the beauty in the geography of the land.!

They blog using Tumblr and Instagram as their main platforms!

They support environmental friendly brands when purchasing their camping gear and clothes

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main symbol, because when you see one of the side of PCH you can most likely assume that they are apart of the Van Life culture.!

This culture I think portrays the idea of fantasy in the fact that they are #livingthedream. Something that many people do not think they can do or are afraid of doing. To just leave everything and hit the road. But they live it everyday or as much as they can.!

The Status Attainment can sometimes put fear in others and also lack of respect because they leave their jobs but to others, their lifestyle is envied.!

They can be identified mostly by their dress, but also their car and camping accessories. !

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December 9, 2014

DRESS Dress is important, especially when conditions can be so unpredictable. Van lifers use products that are durable for all adventures. They also like to use environmental friends products such as Patagonia or United by Blue. Camping gear is also required. Whether it is starting a fire, or simply just relaxing outside the fan, they have their goodies. What might be most important though is the convenient food that is packable and healthy. 

Vancrafted shares, not only their favorite products but WHY they are their favorite.

Vanlife

December 9, 2014

Lifestyle!

A typical day for someone on the road would most likely include the following:" Fly Fishing" Hiking" Surfing" Rock Climbing" Swimming" Laying in a Hammock" Taking Nature Pictures" Sitting by the Camp Fire" Blogging about the Day" Finding the Next Destination to Park It" Finding a place to shower" Meeting Fellow Westy’s"

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Van Life Family The crew on the van typically includes a couple and sometimes their dog.

While the Van Lifer’s do blog often, the idea of setting off with no destination also includes becoming closer to nature and pretty much being off the grid. So, as far as entertainment, or apps go, they aren’t much involved with anything exclusive. Their form of entertainment would be watching the waves on PCH, playing the guitar next to the camp fire, or fighting off an unexpected storm in the van.

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From swimming in Big Sur, to hiking the Sawtooth Mountains, sailing the Pacific Ocean, and starring up into Van life is a revived lifestyle,

the Redwoods, Vanlife is a life

stemming from the 70’s.

that many people would envy.

Traveling every niche and

Many vanny’s leave their

corner of North America and

homes and cities to discover

it’s surroundings, these people

much of what is unknown. It is

buy and restore their Westfalia

a leap of faith but seems well

vans and set out. From Oregon

worth it. The community

coast lines to Wyoming

shares their experiences,

sunsets, Van lifers have no

renovation tips, and gear ideas

destination but to drive the

through social media

endless roads of America.

platforms. Thanks to Foster

Their lifestyle leads them to

Huntington, they can do so by

stronger relationships, a love

just using the hashtag,

for nature, and a great

#Vanlife.

understanding for the geography of our land. !

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VOCABULARY Fantasy" Subculture" Dress" Symbols" Culture" Status Attainment"

WORK CITED http://www.vice.com/read/talking-surfing-and-vans-with-Foster-huntington:!

! http://www.theclymb.com/stories/out-there/vanlife-lesson-1-happiness-living-van/! ! http://www.180south.com/crew_yvon.htmlhttp://www.180south.com/crew_yvon.html! ! http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/12/vanning-is-back/! ! http://store.arestlesstransplant.com/product/home-is-where-you-park-it-photo-book! ! http://instagram.com/vancrafted! ! http://instagram.com/vanagonlife! ! http://instagram.com/she_explores! ! http://instagram.com/hipcamp! ! http://instagram.com/patagonia! ! http://instagram.com/rei! ! http://instagram.com/pendletonwm! ! http://instagram.com/gowithoutwalls! ! http://instagram.com/unitedbyblue?modal=true! ! vancrafted.tumblr.com! ! ! ! !

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December 9, 2014