Van life.
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Well. I 2021 our youngest of 4 sons moved out. So early in 22 my wife and hiked the Appalachian trail with our pup. After that we rode bicycle from DC to Washington Coast and down to coos bay Oregon. We bought a Subaru and spent 11 months car camping in the South west. We became south Dakota residence on our way back to Pennsylvania due to no state inspection and we can get a driver license with a PO box mail service. We got back to Pa and found the van with less than 80,000 miles. Everything works, and we have a 3 inch thick manual on the appliances. Propane stove, generator and fridge is electric and propane.. We are staying in Pa until sons college graduation this spring. Our plans are to go back out west for a few years before circling back to visit.After living in tents for our hike and bike trip the Subaru felt like luxury. This is a palace.
Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
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From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
My trips are detailed in the 'Ride Along With Me...' thread, so I don't need to go into that any more...
That sounds like an absolutely confounding amount of energy expenditure - I've read Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' about the trail - and with all that walking, cycling and tenting I can just imagine what it was like to get into a Subaru, I imagine an Outback or a Legacy, not enough leg room to lie down and sleep in a Forester (of which I have some).
Yes, a palace the Dodge must be. If everything works you could want for no more.
I'm also very interested to learn about the South Dakota rules. I had to get a temporary permit when I made my last trip, Montana has these for 40 days, you can only get longer if you have an address in Montana, which I didn't. So when the 40 days was expiring I drove back there from Arkansas and asked if it could be renewed. "Yes, we can give you one for three months now you are extending it..." I just wish I could have got one for the three months in the beginning, I was only in the US for two months.
That sounds like an absolutely confounding amount of energy expenditure - I've read Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' about the trail - and with all that walking, cycling and tenting I can just imagine what it was like to get into a Subaru, I imagine an Outback or a Legacy, not enough leg room to lie down and sleep in a Forester (of which I have some).
Yes, a palace the Dodge must be. If everything works you could want for no more.
I'm also very interested to learn about the South Dakota rules. I had to get a temporary permit when I made my last trip, Montana has these for 40 days, you can only get longer if you have an address in Montana, which I didn't. So when the 40 days was expiring I drove back there from Arkansas and asked if it could be renewed. "Yes, we can give you one for three months now you are extending it..." I just wish I could have got one for the three months in the beginning, I was only in the US for two months.
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Registered User
Joined: Sep 2025
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My trips are detailed in the 'Ride Along With Me...' thread, so I don't need to go into that any more...
That sounds like an absolutely confounding amount of energy expenditure - I've read Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' about the trail - and with all that walking, cycling and tenting I can just imagine what it was like to get into a Subaru, I imagine an Outback or a Legacy, not enough leg room to lie down and sleep in a Forester (of which I have some).
Yes, a palace the Dodge must be. If everything works you could want for no more.
I'm also very interested to learn about the South Dakota rules. I had to get a temporary permit when I made my last trip, Montana has these for 40 days, you can only get longer if you have an address in Montana, which I didn't. So when the 40 days was expiring I drove back there from Arkansas and asked if it could be renewed. "Yes, we can give you one for three months now you are extending it..." I just wish I could have got one for the three months in the beginning, I was only in the US for two months.
That sounds like an absolutely confounding amount of energy expenditure - I've read Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' about the trail - and with all that walking, cycling and tenting I can just imagine what it was like to get into a Subaru, I imagine an Outback or a Legacy, not enough leg room to lie down and sleep in a Forester (of which I have some).
Yes, a palace the Dodge must be. If everything works you could want for no more.
I'm also very interested to learn about the South Dakota rules. I had to get a temporary permit when I made my last trip, Montana has these for 40 days, you can only get longer if you have an address in Montana, which I didn't. So when the 40 days was expiring I drove back there from Arkansas and asked if it could be renewed. "Yes, we can give you one for three months now you are extending it..." I just wish I could have got one for the three months in the beginning, I was only in the US for two months.
I was able to buy the van in PA. Print and send in the proper paperwork with the title. They called me 3 days later for payment. I received my tags in the mail at my in-laws 5 days later. I didn't want to have to go back to Pa for inspection and registration every year. I can deal with one night in SD every 5 years. SD prices were much cheaper than Pa as well. The savings were more than the mail box annual cost.
We were eating over 6000 calories a day. We were still hungry all the time and loosing weight. The outback was a 2003 and had 260,000 miles it was a bit longer in the back and we were able to fit good enough.
Last edited by Frank_S1975; Sep 29, 2025 at 10:33 PM.
Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 8
From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
There are some nice spots in South Dakota...
Spearfish comes to mind, and Rapid City, small places but well-appointed with the things you need.
2003 was pretty early in the Outback era, 2.5-litres, likely you had no problems with it. The biggest issue I have with the (high mileage) '06 Foresters is rear wheel bearings.
Spearfish comes to mind, and Rapid City, small places but well-appointed with the things you need.
2003 was pretty early in the Outback era, 2.5-litres, likely you had no problems with it. The biggest issue I have with the (high mileage) '06 Foresters is rear wheel bearings.