City van life in Chicago

This week, we share the pros and cons of living in the city in our self-converted van. The city has so much to offer, but it can also be an overwhelming place for travelers and we want to share the highs and lows of our time in the city with you. Check out our experience we find some fascinating things to do in Chicago!
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Who are we?
We are Denise and Reed, a couple who dreamed of traveling but had no idea how to make it happen. Then, in 2018 we stumbled upon the van life, which has changed our lives. Now we travel full-time in our self-converted van with our dog Bella and cat Rita. We have had so many unique experiences that we wouldn't give up for the world! So follow along as we share our experiences as full-time travelers.
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Instagram: / deniseandreed
Website: deniseandreed....
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P.O. BOX 185
150 Wells St
Erie, CO 80516
AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS:
The links below are affiliate links, meaning we may earn an affiliate commission (at zero additional cost to you) if you purchase something with the links below!
Things we used to make our tiny home on wheels:
Window Coverings: amzn.to/3QwyQ1x
Maxx air fan: amzn.to/3vSviP5
Foldable shovel: amzn.to/3bLhe2Z
Microfiber towels: amzn.to/3P7wLYM
Lap desk I wish I had: amzn.to/3P70dxN
Kitchen
Faucet: amzn.to/3SAWz29
Aeropress coffee maker: amzn.to/3A2DLSh
water filtration system: amzn.to/3Qod0Nm
replacement filters: amzn.to/3Pe7SKJ
Kettle: amzn.to/3vKSj6n
Dometic CFX 75 dual zone: amzn.to/3JCPxpN
2 burner Stove (similar to ours) amzn.to/3BYROcO
40-gallon water tank: amzn.to/3zFaWtK
Water pump: amzn.to/3dbICHU
Nutribullet blender: amzn.to/3d9RHRr
Our magnetic spice rack: amzn.to/3SBjhHp
Bathroom
natures head toilet: amzn.to/3SNt4KX
Bedroom
comforter: amzn.to/3wcCFRR
Bedroom fan: amzn.to/3JCQz59
Bedroom light: amzn.to/3dah31D
Heated blanket: amzn.to/3deNmfQ
van life electrical system
Renogy 2000W Inverter: amzn.to/3bDzFXv
200ah Renogy AGM batteries: amzn.to/3zFrXE3
Books we love
Maya Angelou's A Brave and Startling Truth: amzn.to/3BRytuf
Matthew Mcchoneney Green Lights: amzn.to/3QajqAa
Brene Brown Braving the Wilderness:amzn.to/3JEW17u
James Baldwin The Price of the Ticket: amzn.to/3SCGvx6
Vlogging gear:
Photography camera: Cannon 80D amzn.to/3SAUxzm
Microphone: Rhode Video Mic amzn.to/3d4VAqM
Video Stableizer: Zhiyun WeeBill Lab amzn.to/3p43zHt

[@happyhippythevinylguy]

Senior dogs swimming with a life jacket on made my day I had to go get my daughter from the other room...LoL 😂

[@deniseandreed]

Such a sight to see! Hahaha

[@phosawelonewolf2886]

Bella looked so cute in her vest. I’m happy she’s doing sooo good💜

[@deniseandreed]

She LOVES swimming! haha the vest helps stop water from getting into her ears. She's doing great 😀

[@Living_LovingSanDiego]

Rita was loving your sandwich too! Ha ha ha Bella and Rita are precious! Glad you had a great time. Stay safe. God bless!

[@deniseandreed]

Yeah she was! Haha Chicago is the best Thank you ❤️

[@livinginadvance]

DANG THAT VAN TO WALKING TRANSITION

[@deniseandreed]

Hahaha Reeds been learning a thing or two!! Thanks friends! Appreciate you!

[@happyhippythevinylguy]

you guys are living the life

[@katyescott8314]

Loved all the fun camera transitions!! Hopefully the weather will cool down soon (at least for Bella's sake, maybe Rita would prefer it to stay warm😂) Definitely adding that farmers market to my list of places to visit in Chicago!

[@deniseandreed]

Thanks so much Katy! The weather has gotten so much better thank goodness 😁 we will definitely be visiting Chicago again. There’s so much to do!

[@LetsGoBruins77]

You guys are so awesome! Great video. Hey will you have someone record your wedding in Italy so we can watch it all? ;)

[@deniseandreed]

Thank you! absolutely haha

[@no_worries_van]

My cat is the same in my bus, it can be 75° in the living area and 100° in the cab and he will go chill up there lol

[@deniseandreed]

They’re so silly! She loves going under the blankets when it’s cold out too

[@MaraAnimelover]

Omg I’m so happy I stumbled upon your video! I’m a chicago native living in Texas atm. I’m about to purchase a RV van and doing the van life in chicago (because housing is a bit expensive and it’s a good way to save). BUT I’m so afraid of the parking situation. Like I don’t want to be towed. 😅 all my research is leading towards … overnight parking in garages .. BUT IM AFRIAD it’s going to add up really badly, and I’m so afraid even in a garage someone might try to break in.

[@deniseandreed]

Hi! how big is your rig? We found certain areas of the city where rv's and vans would park up. Also we would to try find nice areas where we weren't bothering anyones building. Overall so much is going on in the city we didn't feel like we were sticking out haha Chicago is amazing! We're wishing you all the luck!

[@muminiasty]

What would be the equivalent of Ridgewood/Maspeth in NY to Chicago parking wise?

[@Faroutamazingadventures]

Be safe and have fun! I need to try out that potato 🥔 taco 🌮 😊😊

[@deniseandreed]

You won’t regret trying it!

[@brianogden9723]

How do you manage leaving your cat behind? Does that van stay cool enough with a fan running? I’m getting into can life and keep thinking about what to do with my cat when I am out and about

[@deniseandreed]

It stays cool with the fan running, we have a bunk window we leave open to help circulate air. We also look for shade and make sure we travel based on the weather.

[@happyhippythevinylguy]

I could f**k up a lot of tacos for two bucks. lol

[@deniseandreed]

Saaaaaaame. Trust us, we went in 😂