My Minimalist Journey: Basecamp

Over the past few years, I've been on a journey to simplify my life—radically. My ultimate goal? To own nothing that doesn’t fit in my truck.

I’m pretty simple. I don't need much. Knowing the difference between your needs and your wants is probably 90% of the battle.

It might sound extreme to some, but for me, it’s freedom—freedom from clutter, from unnecessary responsibility, and from being tied down to “stuff” that doesn’t serve me. I’ve found peace in letting go and happiness in living simply. This isn’t a temporary phase—it’s a lifestyle I plan to continue for many years to come.

Where It Started

I didn’t grow up minimalist. I started adult life in a fairly typical way: in a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment—1,100 sq ft. It was more than enough space. From that, I downsized and bought an 800 sq ft. two-bedroom, one-bath house.

Just that little shift in downsizing was so freeing. However, owning a house came with a never-ending list of projects. I would make plans to go out and do something, and inevitably, my house would have other plans.

When I bought my van to test the waters and see how much I would like the Van Life movement—that was it. I was sold. For a few years, I had my van and my house and would take extended trips. The longer I was gone, the more I dreaded coming back to my house. I knew I needed to figure out how to make Van Life my full-time way of living.

So I sold my house and downsized from that to a 10x20 storage unit, plus a room at my parents’ home and some items in my brother's barn. Now, I’ve simplified even further: everything I actively use fits in my truck, and I keep a few essentials in a 10x10 room at my folks’ place.

Home Base and Future Plans

The two tall totes and 2 of the small totes I hope to have gone by the end of the year! I would love to get rid of this shelf and just have my dresser.

My parents' home serves as a great home base. If I need anything from my back stock mom or dad can grab it and ship it to me.

As they get older, I’ll be the one who’s around to help out, and I’m grateful that my lifestyle makes that possible. Having a stable spot to return to while still living light is the best of both worlds.

Living this lifestyle is definitely doable without a home base, but having one makes life easier. It gives me a backup plan, a spot for gear I don’t need daily, and a sense of stability when I need it. Even now, I’m still looking for ways to minimize.

What I Keep and Why

Getting to this point meant going through every item I owned and asking hard questions:

Do I use this regularly?

Can it serve more than one purpose?

Does it add real value to my life?

What made the cut? Multipurpose gear, practical clothing, essential tools, and things that support the life I want to live out of my truck.

At my parents' house, I keep a few things I don’t need daily:

• Sentimental items

• Office supplies

• Extra chargers and cables

• Games and out-of-season clothing

• Oversized items like my keyboard, a duffel bag, suitcase, and a few workout essentials

• My Army uniforms

In the photo to the left- Four of the bins serve as my "dresser"—jeans, shorts, socks, etc. This is all the clothing I own. My rule is: if I get something new, it has to replace something. I rarely add to it otherwise. One bin for laundry and one for hygiene items and the other 2 are empty.

I work remotely, so I do miss this setup quite a bit.

At my brother's house, I keep my tools. When I need to work on my truck, that’s the place to be. Between what he has and what I have, we can take care of any maintenance or repairs we need.

I’m not trying to live without comfort or joy. I’m just intentional about what I bring with me—and what I leave behind.