If you long for the freedom to roam and don’t mind showering outdoors behind a makeshift blind, then you might be the perfect candidate to try out a camper van. Here are some signs that it might be time to ditch regular car camping and make your vehicle a mobile campsite. 

You’re a minimalist. Possessions aren’t really your thing. You’ve got your favorite pair of skis, your favorite water bottle, maybe a favorite pair of crossover trainer-hiking boots, but other than that, you don’t really care about having a bunch of stuff to lug around all the time. You can cook a gourmet meal using only a spork and a Jetboil. Your favorite television show is actually just watching the sun set over the ocean. You keep your laptop on you, but only because your boss keeps asking you questions on Slack every 10 minutes. 

Crowded campgrounds give you nightmares. You’re not the type to make reservations. Instead, you slam that laptop closed on a Friday afternoon and hit the road in search of a first-come-first-served campsite tucked well away from interstates and highways. You’ll search high and low for the perfect spot, whether that’s on a deserted logging road in a state forest or a secluded stretch of beach which hasn’t blow up on campsite apps yet.

You’re not big on privacy. You don’t need your own bathroom to take of your business. Whether a portable toilet or roadside stop, it matters not where you relieve yourself. You’re comfortable taking a shower standing with two feet inside a rubber washtub and only a mandala tapestry keeping prying eyes off your bare buttocks. And if the tapestry were to blow away, who cares—let ’em see! 

You consider camping a vacation. Gaudy hotels make you cringe. Why doesn’t everyone want to eat and sleep just steps from wherever your day’s activity is set to begin? You want to wake up and be next to the trail, halfway up mountain, or on the beach. A sleeping bag and a Therm-a-Rest mattress are all you need to get a good night’s sleep and wake up ready to take on the world. Spas? You’d rather bask in the heat of a natural hot spring with a beer in hand than be indoors sipping on cucumber water. 

You’re on Craigslist daily searching for a van to build out. Your boss keeps asking if you’ve checked in with that annoying client yet, but you’re two hours deep in listings for fresh Ram ProMasters just begging to be turned into the ultimate camping machine. Your daydreams are filled with schematics for how to maximize the floor plan in a late ’90s Chevy Astro van you just found with less than 90,000 miles on it. You’re about five seconds away from calling that guy about his Toyota HiAce because there’s got to be something wrong with it for what he’s asking. But then again, maybe it’s a just an epic deal? Make that call; to hell with the client. 

The open road is your best friend. The only place you feel free is on that empty highway headed to your favorite place to be outdoors. The best feeling you can imagine is driving into the sunset after a long week of work knowing you’ve got the next 48 hours to explore whatever and wherever your heart desires.