How this filmmaker works and lives in a refurbished cargo van

When his relationship ended in 2018, Arant was working as a visual effects artist in Atlanta’s film industry – and lived alone in a pre-shared home. there. Restless, that’s when he decided to test life on the road with Millie, whom he saved in 2017.

For two years, he traveled around in a van he bought from Craigslist for $6,000. He put $4,000 into refurbishing his first truck.

Then, after months of “bargaining with dealers,” Arant bought his first new car – the 2020 RAM ProMaster Van – from a shipment in Charlotte, North Carolina, in November 2020. wider width and easier to assemble,” said Arant.

The original price of the car was $47,000, but he negotiated it down to $38,000. He took out a loan, which he is paying now in the amount of $700 monthly. He said he hopes to pay off the truck entirely by 2026, eventually paying a total of about $50,000, including interest on the loan.

Around this time, he also started creating content on TikTok and YouTube, partly to document his new lifestyle.

The transition from the first truck to the next was more arduous than one might expect. Arant camped out in South Carolina for five months while renovating a new residence, officially completing the project, and moving into a new truck in April 2021.

“In converting this truck into a livable space, I essentially had to build a form of home,” he said. “The shell of the house was there, but I still had to add insulation, gas and even electricity.” He also mounts solar panels on the roof of his truck to sustainably power his appliances, which include a full-size gaming computer, complete kitchen, toilet, and outdoor shower.

Most of his work as an independent visual effects artist is remote, so Arant works full time from his computer. He pays almost $280 a month for umbrella insurance. car and Wi-Fi, combined.

An avid cook, Arant says the kitchen is especially important when it comes to “building” his truck. It includes a relatively large refrigerator, a three-burner stove, an oven, and a working sink that draws water from a 40-gallon tank under Arant’s bed. Excess water flows into a six-gallon tank, which he dumps outside or at dump stations.

The home wheels have showers and wheels, but Arant still often stops at public restrooms. He pays $20 per month for a Planet Fitness membership, in part so he can shower with warm water.

The trailer also has an AC unit, roof exhaust fan and diesel heater to regulate temperature. Perhaps the biggest perk of all, Arant says, is his full-size memory foam mattress: At 5’10”, he can lie completely flat in bed.

Millie, Arant’s four-legged companion, also has a space of her own. She sleeps in a 2.5 foot by 2.5 foot space, equipped with a fan and light.

Of course, Arant has switched to using trucks to have the flexibility to travel around the country. Technically, Atlanta is still home, but only if he’s occasionally asked to work in person. When he spoke to CNBC Make It in February 2022, he was living in the mountains in Asheville, North Carolina.

While he says it’s often difficult to meet people and maintain relationships on the road, some of his favorite van adventures are solo trips to remote locations.

“I think one of my favorite places I’ve been to is this place in the middle of the desert in Nevada,” Arant said. “I had this hot spring all to myself, and I was surrounded by snow-covered mountains. It was a dream, and it was very healing for me.”