ouse is the place the Ikigai is…one’s purpose for being. For Magali Côté, residence must be parked on the very edge of each different human’s consolation zone. A web page from her life playbook is to alter the sport as usually as vital to remain keen about this finite expertise, and what higher manner to try this than to maintain your horizons ever altering each figuratively and actually. To say this arctic mermaid lives an unconventional life is an understatement. She’s an ice diver, free diver, spearfisher lady, photographer, and mannequin by ardour.
By commerce, she has been a industrial diver, rope-access technician (one who makes use of ropes for entry to work websites whereas suspended within the air), welder, millwright (one who works with heavy equipment) and a industrial fisherwoman. She is now working towards her masters in structure so she will “use her mind extra.” A settled, suburban life-style would by no means resonate with a soul so intent on direct participation in existence. And so it’s. Someplace within the wilds of Canada, at this very second, Magali is parking her 2015 Ford F150 someplace with a multimillion greenback view and considering her subsequent journey. Comply with her at @misssnorris.
Yr, make and mannequin?
2015 Ford F150
Years owned?
Since new
How have you ever modified it?
First—my dad gave me a hand to speed up the method. It was a enjoyable dad-daughter undertaking and I’m grateful for his assist. Anyway, very first thing is to place within the insulation. You must lay foam on the mattress with plywood over it that would be the base that all the things else screws into. Subsequent it’s important to take into consideration constructing across the wheels. The most important problem was using each sq. inch. Something I didn’t fairly know what to do with turned storage. The ceiling was a whole head-scratcher. It’s a fiberglass shell so you possibly can’t screw something into it or it goes proper by way of. We needed to glue little wooden blocks with building glue to the within of the shell, anticipate the glue to set, then placed on the following layer, a sheet of plywood—all of the whereas remembering the place the wooden anchor blocks have been so we might connect it with screws. A number of instances we miscalculated and put screws by way of the fiberglass that we then needed to patch with epoxy.
One other problem was that we wanted versatile insulation due to the curvature of the shell. Reflectix insulation, which is bubble inside and foil exterior on each side, is what we ended up utilizing and I’m actually pleased with the way it turned out. I take advantage of the identical materials to place within the home windows to maintain it cool in the summertime and heat within the winter.
For the kitchen, I purchased a cute little sink for about $20 from a spot that tears aside RV’s and sells off elements. I put in water bottles that I’ve to pump so I actually solely use the water within the truck for making espresso and doing dishes. For cooking, I’ve a five-pound propane bottle, which is the biggest dimension you possibly can have in an enclosed house. It lasts a month used for each heating and cooking and solely prices me $7 to replenish. Totally different pressures are required for range and warmth so we needed to set up completely different regulators from the bottle. Since my warmth is from propane I don’t run it at evening. I warmth up the truck earlier than mattress and let insulation do the remainder. I even have a CO2 detector in case there may be ever an over-accumulation. If I needed to identify my type of inside ornament it will be “fashionable farmhouse.”
Is it a full-time residence for you?
Between this and a ship, sure!
At what level did you determine this was the suitable life-style selection?
I’ve accomplished it earlier than and actually preferred the expertise, however the shell was smaller and fewer comfy than this one. I owned two homes in between and once I bought the final one I needed to journey for some time. So I did. Additionally, my favourite factor about this truck is that I could make espresso proper from mattress, with out having to rise up.
Is leaving a a lot smaller environmental footprint a part of the consideration for truck life?
It’s undoubtedly a plus. Everybody appears to go for the massive diesel vans. I preferred the concept of being extra stealth and capable of go in every single place an everyday van couldn’t.
What are the highs, lows, and comedy moments of truck life?
Showering is often accomplished wherever I can have a bathe—at a buddy’s home, the pool, or at college. I even made a bucket that I take advantage of after diving to rinse my gear, utilizing gravity. Cooking the fish I spear isn’t a problem both, I’ve all the things a kitchen wants in there. What most individuals consider as a problem is “the place do you poo?” Haha. I’ve a bit of chemical bathroom below my mattress that I can pull out once I want.
What particular modifications did it’s important to make for chilly climate residing?
I insulated the fiberglass shell with reflective bubble foil. The place the home windows are, I take advantage of the identical foil I minimize to suit the home windows when it’s too chilly, and too scorching. It retains the heat inside or outdoors, for that purpose I’ve just one facet foil (different facet is white).
You’ve got some excessive chilly water diving hobbies that should require a very good quantity of house and ingenious strategies for drying moist gear. How does that work in a truck?
I take advantage of a pole inside my cab to hold all of my wetsuits. When moist, I allow them to drip outdoors as a lot as doable. I put in a bit of eyebolt only for that matter on the higher rear facet of the shell. If I want to depart it inside I’ll let it drip on a towel hanging inside my cover. I even have a string with clips that I take advantage of to dry my dive socks and mitts the other way up.
What are a few of your favourite locations to drive?
With the ability to go far into logging roads is certainly my favourite factor to do. Particularly on Vancouver Island. They usually result in superb distant seashores the place you possibly can’t discover anybody else.
You speak so much about solitude and spending time alone, particularly in nature. How does this truck match into your total life philosophy?
My truck is so excellent for this. I really feel like there may be so little to do in my truck, it provides me extra time to get pleasure from the remainder. When all it takes is 5 minutes to wash as a result of there may be such little sq. footage, it’s actually handy. I selected a yellow dominant coloration for the within as a result of it makes me joyful. Yellow makes a tragic day sunny and enlightens all the things.
Is there a group within the truck life/van life world that helps one another, shares rework ideas, gathers collectively?
To be sincere, once I constructed my first truck camper I searched and searched to search out concepts on methods to do it. It was ten years in the past and the “tiny residing motion” wasn’t even a factor so it was very exhausting to search out inspiration. Once I did my second truck conversion, it turned simpler as I already had an excellent concept on methods to begin, not solely as a result of I’ve already accomplished it, but additionally as a result of I had concepts from Pinterest and Instagram accounts of van lifers. However nonetheless, I came upon a camper in a truck shell was principally accomplished the easy manner for looking or weekend tenting. By no means fairly like what I envisioned. So I needed to assume outdoors the field. Or van.
