By Cheri Sicard
In the video below you’ll meet Jaime and her short bus, raised-roof, skoolie, named the Battle Bus. When Jaime became an empty nester she embraced the nomad lifestyle and hasn’t looked back. Follow her adventures on Instagram here or on YouTube at Dare to Dream Nomad.
Jaime’s sustainable off-grid tiny home on wheels makes her new nomadic lifestyle possible, and we get a full tour in the video.
Of course, a raised-roof skoolie is unique in and of itself, but Jaime’s artful mobile tiny home offers so much more.
As a foodie, Jamie has a great kitchen in the bus including a 3-burner stove, a large fridge and freezer, and even an espresso and cappuccino maker. She has a huge amount of counter space and a deep farm-style sink, too. And I especially love her Mason jar storage system and all the large, deep, kitchen drawers.
A trendy yet practical sliding barn-style door closes off the cedar-floored bathroom without invading into the Skoolie’s living space. The full shower uses copper piping both for its aesthetics and insulation properties. An Airhead composting toilet finishes off the bath area.
Battle Bus contains a 1998 International 7.3-liter turbo diesel engine. It carries up to 200 gallons of fresh water for longer-term boondocking. One thousand watts of rooftop solar runs through the 3000-watt inverter and charges the 400 ah lithium battery.
Energy-efficient radiant heat runs under the hardwood floors, but the bus also carries a small wood-burning stove! This easily heats the space without ever having to turn on the heat, and the stovetop can also be used for cooking.
In addition to the large bed in the front that sits atop storage drawers, the sofa converts to a bed if Jaime has guests.
There’s more in store outside the bus, starting with a large “garage”-type storage area and, best of all, a 7’ X 10’ deck raised above the roof. The deck provides elevated views and is Jaime’s favorite place to do yoga.
Jaime says that her living expenses have gone way down living the nomadic lifestyle, even though she tends to move every 4 to 5 days.
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We actually watched this entire video – and were impressed. Very nice setup for one person. For two it may be a bit confined. One problem we’ve noticed with school bus conversions though is that some RV parks don’t allow them. Probably because most school bus conversions are nothing more than larger hippy-style vans. This conversion is very nice. And powered by the venerable 7.3 Powerstroke engine made my International for Ford back in those days.