Any of you ever thought of such a thing? I saw a 2001 diesel manual transmission (!) with 100k miles for 3 grand. I was thinking, that thing could be turned into a camper! Only problem is storing the thing, and I think it also requires a different License to use. But the thought is tempting to me. I am a huge camping fan, and a school bus seems like a great alternative to the hugely expensive full blown RV campers.
Using a school bus as a camper?
- Thread starter Kurtatron
- Start date
- Status
I guess it depends. If you really want to build it out to be a nice RV I think the shell would be the inexpensive part. If you just want to throw in a few bunks then maybe a school bus.
Best bet would be a used RV in whatever length you need and then just fix or repair what is required.
Best bet would be a used RV in whatever length you need and then just fix or repair what is required.
I have worked for a school bus contractor for 35 years and this subject comes up constantly. We retire buses often.
Over the years many of our mechanics have talked about doing this but to this day, no one has. It just seems simpler to buy an older RV already equipped and refurbish that.
One thing I think would work ok would be if say you had a hunting property and wanted a camp of sorts. I have thought it would be neat to just put a full size bus up on blocks and throw in some bunks and a
heater.
Over the years many of our mechanics have talked about doing this but to this day, no one has. It just seems simpler to buy an older RV already equipped and refurbish that.
One thing I think would work ok would be if say you had a hunting property and wanted a camp of sorts. I have thought it would be neat to just put a full size bus up on blocks and throw in some bunks and a
heater.
The problem with converting a school bus is that it still rides like a school bus.
15-20 miles in one on a high school extra curricular with you teenage kid will absolutely remind you where your kidneys are located and you will remember it for a day or two after.
15-20 miles in one on a high school extra curricular with you teenage kid will absolutely remind you where your kidneys are located and you will remember it for a day or two after.
I often thought about it especially since they can be bought cheap. As Imp4 said the ride sucks, and I'm thinking the gearing might be an issue as well?
What do they do for insulation? I'm wondering if it wouldn't bake/freeze depending upon what it's like outside.
I guess it depends upon what you want to do. I recall reading a thread where a guy started with a trailer frame and made his own hard side camper. If there is a will there is a way.
Like everything, gotta start with a plan. Is it for glam camping or real off roading? Is the budget thick or thin?
I guess it depends upon what you want to do. I recall reading a thread where a guy started with a trailer frame and made his own hard side camper. If there is a will there is a way.
Like everything, gotta start with a plan. Is it for glam camping or real off roading? Is the budget thick or thin?
If you end up registering it as a motorhome you won't need a "B" endorsement to drive it.
This guy did it but it did not end well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_McCandless
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_McCandless
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(film)
Last edited:
I'd think all the windows would make it very cold in the winter and hot in the summer unless you somehow sealed off/insulated over many of them.
You'd also have a lot of work to do to install plumbing.
Seems like maybe an old touring bus would be a better choice for that, although I suspect it would also be much more expensive.
A very extended family member once bought a broken-down school bus for storing valuables (=junk), but it got washed away with the other 30 immobile vehicles in his collection when the river he lived next to flooded.
The next time I saw him, he told me that all those junkers were meant to sustain him in his retirement and that his future was ruined.
He actually had something of a safety net as a disabled veteran (and I did respect him for that), but he refused to take care of himself and died not long after the flood. He had just had a leg amputated, you can probably guess what one of his medical issues was.
You'd also have a lot of work to do to install plumbing.
Seems like maybe an old touring bus would be a better choice for that, although I suspect it would also be much more expensive.
A very extended family member once bought a broken-down school bus for storing valuables (=junk), but it got washed away with the other 30 immobile vehicles in his collection when the river he lived next to flooded.
The next time I saw him, he told me that all those junkers were meant to sustain him in his retirement and that his future was ruined.
He actually had something of a safety net as a disabled veteran (and I did respect him for that), but he refused to take care of himself and died not long after the flood. He had just had a leg amputated, you can probably guess what one of his medical issues was.
I think it depends on your carpentry skill level. I've seen some nice school bus RVs but the majority of them are not so nice because the vehicles are so cheap.
You are also stuck a single entrance unless you want to jump out of the rear door.
Might be better to restore an old RV.
You are also stuck a single entrance unless you want to jump out of the rear door.
Might be better to restore an old RV.
Originally Posted by Blueskies123
This guy did it but it did not end well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_McCandless
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(film)
That guy was too dumb to make a school bus into an RV. He squatted in an old bus that was in the woods, but that didn't belong to him. And he died because he was too stupid to walk a half a mile down stream and find the bridge over the river, so he starved to death. Moron.
This guy did it but it did not end well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_McCandless
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(film)
That guy was too dumb to make a school bus into an RV. He squatted in an old bus that was in the woods, but that didn't belong to him. And he died because he was too stupid to walk a half a mile down stream and find the bridge over the river, so he starved to death. Moron.
My mind also instantly went "into the wild"
In Seattle and elsewhere there are thousands of RVs parked along streets and in parking lots including old school buses. People live in these full time. It's a huge business as a few mobile landlords but these old RVs at auction and rent them out on a monthly basis.
Originally Posted by PimTac
In Seattle and elsewhere there are thousands of RVs parked along streets and in parking lots including old school buses. People live in these full time. It's a huge business as a few mobile landlords but these old RVs at auction and rent them out on a monthly basis.
PimTac= School bus slumlord!
In Seattle and elsewhere there are thousands of RVs parked along streets and in parking lots including old school buses. People live in these full time. It's a huge business as a few mobile landlords but these old RVs at auction and rent them out on a monthly basis.
PimTac= School bus slumlord!
Depends on your definition of camping. To some, a nylon tent and a sleeping bag are the only sleeping requirements. If that suits you, a bus with the seats torn out would be much, much better than sleeping on the ground with the potential of water leaks or a stiff wind blowing down the tent in the middle of the night.
IF OTOH, you have dreams of a luxury motorhome on the cheap, forget it.
IF OTOH, you have dreams of a luxury motorhome on the cheap, forget it.
Last edited:
Kestas
Staff member
I had a friend in high school who always dreamed of having an old hearse or limousine as a party car. I always thought it was a good idea to have one for camping.
Originally Posted by SeaJay
Depends on your definition of camping. To some, a nylon tent and a sleeping bag are the only sleeping requirements. If that suits you, a bus with the seats torn out would be much, much better than sleeping on the ground with the potential of water leaks or a stiff wind blowing down the tent in the middle of the night.
IF OTOH, you have dreams of a luxury motorhome on the cheap, forget it.
Yeah i really only do tent camping. I do go as far as having an inflatable bed. Lately I have been going to camp sites with flushing toilets and showers. Those are extremely nice to me. I love those. I was thinking the bus could be a nice step up. I am definitely not looking at a luxury RV on the cheap. I was thinking more along the lines of convenience. It would be so easy to just throw in a couch, a bed, a table. It would be so easy to enjoy the thing with friends and family. The only thing that really bothers me is putting it my backyard. If not for that I might be serious about getting one.
Depends on your definition of camping. To some, a nylon tent and a sleeping bag are the only sleeping requirements. If that suits you, a bus with the seats torn out would be much, much better than sleeping on the ground with the potential of water leaks or a stiff wind blowing down the tent in the middle of the night.
IF OTOH, you have dreams of a luxury motorhome on the cheap, forget it.
Yeah i really only do tent camping. I do go as far as having an inflatable bed. Lately I have been going to camp sites with flushing toilets and showers. Those are extremely nice to me. I love those. I was thinking the bus could be a nice step up. I am definitely not looking at a luxury RV on the cheap. I was thinking more along the lines of convenience. It would be so easy to just throw in a couch, a bed, a table. It would be so easy to enjoy the thing with friends and family. The only thing that really bothers me is putting it my backyard. If not for that I might be serious about getting one.
That about sums it up very well. If the guys that know all the intimate ins and outs of them don't do it then it's likely a bad idea. I just hate reinventing the wheel as it so often works out poorly . I can see making it into a hunting camp as it's not on a foundation of any sort. It could save you a pile of taxes if you live in one of those Socialist hellholes like Neuyorkistan, Taxachussits or Commifornia.
It can be done - I've seen them go up 80 for the annual trek for Burning Man. And the older Gillig/Crown platforms were tough, when Gillig stopped making school buses to focus on transit, their Phantom platform was carried over and they still built those until recently.
New school buses are built off cutaway(Ford E-Series/Transit, GM Van, Sprinter, ProMaster) or truck(Freightliner or Navistar) platforms. Seeing how Freightliner is pushing their chassis for RVs, a school bus could be a OK platform for an RV.
Now if money isn't an object, an old MCI or Prevost tour bus would be the best RV base. I've read the GMC/TMC/NovaBus RTS can be used as a base too.
New school buses are built off cutaway(Ford E-Series/Transit, GM Van, Sprinter, ProMaster) or truck(Freightliner or Navistar) platforms. Seeing how Freightliner is pushing their chassis for RVs, a school bus could be a OK platform for an RV.
Now if money isn't an object, an old MCI or Prevost tour bus would be the best RV base. I've read the GMC/TMC/NovaBus RTS can be used as a base too.
- Status
Similar threads
