A van, a man and his canine companion

By Caroline Rosacker

Van-dwelling or van life is a manner of living in a modified vehicle fully equipped to meet the basic needs of its inhabitant(s) either full or part time. 

Dan's Van Life

Clayton "Dan" Schaefer of Guttenberg embraced the nomadic culture three years ago after taking eight months to build his efficient home on wheels that includes most of the features of a full-size home scaled-down.

"It was a complicated project, and a great learning experience," he began. "I took my time because I wanted the van to meet my needs and expectations while traveling across the country embracing a fairly unpredictable lifestyle," he said. 

Cassie

Clayton's popular YouTube channel, Dan's Van Life, includes his canine companion, Cassie, who some might argue is the star of the show.

Here's how the pair met. "I was in Grand Junction, Colo., camping in the desert behind the airport. I was doing some solo mountain bike riding," he explained. "I was low on water and diesel fuel and trying to decide whether to go into town for supplies or stay and ride another day."

Clayton had a gut instinct that he should not ride that day fearing injury to an already aggravated on-going shoulder issue. "I bailed and took off toward town and out of nowhere came a dog limping down the middle of the highway," he recalled. "I got out of the van to see if I could help her, and figure out if she was friendly." 

As Clayton leaned down to introduce himself Cassie chomped him lightly on the nose. "She didn't seem too friendly at first," he laughed, "But than she was super friendly and jumped right in the van with me."

Clayton had shared with a close friend that he was looking for a dog, and almost went to a dog shelter to find one, but decided "his" dog would find him. 

"I drove around looking for her owner in Grand Junction, stopping at a couple of sketchy trailer parks and eventually found her breeders on Facebook," he told The Press. "The breeders had dumped a litter of pups and other breeds, so after learning that I decided to keep her myself. The original breeder did contact me much later to inform me I had their dog, but I told them she is my dog now." 

Unpredictable lifestyle

Clayton's video vlog contains footage of the duo's changeable day-to-day life living on the road. Although they both prefer being in the woods overlooking the Colorado Mountains, sometimes a Walmart parking lot is a necessity.  "We have camped in some pretty awesome outdoor spaces, but other times it's more convenient to camp in a Walmart parking lot," he said with a smile. "It's a great place to stock up on supplies and it's nice to use their bathroom facilities too!" 

The free-spirited traveler tries to respect city ordinances, public spaces, and wildlife management camping regulations. "Tickets are pretty expensive, and I don't want to give the van community a bad name by being disrespectful," he said. 

In the van - on the job

Clayton first recognized the potential for earning a living on social media when he was 13 years old. He has been able to support himself as a content creator (a label he calls cringy). "I was meeting a lot of people in the field, and six-months ago I was doing ad videos for free e-bikes. Now I am getting more brands reaching out to me so that is good," he shared. 

Clayton has 300,000 followers on TikTok, a social media app dedicated to short-form videos. Brands began reaching out to him when he had 70k. Dansgaming brings in 90 percent of his income. "People get stuck in their niche. I love the outdoors, but I also enjoy video games – it just works for me," he pointed out. "The deeper I got into it the more I realized the money I could earn on the social media app. It takes practice. There is a fine line between great and horrible content."

Open road

His parents, Mike and Tonya Schaefer of Guttenberg, are proud of the life their adventurous son has carved out for himself. "My mom worries sometimes – especially if I send her a picture of a black bear outside my window," he laughed.

Many retirees reach out to Clayton on the road. "They always comment they wish they would have done something like this when they were young. I always tell them it's never too late!"  

Cassie and Clayton's day-to-day challenges and antics immediately draw you in. His voice-overs, video clips, choice of background music, and artistic vision are a must see. The companionship of a man and his found canine friend are priceless.