Trip Bacon — The secret ingredient to the perfect getaway logo

72 HOURS OF WINTER VAN LIFE (when nothing goes as planned)

Kara and Nate
Kara and Nate
🥉Knowledgeable
👁️ 1.9M views📅 4 years ago⏱️ 25:17

Key Moments

Editorial Summary

A van life couple travels through New Mexico and Colorado during the winter, navigating various logistical challenges and unexpected setbacks. The journey begins with a search for better snow and a series of maintenance tasks, including dumping gray water and refilling fresh water. Their plans to visit natural hot springs are interrupted by icy roads, leading them to hike to a location that turns out to be a crowded, clothing-optional pool. After a meal at a KFC drive-thru, they head toward Alamosa to use community center showers, which helps them manage the lack of space in their van. The trip involves several mishaps, such as a frozen pee funnel causing a mess in the vehicle and a frozen water tank. They eventually reach Leadville, where they meet friends and attempt to purchase skis, ultimately deciding to rent them instead. The creators conclude their trip by testing a DIY ski locker in their van, taking professional ski lessons at Cooper Mountain, and participating in a local curling game.

Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.

What This Creator Said
Creator RecommendsCruise Vlog🥉Knowledgeable CreatorSponsored
❤️ Best for CoupleVeteran Cruiser

Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.

Creator's Key Takeaways

we're about to pack up the van and head north in search of better snow

the hot springs were a bust if we would have been all alone it would have been magical

we've never gotten to experience the snowy frozen winter version of leadville

Creator's Tips & Advice

Use the I Overlander app to find showers and amenities
Rent skis instead of buying if you have a nomadic lifestyle
Install a pee funnel for convenience in a van, but be cautious in cold weather

🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:

Buying vs. renting skisRent skis instead of buying, especially for a nomadic lifestyle
Finding amenities in remote areasUse apps like I Overlander to locate showers and dumping stations

Questions This Creator Answers

QWhat are the challenges of winter van life?
QHow to find hot springs and amenities while traveling in a van?
QWhat is it like to ski in Colorado for the first time in winter?

Port Highlights

Leadville3 Happy Bacon
Taos1½ Happy Bacon
How to read the Trip Bacon Score
Happy Bacon — creators loved this aspect
Sad Bacon — creators took issue with this
Meh — no strong opinion either way

Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.

About our Bacon Score methodology

Video content sourced from the creator's original upload. Watch on YouTube