How much does anybody need? Without Bound: Perspectives on Mobile Living seeks to answer this question through testimonials from people who voluntarily live "off the grid" in any form of vehicle or mobile home.

Noting that 47% of the average American's take home pay is spent on housing, the film focuses on the imbalance of freedom versus comfort in modern society.

From the onset there is a line draw between those who choose mobile living versus those who are stuck in homelessness due to unfortunate circumstances.

The film's subjects are all living in vehicles by choice, and emphasize the societal constructs that stand to be questioned and challenged, namely a consumer mentality that dictates a constant sense of need.

By scaling down and moving into a vehicle, be it a van, camper or RV, the subjects argue that mobile life makes up for a reduction in living space by allowing more mental space to re-evaluate one's actual needs.

Subjects share their various reasons for choosing a life on the road.

For one man a costly divorce and rising medical bills led him to consider purchasing a van over renting an apartment; for one woman a devastating fire resulted in simplified living; and for others Henry David Thoreau's poem Walden served as inspiration to scale down on material needs.

One couple who document their lifestyle with a blog note improved dietary habits and reduced consumption as two primary benefits they've experienced. Each member of the mobile community interviewed here mentions a greater sense of overall freedom.

While some communities, typically those in small and dying towns across America, embrace the mobile movement and reap the economic benefits of welcoming caravans into their parking lots and campgrounds, there is also a broader societal bias against them.

Larger, more prosperous areas often enact "qualify of life laws" that forbid sleeping in public or living in vehicles.

These laws exist to protect neighborhoods against potentially dangerous transients, whose criminal backgrounds and mental states are unknown. But one interview subject suggests society's general direction will lead to a greater number of folks living in vehicles, eventually necessitating a greater acceptance of the lifestyle.

Without Bound: Perspectives on Mobile Living presents touching insight into an alternative lifestyle as well as an optimistic outlook for those who are engaged in it.

Comments:

First Amendment

I want to do this, but I need a partner to share it with...

jane lewis

Had plans to in my westfalia vanagon until my ex found out and kicked out the youngest son who he pulled out of college I was paying for not dad 1 red cent. I'm a mom, he's a young man, screwed my plans

Belle Ami Toujours

it looks like a wonderful way of life.  some days i would so be ready to do this.

lancedaniels

Thanks for posting and sharing.  Very interesting.

Love First

Well done. Simplicity 

Jo Ann Chitwood

Love that poem the sun means so much to me the older I get ☺️

Jo Ann Chitwood

Love this! I just bought Bob Wells book and read it in less than a day and reread it daily. I watch all of his videos and Love them he is great and Bob Wells looks even younger now!

These ppl are so happy. So free. It's my dream to own a pull behind camper and a Van to pull it with and live full time off grid in both with my love and our fur babies. I crave the freedom the NATURE.

I want to know what's down every road. I want to live surrounded by honey suckle. I love the ex cop on here. He's awesome. All of f the ppl on here are wonderful. This video is wonderful.

I'm ordering the book he held up. This documentary and the man who made it is just wonderful.

Awesome Documentary. We shouldn't have to hide to live free. I pray to live like this one day soon. I'm 48 now and I am ready just need the Trailer and van

RJC 72

This makes me wish I could check out of the rat race that is my boring and stressful life and just get out there and commune with mother nature!  The way society places all of these bullshit burdens on us -- it almost feels inhuman!  I wish I could throw it all away and press life's reset button!

Seedless Grapes

Van life = real life

Smarter Than You

6 days ago

The rat race is over. The rats won.

K Anders

Loved the poem, well done! I agree with much of this, the only part I don't is that work provides people with a sense of purpose.

Iwas essentially "forced" into a nomad lifestyle and although I enjoy travel (and even prefer the outdoors) I still miss my work and structure...and the privacy we should all have in our homes (wherever that may be).

The technocracy now wants to follow us, mark us as data points, tell us where to live, what to do, how to think, etc....for their profit, apparently.