The Wilhelms family has been traveling with kids for almost six years, exploring the country in their vintage trailer. They set out to find a place to settle down only to figure out that the road was their home. Check out their story below or on their Instagram @roaming.nomads.
Who are you? Tell us something about you!
Julia, Marcel, Emmi, Sam and Cody the Border Collie - Labrador Mix. We've been living nomadically for almost 6 years now, going smaller basically every year. We started with a Class A, downsized to 26ft trailer, then to our current 24ft trailer and are currently in the process of downsizing again.
Where did you install your stove (RV, bus, tiny home, cabin, etc.)? Do you stay in cold climates much?
We have our wood stove installed in our vintage Streamline Duke trailer. It's the only heat source we have, and it's plenty. We have very old, three pane windows that let in a lot of wind, and we stay in cold climates a lot (most recently in Mammoth Lakes at -12 degrees F). The wood stove kept us warm the entire time.
How did your tiny living journey begin and what were your reasons? How long have you been living tiny?
We started out by moving to the US from Europe and we bought a RV because we figured "'we're going to find a place to call home". Turns out, home is on the road and we've found it. We've been living tiny and mobile for almost five years, Sam was born on the road and Cody adopted in Washington.
How did you decide on a Dwarf stove?
We researched a lot and in the end it came down to design and support. We love the sleek and modern design of the Dwarf compared to other stoves. And the company is located in the states, which gave us the confidence in support that we wanted. Turned out we needed it when we lost our driving cap. We also love the sizing and the plethora of information they had available for the install and use of the stove.
How difficult was the installation process? Did you need any assistance of any kind?
The installation was simple and straightforward, though we had to refer to the manual a couple times. Cutting a hole in the roof was scary - as you'd expect, but it went smoothly and was done just before a rain storm arrived. We rebuilt the stove cabinet once to have a better fire wood storage, but that was about it. I was scared about the heat shield at first, building something like that from scratch is a lot of responsibility. But with the instructions and guidelines from Tiny Wood Stove it worked out perfectly
How has your experience been using the Dwarf? Have you been enjoying having a tiny wood stove in your space?
Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Starting a fire in a wood stove beats turning on the furnace any day. And with the right procedure (it's all about the egg cartons) you don't need to wait long until it heats up. There are so many reasons we enjoy the stove, from keeping us warm in incredibly cold climates, to drying all our snow gear in a matter of half an hour to re-heating my coffee on cold mornings and cuddling to a fire at night.
We've been learning more about how to start a fire in shorter time (egg cartons, seriously the best!), and how to adjust the air supply for what we need at the moment. It's a learning curve for sure, but once you get a hang of it it's surprisingly adjustable to the temperatures you need.
Would you recommend a tiny wood stove to others? Why?
Any time! In our opinion it's the perfect heater for small homes. You're independent from propane refills, electricity and diesel. We're off grid 90% of the time and there is seriously no better and convenient way to stay warm. Plus, you're not stuck trying to fix a complicated electrical system in the middle of the night because something broke (we've been there with our furnace, it's no fun). Seriously, the worst thing that can brake is the glass, and that part can be sent over from Idaho in a matter of hours or days.
Thanks for keeping us warm!
You can follow the @roaming.nomads adventures on Instagram.
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