Women in Adventure Sports: Hannah Wanish

Life on the road and on the mountain

Hannah is a nomad and adventurer. She’s been living on the road for a few years and building out vans with her partner Tanner. Hannah shares her experiences with adventuring, community, and her work in health and wellness in an interview. They just finished their third van build and are preparing for life back on the road.

This interview is part of a collection of stories featuring women in the outdoors. Find other articles in this collection here.

So I would love it if you just wanted to give me a brief overview. Introduce yourself if you’d like.

Hannah: I’m Hannah, I’m 31 as of a few days ago. My husband and I have lived in Salt Lake City for about a year. Before living in Salt Lake and buying a home we lived in a van for a year. It was the best year of our life. So we were thinking, “Okay, well, it’s about that time when we grow up, right? And buy a house,” and we did, but we are moving back into a van full time in February. So we are about to be back nomadic. I work full time in performance marketing. So I’m VP of growth for a supplement brand based out of Denver, but I work remotely. And I love the outdoors. And I love my dog. And I love my family.

That’s amazing. Okay, so you’re moving back into the van soon. How long are you going to be nomadic?

Hannah: Honestly, I’m not really sure. We’ll have a lot of people ask, “Oh, what are your plans this month?” And I just need to stop giving them plans because it changes so often. So we’re gonna see how we like it and what big goals we have. It might be a year, it might be six months. This year is pretty jam packed with trips and things like that, so at least probably a year. But who knows, we might want to do it for a few more.

You’ve built out a few vans in the past, can you tell me a bit about that process? What initially inspired you to build them? Getting on the road in the first place?

Hannah: Yeah. So actually, it first started on a trip for my birthday five years ago. Tan and I, in our early, mid 20s, we both spent a lot of our weekends out socializing, going to the bars, that’s really the scene in San Diego. Then when we met, we realized that we wanted something different, so we went on a few backpacking trips and realized we wanted more in life and that we really loved it. For my birthday in December we went to Big Sur. I remember it so vividly. There was wind rushing through our tent, it was freezing, and when we woke up it was raining, all of our stuff was soaking wet. The wind was even moving our stuff everywhere, and it was a really rough night of sleep.

Then the next morning, this guy who we were camping next to opens up his van door and he’s like, “Good morning,” with his hot cup of coffee in hand, “what a beautiful day” and we hadn’t slept and were soaking wet. We looked at each other and decided that was it. So we went home and we started looking into vans. At the time we had an Overlander Jeep, and we built out the back a little bit, but it wasn’t enough to have these adventures and sustain the lifestyle we wanted. Then we saw a van for sale and we just pulled the trigger. We bought it from this guy who was a climber, and we hadn’t really climbed much, just starting to get into it. When we got it, the van was already converted, but built for just one person, so we essentially bought it and ripped it apart and made our own. If it wasn’t for that trip I never would have thought that this would be our life.

That van conversion probably cost us $2,500, maybe $3,000. From that point on, every weekend we were heading to the mountains, or to Joshua Tree, or Big Sur, or somewhere closer. Then when COVID hit and my job went remote, we realized that we could do more of this. Our van was built more for weekend trips, not as much for long trips, so that’s when we sold our first one and decided to get a bigger van that we then converted. That really helped us move into it full time.

What would you say you’ve changed from your first build to your second? And especially, doing that on a budget of $2,500, that’s great for building out a van.

Hannah: Yeah, so that first van was a short roof and short cab. It was really good for weekend trips, but we ended up selling it to a friend who moved into it. We knew we wanted bigger and longer, so we found the best Ford version we could and built that out. I think that conversion was about $15,000. We weren’t trying to budget for it, because we knew we were leaving and that we’d need everything we decided to put in it. For us, since we made it our daily driver, it was super cost effective, and then we saved a lot of money being rent free.

It also makes you own less, too, because you don’t have as much room. What I love about it is that it simplifies your life so much. When we built this one, the layout changed a lot from our last. We made some big upgrades, like Goal Zero, we got solar, we added pictures. We knew we wanted to be in the backcountry so that’s what we decided on. We wanted to be able to go into BLM land and stay there for 10 days and climb and not worry about running out of battery. Every morning, before and during the build, we’d sit on the couch and look up YouTube videos for van conversions. We just figured it out ourselves and did the best we could. It is scary to start but it really did work out.

For us, who we were before the van to who we are now is so different, and in the best way possible. Living in a small space with your partner, we’re so close and we’re best friends. You learn so quickly how to communicate and work together and you get a sense of what is important in life. I’m really grateful that we took the leap to do this, because it’s been so pivotal in our lives.

What sort of training or degrees have you had in order to get to that point?

Hannah: I actually went to school to be a sports broadcaster, that was my dream. And then I realized how much pressure there is on women in that space to look a certain way and to present themselves in a different light. I was also really struggling with an eating disorder in college, so I realized it wasn’t the best path for me and I wanted a different career path. I ended up becoming a personal trainer. I’m from the east coast and started working there, but it led me to not really feeling fulfilled. Then I got a call from one of my oldest friends in San Diego and she told me that she had a place available that month. I told her I was coming. She thought I was crazy and couldn’t believe it, but I packed my car, all my stuff was in trash bags so I didn’t even have a suitcase, then I drove across the country with Charlie and my mom, and then she flew back when we got to San Diego. I found a job with a fitness company and I was in marketing. I wasn’t getting paid that much but I was scraping by. I knew I was going to make this work because that’s what I really wanted to do.

I was able to move to an executive assistant role for another company and I started having really great mentors and growing quickly. Then the entire company went remote, this was back right at the start of COVID when we were considering vanlife full time. I was with them for four or five years. I grew to be the director, and I was the youngest director there which was really cool, and I absolutely love what I did. But I realized I wanted a little bit more of a work life balance, and I was ready for change. So I left that company in May and Tan and I traveled to Europe. I had something lined up, so I knew I would be starting a full time job in September. Now I’m a VP for a supplements brand and I get to keep pursuing my passions and hobbies alongside my work which is really cool.

Do you think having that personal trainer background with nutrition and fitness has shaped how you live on the road? Does it help you power adventures or direct which stops you’re going to? I think merging those two worlds is a great way to do it.

Hannah: Probably a little bit, but what I was doing was so focused on weight lifting and being in the gym, so now we let our hobbies guide us. I really love the stuff that doesn’t feel like working out, like hiking and climbing, so we follow the weather mostly. Then I think my outlook on nutrition and fueling has changed drastically. I now focus on nutrition to give me energy to do the things I want to do in the mountains, which has given me a different perspective on fitness and wellness and what that means to me. It’s really been changed by the hobbies that I’ve found.

I played soccer in college and I ran track so I had more of a traditional sports background, and I honestly got so burnt out with it. So this year, I’m really focusing on bringing back that health and wellness and prioritizing that over everything, to fuel the hobbies and goals we have, but also continue that mental clarity I’ve found when I feel good. Living in a van I can’t go to a gym or lift weights, so right now I’m training for an ultra and it’s been about getting more discipline and resiliency.

“It’s about fueling myself and also not trying to look a certain way. Essentially what I’m trying to do is just to commit to myself again, and it’s feeling really good.”

How would you say that looks in your day to day life? Especially training for the ultra? I’m also curious which one it is, I’m an ultra runner, too. As well as how it looks different since you’re now in a house, instead of in a van, and how you’re integrating health and wellness into it.

Hannah: I’m just trying to simplify as much as possible. I’ve simplified my nutrition, I’ve simplified the supplements I take. With running, I can do that in a van. I just need shoes and my body and I can do that. I ran a marathon back in 2019 and I felt so calm, clear and focused, also really confident. I’ve wanted to recommit to that because I felt so good. I need to do something that shakes me up a bit, something that’s intense, that pushes me out of my comfort zone. For my birthday this year, I decided that I wanted to wake up and see the sunrise. I wanted to learn a new skill, which ended up being learning how to use ascenders in climbing, and then we climbed and did a canyoneering course in Moab. My goal this year is to wake up in the morning, read a book, drink water then have my coffee. I’ll go to the gym or walk my dog Charlie, then go to work and have meetings. Later I’ll try to get a second workout in and I’m really focusing on elevation right now. Then I’m just trying to do as much whole food as possible, so nothing processed. I like to start my morning with collagen in my coffee. I’ve tried to take less supplements too, and focus more on getting enough water, eating a ton of red meat and veggies. I’ll try to have a salad every day [laughs]. It’s about fueling myself and also not trying to look a certain way.

Essentially what I’m trying to do is just to commit to myself again, and it’s feeling really good. It’s giving me a lot of confidence, along with that energy and clarity. I’m signing up for a marathon before the ultra, and my goal is to just see how it goes. Our plans are still up in the air for the rest of this year. In May we’ll be in Alaska, so I might do one there. I’ll just have my bear spray then I’ll be good.

What will you be doing in Alaska? And what do your plans look like going forward?

Hannah: We’re moving into the van in February, then we’re going down to San Diego. My husband is on the board of a nonprofit so they’re meeting up in February and we’re just going to go and chase some nice weather. We’re going to be in Italy for a week climbing in April. Then we’re gonna start heading up to Alaska, and in May we’re summiting Denali. That’s the goal, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that with my work but I am trying to make that happen. I will definitely do it at some point, that’s my end goal. We also want to do it unguided, so there’s a lot I would need to learn before that, but Tan is definitely going to be there. Then after that our plans are very up in the air. But we’re really just committed to doing what feels right. And what feels right today might not feel right tomorrow. We might find something else we really want to do, so we’re just going with that.

There’s a great balance with that too. You don’t know what’s going to happen but you have these plans that you’re excited about. I’d also like to touch on living in a van, in a small space, with a dog and a partner and going on all these adventures. How do you make that work?

Hannah: It’s honestly so crazy. Tan and I are really best friends, and that’s honestly just from being able to communicate so well. He’ll give me space when I need it and we’ll go out and do our own things. For instance, if I’m stressed I’ll get out and go for a run. And if I’m having a rough day, he’ll go ice climbing and give me time for myself, so I can just lay in bed and read a book or anything like that really. At the end of the day, I’ve always wanted my partner to be my best friend and that’s what I have, so I’m really grateful for it. So much of it is about finding a partner that you love to do things with, and being really aligned with them, and both knowing that that’s the lifestyle you want. We’re similar with what we want in terms of adventure and prioritizing our relationship and the outdoors and living a simple life.

But if you’re doing vanlife with someone that isn’t super aligned then there might be difficulties. For us, it’s fun, it’s easy. Especially with being on the road, you don’t have a consistent community, so the people you’re traveling with become your community.  Our dog, Charlie, just turned eight in December, she loves to hike and to play. We really feel so connected in the van. It’s also a great opportunity to work on yourself too, because there can be less distractions. Then there’s the accountability that comes with living in a small space with your partner, you can work on things together.

It sounds like you’re able to get your needs met and set personal goals while also having dynamics as a couple where you can do that together, and that sounds really important.

Hannah: Absolutely, we hold each other accountable. Tan’s passion is 100% climbing, and seeing how far he can perform with that. My passion right now is becoming more resilient. It’s always, for me, about trying to climb harder. I want to be able to do this and I want to feel resilient, and I like to stick to a plan. So with the ultra running, he holds me accountable, and I hold him accountable with his goals in climbing. We’re able to both support each other independently.

That’s great, being so good together and then apart. You both work and are able to go on these adventures, and also have this Instagram presence. It sounds like that’s also a lot of what you do, because you share a lot there. How has that part of your life evolved over time?

Hannah: It’s so funny. The whole reason we created that page four years ago was to just connect with people that have common interests with us. Living in San Diego, a lot of people like to surf and go to the beach, so we weren’t finding a really big community there who were interested in mountain adventures. Since we’ve been living on the road, we have met a lot of incredible people through that page. We’ve met people in the Grand Tetons, in Tahoe, and all these places, and they’re all people with a similar lifestyle. That’s the whole reason we created the page, and we honestly just want it to be fun. We’re not in it to make a ton of money or anything, just to meet people who share interests and experiences with us. I hope that we inspire people to go out and build a van, to take that leap. We were in Telluride last week and we met a couple and the woman told me that she knew our page and it’s part of what inspired her to get into vanlife. So for us, that’s really why we do this.

You’re being yourself. You’re not in it to be an influencer or anything. I think that’s what’s so special about your page.

Hannah: For me, the one thing I want is to be as authentic as possible. If we ended up making some money, I can assure you, it’s because it’s with brands that we 1,000% have used and validated and sourced. But it’s really just about having fun, and that’s the goal. We honestly go so fast, a million miles an hour, so getting to share it all is great.

You can follow along with Hannah and her partner Tanner, on their adventures at @ilikebigbuttress on Instagram.