By Mark Holden

Adventure Campervans: The Perfect Choice for Your Next Journey

What’s your first impression when you see a camper van traveling down the road? “So cool”, “bad ass” are ideas many of us have muttered followed by a few jabs. For many people vans represent the dream of freedom for road tripping, camping, and recreating in general in the great outdoors. So why doesn’t everyone who partakes in the outdoors have a van? Let’s refer back to the jab you may have made about the van you saw. “That person must be rich” or “they must not have kids” are rational thoughts most of us have had among others. A quick search on the World Wide Web for pricing is all it takes to kill the dream for most. That happened to us. We are all left with impression “vans are only for wealthy folks or the beautiful couples without kids.” Not true anymore! See picture below:)

Another school of thought in opposition camper/adventure vans is “I’d rather have an RV or trailer for that kind of money.” This is where our family got its recreation vehicle start. Been there done that. You’re comparing apples and oranges. If your weighing out these two options, I recommend going for a trailer to discover your true needs and wants. In the end the trailer is cheaper and less of a commitment in all aspects. Nothing wrong with trailers or Class C and up RVs but the lifestyle is very different. To each their own. If you want to read about our pop-up trailer experience read the next paragraph titled “How we came to own a van.” But many of you have blazed your own trail already and if unswayed from a van, read on for good news.

To the above view points I say the following.

Professional van build/outfitter companies and DIY-ers allow more folks to afford a camper or adventure van. Financial institutes are coming around on financing these vehicles as they become known quantities. More hurdles may exists for folks financing a DIY van or for vans of a certain age and older but don’t let it deter you. Sometimes it’s what phrases you say that determine an institutes decision to finance or not (recommend avoiding the phrase “camper van”). For those wanting to comfortably (operative word) sleep more than three people, there are great options available now with more in development.

Now this article is not meant to be instructional towards personal finance. But obsessive research and industry observation over a number of years has led me to where the family and I are today; happy as hell with our van and never looked back (neither has my previously reluctant, frugal love-of-my-life wife).

My hope is this article helps you achieve your recreation vehicle dreams. We only have so much time on this Earth, may you live well. For me, this is living and sharing the outdoor experience with everyone.

How We Came to Own an Axis Van

The pop up trailer is almost a must do in our book when entering into recreational vehicle ownership. We had one for two and a half years and enjoyed it a lot. But after a point, dad and mom had had enough with the logistics of it plus kiddos. We got great use out of it but the prep, tow, setup, break down, and clean up was time consuming. It was economical but we were starting to reach a place where we could afford the thing we really wanted. Dad always had aspirations to break free of campground and seasonal limitations. Do people do this with a pop-up? Absolutely. Can they go anywhere, anytime. Nope. Understanding most 4 x 4 vans fall short in off-road performance of a modified Jeep, our 4 x 4 van is pretty damn capable.

So what exactly limited us with our trailer? Dragging a trailer to a non-campground spot or even non-electrical spot is like taking a child on a long road trip, needy, gear intensive, and eventually the trip begins to fall apart as resources dwindle. “What do we do for battery power, generator vs. golf cart batteries, how much propane do we have, is the front level, back level, can we turn around?” All good questions to have a comfortable, save, successful trip with a traditional RV and even a van, in some cases.

In my mind, trailers and non-van RVs are for weekend campgrounds, family road trips, paved and occasional gravel roads. An RV is like a beach cruiser. Does a few things well but will endure more abuse than it can take when taken off the paved path. A van could be compared to a gravel grinder bike or a mountain bike; the configuration, users comfort level, and budget become the limit now. Modifying a van’s inside, outside, and undercarriage can be done before or after a build. You are not confined to a trim level or fixed number of options like some RVs. Products for inside or outside the van are showing up monthly.

We all use to love jumping in puddles and playing in the dirt. There is no shame in admitting we want to do this as adults and a van is an extension of this.