Like the fashion trends that ebb, flow, and much to our chagrin, recycle, so has the camper van life! Van life was very popular in the late 1960s-1970s and has made quite the comeback. Just hop over to Instagram and search #vanlife to see all the posts and different style camper vans on the market! It has some serious appeal for those with wanderlust or housing instability.
Not quite ready for full-time van life
Van life is expensive to get started with since supply/demand has driven the cost of the actual van and build-out process very high. So before diving in, a good idea is to rent a van! Which we totally did from 828CamperVanRentals through Outdoorsy.
What is van life?
Van life is all about efficiency, creativity, and exploring! The reasons that people have opted to explore it vary; from housing instability to wanderlust to career-driven choices with everyone having their own reason (or collection of reasons) for hitting the road in a small and somewhat nimble home on wheels.
My motivation lends itself more to the wanderlust and educational side of the spectrum. We love to travel and learn while we travel, doing it in a camper van has the appeal of not booking five million hotel rooms.
Our experiences with a taste of van life
We recently wrapped up a three-night camping trip in one of 828CamperVanRental’s smaller models. It was perfect for a first run, not too big, not too small, and gave me a lot of ideas of what we need and don’t need if we go “all in” on this adventure.
The good
The beauty of the Promaster we rented is that it had everything we could possibly need for our trip. That made packing a breeze. I loved the idea of the security factor, as well, for my daughter and me.
The camper van had everything you could need in one place: bed, table, refrigerator, sink with running water, and a potty. It was fully-stocked with all the cooking supplies and butane burner, sleeping bags and outdoor rug, and an outdoor shower for those adventurous souls.
Additionally, there was an awning on one side for extra shade or projection from some rain showers.
Last but not least, power! You could easily live the van life off the grid since this model has solar power. It is ready to explore wherever your heart desires and is 2WD friendly.
Areas for improvement
828 has pretty much all the bases covered so I cannot really suggest an improvement for this rental. It was a great experience to give me a better idea of what I would personally need if we go the camper van life route.
Just nope, no way, not happening
Low-roof-lines are a no-go for me! High-roof-lines are the way to go since I have got to be able to stand up inside the van. I bonked my head too often and my tush more times than I can count while trying to maneuver around. If you are under 5’6″ you’ll be fine in a Promaster with a normal roof-line but at 5’8″ I was not okay.
Next steps?
We are already in planning mode for our next adventure. We are opting for the larger model that 828 offers in the collection of camper vans so that I can actually stand up while in the dang thing. Additionally, we will go for a more extended period of time. We will also take what we learned during our first trip, too!
That’s a wrap!
I hope that you enjoyed a peek into van life and our experience with our fun little camper van. If you want to learn more about what we did on our trip hop over to read about it and our other #summeradventures!
Furthermore, if you have any suggestions about where we should go on our next trip feel free to drop me a line or let me know on Facebook!
One last tidbit, I have always said: “home is where ever you sleep.” Well, with van life it is where ever you park it!
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