Frequently Asked Questions

With the storage rack on top, it’s 8 feet tall. Therefore, please don’t enter any garage or fast food area that doesn’t have at least a 9 foot clearance. Note that the passenger pickup area at the airport doesn’t accommodate the vans! If you’re picking someone up, pick them up at the ARRIVALS area, which is plenty tall.

The bed is 6’3” long and 47” wide. It’s perfect for two! Let me know when you’d like to book. 

Yes! You will get a sleeping bag that can be converted into singles or a double bag. You’ll also get 2 pillows, pillowcases, sheets, blanket  and 2 towels. From Nov 1 – March 31, we provide two blankets and a propane heater.

We provide blanket and sleeping bags. If those aren’t enough, simply turn on the vehicle and run the car’s heater. Consider driving to lower elevations for warmer temperatures. Some renters like to bring their own electric 12v blanket (with a cigarette lighter adapter, NOT a standard plug). You can plug that into the electrical system’s 12v plug.

From November 1 – March 31, we provide a second blanket, portable propane heater ,and two propane fuel canisters. You will need to buy additional canisters if you wish to use more than that. Note that you should ALWAYS ventilate the van with the roof fans, not sleep with it on, be very mindful of the flame and hot surface of the heater. 

We provide a portable fan and a ceiling fan is built into the roof of the van. If those aren’t enough, simply turn on the vehicle and run the car’s a/c. Consider driving to higher altitude or closer to water for natural cooling!

The van doesn’t have shore plugins, it runs on a 100w solar panel that charges the RV battery. When you drive, the vehicle’s alternator also charges the RV battery. So, yes, the van is designed to work without being plugged into external power.

A reminder, if you are dry camping, that dirt road travel is prohibited and will result in the loss of your security deposit.

You will start your trip with 5 gallons of purified drinking water. Please also return it full. To find purified water, please search ‘water’ in google maps and go to any Watermill Express or Glacier water dispenser. The back of most Walmarts also have filling stations. It costs $1.25-$2.00 to get 5 gallons of purified water. It’s totally up to you how much water you will use.

Unfortunately not. 

Unfortunately, we don’t allow bikes inside the van and we don’t have bike racks, nor is there a place to mount a bike rack. 

Unfortunately, we don’t allow towing of any kind.

There is indeed an outdoor shower. It’s usb rechargeable powered and you can hang it anywhere you want 🙂

One must be comfortable wearing a swimsuit, finding a private place to park, or be comfortable with having someone else hold up a towel to cover one’s privvies.

I recommend you download your choice of Google Maps or  Maps.me and download the areas you will be driving through. The parks have surprisingly decent service, but GPS is not built into the vans.

Yes. You get 2 camp chairs.

Yes, two towels and two hand towels are provided.

You can put them in the roof rack. PLEASE do not bring skis or boots into the van as they scratch the floors. 

Our vans are compact and don’t have space for a toilet… and to be frank, we don’t want to deal with the cleanup and sanitization this would entail. For you, this means there are no tanks to empty and drain during your trip (it’s really not a fun job)! There are ample facilities at campsites and travel centers along the road. It’s also easy to stop in at gas stations and fast food restaurants for a quick bathroom stop. For showering, we do include a portable shower for outdoor use and many campgrounds and truck stops have clean, inexpensive shower facilities. 

Unfortunately not. They’re cheap at Walmart, though, and REI is nearby with awesome tents 🙂. Another great local option is to rent a tent and more equipment from Basecamp Outdoor Gear. We’ve partnered with them, so if you check out with promo code VGSCMPR10, you’ll get a 10% discount!

Each van has 8-10 USB plugs. There is also an inverter with 2 regular sized power plugs. 

The fridge will run on battery power the whole time. It doesn’t use propane. Solar and your driving recharges the battery, no problem. 

There are two separate batteries. The RV electronics don’t operate on the car’s battery, so no, you won’t run the second battery out by running fans or electronics in the evening. Please conserve electricity however as it’s not an endless supply and you could discharge the RV battery.

You will get a pot, pan, silverware, cooking utensils, bottle/wine opener, Aeropress coffee maker, salad bowl, plates, bowls, cups, and coffee cups.

You will get salt and pepper, hot sauce, olive oil, instant coffee, and tea bags.

The fridge is electric.

There is a very small table but picnic tables are better. 🙂

Only unleaded gas, 87 grade or higher. Absolutely NO diesel.

Your van has a 100 watt solar panel that charges a battery that is separate from the car’s battery. There are 10 USB ports and 2 120volt sockets (regular USA wall plugs) throughout the van. The 400 watt inverter is plenty to charge a laptop and camera, but running a hair dryer or electric chainsaw is too much. Please don’t try either of those.

There is a little snowflake icon button that needs to be pressed in and glowing for the a/c to blow cold. Press that button and it’ll blow cold.

No. We change the oil/filter and rotate tires more than the recommended intervals. 

The oil change timer in the van’s computer isn’t sync’d with the actual oil changes, thus, not accurate. 

You can eliminate the message by following these steps:

STEP 1

Close all doors, gear set to park position.

STEP 2

Turn the ignition on. Don’t start the engine.

STEP 3

Fully press and release the gas pedal 3X within 10 seconds.

STEP 4

Turn off the ignition. If fail repeat the procedure.

You get two new butane canisters, plus whatever is left in the stove’s current canister. If you are efficient and boil low levels of water in the kettle, one canister will last a week. If you cook 2/3 meals a day, a canister could only last a day or two. When I’m out camping, I just boil a kettle for coffee in the morning and then moderate use in evening for dinner and one canister lasts me 3-5 days. Additional butane canisters are available at most camping stores and Walmarts.

Mr. Buddy is an indoor safe heater, but carbon dioxide build up can be a real issue in such a small space. For your life’s safety, please DO ventilate using the roof fan and/or the windows. Don’t not sleep with it running inside the van! While the heater has an auto-off feature if it detects too low of oxygen levels and the van has a carbon monoxide/smoke detector, it is not worth the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and/or burning down the van. Please use the blankets and sleeping bags we provide and if it’s absolutely freezing still, run the heater while awake and then go to sleep after turning it off.

The shell is a Ram Promaster City. The interior build is designed and built by Cascade Campers in Nevada City, CA. We add the stuff on the roof, additional shelving, and all accessories.