Our Introduction to Adventure Vans

 

A couple of years ago, my design firm worked for a client who was building luxury Sprinter Van conversions. During the creative process, I learned a lot of new things about our target market and what they liked to do in vans. I also learned about the pain points of ownership and maintenance and discovered the secrets of what really matters to van aficionados.

Fast forward to our family trying to come up with a plan to support Joel while he ran the Western States 100-mile endurance run. We'd previously used Air BnBs and hotels to stay close to races but it was always cumbersome to be tied to just one location and have no way to wile away the hours in comfort. I decided to create an Outdoorsy account and rent a Sprinter Van myself. I had a few of my own priorities. 

1. 4 captain's seats so children would be bucked in real seatbelts tethered to the main frame and not too close to each other (RVs often have kinda fake seatbelts that are just attached to particle board and are not crash tested)
2. Beds for all four of us
3. Stove, sink, and refrigeration 

I was not interested in having a toilet/blackwater system because that is a whole other level of fussing around with chemicals and dumping and everywhere we were going had restrooms.

I was also not terribly concerned with A/C though I should have been... 

I rented a 22' Sprinter that had the basic layout that worked with our plan. It was nicely laid out and super easy to drive. We quickly learned that going over 18' has some disadvantages. Parking becomes limited to box store parking lots with angled spaces where you can pull through and take over two spaces.

On the plus side, 22' allows for more space to sleep and move around even when you are battened down to drive. It fit just fine in state campground parking places and we were super cozy up in Tahoe when the temperatures dropped at night.

As for supporting Joel, the set-up was really ideal. We actually parked in a legal parking place along a side road about 1 block from the start line. The start line had bathrooms, restaurants and amenities, so we were set. Joel was able to maximize rest time and just head right to the start line without driving at all. 

He left at 4am, the kids and I went back to sleep for a couple of hours and then I slipped out and picked up some yummy brunch food and made espresso. I took the kids to a play space and watched Joel's position in the race and then set off to meet him and his pacers at a feed zone. I was able to whip up a charcuterie board and host at the van while his team waited for him. 

Then the kids and I checked into an RV park. Very easy, though a lot less inviting than a forest campsite. At 4am again we moved our van to the finish line and enjoyed having a place to stretch out and all take a nap before hitting the road. 

It did get to 100f that morning so we really should have been mindful about finding a van with full climate control in the back. It's not a feature many rental vans have because it's costly to put in.  

Joel's race was a success, completing the 100 miles in 23 hours and 41 minutes and earning himself a coveted belt buckle and bragging rights. And I conquered my own fears of driving a large vehicle and being solo with the boys on an adventure.