Sometimes camping just sucks. Taking hours to set up camp, the bugs, the rain, and oftetimes more hassle than you want to wrangle. But there's a company that's all about making camping easier by making van life affordable (especially if you don't plan on living in it for months at a time). Honest Camper is based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, and they will rent you a VW Westfalia van or a bigger Mercedes Sprinter van. Both of them have the creature comforts and convenience to make camping in the Pacific Northwest super attractive.
The company owns a small fleet of vintage Type 2 Westfalias that have been restored and modified (a new, more reliable Ford engine replaces the finicky original VW motor). But if you don't want vintage, and you need more space, you can also get a Mercedes Sprinter van. Both of them have the attractive white/forest green colorway and eschew the ugly massive graphics other camper rental companies slather on the sides of their vehicles. Plus, they're both much easier to drive than giant Winnebagos.
The two vehicles look great in the wilderness with their simple aesthetic, but most importantly they’re outfitted with beds for four, bed linens, a cooking stove, kitchenware, and camping gear like folding chairs and flashlights, and they even comes with board games and candles. The Sprinter has enough size to provide dining area, too.
The vehicles get rugged tires to go off pavement a little bit more than standard vehicles, but if you get stuck, Honest Camper will provide assistance to get you out of trouble. Just don't plan on actually going off-road in them. They're really meant to traverse dirt and gravel often found on the way to campsites and along less than perfect roads. The fact that the company took the time to give their vehicles just about everything needed for a great trip is brilliant.
Cost in the fall is less than during spring and summer months and amount to about $150/night with a three-night minimum. Warmer months cost about $224/night. Now might just be the perfect time to take them up on their services if you're in their neck of the woods, so to speak. What's important to note about Honest Camper is that their prices are comparable to other rental services, but they provide the whole package in terms of supplies and gear. It really is one-stop-shopping when it comes to camper rentals.
So, where are you supposed to get one of these? Well, they're available for pickup/dropoff at Translink Skytrain Stations in the Pacific NW area, and you can even pre-arrange drop off in a different city if that's what works best for you. We love seeing this kind of thinking that makes the great outdoors easier while using some of the best vans in the industry.
