A crisp, sunny fall day in Yellowstone National Park – the wind was picking up, but the crowds hadn’t left yet. We were sweaty and dusty, just back to our van with the kids from a hike. Parked at the Yellowstone River trailhead was a rental camper with a logo on the side: “Campervan North America”. I had never, ever seen anything like this rental – it wasn’t a giant, shiny diesel pusher with a Jeep hitched on, or a 24′ Chevy box. In fact, it was smaller than a VW Westy, truly the smallest camper van I’ver ever seen, less than 16′ long.
What’s so cool about the tiny Ford-Transit-Connect-based “Edelweiss” camper? Maybe the fact that in America, “big” is everything. Maybe we don’t need to go “big” just because we can, maybe “big” sometimes gets in the way. When it comes to a camper van – presumably a vehicle you use to get out and enjoy nature – maybe it’s easier to take part in nature when you’re not lugging slide-outs with replicas of your living-room sofa, as well as every appliance known to 21st-century America. Maybe it’s pretty cool to find a place you like, pull over and camp at any nice spot, right there, without hookups, without a fridge, shower, and toilet, but just a bed to sleep on tucked in the back.
Bob Swan, CEO of Campervan North America in Driggs, Idaho, says his customers are drawn by how easy the small campers are to drive, and the environmental and economic benefits of a compact, fuel-efficient chassis – the camper van we saw, the Edelweiss, is the smallest model, and the other two models are based on my favorite van – you guessed it – the 144″ Sprinter-based “Two4theRoad” and the medium-sized 170″ “Clanhauler” Sprinter. Both of the Sprinter camper vans are less minimal, with kitchen and bathroom setups, but pretty small compared to the average gas-guzzling North American RV.
“Why did I pick the Sprinter?” Bob says. “I want my fleet to have the ability to get 20 mpg, which they seem as if they do. I also know that in doing what I am doing, that having a vehicle that holds its resale is imperative. My using the Sprinter, and having a high-quality conversion company, Sportsmobile, doing the conversions was important along these lines.”
In November, Campervan North America will open another rental office in Las Vegas. Maybe the growing number of renters is a sign that some Americans may be tired of hauling their giant houses on wheels about. And just who are the people renting these new, smaller camper vans? “I have had customers from their 20’s into their 70’s,” Bob says. “My customer base has been awesome so far, very nice people that have appreciated what I am trying to provide.”
If you are looking to rent a really unique, smaller camper van for your next vacation, or maybe to try out a Sprinter RV before you take the plunge and buy one, check out the Campervan North America Web site. There are numerous pictures and videos of all three camper van models for rent.
UPDATE April 2014: CNA now has moved its locations to Bozeman, MT and Las Vegas, NV.
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