Karla and I had been kicking around the idea of buying a 4×4 van for awhile, and when the exact van we’re considering was available for rent nearby we jumped on it. We used the website gocamp.com, which we highly recommend. Easy and seamless. Much like airbnb you rent the RV from an individual, all brokered via the website. The price is expensive ($330/day), but so is the RV. My main quibble is that price only includes 120 miles/day, which forced our hand somewhat in where we’d explore and camp. I can’t imagine flying into a city in the West, renting this thing for 2 weeks and only putting 1680 miles on it.
We rented this van and camped near Camp Verde on night #1
We rented the van while visiting Camp Verde, AZ in our current RV. We arranged a pickup time and place with the owner (near Flagstaff, AZ), and he spent a good hour going over all the features. We were his first rental! Only 3,000 miles on his baby, which he mainly uses for personal trips and plans to rent out sparingly. After loading food, clothes and hiking gear we hit the road, heading south towards lower elevations (and therefore warmer temps). We camped the first night near Camp Verde, off FS 618 (here is the lat/long).
At our first night’s camp site
Our main goal, in fact our only goal, was to see if this tiny van would suffice for inhabiting it months at a time. First up was the sleeping accommodations. The Storyteller has two options: the Dreamweaver, a slightly less than queen sized bed (56″ x 79”) and the GrooveLounge, seat/lounge/bed combo that folds into a surprisingly roomy bed (34″ X 72″). While we both fit in the Dreamweaver bed, I suspect we’d be more comfortable each take one sleeping accommodation, which is exactly what we did. Luckily we bought along a sleeping pad, because the GrooveLounge is FIRM (the aftermarket has a mattress topper solution, which we’d get). The Dreamweaver bed was perfectly comfy. Some people report problems with clunking ones head on the overhead cabinets, under which your head rests while sleeping. Happily that didn’t happen.
The bed in our rental Storyteller
The GrooveLounge folds flat
Our next goal was to check out the lounging space, something we spent more time doing than anticipated due to the weather. Ideally we’d treat a van as we treat tent camping, spending time mostly outside until bedtime. Fortunately our 3 day trip was chocked full of cold temps, high winds and plenty of rain (and even snow). Fortunately you ask? Yes, because it forced us inside for the better part of 72 hours — a true torture test of van life. Well, there are plenty of seating options, with both front seats swiveling around, the GrooveLounge (we left it in bed mode and used it as a couch) and the bed. That being said we were always getting in each others way, which is expected in a van. While we survived 72 hours straight in a van, it’s certainly not ideal. In a non-rental situation the solution would have been easy: drive about 3 hours south to Tucson and enjoy 15 degree warmer temps and no rain.
The rest of the van features worked as expected: the fridge was sufficiently large, the induction stove worked well, the furnace kept us warm in sub-freezing temps, the massive lithium-ion battery didn’t dip below 85% and there’s a surprising amount of storage space. We never needed all wheel drive, but the combo of high ground clearance, off road tires and 4×4 if needed provided the confidence to go places most vans would not. If this were our van I would add traction boards at a minimum, and ideally a winch for recovery options.
There are a few downsides. Oddly there are zero USB-C ports in the van (there are some in the dash, but they are only powered when the engine is on). Not a big deal, just need to buy some new cables. But really? In 2022 you have only USB-A ports? On a more serious downside, there is no toilet privacy. In fact, there is barely a toilet at all. Storyteller includes a small cassette toilet, which is such a nuisance to empty we skipped it entirely. But had we used it, you’d be doing your business a few feet from the other person, with no curtain at night. We just went outside, which was fine given our remote location. But what about when camping out in more urban areas, or in Walmart parking lots, or rest areas?
Our campsite near Sedona
We really enjoyed our time in the van, especially the closer-to-nature aspect of camping vs. a crowded RV park. And starting so close to hiking trails was a boon, as was returning to a fully stocked RV after the hike. In a rare moment of sun and relative warmth we enjoyed a leisurely al fresco lunch.
We enjoyed an outdoor lunch at a trailhead after our morning hike
So, are we going to get one? Maybe. It all comes down to the toilet, or lack thereof. There are certainly other short wheelbase, 4×4 vans that have a dedicated bathroom (notably, the Winnebago Revel), but having a bathroom that is used a few times a day occupying a reasonable portion of the van at all times seems like a poor use of space. During the day we’re out and about — hiking, biking, sight seeing, eating — all places with bathrooms. It’s really only an issue at night. I think we’re willing to sacrifice that space in order to gain the additional seating/lounging area, and just deal with nightly bathroom trips with a combination of a toilet seat, double doodie bags, and poo power.
