5 questions we didn’t know to ask ourselves before buying a camper van
A platform slides out from one side to create a bed across the back of the van.
From what I’ve experienced with RVs, it’s hard to find one that has each and every single thing you want. There’s only so much space, after all, especially in a camper van.
It’s highly likely you’ll have to give up a few nice-to-haves in order to get your must-haves.
So, be sure to prioritize your wish list.
Thing is, it can be hard to make a wish list if you’re new to RVs — much less prioritize it.
Sure, you can read about all the systems and options on a van. Watch videos. But to actually experience it, that’s different. Travel in it, sleep in it, shower in it.
You might rent a few models and try them out, if you can find good rentals in your area. But, that will get expensive quick, eating into your down payment. (RV rentals typically have lots of fees, as well as insurance costs, added on top of the nightly rate, so be careful.)
Not to mention, the experience of something over a few days can differ greatly from the experience of the same thing over a longer period. A tiny, cramped bathroom for your weekend trip? No biggie. What about for 2 weeks or longer?
That’s why it’s important to think about more than just what size of RV you want and what features you want it to have. It’s also important to think about how you’ll use it — the experience of it.
Once you do, you’ll have a clearer idea of what’s right for you.
Now, we didn’t know enough about RVing to ask ourselves these questions before we bought our van. So, we’re sharing them with you instead. We hope they help.
1. What do I need to access when the van is packed for travel?
When considering interior layouts, don’t just think about how you’ll use the van when it’s all set up at your final destination. Think about what you want to use on the way there, too.
After all, you might be on the road for several days.
For me, I like having access to the bathroom on travel days. It makes for faster pit stops. I also like being able to get to the fridge and microwave. That way, we can make sandwiches or heat up the homemade dog food.
Decide what you want to access. Then, consider where those features are in the van. How easy will they be to get to once you pack it full of stuff?
On travel days, we have things like inflatable paddle boards, paddles and life jackets taking up space inside the van. Once we get to our destination, of course, we keep all this outside. But, while traveling, they’re in the walkway at the back.
This leaves space for us to get to both the bathroom and kitchen, which are in the middle.
If the bathroom were at the very back, we’d have to climb over all that stuff in order to use it on a travel day.
Then again, bathrooms at the back are usually bigger because they can stretch all the way across. You can also open up the back doors and use the showerhead to spray off your outdoor equipment.
2. Do I want to break down my bed every day?
This relates to the first question. Where the bed is impacts whether or not you have to break it down every day in order to access other areas.
For example, if your bed is in the middle and your bathroom is in the back, you’ll probably want to break down the bed every day for easier access to the bathroom. To me, breaking down the bed isn’t the hard part.
Figuring out what to do with the sheets, blankets, pillows and mattress pad, that’s the hard part. Given the other things we carry in the van, we don’t have a storage spot for large items like this. They would be in the way.
So, we like the bed at the back. Once we set it up, we usually don’t take it apart the entire trip. Though sometimes we do, to access some under-bed storage. (We try to store things there that we don’t need every day or even every trip.)
You may notice that most custom-built vans and #vanlifers have their beds at the very back. Some vans are so small there’s not much of a choice. For others, I think it’s a matter of convenience.
Having the bed at the back and out of the way opens up the middle of the van for other things.
Plus, you can try your hand at one of those #vanlife photos with the back doors open, framing an incredible scene, if that’s your kind of thing. I have yet to try it myself.
3. Do I need a place to work or lounge inside on a rainy day?
If you plan to take long trips, especially in the winter, or to live in your van, it might be helpful to have a comfortable sitting area or even a workspace. A place to sit and read, play cards or work.
This can be hard to find in a camper van. There’s not exactly room for a couch.
The vans that do have this usually have the bed in the middle. The bed breaks down into more of a bench for seating. Sometimes the benches even have seatbelts for travel. There might also be a tabletop you can set up.
When the weather’s crappy and we’re all hanging out in the van, I really wish we had a spot like that. But, remember, there’s always give and take.
To get that seating area, we’d have to give up easy access to the bathroom on travel days. And, where would we put the bedding when the bed isn’t set up.
It's not really worth it to me, but it might be to you.
Instead, our seating area is the bench behind the driver’s seat. It actually has two seatbelts for traveling, but even two super skinny adults would have a hard time enjoying it. There’s also a small table. Plus, both the driver’s and passenger’s seats swivel around for extra seating.
This is fine for the most part, as we don’t work in the van or live in it full-time. But, it’s not really comfy for long periods. (Our bed does break down into two benches, but they’re no good as seating due to their height and the storage bins overhead.)
Plus, one of the reasons we travel by van is to be outdoors. So, not having a great seating area inside only impacts us when the weather isn’t so great.
Otherwise, I want to be outside, sitting by the campfire after the day’s activities.
4. What’s most important to bring with me?
Camper vans and outdoor recreation make a fine pair. You can stay where you play, or at least nearby.
If you plan to incorporate outdoor recreation into your van trips, think about all the gear you’ll need to bring. And, where you’ll put it.
If you also work from your van, that’s even more gear.
On top of the usual clothes, toiletries, food, drinks, kitchen and cooking ware, bedding, towels, cleaning supplies and emergency gear.
Your thing might be reading or knitting rather than bicycling or fishing. But, you’ll need a place for that stuff, too.
Whatever it is, make sure your van can accommodate it — either inside or out.
We haven’t started using the exterior of our van for extra space just yet. But, there are tradeoffs there as well.
For example, if you want a hitch-mounted platform for a storage box, you may not have room for a bike rack. And, our roof is out for extra storage because there’s already an air conditioner, solar panels, skylight and pop-top there.
5. Will I go off-roading?
One of the great things about a camper van is that they can go a lot of places that other RVs just can’t. That includes more crowded urban areas as well as more remote places.
You may think any camper van is good for the latter, so long as it has fresh water storage and rechargeable power. But, that’s not entirely the case.
You also need to think about ground clearance. Not just of the van but of any equipment underneath.
Our generator is under the van, toward the rear. It significantly reduces our ground clearance, meaning we have more of a road than an off-road van.
We may invest in a lift kit at some point to give us a little more clearance. Even then, we won’t be able to go many places where a more off-road van could go.
For now, we’re fine with that. We like the convenience of having hook-ups at a campground, especially electric because not all of our systems run on solar. To use the air conditioner and microwave when we aren’t plugged into electrical power, we have to start the rather noisy generator.
The trade-off there is that it can be difficult to get a campground reservation. The best ones book up quickly, up to a year in advance. Some don’t offer online reservations. Others only accept certain types of vehicles.
Being able to go anywhere, even off-road, is ideal. But, in a pinch, we just sleep in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. It’s not quite the same as being out in the wilderness. But, I’m ok with hiking — and not driving — into the wild.
Of course, as I wrote before in Get to know: Camper Van Beethoven, we didn’t have the luxury of choosing from a bunch of different camper van layouts and models. If you do, these questions might help you decide which is right for you.
Think about what you want to experience both on travel days and staying-put days. Think about your gear and any extra passengers, such as dogs or kids, you might have.
And, remember, it’s normal to make a few trade-offs, which is why it helps to be as clear as you can about how you’ll use your camper van before you ever buy it.
Happy camper van shopping!
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