Domaszl on Trip Advisor 2 years ago
08/05/2020, 01:00 AM
Our campervan vacation in the Northwest
My wife and I rented a Big Sur campervan for 9 days from their Portland operation. Overall, we really enjoyed the experience. Our point of contact person was exceptionally nice - like, one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. He was also very focused on cleanliness, which is important in this time of the pandemic. The vehicle itself is quite long and a little difficult to get used to driving, but by the end of the trip I had it down. We went to several National Parks where the roads were narrow and there were insanely scary drop offs, but we survived. Parking is easy because the Big Sur has a backup camera - I wouldn't get a smaller model because of this feature alone. The inside of the vehicle is pretty worn with use despite it being a newer model. Vacationers clearly put these through the ringer. However, the seats were surprisingly comfortable even though we traveled through both Oregon and Washington. It was easy to operate though, the bed was very comfortable, and the kitchen in the back was super useful. The refrigerator was clutch. We opted for the kitchen set for an additional $40 which ended up being a decent investment. We also got the collision insurance, which is important because most personal auto insurance companies do not cover customized vehicles like campervans. We used tent sites for about half of our trip and slept in the van the other half. It makes things really convenient when you just can't drive anymore and need to crash at a rest area. We slept in a Walmart parking lot one night (be careful to check with each store individually as most do not allow overnight camping). One night we actually had a tent site for the parking and fire pit but opted to sleep in the van in order to save time and get an early start the next morning. We also couldn't find a camp site at Mt Rainier so we boondocked in an adjacent National Forest next to a babbling creek. It was nice to have a hot breakfast next to the water all by ourselves. The weather in the Pacific Northwest was uncharacteristically warm when we visited so sleeping in the van was quite hot when we went to bed. However, when the temperature dropped in those early morning hours, it was very comfortable. I got better night's sleep in the van than in the tent. The big issue I have with the experience is the daily mileage allowance. I understand that there is wear and tear on the vehicle, but I think that should be built into the daily rate. When you look at the daily cost with the additional per mile cost, and any campground sites you incur, it's actually more expensive than renting a car and getting a hotel for most of your nights. Sure we could cover less ground, but that's the point of a road trip. We ended up owing another $300 on top of the pretty expensive base cost. All in all I would recommend Escape Campervans if you want to try the experience out for yourself. If I were to do a campervan again I would absolutely use this company. Aside from not having a bathroom, I think the campervan experience is better than renting an RV. The rental experience was very good, as is the communication.