A GoneCamper minivan matches our traveling AND camping style!
When we started evaluating the best options for camping AND travel, we soon settled on the Dodge Grand Caravan. With every vehicle, and especially with campers or RV's, there are compromises. NO vehicle is perfect in all situations, and our list of requirements will be different than yours.
The GoneCamper is right for us because we are primarily TRAVELERS. This means we camp while we are traveling, as opposed to camping as the goal itself. The GoneCamper provides the bedroom after other activities during the day, like hiking or sightseeing. The GoneCamper eliminates the expense of motels as we travel.
Now this is different than how most RV’s are used. Most owners never take their RV’s anywhere but a local campground, and many are permanently parked at “campsites”. Many “campers” are actually small mobile homes complete with forced air conditioning, flat screen TV’s, and even electric “fireplaces”. We don't go camping to stay inside and play cards or watch movies! We "camp" to stay close to the area we are exploring.
The average “camper” spends its life at a resort with swimming pools, cable TV, and electricity and water provided. These “campsites” can cost as much as $75.00 or more per night! This is not our style! Instead, we like National Forest campgrounds with 20 or fewer sites. Here we don’t get many amenities, but we enjoy the peace and quiet and pay only $10 or $20 dollars per night for a fire ring, picnic table and outhouse.
We sometimes will pay more to camp at a small private campground or state park to take advantage of shower and laundry facilities, or plug into 120-volt power to charge batteries. We also use "shore power" for a small ceramic heater if the forecast is for temperatures below freezing.
Sometimes we are traveling specifically to explore a new area. Often, we will be sightseeing until later in the day. Other times we may be traveling to visit friends or family. In every case, at the end of the day we can find a quiet spot to camp for the night.
With the GoneCamper conversion, camping for the night demands minimal set-up time and effort. It takes only a few minutes to extend the bed and arrange our bedding. It takes only a few minutes to break down the bed and drive away in the morning. We leave nothing but a light impression of four tires behind.
Our preference is to find a quiet campsite for the night in the forest or desert. If we want to or need to we can even camp right on the street or in safe public spaces like large rest areas, truck stops or Walmart parking lots. But often we choose to camp in the middle of nowhere, “boondocking” to take advantage of the beauty and privacy found only far away from the crowds.
VERY quiet campground, Wasilla, Alaska
Think about the flexibility this provides:
We don’t have to worry about finding a motel for the night. Motels are widely spaced in some of the areas we love to explore! We can travel with a minimum of advanced planning so we don’t need to make reservations. We can camp wherever we end up at the end of the day, or we can quit at noon if we find an attractive campsite.
We don’t have to pay top dollar for worn-out motel rooms. Even the “discount” chains often charge more than $100 per night for a bed, sink and shower. We don’t have to worry about not finding a room or paying exorbitant prices (sometimes over $300 per night!) during the peak seasons. We travel where we want when we want to be there.
We don’t have to pay for the lame “complimentary” breakfast. We would rather save our money and prepare what we want rather than settle for dry cereal, stale packaged rolls, and bad coffee at the “Breakfast Bar”.
We enjoy the peace and quiet of a campsite over noisy motels – especially the low-cost motels that have monthly tenants! Most motels are found at the busiest highway intersections. We can almost always find a quiet place to camp within ten miles of our destination.
And we don't have to think about find a safe spot to set up a tent, inflating mattresses, and rolling up sleeping bags. We don't feel vulnerable sleeping in a tent. We don't ever have to pack up a wet tent in the morning, or repack the other gear. We are SO over these chores!
Frankly, we would rather sleep on our clean bed with our own pillows. We would rather spend our money traveling than renting sketchy or over-priced rooms for the night. In fact, the GoneCamper pays for itself by eliminating motel expenses!!!
In summary, we find that the GoneCamper suits us perfectly. We love to travel. With the GoneCamper conversion in the Dodge Caravan we can drive almost anywhere in North America very economically. We can then choose from a wide range of free or low-cost camping options. Our GoneCamper has all the creature comforts we require, but no room to weigh us down with extra junk.
Deciding to purchase and use a camper requires costs for operation, licensing, maintenance, storage and insurance. The wrong decision is going to cost you lots of money. The more you spend on things like storage and maintenance the less you have for traveling and camping!
Why not invest in a camper that you can use EVERY day? The GoneCamper conversion turns a standard minivan into a camper, and you don't lose the comfort, versatility, or economy of the minivan! Why not join us?
"Camping in Comfort, Traveling Efficiently, Living Frugally"
