Because a minivan gives you a comfortable, economical, and dependable vehicle to drive EVERY OTHER DAY!
I'll admit that few people will automatically think of a minivan as a viable option for camping. But consider the millions of RV's and campers parked across the U.S. Most of us will use our campers on weekends and for vacations. So how many days does that total per year? Twelve three-day weekends would equal 36 days. If you add in two weeks vacation the total would be up to 50 days per year. Do you plan on camping more or less?
Camping at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Now divide these 50 days into the cost of a $25,000, $50,000 or $100,000 camper or RV. Don't stop there. Now add the high cost of operation, plus insurance, taxes and license. Don't forget constant and expensive maintenance at the RV dealer, plus storage between trips. Divide your total cost by 50 days and you could stay in a luxury resort for less!
Now contrast this with a minivan. The minivan is one of the cheapest vehicles you can buy, operate, license and insure. You don't have to buy a new vehicle either because there are thousands of dependable, low-mileage used minivans available.
Picnic lunch in Saguaro National Park
In addition, minivans are comfortable and easy to drive. You can park anywhere. You can drive to work, school, run errands, or go sightseeing. You have great visibility all around in traffic. You can haul bulky items from the store, or carry several passengers safely. And if disaster strikes, a minivan is one of the safest vehicles on the road with a sturdy roll cage, seat belts and air bags to protect everyone inside.
NONE of this is true of a motor home. NONE of this is true of camper trailers and fifth wheel trailers that require an expensive tow vehicle. Even tiny "tear drop campers" and "overland" trailers with roof top tents can cost $10,000 to over $20,000!
Want to drive across the country and visit friends or relatives? You probably won't be able to park your motor home in their driveway or on the street. Want to visit historic sites or national parks? You will have to park a mile away from most attractions with a big rig - if you can maneuver through the traffic at all. RV's and camper trailers are not allowed in some popular tourist destinations due to traffic congestion. Want the most flexibility when searching for a place to camp for the night? A big motor home isn't exactly "stealthy" nor is it capable of driving far past the end of the pavement.
Would you rather get over 25 miles per gallon or less than 10 mpg? That's a 250% price advantage for fuel alone when traveling in a minivan - and don't forget that fuel costs as much as double when you cross into Canada!
26.5 MPG on a recent city/highway mountain road trip
Now think real hard about the difference between staying in one spot "camping" and traveling. How many days will you stay parked? How many days are you actually traveling and just need a bed for the night?
A lot to think about, I know. For us, we don't go "camping" that often. But we DO love to travel, explore and hike. PLUS - we like taking our bed and pillows with us on the road! When we get home, we can pull our "camper" right into the garage! That's why a minivan camper conversion from GoneCamper makes sense for US.
Our Dodge Caravan ready for 1,000 OTHER uses!
We can not park a motor home or camper in our driveway or back yard. Storage would cost over $100 per month. We travel to some popular spots and would hate to think about dragging a trailer through the traffic and hassling with finding parking places. We refuse to pay the taxes, insurance and licenses for a third vehicle. And - since we are kind of cheap - we like to camp for free as much as possible! For all these reasons, a GoneCamper minivan is our best option.
Obviously, your results may differ! GoneCamper is not designed to take the grand kids to the lake for a week (unless you pitch a tent for them.) But if we are on the same "wave length", get in touch and we can talk about customizing a GoneCamper for you!
"Traveling Efficiently, Camping Comfortably, Living Frugally"
