Renting an Escape Camper Van: Everything You Need to Know
If you’re looking for a unique vacation idea in order to get out and see the outdoors, an Escape Campervan rental is the perfect bucket list experience! If you’re like me and love the idea of spending more time in nature but don’t love the idea of sleeping on the ground, an Escape Campervan rental is a great option for you! And the best part, you don’t have to break the bank to do this!
Nowadays, there are tons of companies that offer reasonably priced camper van rentals. And no, I’m not talking about giant RV rentals that are impossible to drive (anyone seen that Robin Williams movie with JoJo?!) I’m talking about small vans (typically 9-passenger like a Ford Transit) that have been converted into a “campervan!” With a real bed, a sitting area, and maybe even a kitchenette.
Renting an Escape Campervan allows you to explore the great outdoors without having to pack and unpack in hotel rooms or set up and break down tents. Your entire stay is packed into the van, which may sound a little cramped, but it’s actually quite roomy! Below I’m breaking down all you need to know about renting a camper van and planning your trip, including where to rent, what to pack, where to go, and more!
So without further ado, let’s get into it!
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link or book through an affiliate program, I receive a small commission at no cost to you!
Everything You Need to know About Renting an Escape Campervan
Where to Rent Your Campervan
There are a few different companies out there that offer reasonably priced camper van rentals! We rented our van from Escape Campervans, so I’ll be speaking mostly about my experience with them. But other popular companies include Native Campervans, Outdoorsy, and ROAMERICA. If you already know where you want to go, you can just google “Location Campervan rental” and see what your options are! I
Escape Campervans specifically has rental locations all over the USA, including Los Angeles, Orlando, Las Vegas, New York, and more! Of course, where you pick up your van will depend on where you live or where you are planning a trip to! Here are some road trip ideas based on Escape’s van rental locations:
Road Trip Ideas
- Orlando: One Week Around Florida’s Beaches and Natural Springs
- Las Vegas: National Parks Trip (Zion, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, & Antelope Canyon)
- Los Angeles/San Francisco: Up the California Coast (Big Surf, Redwoods, Yosemite)
- Seattle or Portland: Pacific Northwest Adventure
- Denver: Rocky Mountain State Road Trip
Campsites versus Dispersed Camping
One of the best parts about renting an Escape campervan is the versatility! You can stay at a fancy hotel one night and sleep on the side of the road the next night. Waking up to watch the sunrise? No need to wake up early to pack up the campsite – just climb into the front seat and go!
A big part of the campervan rental trip is deciding where to sleep. Because it was our first time renting a van and camping, we decided to stay at real campsites. On our trip, we stayed at Mather Campground in the Grand Canyon, Wahweap Campground in Page, and Zion Canyon Campground outside of Zion! You can read more about that trip here.
If you’re trying to save money (and don’t mind not having a bathroom!) you can try out dispersed camping, which just means camping on public land for free. You can read more about dispersed camping on the Bureau of Land Management website!
When to Go on a Campervan Trip
Where you go will also depend on the time of year you are planning your trip! It’s important to consider the average temperatures and weather of where you are going before renting an Escape campervan.
Of course, sleeping in a camper van is a little better than sleeping in a tent in terms of exposure! You’re out of the rain and slightly shielded from the cold, but it’s important to remember that these Escape campervans are not temperature controlled at night like a hotel room!
On our trip, we got extremely lucky with the weather. The lows at night were in the 40s, which was just cold enough to be comfortable in the van with some sweatpants, socks, and blankets! If it’s going to be snowing, I highly recommend renting the winter kit (if you’re renting an Escape campervan), which includes hot water bottles, a warmer comforter, etc. It will be cold in the van if temperatures are below freezing.
If you’re planning a trip in the summer (especially in the desert), be prepared to be warm!! I personally do not sleep well in the warmth, so I was happy with our choice to go in October.
Most people who camp in the summer put up bug window shields, so you can put the windows down while sleeping. No matter what you choose, make sure to do your research on the area so you can prepare for whatever weather is in store!
What Kind of Van to Rent
If you decide to rent with Escape Campervans, there are a few different options for van types! Which you choose should depend on your budget and how many travelers you have! Here is a quick breakdown of the different options for you to ponder! Make sure to check the Escape website as well, since not every location has every type of van.
The Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz is the smallest of the Escape Campervans. It is a Ford Transit Connect and can only fit 2 people. The van consists of just the two front seats and a queen bed in the back seat. There is no sitting area or table in this van! Perfect for couples who don’t need a ton of space.
The Mavericks
Next up is the Mavericks Campervan. The Mavericks is what we rented for our One Week National Parks Road Trip, and we thought it was perfect! It’s slightly bigger than the Santa Cruz and has a table and additional seats when the bed is put away. See photo below to see what I mean!
Note that the table and benches are only available when you fold the bed away. I thought we would use the table and bench a lot more than we did. In fact, after making the bed the first night, we never broke it down to bring out the table and bench again!
This was mostly because all of our campsites had picnic tables to eat at. But I can see how it would be beneficial to have if it’s raining or snowing or the bugs are really bad!
The Mavericks advertises that it sleeps up to 5 with the rooftop sleeper, which you can rent directly from Escape! Without the sleeper, I’d say it sleeps 2 adults, maybe 2 adults and a small child (it’s a queen bed!). The Mavericks was the same price as the Santa Cruz when we rented, so we went with the Mavericks even though there was only 2 of us!
Pro tip! If you are renting the Mavericks or the Big Sur, I highly recommend setting up your bed in the daylight! We waited until we arrived at our campsite when it was already dark, and it was a struggle! Make sure to watch the video Escape provides before your trip so you are familiar with the van 🙂
The Big Sur
Next up is the Big Sur! The biggest of the van options, the Big Sur sleeps up to 5 with the rooftop sleeper (same as the Mavericks!) but has a larger interior. It’s a little longer than the Mavericks, which allows you to keep the rear bucket seats up even when you put the bed down. In the Mavericks, there are only two available seats when the bed is down. So, the Big Sur is a great option for families with car seats.
The 4×4 Jeep
If you’re looking for even more adventure, Escape also offers Jeep Wrangers to rent! Of course, Jeeps are your best option if you’re looking to go off-roading or have off-the-beaten-path adventures. The Jeep seats 5 but only sleeps 2 via the rooftop tent! It does include the kitchenette in the back just like vans though!
Other Things to Consider
Age of the Vans
It’s important to note that the other Escape campervans are older vehicles that do not do great in off-roading conditions. According to the website, the average age of the Mavericks vehicles are 2012, while the Santa Cruz and the Big Sur are 2016/2017. Our Mavericks van was a 2010 and had about 130,000 miles. It did have cruise control which would’ve been ROUGH if not.
We kept to mostly highways plus a little bit of dirt roads. Escape recommends not going over 65mph in the van, which I recommend following. Above 65mph and the van started to shake a bit and was significantly louder. Overall, the vehicle was in pretty good condition but just know that you aren’t getting a brand new van when renting an Escape camper van!
Note: Most of the vans only have an AUX cord outlet, so make sure to pick up a AUX to lightning converter so you can use your iPhone for the sound system in the van!
Van Perks
ALL Escape campervan rentals include a kitchenette in the back of the van. This was so incredible to have and one of the best parts of renting with Escape versus a normal rental car! Each kitchenette includes a fridge (or cooler), a two-burner propane stove, and a sink!
The fridge in the Mavericks was the perfect size for a week-long trip, and the stove and sink worked great! I’ll include a grocery list later in the post, so you can see what we were able to fit in the fridge and cook on the stove!
It’s important to note that the fridge is powered by solar panels on the roof of the van, and the panels charge when the van is running! For us, we were driving pretty much every day of our trip, so this was not an issue.
If you are staying in one place for more than 1-2 days, Escape recommends starting the van for about 30-minutes in order to give the solar panels time to charge!
The sink is a small pump sink. The tank is on the side of the van and can be filled up easily with a gallon jug! It drains right at the bottom of the van when the back-fill gets full.
Optional Add Ons + What to Pack
Add Ons
Escape also offers tons of different add-ons for your trip, which really come in handy if you are flying and then renting your van and can’t pack all of these things. Here are the main add-ons that Escape offers to rent:
- Bedding Kit
- Kitchen Kit
- Electric Kit
- Winter Kit
- Tents, Chairs, Canopies. etc.
For our one-week road trip, we rented their bedding kit, which includes pillows, a sheet, and a comforter, and their kitchen kit, which includes everything you would need for cooking in the van (plates, cups, silverware, etc.) We also added on the electric kit which included an extension cord and converter for campsites, as well as a space heater (which we didn’t up needing!) They also have other add-ons like camping chairs, car seats, tents, propane, and more! These options are perfect if you’re picking up your van in a new city and can’t bring your own stuff from home. It was all very affordable. Overall, we spent $125 in add-ons, and they were worth every penny!
Packing List
While we’re on the topic of add-ons, let’s talk about packing for a campervan road trip! No matter what van you rent or company you choose, packing on the light side will be extremely important since you will be living in the van! Make sure to check the available storage in your van when the bed is down and plan accordingly.
For example, the Mavericks van’s main storage space is in the front of the van directly behind the front seats. When the bed is folded down, this area is underneath the bed, so we had to partially pull up the bed every day in order to get to our bags.
The only other storage is the front seats (and the space in between them) plus some small storage areas in the kitchen area for food and other items.
In total, we had two large checked bags (one suitcase and one large duffel), one carry-on size suitcase, and one small duffel bag. We stored the large duffel and the carry-on suitcase in the storage bench. The checked-size suitcase was too big to fit inside the storage bench, so we had to keep that in the front seat in between the driver and passenger seat for the whole trip.
So please note, the storage bench doesn’t fit checked-size bags!! I recommend bringing a small duffel back that you can leave outside the storage area with things that you will use every day (toiletries, etc.).
I won’t bore you with my entire packing list for the trip, but here are some ESSENTIAL items that I recommend for ANY campervan trip!
- A Headlamp (KEY for night time activities like walking to the bathroom, cooking dinner, etc!!)
- Portable Charger (so you aren’t reliant on your van for charging!)
- Sleeping Pills (if you’re a light sleeper!)
- Baby Wipes (in case showers are limited, these are crucial)
- Quick drying towels (these ones from Amazon came in clutch and were dry by the next morning!)
- Rubber Flip Flops (for showering at campsites – don’t forget these!)
- First aid kit (accidents happen and you want to be prepared!)
Insurance for the Van
No matter what company you are renting from, insurance is extremely important to consider! For Escape Campervans specifically, there are different insurance options to choose from, depending on what you feel most comfortable with, and your budget!
Their insurance options range from “Absolutely No Worries”, which includes Collision protection plus 3rd party liability insurance, to “All Worries”, aka no insurance.
Before choosing an insurance option through the van company, make sure to check in with your credit card companies and see what insurance they provide! Most travel credit card companies offer some form of rental car insurance as part of your normal coverage – all you have to do is pay for the rental with that credit card!
However, I highly recommend calling your credit card company or reading the fine print before you book. My Capital One Venture card insurance did NOT cover our Escape van because it was a “modified” van – aka modifications to turn it into a “sleeper van”. Make sure to investigate this before relying on it!
Because of this caveat, we ended up getting the full insurance package through Escape Campervans, as we didn’t want to have to worry about anything on our trip. This option includes roadside assistance from Escape as well. For a one-week trip, the insurance added just under $200 to our rental costs! For us, this was worth it for our peace of mind.
Gas and Mileage
Given the gas prices right now, I’m sure you’re wondering how many miles per gallon these vans get, and how much gas is going to cost you! Again, this will of course depend on the type of van you rent. Gas is not included in the rental cost, and you’re expected to return the van with a full tank! Escape advertises 19 miles per gallon for the Mavericks van.
For our trip in October 2021, we drove approximately 1000 miles and spent $271 on gas for the whole trip – not too bad in my opinion!
If you’re planning an off-the-beaten-path trip, I highly recommend planning out your route and finding some potential gas stations along the way. This isn’t 100% necessary but will give you peace of mind! The last thing you want is to be stranded on a dirt road with an empty tank!
In terms of mileage, the standard rental fee with Escape Campervans includes 100 miles/day you rent for, and they charge $0.30 per mile for any overages. For us, we drove about 1000 miles and rented the van for 7 days, so we had to pay an extra $90 for miles overage. Not horrible! Plus 1000 miles in 7 days was a LOT!
What to Eat in a Campervan
We loved the kitchenette in the back of the van because we were able to cook food on the go and not rely on restaurants or building a fire for a hot meal! Plus, with the fridge, you can grocery shop at the beginning of your trip and not have to worry about packing a cooler, buying ice, etc. With a two-burner stove, you have tons of options for cooking easy but delicious meals! I’ll be writing a full blog post on our grocery list and all my cooking tips, but here is a quick list of what we ate for each meal. Of course, a few nights we skipped cooking and headed to a restaurant for a break!
Breakfast: Oatmeal with nut butter and blueberries, canned coffee, granola bars, bananas
Lunches: Turkey wraps, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Dinners: Tacos, Quesadillas, Spaghetti with meat sauce
Snacks: Dried fruit, trail mix, beef jerky, protein shakes, hot chocolate!
+ plenty of bottled water!! We ended up buying like 7 gallons total!
Comfort Level and Safety
As a female traveler, safety is of course very important to me! I was a little nervous for our camper van trip, as it was just myself and my girlfriend (2, 25-year old girls!) alone in a van. We take safety very seriously, so I made sure to do my research on the campgrounds we stayed at. Overall, we felt extremely safe in the van at our campsites! We locked up the van every night before going to sleep and had no issues at all!
To be as safe as possible, I highly recommend sharing your location with friends or family members before you travel anywhere! In addition, share your itinerary with them so they have a general idea of where you will be and when. This way, if they check your location and something seems off, they’ll know immediately!
When traveling alone as a female, I try to limit interactions with strangers as much as possible. If someone asks if you are traveling alone, always say no. I typically say I am traveling with my husband or family and say they are nearby. In general, practice street smarts and you will be fine!
Final Thoughts
Well, that about wraps up my review of an Escape Campervan Rental. Overall, I would definitely rent a van again – we had such an epic time! Renting a camper van offers such a unique way to travel and see the gorgeous USA!
And if you’re planning a road trip, don’t forget to check out my other National Parks Guides:
How to Spend One Day in the Grand Canyon
3 Days in Zion: Perfect Zion Itinerary
Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce Canyon Road Trip Itinerary
Zion National Park to Antelope Canyon Guide
Don’t forget to pin this post for future planning!
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