How To Escape Like A Pro: Campervan Tips From A 5-Time Renter!

Rental Pick Up & Extras:

• Once you are checked in, Escape will give you two keys to the campervan. As soon as you get them, “split the keys”. Give one to each person and be sure to show each other before locking. You don’t want to get locked out in the middle of nowhere! Then hang them on a carabiner that’s hooked on the ceiling cords (you can hook these directly on to the curtain line) so you always know where they are.
• When you get to your hub location, they may or may not have a couple of vans for you to choose from…Choose your van carefully! While the designs are all incredible, look at tires, mileage, and little things like the hooks along the inside of the van to make sure it fits your needs.
• Double-check to make sure they give you an atlas or ask your local hub staff for suggestions – GPS often doesn’t work.
• We almost always rent chairs – they are slightly cheaper to rent 2 for $14 than pay for them. However, make sure the chairs they give you have bags…the legs will get dirty/dusty and then get all over the kitchen. Another plus to renting their chairs? They store perfectly just to the right of the kitchen sink in the Maverick.
• Because my husband has allergies, we always bring our own bedding, but we buy pillows at Wal-Mart for $3 each (tip: use the plastic bags the pillows come in to hold your campfire hoodies) But the bedding kit they rent is very nice, too. Be sure to research the weather in advance, especially the “lows” and BYO sheets as these are not provided.
• Having a small table is super helpful for preparing meals or even just when sitting around the campfire. They rent these at Escape, or you can buy your own. If you are in a pinch, use the boxs that firewood sometimes comes in (which is what we sometimes do).

Kitchen Tips:

• The fridge is smaller than you think. Put a couple of beers or beverages of choice in the fridge in the morning so they are ready when you get back from hiking. Then when you take out a cold beer, be sure to replace it with another warm one.
• Plan your meals based on pantry vs fridge items. Try to save fridge space. Think of non-fridge items like Rice and beans, PB&J, pancakes, and Chunky soups.
• Place the loop of a grocery bag over the lock on the back door for easy trash.
• When you stop by the grocery or liquor store get some empty boxes and cut them down to size to fit in all of the kitchen nooks. Keeps this from clanging around, plus you can just pull out the box and put it in the bear box at camp.

Extras to consider bringing:

• Essential oil and/or Febreeze to stay smelling halfway decent (unless you’re in bear country).
• Clip on a battery-powered fan to circulate air at night.
• Dollar store gallon water bottle – you will need something to put water in to refill the water reservoir in the van (unless there is a hose).
• Ziplock bags – are useful for a million things.
• Small blue tooth speaker
• Charging bricks – especially if you won’t have electricity for days at a time. Take advantage of the car battery by always keeping things charging when you are driving & remember to not kill your battery by using it too much at camp!

Ways to make the van as useful and organized as possible:

• There are a few deep storage compartments in the vans. Based on how you set up the bed and where you want your luggage, designate deep storage vs light storage. For example, we used the bins behind the kitchen for items we would only use every few days, but used the front storage for day packs, extra food and beer, or other things we might need often.
• Pack in collapsible luggage such as duffel bags. These will easily squish down into the “deep storage” bin that you choose.
• There is a ton of storage under the bed as well. We left the bed out for almost the whole trip. Plenty of room for tents and other big items under the bed.
• Use the back of the seats to hang a hoodie and pants for easy access at night for bathroom trips. You can also use the hoodie pocket to hold your jewelry and a ponytail holder at night. Also, whoever pees the most should sleep closest to the door
• Always leave a water bottle where you can easily reach it at night time.
• Pick a permanent electronics spot for all cords, chargers, etc, and stick to it. We used the passenger door cubbie.
• If you want to wake up early, leave the blackout curtains open (or at least one of them) and the sunrise will wake you right up.

Other fun tips and ideas:

• Watch a few movies (before the trip) or read books that you can talk about over campfires.
• Listen to an entire album from a favorite band on your drive or while around the campfire (make sure you download on to your devices)
• On that note…Plan on way longer drive times than usual. The van is easy to drive but you want to take it easy because sudden moves shift things around. Relax and enjoy the drive.
• Splurge on things that matter to you. Good coffee, special craft beer or bourbon, bring good sheets, chocolate, etc. Bring things that will make relaxing feel luxurious.
• Make a plan to turn off social media for your trip.
• Plan campground sites close to bathrooms if you are like me and have to go at night.
• Depending on the length of your trip, prepare physically for what you are about to do. Walk/hike, sleep in a small space, prepare for the weather, bladder train (seriously…)
• Your phone and GPS will NOT work a lot of the time – be prepared! Print out or take screenshots of destinations and maps, and hikes you might want to take.
• We rented the canopy on our first 3 trips to have insurance in case we had rain or harsh direct sunlight. We never needed it, so on our last trip, we didn’t rent it. There were definitely 2 days in Yellow Stone National Park where we could have used one because our campground was in direct sunlight. You may want to consider renting their new sunshade or buying one ($40 at Walmart) just to have in case. This is totally based on your needs, but it does store easily under the bed!
• Keep a digital or real note list to capture “Grocery list” items as you think of things to make a pit stop quick.
• Buy firewood when you can and store it in a storage box. We have found several campsites that were out and we’ve had to drive back out to get wood. So get it where you can!

I hope you enjoyed this list and that it inspired you in your campervan trip planning! We are in no way camping experts (quite the opposite!) but we have learned a few ways to make our trips more efficient and ultimately more fun! If you have any questions, I’m happy to help. Enjoy your planning and your trip!!