Winter Camping with Escape Campervans

We were so excited when Escape Campervans reached out to us for a collaboration. The van life has always been compelling to us, with the freedom it allows. We love the ability to chase any adventure within driving distance without having to worry about shelter, gear, or even weather! 

To be clear, Escape Campervans let us take one of their vans for a long weekend getaway in exchange for content. We will discuss detailed costs and freebies below, but want to make it clear that this was a sponsored experience. 

So, here is our honest review of our experience with Escape Campervans, including: 

1. Reservation & Itinerary
2. Costs & Budget Travel Tips
3. Overall Experience

Reservation & Itinerary 

Escape Campervans reached out to us on Instagram inviting us to participate in a collaboration: they would cover the cost of the van for the length of the trip in exchange for content. This is a pretty standard arrangement in our experience in the “influencer” world.

We had the van from Friday 2/10 to Monday 2/13 with pickup and drop off in Denver. The outside of every van is decorated with a unique and colorful paint job. We had the Big Sur model and the “Chill” paint job (pictured below). This van seats 5, with a row of 3 seats behind the front seats. Behind these is a large area with bench seating with drawers underneath for storage, an optional table between them, and can be folded out into a bed. Behind this, where the back doors of the van open, is a full kitchen set up including a propane camp stove, sink, dishes, cooler, and shelves for storage/cooking. This model differs from a sprinter van because there is no bathroom, so is better suited for a shorter-term adventure vs. living in full time. Still, we had everything we needed for a winter camping trip in Colorado! 

Escape Campervans also provided the following add-ons, which typically cost extra but were included for free for our collaboration:

• Bedding kit (sheets, 3 blankets, 2 pillows)
• 2 camping chairs
• Electric kit (for plug in at campground – necessary for overnight electricity)
• Kitchen kit (dishes)
• Snow chains
• Rooftop sleeper tent

We headed out on Saturday morning with our puppy Bilbo to drive to Colorado National Monument. This took about 7 hours due to weekend ski traffic on I-70. We arrived in the early afternoon and were stoked to see there were very few others in the park. Note that we have an annual park pass so were not charged admission when entering the park. 

We stayed at Saddlehorn Campground inside the monument. Only Loop A is open this time of year, and this campground is first come first served, has a bathroom, and every campsite has a picnic table and charcoal grill. Note that there are no fires allowed in the monument.

We spent the weekend driving around the park, enjoying the gorgeous views from the comfort and warmth of our van and stopping at the many pull-offs to get closer looks at the towering red rock formations that populate the park. There were plenty of areas to walk Bilbo between the pull-offs and the campground, but note that there are no dogs allowed on the hiking trails in national parks. 

That night, we enjoyed some drinks and made dinner using the kitchen in the back of the van. We sauteed up some veggies, made veggie burgers, and enjoyed a bottle of Malbec while we played with Bilbo. Because it was winter, we brought jugs of water to use as the sink/water pump in the van freezes this time of year, so make sure you’re not relying on the sink for your water if you do a winter trip.

We brought battery-powered string lights that we hung up inside the van for added light and ambiance. There are some lights in the van including a couple of car lights and another by the kitchen that rotates to face in or out. When it started to get too chilly outside, we set up the table inside. This gave us plenty of room to stretch out and relax in the relative warmth of the van. Since we were not at a campsite with RV plug in capabilities, we turned on the van intermittently to re-heat. The van also has curtains that cover all windows and stretches behind the driver and passenger seats. This added privacy is especially nice at a campground where folks are packed in a little more closely. 

When it got dark, we broke down the table and set up the bed. The bench seat cushions are repurposed into a mattress that fills up the entire back area. This suited us well for our short trip, but if we were to go on a longer trip, we would bring an extra layer of foam to put over the mattress and bring extra pillows. We used the bedding provided, and opted to also use our sleeping bags under the blankets since it was in the 20’s-30’s overnight. We had plenty of room, with Bilbo comfortably curled up next to us, and were surprised at how warm we stayed throughout the night without electricity.

We woke up before the sun around 6 AM, and because we didn’t have to worry about packing up camp, we immediately hit the road to drive around the park as the sun came up. The views were beautiful, the red rock cliffs gradually becoming aglow in orange light while the snow-capped mountains in the distance were bathed in light. We stopped at one of the park pull offs to boil water for instant coffee, using the pot and coffee cups provided in the kitchen kit. This was simple and convenient, but next time we think we would bring our jetboil to save time when all we need to do is boil water instead of setting up the whole kitchen. 

We continued driving the winding mountain roads and enjoyed some oatmeal at one of the pull offs, again boiling water in the kitchen and using the bowls provided. Then, we slowly wound our way out of the park and headed for home. The drive back took about 6 hours, and offered gorgeous views surrounding Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs with mild traffic as we neared Denver. When we got home, we cleaned out the van so it was ready for drop off between 8-10:30 AM on Monday.

Costs & Budget Travel Tips: 

As stated, we did not pay the full costs for this trip due to the collaboration. However, here is what it would have cost for the 3-day rental and extras:

• 3 day rental ($306.33/day) = $918.99
• Bedding kit w/ extra duvet = $60.00
• 2 camping chairs = $14.00
• Electric kit = $20.00
• Kitchen kit = $40.00
• Snow chains = $75.00
• Rooftop sleeper tent ($30/day; $600 max) = $90.00
• Propane bottle: $20.00
• Estimated mileage charge (100 miles/day for $33.00/day) = $99.00 

This is a grand total of $1,336.99. 

Here is what we did pay for on this trip:

• No worries insurance (required as most auto-insurance policies don’t cover converted vehicles): $26.99/day = $80.97
• Groceries for trip: $100.00
• Gas: $191*

*note that we purchased gas 3 times, including filling it up prior to returning the van as required. This van takes unleaded gas so is much cheaper vs. diesel gas.

This is a grand total of $371.97

All in, without the discount of an influencer collaboration, this trip would have cost a little over $1,700.00. This seems pretty pricey for a 3-day trip. However, let’s compare this to paying for flights/hotels:

• In our experience, hotels are often ~$200/night ( = $600.00)
• Flights could be anywhere from $100-$500 per person depending on where you’re flying, so let’s split the difference and say $300 each ( = $600.00)
• Having to eat out with no kitchen could easily be $150 per day for two people ( = $450.00)

This is a grand total of $1,650.00. 

So, overall we consider these expenses pretty close. Plus, we did not have to deal with the hassle of airports, had the freedom to drive wherever we could reasonably reach in the allotted time frame, and the van allowed us to access areas for winter camping that would have been unreasonable with just a tent due to weather. Escape Campervans also has pickup and dropoff locations across the US and beyond, including Denver (which we used), Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle, so is pretty easily accessible. You can even pick up and drop off at different locations to spread out your adventure! 

To save money on your adventure, here are our tips:

• Buy groceries beforehand, including all beverages and snacks. The cooler is small so you may need to bring a backup cooler from home, but you will save a ton of money and time by not having to stop and buy drinks/snacks/meals on your journey
• Bring your own bedding, camp chairs, cookware, and extra tent if needed instead of renting
• Camp in national forest land, which typically surrounds national park land and is available to camp in for free 

Other tips:

• Bring flashlights, lamps, or other lights for when it gets dark. There is lighting in the van but none for maneuvering outside. Plus string lights are a vibe.
• Bring a book or download an audiobook, podcast, or movie to enjoy on your trip. This is especially helpful for winter camping, when enjoying the views outside is limited by the temperature. 
• Bring more smaller bags if possible – the storage drawers are small so this will help you to stay organized.
• Keep snacks and drinks you may need in a lunchbox/cooler up front with you when driving so you don’t have to pull-over to access the cooler in the very back of the van.

Overall Experience 

We had an amazing experience with Escape Campervans. Not only did it allow us to explore parts of Colorado that are typically off limits for tent camping this time of year, but the van was an exciting and convenient way to travel around our home state. Further, the customer service of everyone we dealt with was excellent! 

In terms of budget travel, this mode of travel may end up saving you money depending on where you are traveling, where you are coming from, and what extras you need to rent vs. what you can provide for yourself. However, we definitely think this mode of travel adds to your freedom and a certain sense of adventure that you just can’t get by flying into a new city and staying in a hotel. As backpackers and nature lovers, this was exactly what we needed to hit the road and get out there while we wait for spring. We even hope to do another trip when the weather is nicer to enjoy some of the other features that we didn’t try out this time (looking at you rooftop sleeper tent!!). 

If you’re interested in trying out Escape Campervans for yourself, you can do so here using our unique referral code OUTTHERE10 for 10% off. 

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We absolutely loved living the van life even for such a brief period, and highly recommend it for anyone looking for a rugged adventure with all the comfort of glamping! 

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We hope this helps you get out there!

Summer & Jackson