Converted vans bridge gap between tents, RVs

If you don’t like to sleep on the ground and don’t know how to drive an RV, Boise’s Chris Cook has created another camping option: Wandervans.

Cook has converted three Ford Transit vans into camp vehicles. Each seats five passengers. The rest of the van has been filled with beds and a kitchen setup complete with a pump sink, electric refrigerator and small grill.

One van has two queen beds, another has one king bed and the third has two full beds and a bunk to sleep five.

“They drive like a pickup truck,” Cook said. “It’s a nice-driving van. ... This is kind of a sweetspot between being on the ground and being in some big RV that you have to drive around in.”

The vans rent for $85, $100 or $110 per day, depending on the model, at wandervans.com. The price includes 200 miles per day. Dogs are allowed at a cost of $20 per day.

The vans include window coverings, cooking supplies, plates, cups, silverware, paper towels, camp chairs, vent fan, table, awning, screen door for the rear hatch, bike or kayak racks and a camp shower.

The website launched last week. Cook, who is giving up his job as an engineer to concentrate on the new business, still is putting the finishing touches on the third van.

“The van craze is kind of popular these days,” he said. “There’s a lot of interest in people modifying vans and sleeping in them. ... It’s really popular in other markets. I think it has a good future.”

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 11:38 PM.