Innovative companies help work and play hit the road with style.
Drive through Bend, into the Cascade Range or down a National Forest road these days, and it’s impossible not to spot the adventure van lifestyle. Sprinter, Transit, ProMaster—the tall, boxy delivery-type vans look similar on the outside. Yet the interiors of these tiny apartments-on-wheels are as varied and personalized as a home. Central Oregon entrepreneurs customize new and used vans like never before, and they’re establishing Bend as a hub for the new “van life.” And it’s big business.
According to a study by Research and Markets, the United States market for van and minivan conversions totaled an estimated $1.8 billion in 2022. While numbers for the Bend area don’t exist, other figures for Bend do. From two or three van conversion companies pre-COVID, Central Oregon now hosts a dozen. Some fully customize vans inside and out, others provide DIY install kits, and a few more make only the accessories necessary for an off-grid experience. Add to this list the adventure van rental market and it’s clear that Bend has a well-built, growing van conversion industry.
Van Conversion Growth
“It’s been loose and fast, a Wild West kind of thing,” said Bryan Walker of Cascade Van, which converts stock vans into $200,000 custom overlander rigs. During the pandemic, Cascade Van saw a 98% growth rate and has already outgrown two industrial spaces. Walker and his wife, Alexa, an Oregon native, founded Cascade Van in Colorado and brought it to Bend because of the outdoorsy lifestyle and the thriving economy. “Bend is a good spot for young entrepreneurs, and it represents the same values and demographics as our target market,” Alexa Walker said.
A clutch of van conversion businesses have recently relocated to Central Oregon for the benefits the area has to offer. Besides the business-friendly economy, Central Oregon also provides the lifestyle these brands promote and sell, meaning the business owners can pursue outdoor adventure just like their clients. Community remains a sacred element of Bend life, and the informal get-together of van conversion enthusiasts, Builders and Brews, offers living proof. A different Bend-area brewery hosts the gathering each month, welcoming professionals and DIYers alike.
Van Camaraderie
Seth Caldwell, Swell Van Co. owner and designer, shows up at Builders and Brews to talk shop and enjoy the camaraderie. He said other van industry towns have a more competitive vibe, another reason for anchoring his business in Bend. Caldwell caters to the van owners who prefer to do much of the work themselves, designing and selling install-ready kits for the van’s interior: bed, cabinets, kitchen, etc. Nationwide clients account for more than half of his business.
“DIY kits are why we got into this business,” Caldwell said, noting the recent steep incline of prices in today’s van conversion industry. “Not everyone knows how to build great cabinets, so can we empower them to do that on their own. The model for us has always been Ikea for van conversions.” As Aaron Smith of Ready Vans puts it, “Cutting into a brand new Sprinter van is never as fun as it sounds.”
Not all of Central Oregon’s van conversion business deals with floor plans, storage and sleeping. A few companies, such as Redmond-based Tiny Watts, specialize in the components that make van life attractive in the first place.” The electrical system is the main ingredient to a van build,” said Wes Watts, whose company makes solar storage and power kits, including a DIY-ready electrical and plumbing system. “People understand we’re power hogs in our homes, and they realize that they need electricity to live the lifestyle they’re used to.”
Modern-day van life offers the luxuries people take for granted at home: heating and air conditioning, hot water, electrical outlets, lights, refrigerator and freezer. Whether for a weekend-warrior mission, a mobile or very remote office or an interstate retirement cruiser, these amenities all require off-grid power.
Modified for every situation
Troy Holland started Van Life Tech five years ago to provide all of the creature comforts in one smart system. Last year, he moved the business from Portland to Bend. His proprietary hydronic heating system warms the floor, air and water in a van’s cozy living space. Van Life Tech now sells its products to about 40 companies nationally and is opening production in the United Kingdom.
“Great things came from COVID,” Holland said. “People woke up to the fact that they don’t have to be glued to a desk from 9 to 5. The pinch point now is getting vans, not getting people who want to buy them.”
While Van Life Tech manufactures much of its equipment in-house, builders such as Cascade Van rely on only a few companies nationwide to source items such as windows and roof vents. The van conversion industry as a whole has stabilized since the COVID spike, but supply chain issues persist. Companies such as Tiny Watts have streamlined their process as a result, to detour around inventory dead ends.
While the price and availability of industrial space can be a challenge for these businesses, there are also challenges inherent in creating custom builds. “The biggest challenge can be to create what the client is envisioning, getting the functionality to match their expectations,” said Kevin Marquardt, who converted his first van in 2015 while living in Germany. Marquardt returned to his hometown of Sisters, founding his company, Dirtbag Conversions, to specialize in upfitting vans, truck campers and trailers. Other van life difficulties pull at Marquardt. “I’ve got a problem. I’m a dedicated rock climber, so I have to balance that with work.”
Life and work become travel companions in a van that offers all the comforts of home and office. Central Oregon provides the perfect base camp for high desert or Cascade Range adventures, whether it’s after work or replaces work as a way of life. The van conversion industry runs full throttle in Bend these days because van life makes sense in a Zoom town surrounded by rivers, trails and roads that lead in all directions. And what’s good for van life is good for Central Oregon’s economy and well-being.
Here are some great Central Oregon Camping Spots to take your new camper van. Or read more OUTDOOR ADVENTURE articles with us.
