With adaptable, customized vans made to order, VanDOit is simplifying the way people purchase adventure rigs. “In short, we are a full-service vehicle and adventure van build-out company,” says Erik Chapin, the Bend, Oregon-based west coast rep for VanDOit.
A highlight of the design of VanDOit’s vehicles—the base model is the Ford Transit—is how they can be customized to fit purchaser needs. They can seat anywhere from two to eleven people, and all elements, from seats to kitchens to shelving, are removable. Beyond the base setup, customers choose their features—whether they need a kitchen or a bathroom, for instance, or what their electrical or solar system is like. Because a single company is providing both the van and the build-out, they’re able to keep costs well below industry average, Chapin says, with the cost of the van plus full customization starting around $55,000. Plus, as a family-run company with dealership roots, VanDOit is able to accept trade-ins, which can further alleviate costs. “We’re able to package the van and the build at an affordable price so the end user isn’t paying retail for anything.”
Customers have included everyone from a guy who lives in his van in Alaska six months out of the year (he needed features like a built-in desk, as well as heat and water) to a couple in their 70s who wanted a vehicle they could drive to the Bay Area to visit their kids and grandkids; they plan to occasionally sleep in it overnight and think it will work well for an occasional nap along the way. The vans are well equipped to haul everything from kayaks to mountain bikes to skis to surf boards; the option of a hydraulic rack eliminates some of the hindrance of getting things on and off the roof. The pull-out gear slide is another nice feature. Learn more about VanDoIt and check out pictures of the vehicles in action at Vandoit.com, and come check out one of their vans at the Spokatopia Outdoor Adventure Festival July 13-14 at Camp Sekani Park in Spokane.
