The Lowdown on Camper Van Awnings - Part II (Shady Boy)

In The Lowdown on Camper Van Awnings - Part I, we covered Fiammas, the model we ended up buying for our VW van.

A second awning option we considered was the Shady Boy brand, which is manufactured by Equinox Sunshine Products Ltd.

Equinox, which is located in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, is the baby of Wolfgang Vogt.

Vogt, who has been in business for over 12 years, told me in an email that his lightweight awnings come in four colours (burgundy, sky blue, mountain blue and silver), take only 30 minutes to install, and can be mounted on any camper van.

When fully deployed, the Shady Boy is 10 ft wide and pulls out 6 ft deep.  continue reading... »

The Mitsubishi Delica Roadtrippin Advantage

Move over VW Westalia vans.

The Mitsubishi Delica is the new camper van of choice for adventure road trip takers.

Only eligible to be brought into Canada since 2000 due to our import laws, Delicas are now flooding the streets of Vancouver and other Canadian cities.

They are prized for their luxury interior features (including middle swivel seats), their 4x4 off-road capabilities and their ability to be converted from a turbo-diesel engine to one that runs on waste vegetable oil (WVO).

The fact that their steering wheels are on the right-hand side - the wrong side in Canada - doesn't seem to bother their fans.  continue reading... »

More Camper Vans for Rent in British Columbia

Canquests Camper Rentals was conceived by owners Keith and Kate Clark while they were camping on their honeymoon in the Rocky Mountains some years back.

Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, CanQuests is a third option for roadtrippers who are looking to rent a camper van in BC.

The other two options, both subjects of previous articles in Roadtrippin Magazine, are Wicked Campers and Travel BC Van Rentals & Sales.

Along with its vans, Canquests also rents camping equipment, offering three basic packages that contain items ranging from cooking supplies to cleaning supplies to bedding. Tents, coolers, bikes and an assortment of other camping paraphernalia can also be rented from the company for an additional cost.  continue reading... »

ITMB Publishes New Maps for Latin America Destinations

World renowned map-maker, International Travel Map & Books ("ITMB"), has recently published several first time titles for Latin America destinations.

These maps include, "Andes", "Chile", "Mexico Travel Road Atlas" "Mexico: Sonora & Chihuahua", "Peru South and Lima" and "South America Travel Atlas".

The book format "Mexico Travel Road Atlas" and the "South America Travel Atlas", in particular, will be of interest to roadtrippers heading to Latin America.

The maps in the "Mexico Travel Road Atlas" have distances between communities, and list hotels and gas stations, parks and nature reserves, hot springs, waterfalls, camping sites, museums and beaches.

It may well supplant the Spanish-language "Guia Roji" as the road atlas of choice for ex-pats who are navigating the roads of Mexico,  continue reading... »

Camper Vans for Rent in British Columbia

If you are interested in roadtrippin through the backroads of BC, the Yukon and Alaska, but don't own a camper van, then Travel BC Van Rentals & Sales may be the place for you.

Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, the company has a fleet of 15 (give or take) older model vans for rent, each equipped with all the necessary camping equipment including dishes, a stove, ice box and bedding. Some vans also have built-in fridges and sinks.

And unlike conventional rental car companies, Travel BC encourages its customers to drive the vans on back roads to far flung places, like the Arctic Circle via the notoriously rugged Dempster Highway.  continue reading... »

Wicked Campers Worldwide

Wicked Campers is dedicated to making the roadtrippin experience happen in Australia.

As well as in New Zealand, the UK/Europe and, most recently, in Canada and Africa.

Started in 2001 by a Brisbane mechanic with 15 second-hand, graffiti-painted vans, Wicked Campers has grown to include nine locations across Australia, seven locations in the UK/Europe, three depots in New Zealand, as well as single depots in Canada (in Vancouver on West Hastings Street) and Africa (Botswana).  continue reading... »

Nobody is Ready to "Scrap" their VW Van in British Columbia

The British Columbia Government announced yesterday that it is giving another $15 million to the "Scrap-It Program".

The laudable program is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality by getting older vehicles (pre-1995) off the road.

People who scrap their vehicles under program can receive free transit passes, money towards buying a bicycle or up to $2,250 towards buying a new car.

The additional funding will allow the program, which currently operates only in the Lower Mainland, to expand provincewide.  continue reading... »