“We grew up around camping and spending time in the outdoors,” Outdoorsy owner Nate Terry shares with us. “Staying connected to nature and sharing it with our friends and family is a large part of our lives. Campervans make that easier.”
Nate has tons of amazing camping memories but is very quick to share his absolute favorite: “I loved hopping out of hot springs and rolling in the snow,” he recalls.
Clearly, camping is in Nate’s blood. For this reason, renting campervans just made sense. “Starting Trekker Vans was an authentic extension of the lifestyle we already enjoyed,” says Nate. “It lets us do what we like to do.”
Not only do the folks at Trekker Vans get to share their love of van life with others, but they hope their vans do a bit more as well. “We hope our vans teach some appreciation for basic fundamentals necessary for a life well-lived. For instance, investing in your community by spending real time with loved ones, sharing a meal in a natural comfortable setting, and laughing past bedtime.”
Nate feels his company has successfully done just that for a number of renters. Some of his favorite renters? “The Brazilians that went for a skate with us when they arrived at the shop,” he recalls. “Not sure where they went, but sure they had fun.” And that’s exactly the fun and freedom Trekker Vans aims to provide.
Something unique about Trekker Vans? They actually build all of their vans themselves, providing renters with a custom product they won’t find with most rental companies. They do this using Ford Transit vans as their base. “The Ford Transit platform offers a good balance of comfort, reliability, durability, cost, and includes the as-built design features necessary for us to modify them with our kits,” Nate explains.
The company also stands out for other reasons. “We have two locations in California for pickup and dropoff, which gives our customers flexibility to do one-way rentals on a case-by-case basis,” Nate tells us. “We are also all about simplicity, from how our vans are configured, to the easy way to book with us, to the free equipment we provide and all the travel tips we share with our customers!”
Nate listed his first van on Outdoorsy back in 2017. “We chose Outdoorsy because they offer the best tools and services in the industry,” Nate says. The company had its first rental request within a week and has served “hundreds of cool people” since then. In fact, Trekker Vans has had over 550 rentals, all while maintaining a 5-star rating!
These days, running Trekker Vans is a full-time job. “We have more than 10 vans in our fleet now,” Nate tells us. “This is my sole source of revenue and it’s been able to sustain me for nearly five years, so I’d say I’m earning an honest living but always looking to grow even more!”
All About Nate
Favorite morning beverage: “Water.”
Favorite campsite meal: “French toast.”
Music you like to play on the radio: “Instrumental/chill.”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite: “I spy.”
Favorite season: “Winter.”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go? “Kamchatka.”
