Vantastic Rentals lets you get away from it all in a retro campervan

Photo: Contributed

Five years ago, Jeff McSweeney bought a van because he was “tired of sleeping in a tent” when he went camping.

Little did he know that he had kickstarted a fantastic business adventure.

Five years later, McSweeney has a Vernon-based company called Vantastic Rentals that attracts clients from all over the world. McSweeney started renting out his first campervan when he wasn’t using it in the summer of 2017, and business was so good that he was able to purchase two more before the calendar flipped to 2018.

COVID-19 took its toll in 2020, but McSweeney was able to take a step back, assess the business and grow slowly as a result. He now has four campervans in his fleet, and business is booming.

Photo: Contributed

Jeff McSweeney is the man behind Vantastic Rentals.

“They’re compact and convenient and easy to drive and easy to park,” McSweeney says of the allure of van camping. “And I think people just want to get away. They like the freedom. We’re all stuck in our nine-to-five jobs, our house, our mortgage, our kids and doing maintenance on the house.

“And it’s like, you know, if I could just go off in a van for a year and sleep on the beach and ride my bike or go hiking or do nothing … that appeals to just about everybody.”

The “van life,” as it is known, became popular in other parts of the world before it really took hold in North America in the mid-2010s. The majority of Vantastic Rentals clients come from Europe, where they are used to “van life” and want to explore Canada.

The neat part about Vantastic Rentals is it offers retro-looking vans from the late 1970s and early 1980s that possess modern-day parts. The exteriors are originals, but McSweeney put new motors, transmissions, brakes, tires, shocks, exhausts and interiors in each ride.

In other words, the vans are cool and reliable. Their names are neat as well: Van Gogh, Josey Wales, Malakwa and Easy Rider.

McSweeney has also been investing in each of the campervans to make them even more comfortable, replacing the contents with improved versions. Cushier cushions, sturdier chairs and softer duvets are just some of the reasons why his customer reviews continue to shine.

Two of the vans have beds in the back, while the other two have pullout couches along the side for sleeping. One of the vans can sleep three people. McSweeney has produced YouTube videos that customers can watch to learn how to light the furnace, fridge or stove, and how to fill the gas and propane tanks.

Other than that, you simply pick up the van and start exploring.

“It’s a fun business,” McSweeney says. “People come to me to go on a vacation. I see them drive away with smiles on their faces, but when they return the smiles are twice as wide, and I know they're coming back with memories of a lifetime."

Visit the Vantastic Rentals website here to get started on your adventure.

Photo: Contributed

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