Started by three co-founders in 2018, Karma Campervans began with ten rental vehicles and now touts itself as "one of the largest custom-manufactured rental outfits of its kind in Western Canada."
In a few short years, they've managed to scale up to a fleet of nearly 50 campervans, operating out of both Calgary and Vancouver, offering #vanlife without the massive investment that comes with ownership for their clients.
They loaned us one of their vehicles for a weekend of camping (borderline glamping!), and the experience was most excellent.
Like their up-and-coming competitor, Northirn Overland (who I wrote about in the spring), their online booking system is dead-simple. One step beyond Northirn's, they've got a no-contact system in place; once you've locked in, you're confirmed by email or text message, and the day of your departure you're sent a code to unlock your vehicle, which is parked in a lot in Richmond. You jump in and go.
Their vehicles are customized Ford Transits, crafted in Alberta and equipped with everything you'll need for a weekend in the woods. Icebox, Coleman stove, cooking essentials, lawn chairs, running water, a comfy mattress, and more. We literally didn't need to pack any camping equipment for our trip.
The vehicle was surprisingly easy to drive despite its size, and it easily made it 22 km up Harrison East forest service road, which is a bit dicey and steep at points. It was a bit like rolling up in a luxury, rear-wheel-drive tank, and at no point did I feel uneasy about driving it. Parking it in the city might be a different story, but navigating out of it and onto the highway, and then along forest service roads, was a snap.
Ours had the add-on of a plug-in fridge, which was powered by the battery system, recharged by solar panels. The heating, water pump, lighting, multiple USB outlets, and other systems all run off of this, offering off-the-grid luxuries.
One downside is that the vehicle only seats two people, so if you're a family of more than two this might not be the best option for you. Also, with a minimum of 3-night bookings, the price tag for a rental in the summer comes out to around $1,000 at the least, so not exactly a cheap weekend. However, if you weigh that against the price of buying a camperized van like this ($60,000-$90,000) it's actually a decent deal.
Since they've got operations in both Calgary and Vancouver they sometimes offer deals on one-way rentals from here to Alberta, so keep your eye on their social channels for the chance to take one out at a heavily discounted rate, if you can find your way back by other means.
It's surprising there aren't more operations like Karma Campervans, and the experience of camping in this thing was pretty great. Definitely recommended.
For a look inside their vehicles, and to learn more, visit the company's website.
