Adventures in a Camper Van!
6 July 2019
We walked back up past the warehouses along the harbor to find our camper van. As we got closer, we could see a van parked alone in the lot, and we just knew that one was ours. It was like destiny shining on us and showing us the way. We could hardly contain our excitement, as we were really looking forward to this!
The more research we put into this trip to Iceland, the more appealing the idea of a camper van was to us. Iceland is an expensive country, and the cost of hotels (even Airbnb), car rental, and eating out every night was going to add up quickly and put a big hurt on our budget. Naturally, if we could find a way to buy local groceries and prepare meals ourselves, we would save a lot on food costs. Also, combining the car and lodging into one cost would save us a bit as well. Once we made the logical financial decision however, we were free to start with the more romantic daydreaming of cruising around the island seeking out adventures in our van, having a self-sufficient schedule, and laying down to bed each night surrounded by the beauty of Iceland’s nature. As the time for this trip kept coming closer, we were excited for all of the things we were going to see, but we were just as excited to be able to experience it in a camper!
We found a company called Solstice Campers that rents camper-converted cargo vans. They were affordable, had automatic transmission available, and basically had everything to meet our needs. They even gave us a percentage off the cost for booking so far in advance!
The van we chose was a Ford Transit Connect long-wheelbase. They have become fairly common around the world now for their convenience. It’s a cargo van with a roomy interior, but it will fit in places a big camper won’t and doesn’t really drive much different than a car. Its fuel-efficient diesel engine won’t cost us a fortune in gas either!
We got the keys and opened her up to check out our home for the next nine days. The van was comfy, more like sitting in an SUV than what you’d think of a cargo van and gave us lots of room to move around up front. We had sliding doors on each side of the bed, and the rear doors could swing open a full 180 degrees for tons of access! They built a platform on the cargo bed that held a rather comfy mattress. We had a lay down for a bit in the parking lot to test it out and were surprised at how nice the mattress was... good nights of sleep shouldn’t be a problem! Blankets hung on wires laced through the back like shades that we could pull over to cover up the windows, which is really important considering it won’t get dark out this entire time. There were two sub-zero sleeping bags with pillows and an extra blanket, also helpful as even in the height of July we are expecting some chilly evenings. Under the mattress was a bin full of plates, utensils, cooking gear, a little cooler, and even a French Press! A butane camp stove, fold out table, and two camp chairs were also tucked under the platform. Everything you could need in one comfy mobile package!
There are three kinds of road in Iceland: regular paved roads, regular dirt/gravel roads, and what they call “F” roads. F roads are routes designated with an F before the number and driving on them is not much different than off-roading. The ground is not maintained, very rocky, and when you come to a river you need to forge through as there are no bridges. You need a 4x4 to drive on an F road, in fact it is illegal to take a normal vehicle on one. Regular vehicles are cheaper to rent, but cannot cross through the “highlands”, the interior of the island comprised just of F roads. That, of course, leaves you with a choice. In our case, we decided to sacrifice the interior and rent a standard van, so we won’t be able to drive on an F road or go across the interior. It saved us on cost, and honestly there is plenty enough to see around the island without needing to cross the highlands. It’s also worth mentioning that we’ve been daydreaming of building out the back of a small van to a little camper at home, so travelling around this week should give us a good idea of what to expect if we eventually do it!
After checking everything over, we stowed our bags, closed up the doors, and headed out on the road to the real start of our Iceland adventure!
