Reviews

38 reviews

(5)

Wendy C.

5May 2022

Last minute, we rented Joe's van for a 7-day road trip Moab to Escalante and back. Unbeknownst to us, we arrived in Moab the night of a total lunar eclipse. Absolutely spectacular kickoff to the trip. See Jorge's photo of the van at that location.Thanks to Joe's generous 275-mile a day mileage budget, our 33-hour, 1,000-mile trip with our border collie, Scout, took us to Goblin Valley State Park, Petrified Forest State Park, Dry Creek Slot Canyon, Upper Calf Creek Falls, Escalante River Trail, Hell's Backbone Grill and Farm , Kodachrome State Park (unbelievable and highly recommend), Lake Powell (we need rain in the West!), and back north through Vermillion Cliffs and Monument Valley (also highly recommend. Budget time to stop at one of the roadside stands for Navajo jewelry!The fridge was sufficient for basics like eggs, butter, and a few veggies. Joe loaned us his Yeti cooler for the beer and cold water. The included pop-up table was perfect for Bananagrams and cooking on the butane stove, which boiled water super fast. I wish I'd thought to ask for camp chairs as I've no doubt Joe would have provided those too. We couldn't find the French press, which I missed. We made cowboy coffee with hot water and it was just fine. We did not use the bench. I would leave that behind in the future as we stored it in the garage (under the bed) and didn't use it. Storage cubbies are endless and the magnetic closures for doors work well to keep all the doors closed. Before departing make a check that all the knobs are tight as they may loosen and pop off if you are on roads like that to Sand Creek Recreation Area in Moab.The first three days were miserably hot (high 80s, low 90s), but we were cool in the van. The aircon in the cab will crush your gas mileage, but be well worth it. (We averaged 16 mpg the entire trip.) The van comes with window shades that we used when we stopped to hike and they kept the van cool. We ran the two MaxxAir fans in the rear at night and covered one of the windows with the provided screen and were comfortable. One (windless) night we even left the van open to sleep and it was glorious.Please keep in mind if you rent this van that you are renting in the desert. Winds are sometimes insane and we would clean/tidy the van to only a few hours later get a wind gust that blessed us with sand on everything. Enjoy the sand in your teeth and try to time your trip to a full lunar eclipse camped under a dark sky. You will not regret it and it will tempt you to request Joe's van again. Utah is spectacular. Unplug and enjoy.Calling the 24x7 roadside assistance number 877-978-7222 led to 20 minutes on hold with the "Winnebago Customer Service Desk," whatever that means. We tried calling roadside assistance again and waited 20 minutes a second time hoping I possibly called the wrong number. No luck. We hung up and visited the local garage shop in Escalante who repaired the rock chip for $22. Needless to say, we question'd Outdoorsy's insurance and customer support processes. It hardly gave us "Peace of Mind." Instead in the future, I'll look to our regular car insurance company and probably skip Outdoorsy's "insurance" and "24/7 roadside assistance," which was useless.

8 Photos submitted by Wendy C D.

Jenna T.

5April 2022

Amazing vanbuild! Had a lot of fun while in town with Joe's van. Drove great, nice amenities. Would definitely rent again!

2 Photos submitted by Jenna T.

Lacie S.

5October 2021

Van was very easy to drive. Bed was comfortable and having the solar panels was awesome. Overall wonderful experience!

Jordan W.

5October 2021

Fantastic way to travel! Smooth to drive, convenient to park, easy for two to live in! Did two weeks of honeymooning and a few thousand miles and it held up well!

Thomas D.

5September 2021

Everything worked. Drives nice. We had perfect weather so didn’t need the heater. Fridge kept drinks cold, tons of places to charge a phone and the bed was super comfortable….we brought pillows and sleeping bags with us. I would totally rent this van again!

Brandon J.

5September 2021

The van worked perfectly for a road trip across the west! The owner was extremely accommodating and helped us sort out any questions before departing.

Brandon D.

5August 2021

Van worked great , joe was very easy to work with . I would definitely do this again and again..

8 Photos submitted by Brandon D.

Julie Y.

5August 2021

We had a great time with this rental. Very comfortable and our bulldog loved it!

2 Photos submitted by Julie Y.

Julie Y.

5August 2021

Kevin R.

5August 2021

This would be our second time renting Bear's Van from Joe. We love the amenities and the layout of the van. Joe and his wife are very relaxed and easy to deal with. Although depending on what their activities and schedule, they may take some time to get back to you with questions you might have; but everything should be explained during the pick-up walk-through.
The only hiccup that we had was with the check engine light periodically going on an off throughout the trip. We did get it checked out and it turned out to be nothing to worry about (a persistent sensor fault related to a previous oil change). Again, nothing to worry about, but something to keep in mind in case it pops up on your trip. Overall a great trip!

Ellen G.

5July 2021

Ryan K.

5June 2021

We had an awesome trip! The outlets never worked in the van and the storage lights under the bed didn’t work but we managed.

1 Photo submitted by Ryan K.

Tara O.

4April 2021

Joe was very responsive to our questions, and flexible regarding pick-up and drop-off. The van met all of our needs, was a lot of fun, and we would consider renting it again!

Steve H.

5April 2021

We loved Bear! Very easy to use, easy to drive and hard to return (bc we loved it so much)! The bed is very comfortable, the layout is efficient, tons of storage space. Window shields, curtains, even a screen for the passenger window. The garage is spacious! We had cross country skis, snow shoes and Mountain biking gear! Joe was very responsive and easy to work with. We will be back!

3 Photos submitted by Steve H.

Ron K.

5March 2021

Bear’s van was perfect for our trip! The solar panels provided plenty of electricity for us to have lights, fridge and water. The heater, which we were REALLY glad to have as we were in Texas at the beginning of the polar vortex, worked flawlessly! The van is maneuverable, comfortable and has loads of room for camp chairs, coolers, etc.
The only downside to the experience was trying to get “pre-authenticated” by Outdoorsy, which was not Joe’s fault and we got the idea that this didn’t happen often. But it was a 36 hour nightmare of sending, re-sending, scanning, uploading multiple forms of IDs with very little assistance from Outdoorsy. Joe finally intervened on our behalf and things fell into place.
We would wholeheartedly recommend Bear’s Van for those who want a step or two up from tent camping. Very comfortable and fun!

Kelly N.

5January 2021

This van allowed is to travel all over the west during the holiday season. The heater worked very well and the van even made it through the rockies. The blackout curtains were essential. I can only imagine travels in this would be even more fun in the summer when you can utilize outdoor space too. 2 person max capacity, but a great adventure. Joe always texted back quickly and was very flexible with pickup and drop off times which made planning easier. Such a nice rig for the $$$. Plus it isn't wrapped with a giant rental company logo. Absolutely recommend.

4 Photos submitted by Kelly N.