Wicked Camper Van Rentals in Canada
Fact #1. Camper vans rock.
Fact #2. Buying & Selling vehicles can be a pain.
Fact #3. Saving money by sleeping in a Camper Van is clever.
For those who don’t know, Wicked Camper Vans are one of the many transport options backpackers have to travel across Canada. They’re an affordable way to see Canada the way you want to see it. Plus they have cool paintings on them, which makes losing them in a parking lot difficult. I did a quick online search for how much it would cost me to pick up a van and was surprised how cheap it was. Some might even say its ‘Cheap Like Borscht’ (find out what Borscht is here, it’s delicious and it turns your pee pink!)
So using Wicked Campers online booking gizmo, I pretended as if I were planning an awesome 2 week winter vacation in Canada starting December 1st from Vancouver, British Columbia. Knowing there’s already plenty of snow, I’ll likely be hanging around the Mountains, as that’s what people do in B.C during December. So pickup & drop-off will be done in Vancouver.
Traveling by Camper Van can get cold during the winter, so let’s do some more pretending and say a really good looking girl who happens to find me incredibly attractive wants to come with and do some of that ‘heat-sharing’ I hear so much about. Let’s call her Megan…Megan Fox. I’ll need at least a 2-person camper-van as one must have a decent amount of room to make sharing heat a pleasurable experience for both, thankfully they have one in stock. Click.
Click to Zoom
According to the Wicked Camper Booking Gizmo, I can rent a campervan for $50 a day. Insurance will set me back an extra $10 a day. Knowing I’ll get lost at least once, renting a GPS is a good idea. GPS rentals go for $3 a day. I also know that I won’t be going to the Alaska, Yukon, or Northwest Territories, so I won’t need to pay the extra $550 fixed price. With taxes and a few other small surcharges we’re sitting at $1,027.00. At first glance this might seem like quite a bit, but remember, “campervan” is just another word for “uncomfortable home on wheels“. Accommodations alone can almost cost that ($65 double bed at hostel X 14 days = $910) This could be your ticket to a budget backpacking trip through Canada. Keep in mind, this rental is for “off-season prices”, during Summer they’ll likely go up a tad.
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My name is Corbin. I'm a 20-something guy from the flatlands of Canada. I'm currently a part time travel writer, web designer, and musician. I started this site in the hopes of learning a little more about where I come from. Somewhere along the way it decided to evolve into an independent travel guide for other backpackers interested in traveling Canada on a budget. Join me for the ride, and if you happen to be backpacking across Canada, feel free to contact me to be part of this Canada travel guide.
Man, this is definitely how I’d see Canada. This is the coolest thing ever.
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Cheaper option would be to station wagon, get mattress and you can sleep in the back
Vi @ Travel Tips´s last blog ..Whale watching Sydney: 2009 season whale sightings update
Hi Corbin,
Leanne from Wicked Campers in Australia here. Loved the article – definitely more easier to read than those conventional ‘how-to’ articles! If you ever come to Australia, let us know and we’d be happy to offer you some sort of discount on a Wicked Van. Keep up the great blogging!
Leanne´s last blog ..A Wicked mention at the Arias!
@Leanne – Thanks for reading! I’ll be sure to get a hold of you if I find myself back in Australia anytime soon! Thanks again
Umm…have you been to Canada yet mate? I hate to burst your bubble but I don’t think you know just how cold it gets here in the mountains, (-30C down to -50C all plus windchill) Anytime you have exposed skin in under 0C frostbite will begin occur (the speed/time it takes depends how adapted your body is to the cold, the warmer the climate you are used to teh faster it happens) And the higher altitude in the mountains makes heart to pump blood slower, meaning hypothermia (fatal) will also set in faster.
That said, I rented a Wicked Camper when I was in OZ and it was an awesome experience but I just wanted to warn you (the way my friends in Australia warned me about the heat/sun there is a good chance if you decide to go to sleep in a van in the winter in the Rockies, you might just not wake-up or wake-up with blue/black fingers and toes.
@Jeff – The intention of this post was to show the amount you’d save by hiring a Wicked Camper, not to inform people of the harshness of Canadian Winters. I was simply using December as an example to show what current prices were when I wrote that post. I’ve warned people about being prepared in several other posts, including 10 Ways to Die in CanadaI’ve grown up all my life around -40C plus windchill, and can assure you I’ve definitely “been” to Canada.
Many people still partake in camping despite the life threatening weather we experience here. So long as you’ve got the right sleeping bags along with some extra blankets, and have dressed in layers, most people can survive. Albeit uncomfortably. It’s a matter of being prepared for anything, including -50C (which is pretty rare in most parts). If it’s too cold for you tastes, find a hostel or hotel. Or wait to rent the Wicked Camper for the summer when the mercury is more in your favour.
BTW, I hope technical state of “Wicked campers” in Canada is better then in Australia:
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26569536-3102,00.html
Vi´s last blog ..Things to do in Sydney in January
@Vi – hard to say. The two i were in during my stay in australia were in good shape, so I’m not exactly sure what you mean. I haven’t got a chance to rent a wicked camper in Canada quite yet. Having worked at a couple car rental agencies in the past I always advise people to go through the car before leaving. Check tire tread, fluids, etc. If anythings off before you leave the shop, chances are it hasn’t been well maintained.
This past summer I rented a vehicle with wicked for a road trip down to the Grand Canyon (starting in Vancouver). The engine died and we were left stranded in a small town in Oregon. We ended up having to take the greyhound home (when it came, it didn’t come everyday to this small town). So we had to wait it out at our own expense, and pay our way back to Vancouver. It really screwed us because it was just not in the plan, so we had to spend WAY more money than expected. We got re-imbursed for the days after this happened but the check bounced. The Van we rented is STILL sitting in Oregon and it’s 5 months later.
In regards to the harsh winter in Canada thing, it’s not really that cold in Vancouver. It’s January and today I think it was 12 degrees C. That’s above average, but it’s rare to get really cold.
@Dionne – Wow, sounds like a headache and a half. I’m sorry to hear about what happened there. I’ve worked at a couple car rental agency’s and have seen a couple of them die out on people, blown gasket, stripped valve, etc. But normally whenever that did happen they were rectified asap. Unfortunately people have a tendency to “bag the living shite” out of cars that aren’t their own. Also when you go through a smaller rental agency with only a couple shops, you’re taking a big risk. I hope you were able to get your money back eventually, and hopefully that hickup didn’t turn you off of road trips and traveling forever.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Besta luck out there!
I once was offered discount by Wicked Campers, Its a shame as for some reason it was for Australia. And due to the horrible price of flights there i couldnt do it!
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