Are adventure vans the ultimate campervans?

Here at Onyx we build adventure vans. But what exactly is an adventure van, and why do we think they make the ultimate campervan? Read on to find out.

What is an adventure van?

We define an adventure van as a purpose-built vehicle designed for off-grid travel, self-sufficiency, and exploration.

While all campervans and motorhomes can take you from A to B, not all are adventure vans.

Many are not off-grid capable, as they are designed to be parked on a campsite with an electric hook-up. That means you can’t really park up anywhere if you want to make use of your electrical appliances, including your lights.

Many are not built with adventure in mind. While they will have plenty of storage for regular household items, it’s unlikely that the designers have thought about storing your mountain bike or surfboard inside, or putting muddy kit away somewhere.

Many off-the-shelf campers and motorhomes are not built from durable materials. While they will stand up to regular use, they won’t withstand having kit thrown into them or boots kicked against them — things that are likely to happen once you start really using your van.

In contrast, adventure vans are designed for adventure.

• Adventure vans are fully off-grid capable. They can take you out into the wild for days or even weeks.
• Adventure vans provide complete self-sufficiency, meaning you won’t need a hook-up or even a water source, depending on how long you want to get off the beaten path.
• Adventure vans will always have space for your kit. With the right design you can find a way to take almost anything with you. We’ve built vans to house rowing sculls, bikes, skis, and more.
• Adventure vans are built to be rugged and withstand a beating.
• Adventure vans are off-road capable — both in terms of the van itself, which often means off-road tyres or a 4×4 drivetrain, and in terms of the build quality, which stands up to bumpier roads and tracks better than a standard camper.

Core features of an adventure van

Here are the features we think make adventure vans the ultimate campervans.

Off-grid capability

Power. A full off-grid capable electrical system. We fit a large lithium battery bank with substantial solar charging as standard, along with DC-to-DC charging that tops the batteries up while you drive. You can see the figures for each of our models on the range pages.

Water. Large capacity water tanks, so you have enough for any adventure — with the option of a filter, so you can fill up from almost any source.

Modular design and storage

Adventure vans are designed to carry you, your friends, your family, and all your gear. We design in modular storage and clever solutions to fit everything you need — be that your bike, your paddle board, your campfire, or your kids.

Hard-wearing materials

Adventure vans go down bumpy roads and get dirty, so they have to be up to the task.

We manufacture our furniture from lightweight ply with HPL, and from powder-coated aluminium. It’s hard-wearing, it copes with rough roads, and it wipes clean. But it’s also still beautiful. Our floors, walls and ceilings are all hard-wearing and cleanable, while still giving the van a cosy feel.

All-terrain upgrades

If you’re taking your van off-road or to remote places, you’ll want one that can handle it. A 4×4 chassis, upgraded suspension, upgraded wheels and off-road tyres, air compressors, winches — you name it, you can have it. And even if you don’t want to go the whole way, a few off-road upgrades will open up a lot more places to park.

Comfortable interiors for travel and downtime

An adventure van often serves as a base camp, so we make sure it’s a comfortable place to come back to after a hard day out. Comfortable beds for a good night’s rest, good lounge space for debriefing the day, and enough kitchen space for cooking a proper meal are all key features in our vans.

Who are adventure vans for?

Adventure vans can be for anyone.

• Weekend warriors and short-haul explorers. Adventure vans are great for short trips. Keep yours loaded and ready to go, and you can head off anywhere on a whim. The Summit is our two-berth for exactly this.
• Outdoor enthusiasts. An adventure van makes the perfect base camp for cyclists, climbers, surfers, skiers and more. If you love being out in nature, an adventure van is perfect for you.
• Families looking for flexible travel. Taking the kids? An adventure van gives you the room you need for a family holiday, in the UK or abroad. The Outpost sleeps four with the pop-top raised.
• Full-time digital nomads. Left the office behind? Adventure vans are great places to work from. Design yours with mobile internet and space to work, and the world can be your office.

Where can I take an adventure van?

You may be wondering where you’d actually use one. Here are some ideas.

In the UK

Wild camping. Adventure vans are great for wild camping. While it isn’t legal in many parts of the UK, you can wild camp in parts of Dartmoor and in Scotland. Just be mindful of your surroundings and leave no trace.

Off-grid campsites. Even in parts of England where you can’t wild camp, there are some excellent off-grid campsites. Take a look at Wild With Consent or Off-Grid Camp. These sites are often completely private, and they will take you to some properly out-of-the-way places.

Day trips. An adventure van also makes an excellent base for a day out. Even if you’re not staying off-grid overnight, it’s a good place to start and finish a day of adventure.

Further afield

Take the ferry or the train across to mainland Europe for endless adventures. Try the Atlantic Road in Norway, or Estonia, where wild camping is actively encouraged.

For the more adventurous, take your van to Iceland and try the famous F-roads.

Or leave Europe altogether. Ship your van to North America to explore the US and Canadian national parks, or drive it the length of Africa.

With an adventure van, the world really is your oyster.

Ready for an adventure van of your own?

We build four standard models — Summit, Arête, Outpost and Mesa — all of them adventure-ready as standard. And when a brief doesn’t fit any of them, we build Hors Catégorie: one-off commissions, built once, for one person.

If you’d like to see more of what we build, there’s a gallery of finished vans, and you can read how we got started.

When you’re ready, book a discovery call — a relaxed conversation about how you want to travel, and which van suits it.