Seattle pop top Camper Van Rentals - Faq

The Northwest is full of excellent options for your rental—it's up to you and your desires. We've compiled a few of our favorite itineraries, and our private renter portal has even more resources! Your van will be happy out on a forest service road, off the grid, or parked at a popular campsite. Keep in mind that a lot of popular campgrounds in the Northwest require reservations and fill up quickly. Visit the National Parks website or the State of Washington Parks Portal to learn more.

Generally speaking, you must take one of our modern Mercedes Campers to make a longer trip. With a longer rental (more than nine nights), destinations such as Vancouver Island, Yellowstone, and even the northern parts of California are possible. You will need to clear these longer trips with us.

Don't panic! There are always options ranging from HipCamp to dispersed camping on Forest Service roads and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. Remember, Vancouver Island is the most challenging itinerary for last-second/boon-dock-style camping.

YES! Our vans fit and require no special accommodations on the Washington State Ferry system. Remember that the ferries fill up in the summer, but two routes accept reservations (Port Townsend/Coupeville and Anacortes/San Juans). 

Yep! We generally don't let our vehicles enter known snowy areas as they’re two-wheel drive. However, if you want to take advantage of the mild winter conditions around most of our region, renting a van is a great way to explore beautiful areas without crowds. Almost all our vans have heaters to break the chill and give you a warm home. We generally don't recommend more than two people in the winter months, as it's hard to keep the vans dry and warm in a winter rainstorm when the pop-top tent is up.

Kids love vans ... a lot. Car seats fit in the vans, and while we have seen people do three kids in the back on the bench seat, it's a tight squeeze. Please be aware that rear-facing (infant) car seats are secured with only the 3-point seat belt in our Vanagons; our modern vans have LATCH systems. We can help provide car seats if you are not traveling with them; just let us know in advance.

While we rent only the most reliable and thoroughly checked vans, there is always the chance of a mechanical mishap. Most problems can be fixed in real-time without disrupting your trip. If you have a mechanical issue, we are reachable at most hours to help troubleshoot immediately. When you rent, you will also be given contact information for our 24/7 support hotline.

If you need to visit a repair shop, we maintain strong relationships with many shops. Almost any non-catastrophic failure can be handled by any of these shops, and you will be back on the road in no time.

If your van is not repairable, we will either provide a replacement vehicle or refund the remainder of the trip and assist with changes in your itinerary. In most cases, a minor breakdown in a van becomes one of the most memorable parts of your journey. This is not something that we hope happens, but we have seen lifelong connections made with strangers offering assistance. It's all part of the magic.

The rentals need more care than your average car. We find it's best for the vans not to push them too hard, and the most effective way to help with that is to have a daily mile maximum.

As described on the How It Works page, your rental includes an average of 125 miles per day, cumulative over your trip. After that, it is $0.55/mile. Longer days are okay if you take a few rests and have shorter mileage days in between.

Consider one of our modern Mercedes Camper Vans if you need to go long distances. While the mileage allotment still applies, we allow you to go farther in less time.

All of our vehicles are 2-wheel drive. As such, they are not suited for off-roading. We request that you stick to paved, well-graded, and well-cleared forest service roads.

We cannot be responsible for towing or damage if you take your van down a washboard, washed out, or a highly overgrown road. If you travel on those roads, be mindful that getting stuck in a ditch, a muddy pull-out, or even a soft grass field is easy. You can either bring your own roadside assistance or purchase it through our third-party insurance.

Similarly, while it looks cool to drive on the beach, our vans are two-wheel drive and are not suited for that terrain—you’ll still have a blast taking in the views from a spot right next to the beach.

The vans work best with a maximum of two adults and two children. We have seen two adults and three children work, which requires very cozy sleeping arrangements or a tent. There is room for two people to sleep on the pop-top and two on the lower bed. If you're traveling with 4-5 adults, you might consider renting a Weekender model with more space.

Yes! We offer minimal one-way service to/from San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo, CA. In the off-season, we can talk about one-ways to other locations (e.g., Tucson, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, etc). These would require a minimum of 2-3 weeks and an additional one-way drop-off fee in one of our Modern Vans.

Our mechanical shop is known nationwide as one of the best shops for these vehicles, and we treat our rental fleet as though they were our vehicles. Each van receives a 50-point inspection from one of our specialized technicians.

Honestly, the last thing you want with these vehicles is something cheap. Each of our vans has had a minimum of $20,000 of maintenance and upgrades to get them ready for our rental fleet. A cheap van is a great project but a terrible vacation.

Each van, while aged in its way, has its own unique set of upgrades and touches that set them apart from the rest of the rental van market. Your van is backed by one of the country's largest and most experienced shops, giving you extra peace of mind. Learn why we think we are the best rental option out there!

Unfortunately, as a Seattle-based business, we must collect two separate taxes - Washington state sales tax and a City of Seattle rental car tax. While this is a lot of extra money, we believe correctly paying and reporting our taxes is essential.

Oh gosh ... no! That would be a lot of rentals. Peace Vans is the largest VW shop in the Northwest. In the summer, we can have anywhere between 70-90 vehicles in the shop at various stages of repair. Our rental fleet is a small fraction of all those vans you see when you visit the shop. If you want a shop tour before or after your rental, let us know, and we’ll happily show you around.

While we love pups, we, unfortunately, don’t allow pets in all of our vans. Furry friends can join your adventure in one of our weekender vans, Whatcom or Elliot.

Each van can play music and podcasts galore with an aux chord, USB port, or Bluetooth. Unfortunately, leaving those tape decks and CDs at home would be best.

Each van is sent out on a trip with a full gas tank. Therefore, we expect a full gas tank when the van returns. If you forget or run out of time, don’t worry! We can fill up the tank and charge you on your account. Both VW Vanagons and Mercedes Metris require 92 premium gas. The Vanagons are vintage vehicles that perform best and last longer with premium gas. The Mercedes vans have turbo engines, so they also require premium gas.

Unfortunately, each rental van is equipped with an awning, and some vans have roof bars on top. Many vans in our fleet are also lifted. It’s best to avoid all parking garages to prevent any damage.