New van life website makes it easy to find camper rentals and builders

Here at Curbed, our goal is to be a must-read resource of all things campers and RVs. But even with our rich archives, it can be hard to keep up with what’s happening. And there’s one sector of the RV industry that’s exploding at an exponential rate: camper vans. Love campers and trailers? Come join our community group.

Fueled by millennials and innovative new designs, camper vans come in all shapes, sizes, and price points. You can buy a pricey manufactured Class B van from big-time names like Winnebago and Airstream; or you can spend under $5,000 on a basic DIY conversion.

Despite the camper van’s popularity, however, there hasn’t been a one-stop resource for all things #VanLife.

That’s changed with the recent launch of Van X, an online business directory for the camper van community. Created by Jason McNamara, the co-founder and CEO of Nomadx, Inc., Van X seeks to bring all the resources necessary to lead a nomadic life into one comprehensive directory.

The website currently houses information for nearly 1,000 businesses. This means that the site lists approximately 160 camper van builders, about 258 van rental companies, 153 companies who provide DIY and aftermarket products, 260 companies who service camper vans, 94 camping and travel companies, and approximately 70 companies who provide insurance and loans to van lifers.

This is helpful, because in our camper and RV community group on Facebook, users are often left with questions about where to find certain resources. Camper van conversion companies are prolific throughout the American West, but much harder to find in other regions of the country. Likewise, we constantly get questions about how people can rent or buy a camper van in their local communities, and Van X seeks to help that problem.

A quick query on Van X lets you search for builders in particular states, allowing you to filter by van type or area of focus (like 4x4 or luxury). The results range from nationwide companies to local conversion outfitters, letting you see all of the options available. Similar queries can help you find a camper van for a weekend vacation, figure out potential aftermarket suppliers, and find service when you’re on the road.

Despite the 1,000 plus listings already on the site, there is still an imbalance in terms of where most van life companies are located. States like Colorado and Washington seem to offer endless possibilities for build companies or rentals, while other states in the east or south are lacking.

But Van X will prove a helpful resource for potential van lifers in either case, if nothing else to show people what’s available, and where. Van X also plans to expand the directory on a regular basis, eventually including international businesses.

Overall, Van X fills an information gap in an up-and-coming sector of the RV industry, and should prove useful for van lifers of all stripes.