Company specializes in converting campers into tiny homes for 'digital nomads,' retirees
A company from Toronto created during the pandemic is moving into high gear with its stylish campervans.
“There’s a huge burgeoning community of people who don’t have to work in one place any more,” said Jeremy Vandermeij, co-founder and design director of The Van Dads.
“There’s also a lot of people who want to use them for vacationing, road trips.”
Vandermeij said there is 60 square feet in the van and it’s equipped with a two-burner induction cook top stove, sink, composting toilet, a queen size bed, a desk that you can work on, and a table that pulls out for you to eat a meal on.
“There is also a 30-gallon water tank so you can do dishes. Plus, the faucet can extend outside the van so you can take a shower,” he said.
“All of this is powered by the solar and battery bank … There are two big solar panels on the roof of the van. And they feed five large batteries. Those batteries can be charged by the solar panels or plug the van in if you’re at a campsite.”
Batteries last a day and a half
Vandermeij said the batteries can last a day and a half without any sun. And the batteries are charged every time you drive the van.
He said young digital nomads with no kids are buying the vans. Retired snowbirds, too, who are sleeping in the vans instead of paying for hotel rooms.
The base model starts at $47,000 but Vandermeij said just like vehicles, you can add options so you can customize your van.
“Some people are spending more than $100,000 because they want a fancy bathroom, tile floor and they want four people to sleep in the van,” said Vandermeij.
“We also have beds that lower from the ceiling to accommodate a larger crowd.”
When asked about the van withstanding a northern Ontario winter, he said that won't be an issue.
“We actually tested our first van when we got it insulated and put in the Webasto heater," said Vandermeij.
"It’s a heater that works off the gas tank with the vehicle off. And it was more than warm enough.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.