Van Owners Stories

William Snider is Living “Vanlife,” But Not the Kind You Typically See on Instagram.

He utilizes his van for play and practicality. He gets a lot of use out of his van living in a massive, wide-open state like Montana. When he’s not skiing or cycling, it’s very common for him and his daughter to commute multiple hours for her soccer tournaments or bike races. The van is a perfect tool for all of the above.

Will picked up his Vandoit in 2019. Since then, the van has become a dad vanlife mobile. During soccer season or bike races, Will and his daughter spend the weekends traveling to the events and camping either for free in the parking lot of the event or cheaply at a campground. During COVID, this has allowed them to sequester themselves and avoid rising hotel prices. 

The vans are “sleep chambers” according to Will, commenting on how quiet and comfortable it is to sleep in the van. Will sleeps on the hydraulic bed-lift platform and his daughter sleeps underneath on the gear slide. The bikes and other gear go inside the van, protecting them from the sometimes harsh Montana conditions. 

Will had been looking for years for the right van. His first camper van purchase was a Westphalia VW van. He just never quite felt safe driving his daughter in it with the pop-top. The next purchase was a pop-up trailer, but after a few years of dealing with the difficult process of getting it into camping spots and set up, decided to sell it. He never felt comfortable buying a Sprinter because of the lack of Mercedes dealerships in his area for potential repairs.

He Was Set on Buying a Ford Transit Passenger Van. 

Ford vehicles can be worked on all over the country and the passenger van has windows, which make being a passenger in the second row of seats more enjoyable because you are able to look out the window. 

Will found a Ford Transit passenger van with Quigley 4×4 in Portland, Oregon and was looking for a conversion company to convert into a camper van. Then he found Vandoit.Ultimately, Will was able to get the Transit passenger Quigley 4×4 custom camper van that he wanted directly from the family-owned company in Blue Springs, Missouri. 

What sealed the deal for Will was the customer service he received at Vandoit. The Vandoit co-founder, Brent Kline, was willing to personally help him make the arrangements necessary to change course from the Portland van, to the ideal van for him and his daughter.

Will and his daughter are showing that #vanlife is a unique experience that is different for everyone. It doesn’t have to be a full time lifestyle. Vanlife can be just a dad and his daughter going to a soccer tournament for a weekend. 

Follow Vandoit on Instagram for more #vanlife inspiration

“I am not mountain biker, I don’t consider myself a mountain biker” says Jeremy, “I am a runner.”

The bike allows him to hike the trails to help make trails more accessible. Jeremy’s love of hitting the trails started while living in Mammoth, CA. He wanted to run with his dog, which is what inspired him to get his first adaptive bike.

At the time Jeremy purchased his first bike, there were only two types of adaptive bikes. One that could climb anything but no suspension, and the other that had no drivetrain but had full suspension. As a result of the limitations of both of those bike styles and a harsh winter in 2009-2010, Jeremy decided to move back to San Diego.

It was in San Diego where Jeremy found the bike that he uses now. It was the best of both worlds. The bike had drivetrain and suspension. The bike was $9,400 and after he sold his 4-wheeler bike he had $9,800 in his bank account. He decided to make the leap of faith and bought the bike.

This Bike is Jeremy’s Outlet to Having a Relationship with Nature.

“For me being a wheelchair user, there’s certain pieces of equipment that are life-changing, this was one of those,” says Jeremy in reference to the bike. Although the bike has been life changing, there have still been horrible instances where Jeremy has gotten stuck on the trail. In one instance, he had to be helicoptered out. These experiences led to the formation of the UNPavement.

According to The UNPavement website, “The UNPavement documents trails and presents the information with a simplified rating system, identification of potential dilemmas and uncut video.” The Unpavement helps adaptive riders have up to date and detailed information on trail accessibility, facilities and recommended routes can be found on their Trail Blog.

Jeremy’s Van Allows Him to Travel The Country And Experience The Trails

After extensively researching vans, Vandoit reached out via LinkedIn. From there, Jeremy began exploring Vandoit and chatting with people. These conversations helped him come to the conclusion that a Vandoit was feasible for wheelchair use. Ultimately, Jeremy decided to pull the trigger on his Vandoit van.

Vandoit worked with Jeremy to make his van more accessible to allow him to move more easily throughout the van. One major major modification is utilizing the hydraulic bed-lift to raise his bike into the van. Overall, this and other modifications make hitting the trails a lot simpler.

Jeremy typically rides the trails multiple time to give them an accurate grade. Ultimately, the van has become a valuable tool for Jeremy to access and experience trails for The UNPavement’s trail accessibility rating system.

To learn more about Jeremy and what he does, visit https://www.jeremymcghee.com. There, you will be able to read his blog and listen to his podcast.