Known as the Weekender elsewhere in the world, the Mercedes Metris–
based Getaway camper is essentially a factory camper van offering.
Sure, Mercedes-Benz USA outsources the conversion to Peace Vans,
but it sells the completed vehicles through its van dealership network.
The rear bench seat converts to a bed for two, the front seats swivel
to face backward, and the roof pops up like an old Westfalia camper’s
to increase headroom. Pricing depends on customer individualization
but starts at $66,330. Contact: mbvans.com/en/metris-getaway or
peacevansmodern.com
Similar to the Free Bird camper (below), Modvans’
creations can transition between full-fledged camper
vans and empty, cargo-ready vans. That’s because
the bulk of the campers’ innards can slide out through
the back door when not needed.
That modularity is—you guessed it—the driving
force behind the Modvans name. There’s pretty
much a single model in the lineup, the CV1, and it is
constructed using a Ford Transit as its base. As we
went to press, Modvans had special introductory
pricing for the CV1 at $82,475. Contact: modvans.com
Caravan Outfitter’s Free Bird conversion vans are
based on Nissan’s humble NV200 cargo van, making
them the smallest and most affordable on this list.
The 2021 Free Bird Standard starts at $38,760—
with the price of the parking space–friendly van
included—and has a nifty removable (!) contraption
that supports a double bed. The apparatus fairly
fills the NV200’s cargo hold and can be folded into
boothlike seating with a central table; the Free Bird
also has slide-out drawers that house a 31-quart
fridge and a single-burner gas stove.
A quick note, however: The Free Bird is, technically,
only a two-seater; even though the rear area can be
set up as a seating area, those perches don’t have
seat belts—so Caravan Outfitter refers to the van as
a “two-seater.” Contact: caravanoutfitter.com
Camper Vans I ROUNDUP
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