Back in 20013, when I was circumnavigating Iceland, I noticed something popping up everywhere I went - little, brightly coloured campervans. Cruising around hot tourist destination, these little Happy Campers seemed like the perfect method to travel and explore the island. Sure it wasn’t a 4 or 5 star hotel or resort. Yes, the amenities were a bit on the rustic side. Heck, the exteriors of these little cargo or passenger vans weren’t even that nice to look at. But the idea of having the freedom to drive anywhere you wanted, park overnight in any place you felt relatively safe, and call it home for the duration of your stay, was, in my mind, exactly what Calgary needed.
And so it began.
Today - Karma Campervans Ltd. exists for one purpose; to be the enabler of memorable moments and an exceptional travel experience. We also believe in being good to our body and soul by giving it more nature, more discovery and more adventure. It then will be good back to us in the form of a long, enjoyable and happy life.
Built on brand new Ford Transit 2500 Extra Long, High-Roof chassis, our fleet of campers are “modern-rustic hotel rooms on wheels.” We’ve designed the vans to be super simple to operate, yet as comfortable and enjoyable as any hotel room. No, there is no “regular” plumbing or bathroom. But the layout, drivability, ultra comfy queen sized bed and other thoughtful accoutrements are what make it an absolute pleasure to call your temporary home away from home. You just have to view the gallery to get a sense of just how lovely travelling in these could be!
Plus, our Karma Crew are at your service! This is because we understand you’ve worked long and hard for this moment. You’ve waited in anticipation for this moment. And it is our duty to deliver.
We’re pretty proud of what we built (with our own two hands at that!). Along with an impeccable team of skilled RV technicians and craftsmen (ahem - craftspeople), we’ve worked countless hours on designing the perfect campervan. Our prototype took 3 months to build; having to work and re-work each element and component that make up the innards. Karma 2 through Karma 5 went a bit faster, became a bit more polished, and only took 1 month to build. Karma 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 took even less time (about 3 weeks in total) and went remarkably smoother than the first. At that point our tiny team had grown by a few people (five or six full-time at one time), efficiencies had gotten that much better and less time was spent reinventing the wheel - although we still think there’s opportunity to make the campervans even better.
In fact, all three of the C0-founders come from RV industry backgrounds (two own a dealership in Calgary, the third having run marketing for clients in the business for nearly 18 years). Plus our love of the outdoors makes it a perfect fit. We’ve also called Calgary home our entire lives, regularly kicking the business suit off to head out for a weekend camping trip, steep and deep ski day, bike ride or hike with buddies. You can say this outdoorsy thing is in our blood.
So while Karma Campervans continues to grow from it’s infant state (we only launched in June 2018), and people continue to flock to Calgary and Western Canada to see, taste, smell and feel this amazing backyard we all take for granted, I encourage you to visit our website and learn more about the campervans, see some of the stories we’ve shard on Instagram, take a peek at your upcoming schedule and maybe think about the next time you’d like to head out on a road trip. #GoodCamping is only a few clicks away and promise you won’t be disappointed.
Hope to see you soon.
Dave Wald, President + Co-Founder
