Exploring the Pacific Northwest by DIY camper van

In this video we spend 3+ weeks exploring Oregon and Washington state in our DIY camper van. We visit Cape Disappointment, Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, Mt. Hood and the Bend/Mt. Bachelor areas. We hiked, paddle boarded, took boat rides and met up with other van lifers while on the road.
00:00 - Highlight Reel
00:56 - Travel to Oregon
01:42 - Bend, Oregon
03:05 - Cape Disappointment
04:05 - Olympic NP
08:04 - N Cascades NP
11:56 - Mt Rainier NP
15:05 - Mt Hood and Mt. Bachelor
17:35 - Off-roading
19:46 - Final days
Website: ourkaravan.com
Instagram: our.karavan
#pacnw #vanlifetravel #vanlife

Пікірлер: 50

  • @mjmdiver1137
    @mjmdiver11372 жыл бұрын

    Little people don't have to duck under trees... great vid Ken!

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Haha, I loved that clip, no ducking needed! Thanks for the compliment!

  • @neilfraser4367
    @neilfraser43672 жыл бұрын

    Building my van now thank you so much for all the valuable information that you gave us all can’t wait to do that trip that you have just done it looks beautiful

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Lots of beauty to explore in the Pacific Northwest! Thank you for the kind words and good luck with your build!

  • @JDR1971
    @JDR19712 жыл бұрын

    Looks like it did not suck! Edit: The waterfalls look awesome.

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    True dat!

  • @robcordts1976
    @robcordts19762 жыл бұрын

    Oh man another great video.

  • @rebeccarex9805
    @rebeccarex98052 жыл бұрын

    Say hi to Kara from Tammy & Rebecca, your Open Roads Fest neighbors 💜

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Will do, was a pleasure meeting you! I hope to attend again next year.

  • @FreeMissions
    @FreeMissions2 жыл бұрын

    Awesome video! Kara is growing up!

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Peter, and yes she is! Feels like I was changing diapers not long ago.

  • @jasonlarev1
    @jasonlarev12 жыл бұрын

    DANGGG!! Loved this video, has me itching to hit the road in my new van......

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    It’s been totally worth the time and effort!

  • @vincentlehmann646
    @vincentlehmann6462 жыл бұрын

    excellent video ! congrats, regards from Switzerland !

  • @georgedemean2228
    @georgedemean22282 жыл бұрын

    Amazing video as usual...great driving skills 👍

  • @jatorresrv
    @jatorresrv2 жыл бұрын

    That was a LOT of AWESOME! Thanks for sharing.

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Aww thank you!!

  • @robertbreese6145
    @robertbreese61452 жыл бұрын

    Nice video. I just came across your site. I remember when you just bought the van…. Robert from SLO…

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Robert-yea coming up on 5 years with the van this December!

  • @donjones3355
    @donjones33552 жыл бұрын

    Great video Ken. We travelled a similar route the last two years. Loved Cape Disappointment. Looks like you had a great time!

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Don, hard to go wrong with the PacNW! We did a similar trip to this two years ago and I keep finding more to explore.

  • @DoctorRennie
    @DoctorRennie2 жыл бұрын

    Great video of your vacation. That took some effort to film. Glad you didn’t lose the drone! Keep exploring!

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    It was a close one! I love making these videos, thanks for watching!

  • @FBall-im8ui
    @FBall-im8ui2 жыл бұрын

    Ken wasn't aware you were coming up this way but couldn't get into the states anyway, from looking at the route you took you could have seen me on the west side of Vancouver island i am just up the coast a bit from Victoria, nice to see you take a great trip the pacific northwest is beautiful good for you!

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Oh nice, I love it up there. Hope to make it to Canada next summer.

  • @milcotto4153
    @milcotto41532 жыл бұрын

    Very high quality video. 21 minutes well spent :-)

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, I love the positive feedback!

  • @Espiritiv
    @Espiritiv Жыл бұрын

    Probably saw you out there this last year! Didnt have a van, but looking into one now

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    Жыл бұрын

    PacNW is a beautiful place to travel. I hope you get in a van soon!

  • @gerryramirez4510
    @gerryramirez45102 жыл бұрын

    Great video! Thanks for showing us how capable the 2-wheel drive Sprinters are off-road. I was having second thoughts about not going with a 4X4, but didn’t really plan on doing much off-roading anyways. You are creating wonderful memories with your little girl!

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    I wanted 4x4 initially but it’s high cost ($15k extra) and it’s a problematic system. In hindsight now this thing is so capable I don’t wish for any more off-road capability. The van’s height is the biggest limiting factor. Thanks for the kind words and for watching!

  • @rundmc1087

    @rundmc1087

    2 жыл бұрын

    Awesome job getting up that hill!! Do you run the recommended tire pressure or something else?

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    I was at street pressure here but airing down definitely improves the ride on longer offroad trips

  • @mikewarner2285
    @mikewarner22852 жыл бұрын

    Great music

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, it’s always hit or miss when it comes to copyright free music. Lots of time went into finding decent material.

  • @edysinsimon8646
    @edysinsimon86462 жыл бұрын

    This...This is my home.

  • @bogged9820
    @bogged98202 жыл бұрын

    Great job, I'm assuming your MPG is so good because you don't have massive solar panels, side ladders and bull bars creating drag? Still.. with an awning too that's very impressive!

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Correct, all of those things add drag. I do have a rather large solar panel but it’s pretty low profile. I’ve heard several say that roof racks can take 3 mpg away. The biggest contributor to the fuel economy is the 2.1L 4 cylinder diesel. It’s an amazing powerplant…wish I could have it in every vehicle I own.

  • @petefrost1787
    @petefrost17872 жыл бұрын

    The PNW is a beautiful area. Watching your video brought back lots of great memories. Just wanted to ask, what tires are installed on your van and do you like them?

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    I love the pnw, can’t get enough of it. Tires are Yokohama geolandar G015. Super happy with them. I wanted something less aggressive than a BFG (which don’t balance well) that are quiet and ride nice, and these are the ticket. Also check out the falken wildpeak. They are slightly more aggressive but a nice tire as well.

  • @petefrost1787

    @petefrost1787

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@ourkaravan Thanks very much for the info. I always prefer someone's actual experience than some unknown internet source. Very much appreciated. Happy and safe travels!

  • @marc_mims
    @marc_mims2 жыл бұрын

    How has your bamboo held up? We're considering bamboo for our build but we've been warned that even sealed it is very sensitive to humidity changes and can crack, split, and warp if exposed to low humidity for more than a few days. Is that misinformation? How did you seal yours?

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Mine looks as good as the day I installed it, and the van is approaching five years old. Bamboo is technically a grass, and is more stable material than many woods. Some of the woods in my friends’ vans have warped around hinges and door latches, while my bamboo has not. Mine is sealed in polyurethane.

  • @davidlundy5007
    @davidlundy50072 жыл бұрын

    What camera are you using for those shots? Pretty awesome.

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Aside from the drone shots, all the content is from an iPhone 11 Pro. Surprised?

  • @davidlundy5007

    @davidlundy5007

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@ourkaravan yes. I have the 12 pro but have yet to take advantage of what it can do. Thanks.

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Have fun with it. It’s amazing what you can do with a phone these days.

  • @mckcjj
    @mckcjj2 жыл бұрын

    Do you ever have problems having the Mercedes Sprinter serviced?

  • @ourkaravan

    @ourkaravan

    2 жыл бұрын

    They are more expensive to service than a Ford or Ram, partly because a diesel takes twice as much oil as a gas engine (but also requires oil changes at half the interval). Because Mercedes charges a lot for service I do my own. Luckily they are straight forward to work on, and the 4 cylinder diesel is the easiest oil change of any vehicle I have ever owned.

  • @Auxbeam
    @Auxbeam2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Do you need some great lighting for your car to help you better driving and camping at night? We're the pro auto lighting manufacturer for nearly 20 year and we're looking for sponsorship!