One of the most notable differences on the highways we have noticed here in BC is the plethora of RV vehicles and toys. Everything from large bus-type RVs, any size camper trailer, camper vans, pickup campers. Especially in the summer, they ply the highway and it’s rare to see the same brand or size more than once. It’s mind-boggling the variety and how many people have them. The high numbers accrue from both local people using them as vacation homes, rather than cottages, and of course people coming from far flung places to experience the beauty of the island.

Well, we can now add our name to the list! We have loved exploring our immediate area as day trips, and with some kayak camping trips, but we have realized there is so much more to see and do on the Island, let alone on the mainland. We had been toying with the idea of an RV vehicle off and on for years, but we realized here that it’s the perfect means of taking short 2-3 days trips to bike, hike or kayak in new places. We also do want to do longer trips, even to the US when the border finally opens and it’s safe to do so.

So this is Loytää.

The name means “Discover” in Finnish. Bill has Finnish heritage, and we figured it was a good moniker for a vehicle in which we plan to discover many new and interesting places. It is officially a “Class B” recreational vehicle which means it’s a van that has been outfitted as a camper van. The chassis is a Dodge Ram Promaster 3500 (for those that really care) and the camper has been outfitted by Roadtrek as the Zion model. We were lucky to find it used. It’s a 2018 model with only 5000 km on the odometer, so it’s essentially new. It is ideally suited for living off-grid with 2 lithium batteries, propane heater, on-demand hot water, a wet bath, good sized fridge, 2-burner propane stove, AC, microwave and the bench seats that make up a king-sized bed. It’s a perfect size for just the two of us and a step up in luxury from tent camping!

It’s a bit crowded on our driveway right now. Strata rules prevent us from keeping it here full-time but since we picked it up today, and we leave on Monday for 5 days in Tofino, we have permission to leave it on the driveway while we figure out how to outfit, and use, it.

So we christened the inside table with a take-out dinner tonight. We opened the back doors to give us a view of our local beach and water and enjoyed dinner with a view. When we are camping we will live and cook mostly outside, but we always have the option to move indoors during inclement weather which is what we love about this.

The next project will be to get a trailer to haul the e-bikes, boats, and all assorted equipment. We are working on that but it will be at least a 4-month delivery, thanks to high demand! So for some of our local trips, we may need to take two vehicles to bring our boats. But that will be short lived.

So we are excited to see where Loytää will take us and the adventures that await us.