BIRMINGHAM, Ala. and PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Storyteller Overland, an authentic outdoor lifestyle brand and manufacturer of the industry-leading MODE Class B RV adventure van lineup, announced that it has acquired GoCamp, the boutique camper van rental service that offers a curated selection of individually owned vans.
STO & GO - Starting the Journey with GoCamp Camper Van Rentals
GoCamp and Storyteller Overland Teams and Family
Into the Woods
Sunset Vibes
Deborah Kane, Founder / CEO, GoCamp
On Top of the World
GoCamp Logo
"Storyteller Overland and GoCamp are a perfect match. Both of our teams are passionate about empowering people for grand adventure out on the open road and beyond, and each of our brands thrives on fostering connectedness among the growing communities we serve," said Jeffrey Hunter, founder and chief executive officer, Storyteller Overland. "We love GoCamp's highly personalized business model, which focuses intently on creating stellar experiences for its customers and would-be adventurers. We're excited to bring that experience to a wider audience, both within the Storyteller Overland community and beyond."
"We're thrilled to be joining forces more formally with Storyteller Overland. MODE owners had been enjoying so much success through GoCamp and delighting renters so thoroughly that formalizing GoCamp's special relationship with Storyteller Overland was a logical next step," said Deborah Kane, GoCamp founder and CEO. "GoCamp has always known that road trips are better with a trusted adventure buddy in the passenger seat. We couldn't have asked for a better copilot than Storyteller Overland."
With the acquisition, GoCamp will expand nationally, thanks to Storyteller's reach and resources. Noted Kane, "Storyteller Overland's investment in GoCamp adds rocket fuel to the tank that will quickly carry the GoCamp brand into new markets in the Midwest and East Coast."
Currently, there are about 150 GoCamp camper vans available to rent in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington, including in prime recreation markets like Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle.
The merging of companies will also allow Storyteller Overland to provide additional layers of value for its own customers, including a factory-endorsed path for Storyteller owners to rent their van through GoCamp with its highly personalized business model, removing the potential anxiety of renting their vehicle to strangers.
GoCamp was founded in 2017 by Kane, who saw the potential of bringing the property-sharing model from websites like Vacasa and Airbnb to the RV space. Through this peer-to-peer platform, owners rent out their camper vans via the GoCamp website, and renters can experience vanlife without making a huge investment in a van of their own. The GoCamp fleet is curated, featuring high-quality camper vans—from old-school Volkswagen Vanagons and Eurovans to newer Mercedes-Benz Sprinters and Storyteller Overland MODEs—and their friendly, knowledgeable owners. GoCamp distinguishes itself from other camper van rental services by solely offering camper vans and by providing personalized, on-call service throughout the entire process, from listing and booking until the end of the journey.
Storyteller Overland plans to continue offering a variety of camper van models through GoCamp. Noted Hunter, "We are here to serve the broader community that is vanlife. While GoCamp will be the best possible option for short- or long-term rentals of our Storyteller Overland MODE vehicle range, customers will still have access to a full suite of camper van styles through the industry's best-curated rental fleet."
With its plans for national expansion, GoCamp will be bolstering its team in the coming months. Notably, Storyteller Overland has made clear its commitment that GoCamp will stay true to its roots as a woman-founded company and will continue to be led by a female executive.
Additionally, Kane is donating $100,000 to three Portland-based organizations—Oregon Tradeswomen, XXcelerate, and Portland Mercado—that support female entrepreneurship, and Storyteller Overland is matching the donation. Kane is also contributing to Portland State University'sImpact Ventures fund to invest in promising female-led, early-stage companies.
"Female entrepreneurship in the RV industry is rare, and women are especially scarce on the production line as cargo vans get turned into camper vans. Whether it is acquiring trade skills, having access to capital, or mustering the chutzpah to start a new business, the reality is women need more of it in almost every sector of the economy," said Kane. "I wanted to shine a spotlight on the issue, and am thrilled to support local programs that give more women the tools they need to succeed not just in the RV space, but in the business world more broadly."
About Storyteller Overland
Storyteller Overland is a Birmingham, Ala.-based authentic outdoor lifestyle brand with a strong, industry-leading presence and reputation for innovation in the burgeoning Class B RV and adventure vehicle manufacturing space. Founded in 2018 by a stellar team of custom vehicle manufacturing veterans and outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts, the company's prime directive and reason for being is to constantly inspire and equip its growing community of roadtrippers, vanlifers, and overlanders with the proper gear, resources and mindset to "Live Free. Explore Endlessly. Tell Better Stories." Along with its flagship MODE 4x4 adventure van series, Storyteller Overland offers a unique see-through pricing model coupled with a style of customer service and community engagement that provides an unprecedented level of on-demand technical and warranty support for all of its owners out on the open road and beyond. For more information, visit storytelleroverland.com or contact Jeffrey Hunter at [email protected].
About GoCamp
GoCamp is a premium, boutique camper van rental service offering a curated selection of unique vans in the Western United States. It was created in 2017 by Deborah Kane with one driving goal: to make camping easy. About 150 GoCamp camper vans are available to rent in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington, including in prime recreation markets like Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle. For more information, please visit gocampcampervans.com.
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