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SEP/OCT 2019
VAN LIFE| VAN LIFE|
BY ESPLORI | PHOTOS COURTESY OF ESPLORI WRITTEN BY AUBREY HANCOCK
VAN CONVERSATION
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ADVENTURES IN HUCK PHINN
Instagram: @adventures_in_huck_phinn
website: www.huckphinnleatherworks.com
Life is short and time is limited. How do you optimize to do the things you want to do? The
ability to go where you want, when you want, on your own terms is the dream and what
makes vanlife so attractive. While some have made the transition to full-time van living,
some just want more out of their daily lives. And the lifestyle isn’t limited to the younger
generations. Many see the opportunity to travel and take on new adventures with the
same energy they spend on careers and family. Throw in job portability and these same
people have found a way to see places and experience periods of travel without waiting
for retirement.
Vanlife has taken the country by storm and the Pacific Northwest is ground zero for the
movement. In the heart of Oregon is Esplori, one of vanlife’s premier conversion compa-
nies, committed to getting people outside and on their way to their next outdoor expe-
rience. Meaning ‘to explore’ in Esperanto, Esplori hopes to do the same with their vans. Us-
ing simple yet elegant and sustainable materials, Esplori converts Mercedes Sprinter vans
for active lifestyles. Whatever your adventure, their goal is to help you meet new people
and see new places.
“We take more of a minimalist approach to vanlife,” says co-founder Colin Clark. “We focus
on comfortable camping. We want the van to facilitate your outdoor experience.” Co-
founder Brian Bates adds, “We’re trying to remove the barriers to entry. We want people to
decide to head out of town at 3pm on a Friday, hit the grocery store, and be on the road by
5pm.”
When Laird Superfood saw their first Esplori van, they knew they wanted to work together.
Already looking for a way to reach across the entire outdoor experience, the inclusive
vanlife culture was the perfect entry. “Esplori and Laird Superfood are about creating a
lifestyle focused on adventure and sustainability. The brands were really well aligned,” says
Laird Superfood CMO Luan Pham. As a result, Laird Superfood asked the Esplori team to
build them a van. You may have even seen it driving around Oregon and the entire west
coast.
Esplori has built custom vans for people from Colorado throughout the PNW and is proud
that their customers are traveling year-round. “We love talking to our tribe and seeing pic-
tures of their adventures around the country,” says Bates. “We love hearing about adven-
tures period. Seeing people getting outdoors and spending time together gets us excited,”
says Clark.
Interested in exploring vanlife? Getting started is easy, especially since Esplori has a num-
ber of 2019 4x4 Mercedes Sprinters available as early as this fall. Get in touch today to
pick out your van and all the options. www.esplori.com. [email protected]. 541.848.9354
I once read a study claiming that where you sit or stand at work can boost your produc-
tivity, health, and well being. I asked myself, “when I spend such a huge chunk of my life
working, is it really something I want to jeopardize?”
Well, when I started my small business, I may have taken that to an extreme...
I bought a 1985 Toyota Dolphin, renovated it, and moved my life & workshop onto wheels.
This allowed me to choose my office on a daily basis and draw inspiration from just
outside of my window. Whether it’s mountains, ocean, or desert, I am able to chase the en-
vironment that fulfills me the most. And when work is done for the day, I just walk outside
to explore!
In the winter months I typically head south in search of surf & warm weather, then the
summers are spent escaping the heat & hiking up north.
Traveling by myself as a chick has been way easier than I expected. Don’t get me wrong,
I was definitely nervous at first. I think the fact that my little camper is a bit creepy on the
outside has actually worked to my advantage though. Typically, people wouldn’t expect
a girl in her 20’s to be living here, so I really don’t get bothered much. It’s kind of like my
creeper camouflage. And the few times I have been asked to move, the person has been
pleasantly surprised that I am not a weird old man or cooking up drugs, again working to
my advantage.
I renovated the inside however, so it feels like a little home on the inside and it’s easy to
forget that I am on wheels at all!
I’ve also found that living in a small space forced me to question what is important to me
All photos above by Whitney Whitehouse
and absolutely necessary to live a happy life. Don’t get me wrong, many of my cabinets
are full of clothes (priorities, ya know?), but traveling and working this way has given me
so much mental space because I have so much less clutter to clean up after or think
about.
This lifestyle has allowed me to get down to the basics, pour into my passion, and see
more of this beautiful country than I could have possibly experienced in two weeks vaca-
tion time.