Summer Van Camping Events You Don't Want to Miss

Summer Van Camping Events You Don't Want to Miss

Jun 25, 2024

Every summer the van life calendar fills up with meetups, build-showcase weekends, and overland expos. Here are the ones worth planning the season around — most run annually, so check each event's site for this year's exact dates.

  1. Descend on Bend — Bend, OR. Held annually in late August. One of the biggest van life gatherings in the country. High-desert setting, community potlucks, van tours, workshops on conversions and sustainable living. Easy to meet people.

  2. Open Roads Fest — McCall, ID. Late June. A small, well-run festival aimed squarely at the van life community. Mix of on-water activities (the lake is right there), maintenance workshops, and evening programming.

  3. Adventure Van Expo — Tahoe — South Lake Tahoe, CA. Mid-summer. Heavier on the gear side than the community side. Good place to see new products from upfitters, solar brands, and roof-rack companies in one afternoon.

  4. Adventure Van Expo — Hood River — Hood River, OR. Early fall. Same franchise, smaller footprint, strong PNW build culture. The Columbia River Gorge makes the drive in worth it by itself.

  5. Overland Expo Mountain West — Loveland, CO. Late August. Not strictly a van event, but a big chunk of the exhibitor floor is van-relevant. Classes on recovery, suspension, and off-grid power are solid.

  6. Van Nationals — Ohio. Early August. The old-school van show. Vintage conversions, swap meet, camping on site. If you like '70s custom vans you'll be happy here.

  7. VanLife Diaries Gathering — rotating locations (often Asheville, NC). Summer. Smaller, more intimate than Descend on Bend. Heavier on storytelling, panels, and community — less on gear.

  8. Tiny Fest California — Del Mar, CA. Early fall. Not van-exclusive — tiny houses, skoolies, and trailers all show up — but a good window into how other small-dwelling builders solve the same problems you're solving.

  9. VanLife Gathering — Sedona — Sedona, AZ. Fall. Slower-paced, wellness-oriented weekend. Red-rock hiking, yoga, meditation sessions. A different energy than the gear-focused expos.

  10. VanFest USA — Leavenworth, WA. Early June. PNW van culture, Bavarian-themed town, mountain backdrop. Live music, van showcase, outdoor workshops.

A few tips if this is your first season on the circuit:

  • Book early. The bigger events sell van-camping passes months out and the good spots go first.
  • Arrive with something that works. You don't need a finished build — half the fun is seeing other people's works-in-progress — but make sure you're sleeping comfortably before you commit to four days in a field.
  • Bring a notebook. You'll see build solutions you hadn't thought of. Write them down while they're fresh; otherwise you'll forget which van had the clever water system by the time you get home.

Whichever ones you hit, the best part of these events isn't the gear or the workshops — it's meeting the people you've been following online for a year and finding out they're just as into this as you are.

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