Portland’s peer-to-peer adventure van hirer is acquired by GoCamp by leading vehicle modification company

GoCamp, a Portland-based company whose platform allows passenger truck owners to rent their vehicles for other types of adventure, has been acquired by Overland Storyteller, a company based in Birmingham, Ala. specializes in the construction of in-demand modes of transport.

Founded in 2017 by Deborah Kane, the company’s CEO, GoCamp is designed to bring the property-sharing model from sites like Vacasa and Airbnb into the RV space. The company manages a fleet of approximately 150 trucks available for hire in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington state.

Merging with Storyteller Overland will allow GoCamp to tap into more reach and resources, and expand nationally into new markets in the Midwest and East Coast.

“We are delighted to have a more official partnership with Storyteller Overland. MODE owners have enjoyed so much success through GoCamp and delighting tenants so thoroughly that formalizing GoCamp’s special relationship with Storyteller Overland is a logical next step,” said Kane. in one New information posted Wednesday.

Storyteller Overland offers its camping van modifications and in a variety of so-called “MODE” and price ranges ranging from MODE LT at $153,000 to Beast MODE4x4 at $198,000.

Both companies exploit the “vanlife” travel and entertainment craze that has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Others in the space include Seattle-based startup CabanaNewly built Ford Transit car rental. Another Portland company, The Dyrt, just raised $11 million in new funding for its platform, helping people figure out where to go with their adventure trucks – or tents, RVs, etc.

GoCamp’s fleet of trucks is owned by individuals that have everything from old Volkswagen Vanagons and Eurovans to newer Mercedes-Benz Sprinters and Storyteller Overland MODEs.

As part of the new deal, Kane is celebrating and supporting women’s entrepreneurship by donating $100,000 to three Portland-based organizations – Oregon Business Women, XXcelerate, and Portland Mercados – and Storyteller Overland matching donations. Kane is also contributing to Portland State University’s Impact Ventures fund to invest in promising early women-led companies.

“Female entrepreneurs in the RV industry are rare, and women are especially scarce on the production line as cargo trucks become cargo trucks,” says Kane. “I wanted to highlight this issue and am excited 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 at large. bigger.”