August 11-19 Booking Note: Unavailable TO Begin A Trip.
If trip is started on or before 8/10, the vehicle is returnable through 8/18. I will be away 8/11-16, unable to initiate; though return can be done without my presence, albeit without my customary concierge service to the airport (4 mi.), hotel, etc. Outdoorsey's calendar does not offer this option for me, so I have to leave those days in unrestricted "available" mode.
I acquired this late-model, low-mileage Element EX "4WD" (automatic AWD) in September 2025 and tested its reliability and comfort by driving over 4,500 miles from Syracuse, New York to Anchorage during 10 days on the road. I slept well and comfortably on the laid-flat right-side front and rear passenger seats, augmented by a sleeping pad for my 10 nights on the road. But now it's even more comfortable...
Upon arriving home in Anchorage, both rear seats came out, and in their place went an interior furniture kit by Fifth Element Camping, a small owner-operated modern and innovative woodshop near Asheville, North Carolina. The furniture-grade plywood is sourced locally; actually grown and made in western North Carolina. The company's website is easy to find, along with several YouTube videos about the gear by Element camping enthusiasts. Though still in new condition, the kit sat on a shelf in my garage for about 2 years, which has allowed the varnish to fully cure. This means no sickening VOC fumes or scents to contend with when the windows are rolled up.
The FEC kit, as normally installed and seen in the photographs (bed system with cabinet) allows for only the two front seats; the two rear seats are removed (the Element is expressly designed for rear seat reconfigurability), limiting bookings to one or two occupants. I am open to accommodating 3 occupants by removing the cabinet and installing the left-hand rear seat. When that seat is in its stowed position (laid flat, disconnected from the floor, swung upwards and secured to the sidewall—as it's designed to do) the bed platform can be laid out in full. A smaller person, e.g., a child, can fit with two adults on the platform; or, I have a tent and pad(s) available, as well.
In camping configuration the FEC system provides a perfectly flat, cushioned sleeping platform extending from the front seat centers to the tailgate, 6'-10" (2.1m) long, 4'-4" (1.3m) wide in front and 3'-6" (1.1m) wide in the rear half. With the platform system broken down and stowed, the aft platform transforms into a 2-abreast mini-couch (but not as a passenger seat while driving) facing the cabinet-workstation. All components are labeled so as to make sense of the set-up, and I will walk you through it, too. I plan to soon have an instructional video privately posted on YouTube and an illustrated pamphlet.
For single-occupancy, the right-side forward platform and the entire rear section can remain set-up while driving if desired, leaving only the driver's seat in service. This makes it easy to safely pull over when drowsy and take a nap without even exiting the vehicle.
Sleeping can be head-forward or -rearward, whatever you like, though it's laid out for heads forward, as the platform narrows by 10" towards the rear. There's space under the platform for gear, and some space between the dashboard and head-end of the platform for items while camping, keeping the platform clear or mostly so, unless you carry a lot of stuff; in which case, I have a Tule 1600 roof box available.
The rear hatchway is supplied with a specially designed fabric panel with bug-netting, the "Half-Moon" model by (coincidentally named) RainDean (easily searchable online) which may be installed so as to have the hatch open while camping, providing good ventilation without insect invasion. A matching pair of bug-net covers by RainDean equip the rear door vent-windows and can (and should) be left in place while underway.
This is a new listing for me—joining my Element ECamper and Ford Transit-250 Glamper Van—so this description and its photographs are a work in progress. Stay tuned and feel free to contact me with questions.
-New tire set March 2026;
-New front brake calipers, rotors and pads & fluid flushed March 2026; low mileage since rear brakes serviced by previous owner.
-Engine oil, transmission and rear differential fluids recently replaced.
-Zero (yes, I mean 0!) engine oil consumption during the 4,700 mile drive from New York to Alaska. I had that oil laboratory-analyzed when I changed it in March, 2026 and, unsurprisingly, it was well within normal parameters, indicating a healthy engine. Highway MPG: 25, regular gasoline.
I prefer to, and try to meet you curbside at Anchorage Airport shortly after arrival, often very late at night or past midnight. We drive to my home, 4 miles away, and complete the handoff process there. My preference, whenever possible, is to get the vehicle handed-off Asap, even at an extreme hour of the day. I've had good luck with my variable work schedule for the past 4 summers, nearly always able to get it done Asap on the first calendar day of the booking. Let me know in a message what your arrival plans are. Of course, I can meet you anywhere else locally, too.
As for return, I'm flexible on return time, so long as there is no interference with turnaround time for its next voyage, and it's no later than the end of the booking's final calendar day. The timeframe seen in the listing is only what the app allows me to enter. If I'm unable to be present for your return, that's not an impediment, other than I won't be able to shuttle you from my home to the airport, 4 driving miles away, or hotel, etc., though I'm often available.
