** Read This First: THE A/C AND Heat Only Work ON Shore Power **
The Surf Shack has a rear window unit that does both A/C and heat, and it is genuinely comfortable. But it runs on shore power only - an extension cord plugged into a campsite hookup. It does NOT run while you are driving, and it does NOT run when you are parked somewhere without electric. There is no off-grid battery system in this van.
So: if you are booking campgrounds with electric hookups, you will be comfortable in any weather. If you are planning to boondock, park at trailheads, or sleep at the beach, you will have no climate control at all. Please book with that clearly in mind - it is the thing most likely to surprise you.
This IS Also OUR First Season Renting. You would be one of our very first guests. That is exactly why it is $89 a night - a real discount in exchange for real patience, because something in our process will probably be clunky.
--------------------
Meet the Surf Shack - a 2003 Dodge Ram camper van, built by hand here in St. Pete. Live free, travel light, and wake up to the sound of the waves or the quiet of the forest. Compact and easy to manoeuvre, which makes it a far less stressful first van than something big.
Sleeping & Living
A bright skylight overhead for natural light and stargazing. A mounted TV with a retro game console hooked up to it - genuinely the best thing in the van on a rainy evening or a night you get in late. The interior has just been restyled toward a warmer cabin feel, with tons of under-bed storage for gear, clothes and everything else.
A heads up on the photos: they show the van before this restyle. The layout and the bed are the same, but some of the finishes look different in person, and the kitchen you may spot in a shot or two is gone. New photos are being taken - we would rather tell you than have you notice on pickup.
Storage & THE Road Trip KIT
There is no kitchen in this van. We recently restyled the inside toward more of a cabin feel, and the kitchen came out to make room for living space. In its place you get basic storage and a shelf for pantry items, a few basic essentials to get you going, and a box of activities for the road - that, plus the retro game console on the TV, is what makes a weekend trip more fun when the weather turns or the drive runs long. There is still a ton of storage under the bed.
Bring a cooler and a camp stove if you want to cook.
A/C AND Heat - HOW IT Actually Works
There is a window unit mounted in the back of the van that does both A/C and heat. Plug the extension cord into the electric hookup at a campsite and you have proper climate control back there - cold air in a Florida August, warm air on a cold snap in January.
What it will not do is run off the van. There is no battery system, so nothing powers that unit while you are driving or while you are parked somewhere without electric. Book sites with hookups and you will be comfortable; boondock and you will not.
Where TO Take IT
Gulf Coast beach days, Florida state parks, festivals, long weekends. It is compact enough to park where bigger rigs cannot.
THE Full Honest List OF What This VAN Does NOT Have
- No off-grid power. A/C, heat, the TV and the game console all need a shore power hookup.
- No A/C while driving.
- No kitchen at all - no sink, no stove, no fridge, no microwave. Storage and pantry shelf only.
- No toilet, no shower, no black or grey tank.
- It is a 23-year-old vehicle. Runs and drives well, but she asks for a patient driver.
A Real ASK From US
You would be one of our first guests, so we want your feedback directly - before it becomes a review. Message us mid-trip or right after and tell us what was confusing or missing.
Stay wild. Live free.
- Florida Van Life Co., St. Petersburg
