Renting a Campervan in Colorado: KuKu Campers- Campervans are becoming the new hot way to travel, and there are many reasons why. This article I will review our time renting a van with KuKu Campers based out of Denver, Colorado. During our summer trip with a campervan we got to visit some National Parks, small towns, and stunning scenery in the state of Colorado.

Why A Campervan?

I will say we never had really considered travel by campervan until a couple years ago. But after trying it out one time in Iceland, we loved it and have never looked back. We’ve since taken more campervan trips including a drive through Washington State, and now most recently through the mountains of Colorado with KuKu Campers USA.

So why a campervan? They are an affordable way to travel, you can fit more into your schedule, it’s easier to get to remote scenic areas, and so much more. I listed more details on why and how below. If you have never considered one, I would suggest looking a little more at all of the benefits with renting with KuKu Campers.

What Is Included In Our AB KuKu Campervan?

We rented the AB model van with KuKu Campers. We knew we didn’t need a large space with full amenities as it was just the two of us, and we were focusing on hiking and visiting a few small towns. This was the perfect amount of space, just enough for our luggage, food and a cozy space to sleep for the night.

What was included in this model:

Gas Stove
Cooler
Extra Blankets
Basic plates, bowls, cups and silverware
Pot and Pan
Basic Cutlery
1 Butane Canister for the stove,
400W Power Inverter
Frisbee
2 Pillows
Cooler
Cleaning Tools
Water Tank
FM radio
USB port and Bluetooth connection
12V cigarette lighter for charging
A/C Unit

Our selected add-ons:

Fold-able Table
2 camping chairs
2 extra blankets
Airport drop-off and pick up
2 person tent (I will explain why below)
Extra Gas Canisters
2 Sleeping Bags

Reasons Why To Get A Campervan With KuKu Campers?

Most Affordable In Denver

KuKu Campers advertises themselves as the most affordable campervan company in Denver. And it’s true, I checked out a lot of different campervan companies while searching for the perfect one and they truly are the most affordable we found in the area! I was so impressed with their pricing in the peak of summer season. While others seemed to be raising their prices for the summer KuKu Campers kept it affordable. A fun fact is that they have a location in Iceland as well, so if planning a trip there check them out as well!

Unlimited Miles

One of the ways that KuKu Campers is one of the most affordable campervan companies is because they offer unlimited miles during your trip. This is actually something not a lot of companies offer, and will help your budget tremendously. We typically underestimate all we can see and do in a week with a campervan, which leads to racked up miles and a bigger bill at the end of our trip. With KuKu Campers offering unlimited miles really helps budgeting for a trip where a lot of ground is covered.

Budget

Booking a campervan fits into our travel budget much more easily. We don’t need to worry about booking both hotels or AirBnBs and a rental car. It all comes in one package deal.

Time & Proximity

A lot of times when visiting National Parks, or more remote areas with scenic trails we found it hard to find hotels and rentals close by. But what is often near remote hiking locations are campgrounds. Camping in a van helped put us close by our main sights, and a few days we even hiked from our campsite, as the trailheads connected to the campground!

Beat The Heat & The Crowds

When we travel during summer months it can get hot on the trails and crowded as it is tourism season. Being close to the parks and able to just pull out of our spot, instead of needing to re pack and check out, puts us ahead of the crowds. We can get to the main sites before the crowds traveling from further out. This is one of my favorite reasons for the van. Beating the heat and crowds makes the wilderness more enjoyable and peaceful.

Flexibility & Freedom

The freedom of using a campervan is that you really have the flexibility to create a travel plan for everything that you want to do. You can spend your entire trip camping in the van or you can change it up.

I have heard of some people on long campervan trips booking an AirBnB in the middle of their trip to have a chance to stay in a city or stretch out and take some time to do some loads of laundry (even though some private campgrounds you can find laundry at).

For our trip to Colorado we could only find tent sites for two of our nights. So for two nights we added a tent to the van (only $30) and slept in the tent. We got to be in the area that we wanted to and the campervan helped us instead of limiting us.

Since campervans are the size of a car we have been able to easily visit small towns and big cities in a van. Stopping at breweries, wineries, and favorite places to stop and eat. No trailer or size restrictions holding us back.

What Should I Bring From Home?

Be sure to check out this complete list of What to Pack For A Campervan Trip. But for this trip we brought our favorite camping essentials. You really don’t need much, as most of your supplies are already provided in the van by KuKu Campers.

Tea Towels– for kitchen and general clean up

Shower Bag– to make campground showering easier

Shower Shoes/Chacos– something for campground showers and to slip on and off in the van

Packing Cubes– helps keeps clothes organized in the van

Spice Container– add extra flavor to our camping meals

Freeze Dried Meals- easy on the go meals, my favorites are the Chicken Alfredo and Mushroom Risotto.

Pour Over Coffee- I love these pourovers as they are easy to pack and use.

Our grocery list when we arrived included items such as oatmeal, granola bars, fruit, peanut butter, bread and ingredients for some easy camping meals. I love stopping at a local Trader Joe’s; their frozen meals and sauces make great easy camping meals.

What Are Campgrounds Like in Colorado?

Campgrounds in Colorado have a wide range of amenities and prices. It really all depends how much you want to rough it and what your budget is. We like to alternate between remote campsites with few amenities and nicer ones with laundry and shower houses. Here is a general idea of what you might get in Colorado campgrounds.

Private

Campsites at what I like to call private campgrounds, such as KOAs and individually owned are going to probably be the cleanest and have the most amenities. But also the most expensive ranging from $20-60 a night. These campsites will most likely be close together. But they also might have a lot of amenities, such as a shower house, sinks, laundry, sometimes even a pool or water park, entertainment, etc.

Parks

We find a lot of our campsites near National Parks and National Forest hiking areas on recreation.gov. These range from $10-30 a night. These can range in their amenities, but they typically always have toilets and garbage disposal, and can sometimes have running water for sinks, potable water, showers, electric and more. The recreation.gov website is a great resource. They will list exactly what services they have at each campground, some even review the cellphone service! They will let you know how and when to book the sites. Sites near popular national parks fill up early, so plan accordingly!

Public Lands

One thing we have not done much but many people do is to camp on public lands. Camping on public lands or on BLM lands is camping with no amenities. These are free and secluded, but a little harder to understand exactly where to camp. You will need to check the rules on fire bans, proximity to water or roads to make sure you won’t get in trouble With no reservations available you are not guaranteed a spot, but high reward if you get one (free and great views). This Campendium site and this BLM site are good resources.

Any Surprises in a Campervan?

Being that we have used a campervan a few times before we didn’t have any major surprises! It was absolutely perfect! But I will leave you with a few tips that I have learned from the past.

Be Organized

The campervan is a smaller space so you do need to stay somewhat organized so you know where everything is. Try to dedicate the various compartments to certain items, such as one that is easy to reach for clothes, an area for groceries and one that’s is harder to reach for the stuff you might not use as much.

One thing that helps us so much with making sure everything is not just thrown all over the campervan is our packing cubes! We put items in the cubes so everything has a place and doesn’t slide all over the van in the compartments. Makes it easy to grab shower stuff, clean clothes and toiletries for when you need them.

Less Is More

Try not to over pack. The more you have the more you have to get around in the van. One luggage per person, if you have more than that you might run out of room to store multiple suitcases. We love the Mother Lode Weekender EBag as they are easy to store in vans and can be used as a carry on if traveling by plane.

Extra Towels

We always like to have a few extra Tea Towels and our Turkish Towels for cleaning up dishes, drying off after swimming or showering, and wiping mud off our shoes. You want to keep your living space clean.

Plastic Bags

Throw a few plastic bags in your suitcase; sizes from ziploc sandwich to gallon to trash bags. That way you have some extra storage, places to put open food, etc. Trash bags are great for wet clothes and of course disposing of your trash. No trace left behind in these beautiful parks please!

Where Did We Go?

Here is a short layout of our itinerary, check back soon for a full guide on our trip to Colorado. It may be an aggressive schedule for some, but the campervan gave us the flexibility to pull it off.

Day 1:

Arrive in Denver Airport
Grocery Shop
Short Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park
Acclimate to Elevation

Day 2:

All Day in Rocky Mountain National Park
Sky Pond Hike

Day 3:

Explore Grand Lake side of Rocky Mountain National Park
Drive to Minturn

Day 4:

Tuhare Lake Hike
Drive to Carbondale

Day 5:

Maroon Bells
Drive to Crested Butte

Day 6:

Blue Lake Hike in Crested Butte
Stay in Crested Butte

Day 7:

Hike the Scarp Ridge near Crested Butte
Drive to stay at the Black Canyon of Gunnison South Rim Campground

Day 8:

The Gunnison Route in the Black Canyon of Gunnison
Drive to Colorado Springs

Day 9:

Colorado Springs and Gardens of the Gods
Stay in Colorado Springs

Day 10:

Return Campervan and Depart from Denver Airport

So are you ready to travel the affordable convenient way to travel by campervan yet? Try it for a weekend trip or try it for a month, it’s worth it for all the places you can go in it! If you have any questions about renting with KuKuCampervans or campervans is general feel free to reach out! Or email them directly, as they are so friendly and were happy to answer any of my questions!