For those of you back East still recovering from a week of bad weather, here’s a shot of sunny Southern California, complete with a local resident. We’re all familiar with the VW Westfailia pop-up campers, but this Southern California conversion uses a more American approach: a solid fiberglass cap fitted over a Vanagon roof.
There were several labels on the cap identifying this camper as an Adventurewagen. A quick Google check shows the company built VW-based campers for over twenty years (along with other van conversions), but now appears to be out of business.
Back in November of 2013, reader Dan S made a comment about Adventurewagens in one of our Car Show Classics article. Dan said he once owned a 1982 model, and that he had driven it to Alaska and back. Well, Dan…
…this Adventurewagen appears to have made the same trip. Could it be the same truck? Volkswagen buses are known for their toughness, and it appears the Adventurewagen lives up to the reputation. While the Alaska Highway is now mostly paved, LA to Fairbanks is still a 7,200 mile round trip.
In conclusion, it’s an interesting vehicle, and suitable for a major road trip. If Dan S or any other reader can share their experiences behind the wheel of an Adventurewagen, we’d love to hear your thoughts!
I hate putting new style wheels on older vehicles but the pictured combination looks pretty nice…
Many older German vehicles came with 185R14 tires originally, which are almost unavailable today, so larger diameter rims are a very practical solution.
Once they get this old, aren’t they all adventure wagons? 🙂
x2 for this being a Volkswagen.
Welp, looks like I just found car #5 for my 4-car dream garage.
What a hella sweet slab of Fahrvergnügen and I do not even mind the rims, I think they add pizzazz.
Quite a coincidence! That one’s close, but it’s not my Adventurewagen. It looks like a later year, probably 83+ and water-cooled, but hard to tell for sure without seeing the front (round vs. square headlights, radiator grille). My rig was pale yellow and had basic steel wheels.
The Adventurewagen company was based out of Fort Bragg, California, on the Mendocino coast. Ed Anderson started doing these conversions on the later VW Type 2 platform (“Bay Window” bus) and later the Vanagon (T3) platform. When Volkswagen discontinued the Vanagon in North America in 1991, Adventurewagen conversions were done on Ford Econoline vans for a time, but since then I believe the company is now out of business.
The Adventurewagen Vanagon conversions were very high quality, envisioned as an alternative to, and improvement over, the Westfalia campers that were sold by VW. Adventurewagens came with a thermostatically controlled furnace, 3-way fridge that was larger than Westfalia’s, a water filtration system, insulated high roof with over-cab storage, sleeping for 4 and everything finished in your choice of hardwood options (walnut, teak, etc.). The driver and passenger seats could be swiveled around to face the living area, a feature shared with some Westfalia camper models. Mine was finished in teak wood, and the Adventurewagen furnishings and trim coordinated nicely with the Vanagon L’s brown corduroy upholstery.
The design of the fiberglass roof with its “tail” was thought to be more aerodynamically stable at high speed and in resisting cross-winds. This was marketed by Adventurewagen as an advantage over the Westfalia’s box-like form. I’ve owned both, and I can’t say either design is particularly confidence-inspiring during strong cross-winds.
My 1982 Adventurewagen was based on the Vanagon “L”, which was the base trim level at the time. Thus no power steering, or power anything for that matter. This was powered by the 2-liter air-cooled engine carried over from the Type 2, making all of 67hp. Featuring L-Jetronic fuel injection, electronic ignition and hydraulic lifters, this was arguably the apex of VW’s air-cooled engine development before they finally switched Vanagons to a water-cooled design in 1983. But it was barely adequate for moving a 4000 lb. box.
I drove my Adventurewagen from San Francisco to Fairbanks, Alaska in 1990, including side trips around western Canada, for a total of around 10,000 miles round trip. I had no mechanical issues whatsoever other than 2 flat tires. I still find that hard to believe!
Here are some scanned photos from my trip to Alaska in 1990:
http://flic.kr/p/jAQijv
http://flic.kr/p/jATsJC
http://flic.kr/p/jARp4n
http://flic.kr/p/jATsK9
I don’t know how to embed images, so I’ll attach them instead:
Interior shot
Thanks for the details, Dan!
D/S
I had this exact color etc mine was 1983 I believe… a diesel 28 mph but couldn’t get up a hill to save ones life. I bought van in Ukiah, Ed picked it up and a week later I went to Fort Brag..one of greatest moments in my life..Van was 12000 dollars conversion 6000 so 18000 large in ’83. 150000 miles later family trips great memories..sold it for 4500 to pot dealer wanted living space for grow site is my guess..paid cash without driving it..LOL
Ed Anderson retired soon after 2002 and died in 2013. You can read his obit here: https://obituaries.mendocinobeacon.com/us/obituaries/mendocinobeacon/name/edward-anderson-obituary?id=45583507
We’ve owned two Adventerwagens. First was a 1988 on a VW Vanagon then a 1998 on a Ford Club Wagon E350 XLT. We are now selling the Ford AW because of age and health.
This idea was popular once upon a time mate o mine had a 72 VW bus with high roof camper conversion all fitted out but with the high heavy fibreglass top it was a nightmare in cross winds getting blown all over the road and meeting a semitrailer at speed was a white knuckle event to put it mildly he sold it and bought a regular height VW Kombi and while they arent great the redfuced sail area sure made it more stable on the road.
On the subject of VW campers that are not Westfalia, it’s worth mentioning the Pacific Northwest version, which was the ASI Riviera pop top camper, made by ASI in Vancouver Washington for Riviera Motors in Beaverton Oregon. I have seen several bay window based Rivieras and 1 or 2 Vanagon based ones in the Portland area over the years.
Not a VW Transporter but the bigger VW LT. You can very clearly see where the inspiration for this “Adventurewagen” (how appropriate is that !) came from.
It was built by Jumatt from Belgium, a company that built prefab houses and such, but later on also campers and motorhomes. I never heard of them until I read about them in a magazine this morning.
Source of the picture and more of them: http://www.deroeck-jumatt.eu/campers.htm
Dear Dutch Johannes,
About the JUMATT Van, can you please tell me in which magzine you red about it, or was it inTransmobiel ?
We have a 1993 AdventureWagon converted from a Ford ClubWagon by Ed Anderson of Fort Bragg CA. We’ve traveled 185,000 miles through 49 states including Alaska. Thought about freighting it to Hawaii but ended up flying instead. With clean and grey water tanks underneath we have no trouble with it being top heavy or high winds. We’ve had the usual mechanical issues one would expect with a vehicle that age, batteries, fuel pump, alternator, radiator, and some plumbing and electrical maintenance in the camper, but no problems with our six cylinder engine. It just keeps on going like the Energizer Bunny.
We call ourselves “turtle travelers” because we have our house with us and we travel really slow. Even on long trips of 3-4 months we average 100 miles a day, therefore the camper components gets more use than the vehicle. We love living off the grid and rarely plug in. The storage batteries and solar panels keep the lights, refrigerator and water pump running for up to three days, but even a short drive to a trail head recharges the batteries. The propane furnace keeps us warm in the winter and the passive solar water heater on the roof provides a hot shower in the desert. A full size bed is a luxuary not usually found in a camper that small. Being only 18 feet long we can make U-turns and park in regular parking places. There is lots of storage and we generally travel with clothing for three seasons, a week’s worth of food and two pets. The dog curls up under the lip of the bed and the cat sleeps wherever he wants.
Interesting story! I have a similar one: We bought our 1989 Adventurewagen from the original owner in 2008 and he had also taken an epic adventure from Michigan to Alaska in it. In 2015 we took it back to Alaska, including taking the Dalton Highway all the way to Deadhorse on the Artic ocean. We’ve been all over the U.S. and Canada with it and, knock on it’s oak cabinets, it has never left us stranded!
Ed Anderson, since passed, is the guy who started and ran the company. Ours was converted in Fort Bragg CA, we took ours back last summer on a trip out West but couldn’t find any signs of the old business.