Lost Campers - Budget Campervan Rental Los Angeles

We rented the dodge caravan for a month and it was the best thing we could have booked.
There is everything you need in the car, yet it’s still super compact so you can also travel through cities.
If you don’t want those giant RV’s or them fancy camper vans from other overpriced companies, lost campers is the perfect pick!

Recently we got back from the most amazing trip in our lives. We went on a 3,5 week, mixed (nature/cities), 3200 miles road trip with the car named Tara (dual battery Dodge Grand Caravan) and this is our honest opinion so if you are a first time renter, you will know what to expect.

Pros:
* Price: easily 40% cheaper than competitors was a huge factor in the decision making.
* Discreet: no markings of any kind indicating that you’re a tourist (not a big deal in the wilderness but really useful feature in big cities).
* BED: super comfy (ikea) mattress. We spent the majority of the nights in the van and we slept like babies. Probably not as comfortable for taller folks though (over 175cm/5'8''). We are below that and it was just perfect.
* Size: it’s a normal van: big enough to fit two people but small enough to swiftly pass through curvy roads and narrow city parking garages.
* Storage space: we kept the bed unfolded for the entire trip so we used the underneath storage for keeping our empty suitcases (fitted two medium size 21”-23” hard shells). We recommend packing your stuff into packing cubes for easier handling and keeping them under the mattress.
* Camper conversion: everything in place for us to be able to occasionally sleep at RV parks (with no hookups)
* Fuel consumption: on average it was 24,5 mpg
* Accessories: full bedding and kitchen kit

Cons:
* Accessories: it really lacked some obligatory stuff like a phone holder (hello? GPS, music handling? 21 century?), front windshield sun cover, some basket or something to prevent small things between the two front seats to move around the car (we left the ones we bought for Tara for the future campers to use) and more or better fitted window covers - we used a lot of duct tape to deal with light leaks during our city nights. Also the camping chair was in an abysmal condition, all ripped and not really speaking “cmon I’ll handle your body weight”. The propane cartridge to stove adapter wasn’t working (something with threading, the cartridge couldn’t be sealed), we weren’t able to buy just that part so we ended up buying a whole new stove.
* Next con was that the cooler was disconnecting from the battery and sadly no amount of duct tape helped so we had to throw away a whole load of food after a few days in a particular hot conditions without moving the car. Just read one of the reviews mentioning this issue in Tara a few months ago. Sad it wasn’t fixed.
* Tara was overheating quite a bit even in cooler temperatures and with many breaks and no air AC on. Had to make sure we always had coolant to top up after the leaks we had. Can’t even imagine anyone going through the Death Valley with her
* At 1,1 K RPM she was making a loud noise in the right front wheel area - nothing broke but I was anxious about it during the trip.
* On a highway Tara was noticeably drifting to the right so there might be something with the geometry (and related to the noise)
* The back view mirror was hanging there by a thread - better forget to swap it for the night ride if you want it to stay in place.

Bottom line:

This is overall a positive review as the vehicle was a camper converted van capable of doing a long road trip and allowing us to be safe and comfortable while doing so and without straining our budget too much, but the lack of quality control on important accessories like the stove adapter, rear view mirror, and cooler's connection to the dual battery is concerning. The car just needs some love and attention. Missing several things that we took for granted would be a part of what was included with the vehicle (phone holder and sun cover especially) means you need to check the vehicle and accessories *very* thoroughly before leaving the rental office or the nearest supercenter. Those things said we would still recommend Lost Campers as well as the specific van. With added LED lights we received a few compliments from strangers about Tara during our travels and we certainly agree. The best trip ever!
Hanna & Brian

A van rental agency that's a little out of the way in Los Angeles, but the quality is worth the trip. The team is attentive, responsive and very comprehensive. The vans are well equipped, discreet and last the many kilometers traveled. We slept there like babies. We experienced one of the most beautiful roadtrips of our lives and it was mainly thanks to our super van.
(Rental July/August 2022)

Had an awesome experience thanks to Lost Campers! Rented the van for 14 days and traveled almost 4000 miles in over 7 different states and 8 national parks. The car is very spacious and the beds are way more comfy that what we expected so it was easy to sleep in it with a friend and still have enough personal space. Since the car looks just like a regular car it's really easy to park up anywhere and camp there.

Lots of storage space under the bed compartment for canned food etc. The water jerrycans can easily be removed so it makes the changing of water really accessible as well. For such a budget-friendly camper van we also really appreciated the included chairs, tables, gas stove and tableware.

The car is a bit old so you might need additional stuff like a jack cable to plug in some music (the cable sometimes need adjusting to avoid getting disconnected) and adapters to charge phones in the lighter plug but the car ran very well and was more than enough for a roadtrip. The staff was also super friendly and helpful when we needed anything! Thank you again for everything and looking forward to travel with your camper vans again!

Great experience! My wife and I made a 3700 mile roadtrip through CA, UT, AZ, NV, in 25 days, starting in SF, and visited about 10 National Parks. The campervan had only minor problems (connection of cooler wasn´t always OK, and some small issues that had to do with our pour knowledge of US cars). Lost Campers helped us all right. The campervan is a bit old and a bit thursty, but in our opinion still very good. We bought some additional campingstuff (Walmart) and a small tent ($30). Most nights we slept in this tent, using the perfect bedding from the van. We recommend Lost Campers!

Solo female traveler - couldn't have asked for a better experience. Yes it's budget but it's functional, drives well and the essentials were all there for a comfortable trip. It worked perfectly because it really doesn't look like a camper so I felt super safe to park up anywhere. Wonderful fast communication with the office too and clear instructions. Definitely will use again when I come back to the states. Thank you!

I can definitely recommend Lost Campers for your Trip! We had a super pleasant experience with the team, their service was just lovely! The camper itself was also great too, we felt safe doing thousands of miles with the car, and the bed was super cozy. We had an all-round great time, and if we ever do a trip with a camper again we will definitely go back to Lost Campers!

Definitely recommend this one! Everything went smoothly and all of the guys were so friendly! Even after we had some problems with our first car, they directly switched cars and we got another one which was even better! The service was super nice and we had one of the best months of our lifes in that lovely van. If we ever come back to LA, its already clear to rent there again. Also the spontaneous shuttle to the airport was the icing on the cake and proved once again how good this company and people are!:)

Thank you Lost Campers, we had the perfect vacation! We flew from Indiana to the Los Angeles Airport, took a very short Uber to Lost Campers to pick up our van and then drove down the scenic Coast Hwy to the San Clemente State Beach campgrounds to car camp. We stopped at Trader Joes and picked up fresh stir fry veggies along with a stir fry shrimp package, hot cocoa, and other food items for easy delicious meals. The van was equipped with everything else we needed. I was so happy to find a marshmallow skewer to use to toast my bread for avocado toast. The campgrounds were clean and safe. Don't miss this opportunity to visit America's most beautiful beaches with the luxury of a thoughtfully prepared van to travel in, sleep in, and an outdoor kitchen to cook with. I rented a surf board from Stewarts Surfboards for $25 and a wetsuit for $10 for half a day. What a deal!
Nick quickly answered my emails with every question I had. We will definitely be back. Thank you again!

We hired a camper for 17 days for our USA trip. The van was a great setup and had everything we needed. Also at a great price. The staff at Lost Campers were very responsive and great to deal with. We would defiantly hire though lost for our next USA trip!

We had a great experience with Lost Campers. The van was clean, with no mechanical issues. The bed and bedding were warm and comfortable. It came with the basics of we needed for a week of cooking at the campground. After booking, I had to reach out to change our days/times and they were very easy to work with and replied promptly. It is a great value for a great price! I hope to rent from Lost Campers again!

A very good option for the rental of unassuming confy little van. Bella, dodge caravan, was our car for 10 weeks and it was no new and flashy, but functional and comfortable. We took extra sleeping bags and it was plenty warm during the winter. Sink, stove and the table with some dishes and cutlery was a nice addition. For minimalistic two people it was a week balanced option. Good communication with the company, would recommend and will probably use in the future as well!

Lost Campers is the choice for us! Easy collection and drop off. The van is easy to drive and park. The bedsheet was cleaned and smell nice. We loved the portable kitchen most!

Lost Campers were great from initial enquiry, assisting us with requirements for coachella and right through to refund of bond. We will definitely look to rent again in the future!

Lost Campers was perfect! When I made the reservation, I was a little skeptical about whether it'd work out. But I'm really glad I went with these guys instead of traditional car rental. Yes, their cars have more miles, more dings, and more years on them than traditional car rental (at least ours did), but the vans have all you need for basic car camping and you can't beat the price. The self-serve pickup and dropoff was very convenient and gave us additional flexibility. I was a little worried I might get charged for pre-existing body damage to the car or other post-rental fees, but that never happened.

This trip was a college graduation gift to my budding ecologist daughter, we drove from Inglewood/LA to southern California and put in a lot of hiking miles at several parks/preserves. Instead of doing a lot pre-planning about where to stay, we instead kind of just rolled with it. After long days, it was really nice to not have to not have to search for where to stay and instead just sleep in the van.

I sold my daughter on Lost Campers rental model. She said she'd definitely do it again. (I also taught her it's best to just sleep in the airport [LAX] when you've got an early flight instead of messing with a hotel and early morning transportation.)