Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Keene.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Outpost Vans was founded in 2018 as a camper van rental company. But now we no longer rent vans and are laser focused on custom van conversions on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. We are also a full service adventure van upfitter and we provide services, like oil changes, van upgrades, and gear installs on Sprinter vans.
But the longer version of the story is back in 2018 my co-founder (Josh Knoff) and I had “real jobs,” I called them. We started Outpost Vans with one camper van that we were going to rent out— really so that it would pay for itself and we could use it for mountain biking, and camping trips of our own. Essentially renting it would offset the cost and we’d have a free van. That was the original goal.
Fortunately I grew up woodworking, but was working in business/tech for my entire career to this point. Josh was working at UCSD’s Engineering School. Between the two of us, we had the foundational skills covered: business, building, and systems. So we built the first van, a 2017 Mercedes Sprinter, out of Josh’s driveway. Then a website, Instagram, all of that. We launched and immediately started getting rentals. I think it was within the first week of going live we had 4 or 5 rental bookings. We were amazed! After that initial shock of success we said ok now we need another van because I knew we were onto something.
And that’s when everything changed. We eventually get the second van which we started building out on nights, weekends, and mornings before our “real jobs.” Whenever we could. We continued seeing rental success and eventually people who were renting from us started coming back to ask us if we could help them with their own van builds. Many people who were renting back then were trying it out to see if they liked this whole vanlife thing so they could do a DIY build themselves. And keep in mind this was early on for the van industry, so there were people in the space but certainly not anywhere close to what the landscape looks like now. We started taking on small jobs (from Josh’s driveway still) and then I eventually had the idea to put a page on our site that said we can do full custom van builds. This was some time in 2019 now, and similar to our early success with the first rental, we got our first full van build lead within a week. Fast forward to the end of 2019 and we’re moving out of the driveway and looking to get our first shop. We had a few van builds lined up at this stage as we crossed into 2020; still doing this as a side hustle from our “real jobs” at this point. And then in March 2020 the whole world turned upside down.
Once COVID hit, the vanlife trend that was already on the rise exploded. Everyone wanted a safe, self-sustaining way to travel. The pandemic really illuminated the camper van industry and in my opinion everything outdoor-related. At first we didn’t know what was going to happen but as Summer 2020 started to approach and things were still locked down, that’s when we really had to shift our business and overall strategy. This was the turning point when inquires for full van builds really took off. We were definitely overwhelmed but hustling and doing everything we could to make it happen. Initially we couldn’t meet the demand of what we were seeing coming in but I also didn’t want to see the opportunities lost. So I developed a plan to scale our current operation and we really haven’t looked back since then. In July 2020 we left our “real jobs” to solely focus on Outpost Vans.
Fast forward to 2025 and we’ve doubled in size each year since we went full time in 2020. We have 10 employees and a 10,000 sq. ft. facility in Oceanside. We’re also now recognized as one of the premier custom van builders and upfitters in entire country. We’re not slowing down either! Our custom build portfolio and offerings continue to grow as we offer a truly end-to-end experience for Sprinter camper vans. Customers can come to us to fully outfit their van and return back to us for all of their routine services like oil changes, filters, and everything else that comes with that. In 2025, we’re also exploring new standardized layout options, new vehicle offerings, and more.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a smooth road. In a small business there are always struggles, but ours were primarily due to growing pains. Given our rapid success, we quickly outgrew our initial shop space in 2020. We were lucky that a second shop was available next door, and expanded across both units. Then rinse and repeat in 2021… and 2022. Again getting lucky that spaces were opening in our complex. We were up to 4 suites in our last complex and in December 2024 we moved into our current facility where we’re already feeling some of the same pains. Now it’s about optimization and investing in the facility, and team, to get everything we can out of it.
We’ve been impressed with Outpost Vans, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Outpost Vans is most known for setting the bar when it comes to high-end, high-quality work. I had a successful business career prior to starting Outpost Vans, and myself and co-founder also have design skills and extremely high attention to detail. We’re always trying to push the boundaries to ensure everything we produce meets our own extremely high standards, but also because that’s what our customers deserve.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
There are many ways I look at success. Of course in the metrics and business performance. But also in what people are saying about you and your company. What are your customers telling you? What does your team say? What are your competitors doing to emulate you? What type of response do you get when interacting with new prospects and clients in the field. When all of those are overwhelmingly positive you know you’re onto something!
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Contact Info:
- Website: www.outpostvans.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outpostvans/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/outpost-vans
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/outpostvans
Image Credits
Outpost Vans
