What Tyler Stanaland's Big Sur Trip Taught Him About Van Life
A recap of pro surfer Tyler Stanaland's "honest vanlife review" from his recent Big Sur weekend in altCamp’s Sequoia camper.
When Highway 1 reopened after years of closures, Tyler Stanaland and his wife finally had their window. Big Sur was the one stretch of California coast they'd never properly explored together, and a clear forecast made the decision easy. What wasn't as easy: figuring out how to do the trip right.
In a recent post on his Substack, Tyler shared what he called an honest vanlife review. The piece is part road-trip diary, part reflection on why the in-between moments often matter more than the destinations. For anyone who's flirted with the idea of vanlife but hasn't pulled the trigger, it's worth a read.
From hotel weekends to a real test of vanlife
Tyler and his wife, Hannah, are no strangers to the California coast. Their first trip together was to Cambria. They got engaged on a three-day road trip that covered nearly the entire coastline. But past trips leaned on hotels and the occasional glamping setup. Big Sur felt like the right moment to test something different: a true van-life weekend, and a chance to see if it could realistically fit the way they want to travel as their family grows.
His takeaway after years of researching builds, layouts, and DIY conversions? "Finding a van is easy. Finding a good one is not."
Why he chose the altCamp Sequoia
Tyler rented our Sequoia Sprinter van for the trip and described it as "essentially a boutique hotel on wheels." The details he called out are the ones we obsess over: the dining table to bed conversion, outlets on both sides of the bed, the built-in iPad cradle, onboard internet, the roof rack, the wood paneling and cabinetry.
At 6'4", sharing the bed with his wife and a 20-pound Cavapoo, comfort wasn't optional. In his words, the van "delivered without compromise."
A weekend that unfolded naturally
From pickup, they were on the road within an hour and rolled into Moonstone Beach in Cambria just before sunset. The rest of the weekend stretched out without much structure: cooking in the van, outdoor showers, hidden beach accesses, watching seals and whales offshore. The drive from Cambria to Carmel is under 100 miles, but they took their time. Every overlook earned its stop.
The bigger takeaway
What surprised Tyler most wasn't the scenery. It was how naturally the three of them co-existed in the van, and how clearly the experience reframed what he wanted out of vanlife going forward. Once you've felt the difference between getting by and actually enjoying the build, it's hard to go back.
Read Tyler's full post here, and if his trip has you eyeing your own Big Sur weekend, browse our Signature Collection to see what's available.
