Kelty Backroads Shelter - Vehicle-Side Camp Shelter

Outdoor living space alongside the van — the covered square meters a conversion cannot give you no matter how well you plan the interior.

The honest limitation of every van build is that the inside is the size it is. You can move the bed, you can build a slide-out galley, but you cannot make a 144" Sprinter into a room. What you can do is add a covered outdoor space next to it, which is what a vehicle-side shelter is for.

In practice it becomes the part of camp you actually use: somewhere to cook out of the sun or the drizzle, somewhere to change out of a wetsuit without doing it in a doorway, somewhere to put camp chairs and a table and still be under cover when the weather turns. On a multi-day stop it roughly doubles the usable footprint of the van.

Who it is for

• Buy a vehicle-side shelter if you camp in one place for more than a night at a time — that is where the payoff is.
• Buy it if you cook outside and would like to keep doing so in weather.
• Skip it if you mostly move every day. Setting up and packing down a shelter every morning stops being worth it fast.
• Ask us first if you need exact dimensions, packed size, weight or attachment method — see the note below.

Options

We would rather tell you what we know than guess. If you need confirmed dimensions, packed size, weight, pole configuration or the exact vehicle attachment method for this shelter, email us and we will get the current manufacturer specification for you before you place the order. We do not publish numbers we have not verified.

What we know about it

This listing deliberately does not state dimensions, weight or capacity because we have not verified them against current manufacturer data. Ask and we will.

What's included

• (1) Kelty Backroads Shelter

Living with it in a van

Whatever shelter you end up with, the two things that decide whether you keep using it are how long it takes to pitch and how it handles wind. Practice pitching it once in the yard before the first trip — a shelter you can put up in ten minutes in daylight is one you will also put up in the rain at dusk.

Guy it out properly every time, even on a still evening. Vehicle-side shelters catch wind the way a sail does, and an unguyed shelter that lifts against the side of a van will mark the paint before it lets go.

• Practice the pitch once at home before the first trip.
• Guy it out every time, even when it is calm. Weather changes at 2 am.
• Keep the attachment points clear of paint edges and trim.
• Dry it fully before it goes back in the van — a shelter packed damp will mildew.

Questions we get asked

What size is it and how much does it weigh?

We are not going to publish numbers we have not verified against the current manufacturer specification. Email us with what you need to know and we will confirm it for you before you order.

How does it attach to the van?

Contact us with your vehicle and your roof arrangement — rails, rack, or bare roof — and we will confirm what is required.

Is it worth it for weekend trips?

It depends on how you camp. If you drive somewhere on Friday, stay put, and drive back Sunday, yes — you get two evenings of covered outdoor space. If you move every night, the setup and pack-down will wear thin quickly.

Pairs well with

• Camping gear and van-life comfort
• Van conversion parts

Sold and shipped by Campervan Parts R Us, the parts counter of Noke Van Co. — a working van conversion shop in Roanoke, Virginia. If you are unsure whether this fits your van, email us the year, model and wheelbase and we will check it against a build sheet before you order.