About Us

 

We have been friends and co-workers for over 20 years.  We started working together just out of high school for a company that makes and produces automotive components for off-road and overland vehicles.  We live in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah.  Our free time is spent traveling around the Western United States for rock climbing and camping adventures.  When we first started having these climbing and camping trips, we would truly dirtbag camp.  Literally pull off the side of a mountain road, roll out a sleeping bag and sleep on the dirt.  As we have aged, we have truly realized the value of comfort.  Having a good night’s sleep is beneficial to a day of playing in the mountains.  So, we started adapting towards the car camping and vanlife lifestyle.  During this process, we came up with a curated list of the things that could turn any vehicle into a camping vessel.

We started Van Life Gear Company because we saw a need for it.  When we got started, we could not find a specific website online that had everything you needed to get started in car camping and overlanding.  We wanted to provide a place that had exactly that, a one stop shop, without being too overwhelming.  These products are used by us, whether it is a weeklong road-trip with the family or weekend warrioring to the crag.  These products have been field tested by us and we stand by them.  Van Life Gear Company is our passion and we created it so your passion will be more efficient, enjoyable, and comfortable.

Hope to see you on the trail one day,

 

Shawn Wood and Jon Martinez

Shawn and Jon running 100 Mile Buffalo Run
(Shawn Wood (red shirt) Jon Martinez (green shirt) running the 100 Mile Buffalo Run in Utah)
 
 Shawn and Jon climbing in St. George, Utah.