The concept of van life really blew up during the early days of the pandemic. Social media was suddenly teeming with crunchy millennials documenting their experience converting sketchy school buses into cringey “live laugh love” mobiles decked out in dream catchers and culturally appropriative fabrics. Mercifully it seems like the van life craze has settled down, but the more I come to terms with the fact that I’m unlikely to ever own a home in Los Angeles, I’ve indulged in fantasies about not paying rent or a mortgage and living in a van or RV. There are plenty of videos on the internet documenting the struggles of the vagabond lifestyle, but in my head, the perfect recipe for van life comes in the form of a compact camper with a kitchen and full bathroom setup. That’s very tough to find, but this 1991 Chevrolet Astro Tiger GT AWD camper van might be the van life hack I’ve been dreaming of, and it’s for sale on Hemmings now.
Upon doing some research, these Astro Tiger GT campers are much loved by van lifers for the same reasons that endear me to it. They’re compact, hardly occupying a larger footprint than a standard Astro, yet offer sleeping space for four very friendly acquaintances. The pop-top roof section allows for a nearly double-sized sleeping area above the front seats, and when it’s collapsed it has a low-enough profile to keep the van’s total exterior height under seven feet. That relatively low exterior height makes it a viable option for many covered spaces like parking garages or the most important height-restricted setting for a car, a fast food drive-through. This Astro Tiger GT is equipped with all-wheel drive too, so it’s ready to go farther off the beaten path than many other camper vans.
The Chevy Astro was produced for decades without huge changes so parts are plentiful for the platform, and the 4.3-liter V6 and four-speed automatic transmission are similarly common, making maintenance, repairs and upgrades relatively easy. The listing states this van has traveled just over 155,000 miles in its lifetime, and blemishes are limited to some scrapes and dings on the exterior, a malfunctioning three-way refrigerator and a leaky pop-top, which are all easily addressed.
This is the ultimate compact camper van because of its ample amenities and creature comforts that include a two-burner propane stovetop, furnace, microwave, refrigerator, sink, and compact wet bathroom that incorporates a toilet and shower, though neither look too accommodating for anyone who might struggle with claustrophobia. When deployed, the pop-up roof increases standing room to a whopping 6-feet-2-inches, which would accommodate most folks on this planet, but it’s an unfortunate six inches too short for my 99.9th-percentile frame. I guess I’ll have to do my morning stretches outside the van. Sadly I’m not in a position where I can buy this van at the moment, but whomever ends up with this cozy little home-away-from-home will undoubtedly be one happy camper.
