This Fresno company is big in the #Vanlife world — and now they’ve got a new start
For the last 30 years, some of the best engineered and most capable camper vans on the market have been produced in south Fresno by a family owned business.
The only downside? Jonny Feld’s family didn’t own the brand, which belonged to a Texas-based firm named Sportsmobile. The Felds operated as an official licensee and paid royalties on every custom conversion van they sold.
Since July 1, a new sign has been visible from the east side of Highway 99 near the Central Avenue exit. It reads “Field Van” (a play on Feld) and signifies the company’s bold new direction following a 2020 split with Sportsmobile and completion of a 12-month non-compete agreement.
“This is something we could’ve done a while ago — people told us we should — and now it’s happening,” said Feld, Field Van’s affable 40-year-old president.
“We liked working with the other brand, and we liked what we had built. It was hard to let go. But now that it’s happened it’s like ripping a Band Aid off. We’re fired up and our customer base is excited.”
Field Van’s emergence comes at a time when the demand for conversion camper vans is soaring. Traveling, vacationing and even living in vans has long been a chic lifestyle choice (on Instagram, the hashtag #Vanlife returns 10.7 million results), and COVID-19 only enticed more converts. Total shipments of Type B camper vans through June were 150.1 percent ahead of last year (6,298 units compared to 2,518), according to an RV Industry Association report.
Feld attributes the industry surge to a combination of factors: newer and sleeker van models such as the Mercedes Sprinter; baby boomers trying to recapture their VW bus hippie dreams; and the inherent advantages of having your own self-contained bubble during a pandemic.
“What better way to social distance than traveling around in a van?” he said. “You can go anywhere, have enough room to camp in and it still fits in your driveway at home.”
When Jonny’s parents, Alan and Liz Feld, started Sportsmobile West in 1989 in San Diego (it relocated to Fresno in 1990), only a handful of companies built custom van conversions. Today, more than 150 are listed on explorevanx.com. “Most popped up in the last two years,” he said.
Field Van enters crowded marketplace
Even though Field Van is technically a new brand, Feld doesn’t seem worried about entering such a crowded marketplace. For one, the work continues nonstop. Since last July, the company’s 80 employees at its 66,000-square foot facility at 3631 S. Bagley Ave. have been producing vans ordered before the Sportsmobile licensing agreement expired. The current backlog is 18 months.
In addition, Field Van already has a glut of orders (180) taken by Feld himself during the yearlong period when he resigned from the company his father started (and moved to a different office, for legal reasons) to set up and begin marketing the new business.
Then of course there’s good ol’ fashioned customer loyalty.
“People know we built their vans,” Feld said. “Regardless of what the sticker on the side says.”
Living the #Vanlife isn’t inexpensive, at least not in a decked out, customized conversion van built by professional fabricators and installers. Field Van models (including the basic van) range from $130,000 for a “a pretty nice camper, pretty well decked out” to $220,000 for the “showstopper” that mates a beefy off-road chassis and suspension to a fiberglass body with the same lines as the classic Ford Econoline.
Which is why more of Feld’s customers regard their vans as second homes — along with the requisite long-term financing.
“The demand right now is huge,” he said. “If I had 500 vans I could probably get rid of them.”
High-end campers, built by hand in Fresno
Every custom conversion at the Fresno facility takes two to three months on the assembly line, depending on what model and options the customer chooses. (For van owners who simply want a prefabricated pop-top installed to create an upper-level bed, a much quicker two-day turnaround is offered.) Each van passes through numerous departments. First comes wiring and insulation. Then the basic cabinet framing goes in, followed by installation of the water, heating and battery systems. Upholstery and finish cabinetry are next. Finally, it’s on to details and quality control, concluding with a 40-mile test drive on 99.
“If there’s a loose screw rattling, we’ll find out,” Feld said.
Who says we don’t make things in America (or Fresno) any more? While touring the facility recently, with 50 vans in various states of production, it felt somewhat reassuring to watch skilled people work with their hands.
Field Van employees tend to be loyal — the average tenure is seven years, according to Feld — but even recent arrivals share a sense of pride.
“We’re not making just couches,” said Isaiah Rivera, whom I met in the upholstery department, where he has worked for 1½ years. “We’re making bad-ass, capable vans. It’s cool to be a part of that.”
Even cooler now that Field Van gets to put its own brand name on the sticker, rather than someone else’s.
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
