Descend on Bend event report

[66788]

Just got back from "Descend on Bend", a 4 day van event off Highway 31 near LaPine, Oregon.   There were over 450 vans at that event (minimum ticket price was $55.00, max price $105.00)  About 400 of the vans were various forms of Vanagon, a few air cooled VWs, and the rest were "other" than VW vehicles.   

I took my Dodge High Top and it performed flawlessly on the trip.   The soil at the event was powdery like a freshly plowed field.  Vanagons were getting stuck, but my Dodge did quite well after letting air out of the back tires.

I think the first night shocked a lot of people into the reality that one must prepare for any type of weather when van camping.  The temperature dropped to 9 degrees F.   The second night was 18 degrees F.   The Dodge stayed comfortable with the Olympian Wave 3 heater, while the Vanagon guys had ice on the inside of their vans when they awoke in the morning.

One thing I did notice is that the Vanagon guys are like Harley riders, they think they are on the top of the heap, but it's really form over substance.   They all had their pop tops up all night long looking cool, rather than lower the tops and staying warm.

Another thing I didn't care for is they would camp so close to another van that they would door ding your van if they weren't careful.   Personally, I like 50 yards or so between vans...  

I've done that event once, so I have NO desire to do it again.   It is amazing that the Descend on Bend event had 450 vans in only its 4th year.

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks for the review, are you going to make RTR this year? err, I mean next year. highdesertranger

 

[frater secessus]

Thanks for the writeup. I'm too cheap to go to anything that costs $55, LOL.

The airing-down note is a great tip for new folks. Did you take any pics?

 

[Ballenxj]

Appreciate the heads up about this event. Maybe next year I can make it.

 

[66788]

Just got the email from the event promoter.   Here is a 60 second overview.
We had more than 500 vans!   I could see my Dodge from the drone view.

 

[hugemoth]

I live in Bend and wonder why they picked such a dusty dirty place to hold the event.

 

[HumbleBeginnings]

Hearing your account is hilarious for me! I have a few "internet friends" that went, and all I heard about the event was how cool it was. Nothing about single-digit temps, ice, getting stuck in soft terrain, etc.

It seems like everybody wanted to perpetuate the image of happiness and enjoyment without showing the grit of reality. But I guess that's how social media works.

 

[regis101]

Now.  Now.  Play nice. There's nothing wrong with the VW camping crowd.  All is well.