Because the Sprinter had no shower (despite the listing saying it had), we initially declined to rent it, but Niki and her boyfriend decided to install the propane water heater and water to the outdoor shower at the last minute, so we changed our minds and booked it: 3 days at $300/day.Problems began as soon as we picked it up. It was so dirty inside and out that we had to bring it home and vacuum the entire vehicle before we could pack it.
The first evening, the propane water heater blew a huge ball of flame while lighting, despite following lighting instructions to the letter, burning my hair. The water then stopped working after two 2-minute showers, and we realized the the water bladder was given to us nearly empty, despite their telling us that we had plenty of water to last us the 3 days. The remainder of the water in the bladder could be made to flow only if the person not taking the shower manipulated the bladder to push water to the out-take.Next, we discovered the sink drain was plugged (before actually using the sink, not because of material we were trying to drain). While trying to trouble-shoot that, the drain connection loosened and the entire sink contents of dirty water flooded the cabinet below. We were quite gentle with the plumbing and did not force or abuse any part of it. We were forced to wash dishes outdoors for the remaining 2 days of the 3-day trip.We were in the middle of nowhere with no access to fresh water, so had to break camp and pay an additional $150 to stay at the nearest location with food and water (since we couldn't cook without water, either).There were more minor issues with the van, such as Niki's knick-knacks that she uses to personalize the dash and other nooks (e.g. a plastic skull, toy dinosaurs, rocks, pebbles and crystals) that had to be removed to accommodate our items for travel before we started. The van has a hanging rack that swings and bangs while driving. The cabinets and drawers have hook-and-eye closures, so if you neglect to set one, you have the unpleasant experience of flying breakable items while on the road. Other cabinets and the refrigerator have a fabric-covered metal rod that has to be placed in front of the doors to prevent inadvertent openings. The van is a vehicle designed and built by an amateur who did the work on a budget.All in all, the $300 per day charge for this vehicle is already high even if everything is clean and in perfect running order. Niki stated she does not get this amount, but in any case Outdoorsy charged us an additional $90 "Outdoorsy Fee". Do not expect any return of your money from Outdoorsy if your experience is as bad as ours was. They only offered us compensation in the form of credit to be applied to the next rental from them. Since we are in the market for a Sprinter van and rented only for the purpose of experience and research, this was of no value to us. Niki's response to our problems was basically "sorry" and that we must have not followed her directions (e.g. with the water heater), and she neither inquired about injuries, nor offered to return some of the payment. My wife and I are both quite educated, mechanically savvy, and quite capable. We followed instructions to the letter. Very unsatisfactory.