Maybe it's the good weather lately or maybe it's a major life transition coming up for me, but I've been daydreaming about having a VW camper and driving off to tour the country.
Does anyone know much about them? I know they aren't made any more, but I think you can get good used ones. Have you camped in one? Are they as fun as they seem? Could one be driven in snow?

hello,
They are very hard to find and many will be in bad condition when you do.
They are definitely fun. Some are 4x4 and can be driven anywhere.
you will have much better luck finding a user converted camper van such as a Roadtrek: slightly bigger, with shower and bathroom inside.

I had a friend who owned the last incarnation of the VW minivan - Vanagon? He purchased it just for touring the country. Even took it to Alaska. He loved it - for awhile. It had a roof that tilted up so you can stand up in it. Barely. As I recall, it sure looked cramped. No more than one person...maybe two average sized adults could possibly sleep in that thing. (He was single and 6'4"). He liked the fact he could just pull off the road and bunk for the night without looking for a campsite or hotel. As I recall, he had to carry a bunch of his gear on the roof! Not alot of interior storage I guess. Rear wheel drive and a manual transmission. It was not built for speed, performance, or snow. After his "tour", he sold it. Enough of that. But it did what it was designed to do. A crazy idea, but it worked. Too bad they don't make 'em anymore!

I've owned two and loved both - very high clearance so took them on a lot of back country roads - loved the idea that if i was uncomfortable in a situation, I could go from the bed to the driver's seat without ever getting out of the car (never 'needed' to, though)
down side is they are cold - heater doesn't provide too much heat) - slow going uphill (I myself have been compared to a vw bus - slow going uphill, but look out going downhill!)
back when I was young (er) and gas was 25 cents a gallon, I spent a couple of summers in them while working as a river ranger in utah - had plenty of room to store boat and equipment and still sleep in it

I started out with a J C Higgens tent , upgraded to a 13ft Aristocraft trailer , then went to a Norris 19ft trailer, then went and bought a 20ft Mhome , had tha Mhome fer 16yrs , it was super great , fridge with a dink freezer , shower , etc , me 'n last dawg lived in it most summers uppa hill, took it places that most 4 wheelers won't go ,,
now back to tha tent , if I ever do another road trip..

Let us know if you get on and how you get on. I have also always dreamed of getting one; however impractical.

I know they're ugly.

Had one.....1970's version that also had a tent that attached to the side. We camped for years in that (2 adults and a St. Bernard). Cozy, but I can't recall feeling cramped, after all it's to sleep in, and eat in if it's raining....but you don't really live in it. A few deer running across the road sent it to VW heaven......although I must admit that we felt well protected in that bus, and were not injured in the accident.

When I got out of the Marines and went back to college We bought a brand new 1972 VW van and converted it into a camper. We had so much fun in the thing and drove it all over hell and back. Great in snow and mud.

We still have our tent, it attached great to our Vanagon Pop-Up. The van was traded for a more practical family car, the tent is a wonderful second room when we go camping.

We drove ours on our honeymoon, from Denver through Vegas to LA, up Highway 1 all the way to Grants Pass Oregon, then back through Nevada to Utah and Wyoming.

We looked at one but decided on a GMC Savanna Conversion Van with a higher top. Took the back seat that turned into an uncomfortable bed OUT, and hubby built beds in the back with storage underneath. Added an outlet so we can hook up to power if we want. It's cozy and we love it!! Put in a porta-potty, added sleeping bags for when it's really cold and carry a cooler. We don't need anything else.

We went from a tent, to a pickup and camper, to a Class C motorhome, to a Class A 32' Bounder....down to our van, and it's "just right".