Balou - 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Excellent
26 reviews
Pet friendly
25+
Sleeps 2
20 ft. long
o. Pets welcome! (Please select pet add-on; $125 additional cleaning fee).
o. Pets welcome! (Please select pet add-on; $125 additional cleaning fee).
Quick summary
AI generated
Balou offers custom-built off-grid freedom for two adventurous souls and their pets.
Just bring food; this meticulously stocked van includes all gear and linens.
Enjoy solar power, a cozy memory foam bed, hot outdoor showers, and connectivity.
Experience responsive owners and a 5-star rated, superhost-maintained campervan.
2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Length
20 ft
20 ft
Transmission
Automatic
Automatic
Fuel Type
Diesel
Diesel
Tank Size
24 gal
24 gal
Gross Weight
9,000 lbs
9,000 lbs
Sleeps
2
2
Seatbelts
2
2

Sleeping arrangements
1 bed


Queen bed
1
1
Host add-ons
Flexible Pick-up / Drop-off
One-way rentals
Overflow-tent
Pet fee
Portable toilet
Popular choice! Viewed 117 times this month
Dates
Guest reviews
Excellent
26 reviews
Overall rating
5
4
3
2
1
Communication
5
Cleanliness
5
Maintenance
5
Value
4.96
Listing accuracy
5
Review summary
Responsive, flexible, and supportive
Nikolaus and Annette are highly responsive, often replying within 30 minutes, and flexible, accommodating requests like meeting at BART or understanding delays. They provide thorough walkthroughs, clear instructions, a helpful website, and a detailed binder.
Effortless and easy to drive
Balou is a clean, well-maintained, and meticulously organized van. It's thoughtfully stocked with cooking essentials, a comfy bed, heater, outdoor shower, and other conveniences like charging cables and camp chairs, providing everything needed for a comfortable trip.
Jingyue L.
May 2026
5.0We were fortunate to spend a birthday trip in Balou traveling to the national parks. The van is sparkling clean, in great condition, and has all of the necessities and amenities we needed for our for van trip, and we fell in love with it immediately. Niko was super nice and explained everything in detail to us, gave us tips and tricks as well to make our trip really easy and enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone that's interested in renting!
We were fortunate to spend a birthday trip in Balou traveling to the national parks. The van is sparkling clean, in great condition, and has all of the necessities and amenities we needed for our for van trip, and we fell in love with it immediately. Niko was super nice and explained everything in detail to us, gave us tips and tricks as well to make our trip really easy and enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone that's interested in renting!
Peter W.
May 2026
5.0This is my second Balou trip, both times have been effortless. The van is very well stocked, well cared for, and easy to drive. Nikolaus has been equally helpful, easy-going, and flexible. Can’t recommend more enthusiastically.
This is my second Balou trip, both times have been effortless. The van is very well stocked, well cared for, and easy to drive. Nikolaus has been equally helpful, easy-going, and flexible. Can’t recommend more enthusiastically.
Andrea D.
April 2026
5.0It was almost too easy and pleasant to borrow Balou... a pleasure from start to finish. Niko was extremely easy to communicate with, Balou was a dream—clean, easy to drive, and easy to care for. I hope we won't be strangers to this perfect van. 🤩
It was almost too easy and pleasant to borrow Balou... a pleasure from start to finish. Niko was extremely easy to communicate with, Balou was a dream—clean, easy to drive, and easy to care for. I hope we won't be strangers to this perfect van. 🤩

Sean C.
April 2026
5.0Nikolaus was great to work with, especially on short notice. The Sprinter was clean, well-maintained, and had everything we needed for a week up the California and Oregon coast. Easy pickup and dropoff process. Would definitely rent from him again!
Nikolaus was great to work with, especially on short notice. The Sprinter was clean, well-maintained, and had everything we needed for a week up the California and Oregon coast. Easy pickup and dropoff process. Would definitely rent from him again!
Pablo O.
September 2025
5.0Balou was a great part of our National Park experience and trip, Niko does a great job preserving the van as if it was new, he has every detailed ticked so everything works perfectly. Just great! Every detail in Balou is well thought out so you can enjoy the trip and have easy work around the everyday van life. The outdoor shower was a great great amenity! We had a minor incident with a scratch on the vans rear bumper, Niko was very understanding and we worked it out together for it to be the least painful for both of us. The trip was so wonderful that this unfortunate event seems like just a small stone on the shoe that we could easily shake off, all thanks to Niko’s outstanding communication and comprehensive approach. We will must definitely be back on the road in Balou, maybe next time going north.
Balou was a great part of our National Park experience and trip, Niko does a great job preserving the van as if it was new, he has every detailed ticked so everything works perfectly. Just great! Every detail in Balou is well thought out so you can enjoy the trip and have easy work around the everyday van life. The outdoor shower was a great great amenity! We had a minor incident with a scratch on the vans rear bumper, Niko was very understanding and we worked it out together for it to be the least painful for both of us. The trip was so wonderful that this unfortunate event seems like just a small stone on the shoe that we could easily shake off, all thanks to Niko’s outstanding communication and comprehensive approach. We will must definitely be back on the road in Balou, maybe next time going north.
Ethan L.
August 2025
5.0This was an amazing trip in large part due to a great van and amazing hosts. Our trip planning hit a snag when our previous reservation was canceled as the van was in the shop due to damage from the prior booking. With 7 days to go we had to pivot quickly. Annette and Niko were amazing. They responded to my request within 30 minutes and were very responsive until we finalized the booking. They even have a very clean website walking you through who they are and everything you need to know about the van. I was very impressed with the professionalism and felt comforted we landed with the right hosts after all. The van is very thoughtfully laid out and stocked. It is truly meant to be able to pick up and go. We had all equipment needed for cooking. We used the portable 2 burner stove and kitchen equipment every night for some outdoor cooking. Beyond that they had very thoughtful items throughout the van, such as, reading lights in the bed area, laundry money, bug spray, portable lights, sails for shade, and much more. The van handled very well. It was easy to drive given its size and parked fairly easily in normal sized parking spots. We would definitely book this van again.
This was an amazing trip in large part due to a great van and amazing hosts. Our trip planning hit a snag when our previous reservation was canceled as the van was in the shop due to damage from the prior booking. With 7 days to go we had to pivot quickly. Annette and Niko were amazing. They responded to my request within 30 minutes and were very responsive until we finalized the booking. They even have a very clean website walking you through who they are and everything you need to know about the van. I was very impressed with the professionalism and felt comforted we landed with the right hosts after all. The van is very thoughtfully laid out and stocked. It is truly meant to be able to pick up and go. We had all equipment needed for cooking. We used the portable 2 burner stove and kitchen equipment every night for some outdoor cooking. Beyond that they had very thoughtful items throughout the van, such as, reading lights in the bed area, laundry money, bug spray, portable lights, sails for shade, and much more. The van handled very well. It was easy to drive given its size and parked fairly easily in normal sized parking spots. We would definitely book this van again.
Guest Photos
Features
- Sleeps 2
- 2 seatbelts
- Fresh water: 23 gal
- Fuel type: Diesel
- Fuel capacity: 24 gal
- Automatic transmission
- Sleeps 2
- 2 seatbelts
- Fresh water: 23 gal
- Fuel type: Diesel
- Fuel capacity: 24 gal
- Automatic transmission
Amenities
- Linens included
- Outside Shower
- Hot water
- Solart
- Audio Inputs
- Radio
- Bluetooth
- Stove
- Refrigerator
- Linens included
- Outside Shower
- Hot water
- Solart
- Audio Inputs
- Radio
- Bluetooth
- Stove
- Refrigerator
Nearby places to stay
Berkeley, CA • Exact location provided after booking

1. Jellystone Park™ Tower Park
Lodi, CA • 45 miles away

2. Beach RV Pleasure Point
Santa Cruz, CA • 64 miles away

3. 49er Village
Plymouth, CA • 87 miles away

4. Placerville RV Resort & Campground
Shingle Springs, CA • 92 miles away

5. Saddle Mountain
Carmel, CA • 95 miles away
Availability and RV fit not guaranteed. Please verify directly with campgrounds before booking.
Berkeley, CA • Exact location provided after booking
Rules and policies
- 12 start time
12 end time - Pet friendly
- No music festivals
- No tailgating
- No smoking
- Mileage: 100 free miles / day
- No generator
Cancellation: Strict
Nikolaus is a Superhost
Superhosts are highly-rated and experienced, ensuring you have a fantastic outdoor experience.














































