Charlie Low, 27, and Dale opened their Starling business account in 2020, when they launched Climbingvan. They are based in Bristol and are about to set off across the US, partly to promote the American edition of their book. Of the places they’ve visited so far in their van, Northern Macedonia, Croatia and the West Coast of Scotland are their favourites.
Creating a definitive guide for van conversion
“Because we were getting so many questions on Instagram, we could see that there was a need for something,” says Charlie. Encouraged by the large size of their engaged audience on Instagram, they decided to self-publish the book and sell it online. For each book sold, they arrange for a tree to be planted through Ecologi.
Providing electrical systems for campervans
“The electrical system is a very complicated thing to get right and it’s bespoke for each person. Some people will want very low, basic usage, others will want to be able to use a hairdryer or an induction hob. It’s not one size fits all,” says Dale.
“So we developed software that would take people’s requirements for their van and output a potential electrical system for them,” says Charlie. “Someone from our team of engineers then has a conversation with the customer to work out exactly what they need and then, if the customer wants to go ahead, we supply all of the components along with a wiring diagram and installation guidance so that the customer can install the system themselves.”