I bought my Winnebago Revel almost seven years ago—one of the very first models off the line in Forest City, Iowa. Back then, the Revel was hard to come by, and the only way I could get one was through Lichtsinn RV, right across the street from the Winnebago factory.
Owning a camper van like this had been a long-time dream of mine ever since I visited Yellowstone in a car. I remember thinking how incredible it would be to stop wherever I wanted, eat whenever I felt like it, and sleep without ever having to pack or unpack my stuff.
Nowadays, these vans are everywhere, but back then, a fully kitted-out 4×4 camper with hot water, AC, and a shower was pretty rare—unless you built one yourself or went through Sportsmobile.
The sales guy
One thing I noticed right away: this van was a magnet for rednecks. They loved it. The way a Ferrari turns heads in the city, my Revel was turning heads at truck stops and campgrounds across the country. And honestly? I loved it too. It was an instant conversation starter.
Growing up in the city in Hawaii, I hadn’t met many people who fit the “redneck” stereotype. But on the road, I got to know a whole new group of people I might never have interacted with otherwise, and I really enjoyed it.
That’s why, to this day, I still call my van The Redneck Ferrari. Hopefully, no one takes offense—I just think it’s a fun name, and it’s stuck ever since