Esquimalt's Rhys and Sophia Tosczak launched Raptor Rooftop Rentals earlier this year with the goal of making camping, adventuring and exploring Vancouver Island more accessible for residents and visitors alike.
"Growing up in Calgary and being on Vancouver Island now for 10 years, the beauty, the options and the adventure, it's a big reason why a lot of people live here and why people come here for holiday," said Rhys. "We wanted to become the premier Vancouver Island outdoor adventure company," he said, adding they found a niche in service that hadn't really been done before.
Raptor Rooftop Rentals allows customers to rent from their fleet of six Ford trucks – Rangers, Broncos and F-150s. With the truck rental, the package includes an iKamper rooftop tent, a SmartCap kitchen, a refrigerator, a two-kilowatt generator, a table and four chairs. Customers can also opt to include some more amenities in their package, like portable showers and toilets.
The Tosczak's say the truck and its amenities can offer similar luxuries as RVs or large camping trailers while also being able to explore some of the more remote camping areas on Vancouver Island that a bigger vehicle may not be able to reach.
"Especially in the Southern Island and Victoria, we're only building up, right? So you've got families in condos, you've got families with one parking spot, no room for storage for the equipment," said Sophia. "That's kind of like our gift; we're hoping to give back to the community [so] that they can get out and enjoy the outdoors."
As their first busy season approaches, the new entrepreneurs are excited to see what the summer will bring, as they're seeing demand from locals, Canadians from outside of B.C., and even Europeans planning a trip to the island.
"We're hoping that it's not just the rental experience you're having. We're able to help build that adventure for you, understand the client, figure out what their needs are, what they're coming here for, where they want to go. I'm born and raised on the Island, so thankfully I've got a little bit in my back pocket that I can help out with," said Sophia.
