Campa v2 - Here we are 🚀
Campa V2 is not a small update.
It is a ground-up rebuild of the app. Almost nothing has been left untouched. The whole app is now effectively a version 2 of itself.
The first version got us moving, but it also taught us a lot. Some things worked, some things didn’t, and some things were honestly harder than they needed to be. Rather than keep patching around the edges, we made the decision to rebuild properly.
That only happened because of the people who stuck with Campa in the early days. The loyalty, generosity, encouragement, and patience from our members has been massive. We know the first version was rough in places. People still backed it, still used it, still contributed, and still gave us a chance to keep going.
We appreciate that more than we can really put into words.
V2 is our attempt to deliver the app you deserved from the start.
The App Has Been Rebuilt From The Ground Up
Most of the work in V2 is not just visual.
A lot of it sits under the surface, but it matters. The app is now much cleaner, more stable, and far easier for us to build on.
Android is now treated properly as a first-class platform. No more ropey Android ports. No more building for one platform and hoping the other one behaves. This has massively improved how we develop and test Campa.
The big thing is that V2 gives us a proper base. We are already a version ahead internally, which means we should be able to iterate faster and get the next major updates moving before summer.
Subscriptions have also changed. They are now more location and profile based, instead of being awkwardly forced into places they don’t belong. That lets us focus on building a good app first, then putting payment logic where it actually makes sense.
Dashboard
The dashboard has been redeveloped to give the app a better front door.
It now shows premium locations more clearly, helping people find places worth visiting and hopefully giving a bit of inspiration to get out there.
We have also added van profile spotlights. These show off populated van profiles from Campa community members. This is something we want to expand soon because people love seeing real vans, real setups, and how others are using the app.
There is also now a leaderboard for top map contributors. The people adding public locations are helping grow the app for everyone, so it makes sense to show that properly.
Location Vault
Location Vault has had a huge overhaul.
The map and pins have been completely rebuilt. We can now render thousands of locations at once, which is a massive improvement for performance and usability.
POI search has been added properly. You can search for locations, but you can also search for useful things like petrol, hotels, food, shops, or anything else nearby. It is contextual to the map view, so you can go to a favourite location, search around it, and save useful nearby places for future trips.
Filtering and finding locations is much better now. The old version made this harder than it needed to be.
We have also added a new location page, with better loading and better information display, especially on smaller screens.
More locations have been added to the map, along with Sloane’s media book integration.
One of the biggest technical wins is map unification. That sounds nerdy because it is, but it matters. The whole app now uses one unified map approach across platforms and features. That means fewer bugs, faster improvements, and less messing about every time we want to add something map-related.
Non-subscribed users can still add public locations. That is staying. If someone is actively contributing useful locations to the community, they should be able to use the app properly. Those public locations can still be used in trip planning as normal.
Trip Planner
Trip Planner has been massively simplified.
The first version tried to force people into planning trips day by day. That sounds good on paper, but it is not really how a lot of people travel.
So we changed the approach.
Now you can keep useful spots at hand and navigate to each section when you need to. Trip Planner now has planning mode and trip mode, so you get the right information depending on whether you are preparing or actually on the move.
Route calculation is now available at the click of a button for everyone.
Google Maps and Apple Maps hand-off is still there as standard, because sometimes you just want to get moving.
Socials
We have simplified socials a lot.
We tried a few different approaches, and to be blunt, socials are a tough nut to crack. We wanted to avoid dead channels, but we also probably bit off more than we could chew with the old groups section.
There is a lot more to building a community than just creating a space and hoping people use it.
So we have pulled it back into a more global, unified social area. Users can share images, ask questions, add comments, and interact in one main place.
Automated relevant news remains part of socials. We think it is useful because it surfaces travel-related information people might actually care about. Users can still comment and discuss those posts too.
We are not pretending this is perfect. If socials continues to be difficult, we may consider removing it completely. But for now, we are going to persevere with it because we do still want Campa to have a space where users can connect.
Profile And Van Profile
Profile and van profile have not changed dramatically on the surface.
Behind the scenes, they are far more important now.
The groundwork is there for future features, especially the ones that depend on knowing more about your setup, vehicle, and travel style.
Onboarding And Login
Onboarding has been hugely improved and simplified.
Google sign-up and login have also been added, which should make getting into the app much easier.
What V2 Really Means
V2 is the base we needed.
It is cleaner, faster, more stable, and much easier to build on.
The early version of Campa got us here. V2 is where we start making the app what it was always supposed to be.
To everyone who stuck with us, contributed locations, gave feedback, subscribed, shared encouragement, or just kept opening the app while we figured things out, thank you.
We know what we are trying to build.
V2 gets us on the right track for our hypothetical vehicle, imagine where the next version will take us 😉
Much love, Anth.