Woman's Business Empowers New Campers: 'You Can Do Anything'

LONG ISLAND, NY — On a typical Friday, Sunshine Berlin, known to her friends as Sunny, like so many on the East End, is heading east out to Montauk to set up a campsite. But unlike those set for a weekend of campfires and kicking back, Berlin is focused on running her business — and empowering others to find the courage for their first foray into camping life.

Berlin, the owner of the Long Island-based Sunny Day Camper Rentals, is just 32, but has already amassed a lifetime of experience as a woman on what has sometimes been perceived as a man's turf.

Sunny Day Camper Rentals offers pop-up, travel trailer, and hybrid travel trailer rentals; Berlin also delivers those campers to an array of Long Island campsites — and teaches her clients how to set up and operate them.

Sometimes the campers are rented out for a guest staying at someone’s house; she also rents out to film crews, Berlin said.

Berlin also rents generators, screen houses, canopies, kayaks, stand-up boards, bikes, coolers, fire pits, and offers menus, including the S’mores Package, the BBQ Package, the Beach Package, and the Kids Package. Next year, Berlin plans to offer boat rentals.

Berlin delivers campers across Long Island to campgrounds across the East End and Long Island, including Hither Hills, Shagwong Point, and Montauk County Park, Cedar Point, Sears Bellows, McCann Campground, Eastern Long Island Kampground, Wildwood, Indian Island, Shinnecock County Park, Cupsogue, Nickerson Beach, Smith Point, Southaven, Cathedral Pines, Blydenburgh, and Battle Row.

Training new campers on the basics is critical, Berlin said. "It is so important to know what it is you're using."

People need to learn the basics about batteries, water, and the pilot light not just to get full use out of the camper but to ensure safety, she said.

The pandemic sparked a sea of interest in camping: According to Kampgrounds of America's annual North American Camping Report, compared to 2019, the number of first-time campers across the U.S. grew five times greater in 2020 and the number of households that own RVs grew by 2.6 million. COVID-19 was a key reason behind the 10.1 million households who camped for the firsttime in 2020 — one-third said they'd tried camping because they felt it was safe way to travel and wanted to keep away from crowds, the report said.

More than 60 percent of those first-time campers said they planned to camp the same or more in 2021; families were the group most likely to spend more nights camping in 2021, the report indicated.

Berlin said she saw an uptick in campers last year. "During the summer of 2020 when COVID was still so new and people were just beginning to break free and get out of their houses, this is what they were looking forward to. This is what they felt safe with."

And for many, she said, a lifetime passion was born.

"They learned how therapeutic and peaceful camping truly is," she said. "It’s going to be a part of their lives forever because it helped them. Camping healed a lot of people in different ways."

Many realized for the first time that camping means putting down the phones and shutting the laptops to enjoy nature and family time, Berlin added. "The best moments in life are when you are fully present."

Her clients have made an impact, Berlin said. "They’ve touched my soul. It makes me genuinely happy to know that their experiences with my campers are creating something fun or memorable in their lives."

The idea for her business was born in 2018 when she bought her first camper, Berlin said. "I was told I could pay off the loan that I took out to get the camper by renting it out," she said.

Operating her business single-handedly as a woman has been frightening at times, Berlin said. "I was scared to do something so important alone. To not have another person confirming what I’m thinking and doing is right, is scary."

Ultimately, she said, it's important to follow your own heart and instincts.

Berlin, who studied advertising in college, has been working in the customer service industry since she was 14 in an array of positions. When she decided to set out on her own, Berlin said the physical challenges were daunting, as well as the idea of managing employees.

"I wasn’t sure I would be able to do the physical labor that was required within owning this kind of business," she said. "But failure was not an option."

At 5'4 and slim, towing was daunting at first for Berlin. "And reversing a camper seemed close to impossible! I thought to myself, 'I’ll never be able to do this.'"

The camping community is known for kindness and helped often, Berlin said. "It got to the point where I had to force myself to keep trying. There were a lot of awful failed attempts and my ego was thrown out the window. But, eventually, I got it."

Other life lessons have come along with the journey, Berlin said. She's learned to expect the unexpected. And she's also learned about her own strength, Berlin said.

"I knew I could do this by myself. The challenge was learning to want to do it by myself — there’s a difference," she said.

The experience has been one of inner growth, Berlin said.

"I feel so empowered. Not only as a person but as a woman doing what society considers to be a manly job. It is physically grueling and exhausting and even though I can’t deny the physical difference of strength between a man and woman, my mental strength kicks in, which helps my physical strength," she said.

Believing in yourself is key, she said. "I now know that I can do anything. No matter the situation, I can overcome any obstacle."

Down the line, her vision is to keep growing, offering more services to her customers and helping them make memories.

Berlin said she's gained long-term vision on the open road.

"You can do anything that you want," she said. "Overcoming my fears changed my life forever."