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Yeah, there's just too much cool stuff that you need a van / pickup / trailer to get to here. Check this spot out - some of the most amazing mountain singletrack you can ride anywhere. It's a long enough drive you really only go for a long weekend and there's nowhere anywhere near to stay...so you need to carry bikes / gear / food / tents / beer in for 3 days. Can't really think of an equivalent in Europe.
Oddly enough, most locals think I'm weird for having a van rather than a pickup. Even when I point out I can lock my gear up and go to lunch and kip in it when it rains.
Jung-
Yeah, I can see that in really remote places it might make sense. But even in Iceland, Cycliste and I were fine hopping from hotel to hotel/cabin/B&B. And that's as remote as I'm planning to do for the foreseeable future.
A van is still tempting, if only for changing for TTs, rather than using my Robie and (occasionally) mooning the entire car park, inadvertently. As soon as you can buy a 500bhp+ van in the UK, I'm in...
Brommers
True. I have no particular desire to leave Europe these days - with the possible exception of Chile. Can't see a camper van making sense in either. And to be honest, if there was 45 miles of sinuous roads between me and the place I wanted to be at, I reckon I'd prefer the 45 miles of sinuous blacktop as a start to the day.