Guide for Renting an RV

Why rent a recreational vehicle (RV) for your trip or vacation? There are great and compelling reasons! In this guide we cover tips for renting an RV. WARNING: renting an RV for your vacation can be addicting.

Why to Rent an RV

An obvious reason to rent an RV is that you can often camp close (or within) the parks and attractions you are planning to see. If you are visiting National Parks (or State Parks) staying in the parks and experiencing early mornings, evenings, stargazing, etc. is phenomenal. At a minimum, staying in the park is better than driving out for accommodations, then back into the area you want to see. (In some cases, you might choose to stay at a park lodge. More on costs and other comparisons later.) To me, staying within park or close to sights is a compelling consideration and hard to overstate.

Staying in a park or near your attraction often provides opportunities to see and experience things you wouldn’t otherwise have. There is nothing like seeing Yosemite Valley as the sun comes up, for example. The night sky at Arches is almost as amazing as the terrain. In many places, wildlife viewing is best early in the morning or in the early evening. For some parks, most of the crowds are gone by dinner time. Also, the campgrounds are often in perfect locations.

Another advantage of RVs is that when you get to your camping spot for the evening, you don’t have to drag bags or unpack. This may seem like a small thing, but over a busy trip, it is nice to have your “home” with you. The efficiency of having combined accommodations and transportation really does make logistics easier and allows more time and mental energy for sightseeing. Picnics, lunches, breakfast are all faster and more convenient.

Combining transportation and accommodations may also introduce some cost efficiencies. But this depends on the trip. Factors include the distances to be driven, the number of people to house, and your plan for meals. A nice advantage of RVs is having a kitchen and plenty of storage space for food and drinks. On the other hand, if you are a foodie with designs on interesting restaurants, an RV will not contribute much to those goals.

(Click on smaller images for a full-size view.)

Another consideration is that an RV is always more comfortable for traveling distances than a car, particularly for a family. Some of your travelers can get naps on longer drives.

Finally, RVs are just fun… and cool. Kids love sleeping in a camper! (Me too.)

Why might an RV not be the thing to do?

Despite these reasons, RVs do not fit every trip, even trips where an RV might initially seem to be a good idea. One example trip is our Dakotas trip. For this trip, we had a lot of driving to do with large distances between sights and parks. The cost of fuel and the reduced speed, relative to a car, made an RV less desirable, particularly given the limited time we had for the trip.

The process for deciding on whether to rent an RV for a trip, selecting a type and features, and deciding on a specific vehicle is summarized in the graphic below. The steps are straightforward but there do tend to be devils in the details. We will use this flow to organize thoughts and factors for deciding on an RV.

Step 1) Does renting an RV make sense? Is that what you want for your trip?

The first step is to decide if an RV makes sense for your trip. Cost is an obvious and first consideration. Getting a quick, first-cut estimate includes the total rental, fuel costs, camp sites, and savings on food from using your RVs kitchen.

Finding an estimate of a rental is the most involved part of the first step. You can get an estimate by looking at online companies that rent in the area of interest. Look at a few RVs that are the right size for your group and trip across several sites. Keep in mind that there are often extra costs for these rentals, like mandatory insurance and cleaning fees, that you should include.

Based on the itinerary for your trip and average costs of gas (petrol) where you will be traveling, calculate the fuel costs for the trip. Also, based the itinerary, look to see how much nightly camp sites would be. (See our page on building an itinerary. Normally, there will be some iterations between the process for building your itinerary and selecting an RV.) Don’t forget to factor in some saving for preparing your meals in the RV, vice eating at restaurants, especially if you have more than a few people.

Once you have your estimate of the RV costs, you are ready to compare to the costs of hotels, rental cars, etc. Remember that, as you think through this comparison, the cost is not the only measure. Cost just happens to be the most obvious and easy to quantify. The other factors, discussed above, need to be considered in your RV “Go-No go” decision. The ease of travel and the ability to overnight near your sights are key.

Think through your itinerary and the logistics, both pro and con, of renting a recreational vehicle. Will there be any special circumstances that might make driving an RV difficult (e.g., ferries, tunnels, restricted roads)? How might you take delivery of the rental?

Step 2) What type of RV?

Once you have decided that an RV is what you want for your trip, it is time to get into the details of selecting one. Deciding on what type of RV is the place to start. You will have probably been introduced to the types as you took step 1) but we list the basic types in the table below:

The three types of RVs that most of our readers will likely be interested in are the campervan, the Class B (larger camper van), and the Class C. These are the types that a couple or family might want to rent, having stepped off a plane, to visit National and State/Provincial Parks. However, the other types are possible to rent but typically from individuals through a broker company (e.g., Outdoorsy).

We tended to rent campervans when our children were little and Class C RVs when they got bigger. Class C’s that are less than about 25 ft are not difficult to drive and park but roomy enough for several people to be up and about. The bed over the cab is a nice use of space. Also, the tanks and electrical systems have enough capacity to go a few days without much attention. Having a shower and WC is nice. Most Class C’s will also have a microwave and a 3-burner gas stove.

When we had three or four kids and rented a campervan, we generally also pitched a tent for a couple of people. This gave us more space and made for better sleeping for the family.

As a couple, we tend to pick a campervan for most trips where we want an RV, mainly because of the lower cost (both the rental and fuel). A Class B would be a splurge but a real possibility, if the price is right. These larger campervans can be luxurious and surprisingly expensive.

For a number of trips, we narrowed the choices down to two possible types, rather than one, as we moved on to Step 3. This keeps a few more options open for comparison.

Step 3) Compare Specific RVs

Comparing RVs means not only specific vehicles but also the companies that provide them. There are two types of companies. The first is RV rental companies that own a fleet of vehicles. Usually, these companies have vehicles in a number of cities and provide services such as RV delivery or pickup, insurance, and various convenience packages. The second type is RV brokers that connect renters with private owners. These companies provide a standardized and relatively safe means for both renters and owners to do business.

We like to rent through a broker-type company (e.g., Outdoorsy or RVezy) or a smaller rental company (e.g., American Dream Vacations). But it is useful to look at some of the bigger companies too. (More on the rental company deals in the next step.)

As you are identifying specific RVs online, the key features and costs that are typically important to your decision are shown in the following spreadsheet. But there may be other features that you want to include at this step, such as a microwave, coffee maker, etc.

Download as Open Document Sheets and use in Excel or a cloud spreadsheet tool (e.g., GoogleDrive or Office 365). Then, update your candidate RV data. Next, get started on your comparisons and analysis to select an RV (automations/equations are embedded to make a few things quicker). This file can serve as a template for other RV trip plans as well.

Step 4) Explore the Details of the Rental Deals

As you look to finalize your choice, you should look at features and packages offered, check for driving restrictions, and examine the contract details.

The types of features to consider, along with those listed in the previous step include slide-outs, an awning, connectivity to an entertainment system, a backup camera, camping chairs, and any reviews listed online. Also, there may be some addon packages like linens and towels or cookware. For some RVs, these items will be included. I have found it helpful to get a floor plan for the RV to understand sleeping arrangements, etc. Looking at photographs of the interior, including the cab, can also be helpful.

You will likely find that the rental costs through a broker-type company (renting from private owners) is much more cost effective than renting from a large company with a fleet. We have rented from a smaller company with a fleet but have never tried one of the large companies like Cruise America due to the expense. Booking through a broker-company is similar to booking a condo or house through AirBnB. We have had good experiences with Outdoorsy and the reviews of specific RVs tend to be helpful.

At this point it is also good to look again at your itinerary and route. Consider the drive times and roads and possible restrictions like length or height of the RV, propane tanks in tunnels, or ferries that may not allow RV or require extra fees. In particular, some National Park roads, like Going to the Sun Road in Glacier, have restrictions on the length of vehicles allowed.

Step 5) Select and Book the RV

Before you book, look at the details of the contract, pickup/drop off logistics, deposits, and rules (e.g., pets? smoking?). Make sure you know what all the costs will be, including mandatory insurance, generator charges, extra miles, cleaning fees, etc. It is very nice to not have surprises! In some cases, you may find it advantageous to add or subtract a day or two based on weekly rates.

Also, make sure to note the cancellation policy and related dates. Cancellation can be costly.

Ask questions about the RV if you need to. What kind of coffee maker(s) is included? Are there “how to” videos for the RV? Or a user guide? Are there possible alternative arrangements for pick up or delivery? The broker companies allow for secure messaging with RV owners.

Step 6) Review RV Basics, Prepare, and Pack

The last step in ensuring a great experience is prep and packing. There are things that are helpful to know about how RVs work. There are also a few things that are different about packing for an RV trip.

RV Systems

First, it helps to have an understanding of how the systems in an RV work. In some cases, the renter will have information and/or a video to walk you through everything. There are also general articles and videos online. Here are a few good ones for how the electric systems works and how the water system works, (water system article). Two basics to keep in mind are: 1) the batteries for the living space are typically separate from the battery to start the engine and 2) there are three water tanks, fresh (potable) water, grey water, and black water. There is always a control panel that will provide status on these systems.

The separation between the batteries for the living space and the engine means that you can run the batteries down overnight and still start the RV in the morning. You don’t have to worry about that. But, while the engine is running, the batteries for the back are charging.

One thing you may want to plan for is keeping the battery bank charged and dumping and refilling water tanks while on your trip. If you are staying in campgrounds with electric hook ups and water at the site, then there is not much to plan. But if you are staying in some campsites that are off-the-grid (called “in the Boondocks” or “Boondocking”), you will want to make sure and keep up with the tanks and make sure the batteries are good for overnight use (usually means running the engine or generator).

It is important to note that the use of generators is often limited to certain hours in National and State/Provincial Parks. Typical hours are early evening, like 5pm to 7pm. Sometimes there are generator hours in the mornings. It is helpful to check the hours for the places you are staying and include those details with your itinerary.

Prep for Trip

It is typical for us to have trips with few or no campsites that have electric or water hook-ups at the site. This is because many National Park and State/Provincial Park campgrounds don’t have hook-ups. On trips where we do not have hook-ups, we often plan one night during the middle of a trip at a commercial campground with hook-ups and perhaps a laundry mat. This allows us to conveniently refresh all the systems and throw in a load of clothes. (Note that most campgrounds will have a dump station near the exit with fresh water.) Commercial RV parks will usually have wifi/Internet and be near to restaurants and grocery stores.

Sometimes we find it convenient to stay overnight in a Walmart parking lot. In North America, Walmart welcomes RV to overnight for free. Guess where it is easy to shop.

I find it useful to have a check list of things to do before leaving a site. There are not many things but early in the morning, it’s nice to run through the list to make sure everything is ready to roll. Here is a sample list:

• Unhook electrical from shore power
• unhook water from shore supply
• slide in any slide-outs
• retract awning
• retract roof vents (optional, reduces noise)
• turn off water heater, pump, and heater (optional, saves power/propane)
• clear items on table or counter (so they don’t go flying).

It is also good to prepare by adding details to your itinerary or phone related to the RV. These details include the rental/pick/drop-off addresses, add-on services, and emergency numbers.

Packing for RV Trips

In addition to the normal travel packing list, there are additional items that can be useful for an RV trip. Some you can take from home and some you can get once you have the RV. The list changes if you are planning to be without electrical hook ups. Here are some items that you may want to add:

• linens and towels (unless included with the rental)
• pillows and blankets
• a fan (maybe a rechargeable fan)
• 12V chargers for mobile devices/camera
• connection or adaptors (e.g., USB or audio) for the entertainment system
• cell phone holder for driver (the kind that clamps into an air vent is usually good)
• extension cords (always useful in an RV)
• small tool kit (multi-tool, screw drivers, hammer, vise grips, small monkey wrench, electrical and/or duct tape, bungy cords)
• small flashlight/head lamp
• zip lock bags
• plastic ware / paper plates / cups
• travel mugs
• coffee filters/coffee, instant (small camping percolator for the stove or French press)
• laundry detergent
• small container of dish liquid & sponge/scrubber.

It is helpful to prepare a shopping list for after your arrival, once you have the RV. Some of the items you can’t bring on a plane or might not want to pack in a checked bag. Here is an example list (some items repeated from the above list):

• food/snacks/drinks…
• lighter/matches (can’t take on an airplane)
• paper towels
• plastic ware / paper plates / cups
• small container of dish liquid & sponge/scrubber.

We like to buy food/meals that are quick and easy for most trip, preferring the sights and relaxation to the kitchen. Also, we want healthy snacks for hikes and sightseeing.

Please leave comments or additional tips for renting an RV!