5 Things You Need to Know Before You Rent an RV

Do you dream of hitting the road with your family or friends, having a camping adventure (that doesn’t include tents) and not being bound to hotels for your entire vacation? Then RV rental might be for you! But, having been both renters and buyers, we know there’s a lot to consider before you make a decision. After traveling extensively in our RV (including a 10-month USA road trip) and renting it out to many a happy camper, I’ve compiled an essential list of the top things to know about RV rental.

RV Travel is huge right now for so many reasons. RVing has been gaining popularity pretty steadily in recent years but, once Covid hit, it really took off! This does mean however, that there are a lot of ‘newbies’ on the road. We rent our RV out regularly and have seen quite an uptick recently in first time renters.

So here is what you need to figure out before you reserve that rental:

1. The Type of RV Rental You Need

Notice I said “need’, not want. You may have visions of yourself heading out in an adorable airstream or tooling down the road in a decked-out luxury RV, but stop to consider a few things first.

• What is your comfort level with driving a large vehicle? If you’re going to be nervous maneuvering that 40-foot A class, you might need to take it down a notch and start with something smaller. If you want a trailer, make sure you know what your towing capacity is and that your vehicle is properly set up to tow.
• Do you have kids in car seats? Many RVs are not equipped with regulation seatbelts or latch systems that you can attach a car seat to. And if the people you’re renting from don’t have kids, they might not know this about their RV. Do your research. If you choose to rent a trailer and tow, this isn’t an issue.
• How much gas will you need? Get a rough sense of your mileage and how much gas you’ll need, because the bigger the vehicle, the more you’ll shell out for gas.

Here’s a quick guide to size and type, if you’re unfamiliar with motorhomes.

Class A

These are the biggest motorhomes, the ones that look kind of like buses. They have the most space, obviously, and often have multiple slide outs. They average about 30 – 45 feet.

Class C

I know, it’s not in alphabetical order, but I’m going by size. C Class vehicles are smaller, they usually range from 24 – 33 feet, and they have the cab over the top with extra sleeping space. These RVs are on a truck chassis, so they’re a little less intimidating to drive for the first timer.

Class B

These vehicles are the smallest and easiest to maneuver. They only sleep up to four (you can sleep up to eight in many of the Class A and C RVs) and are more like a large camper.

Trailers

Trailers are the ones you tow behind your vehicle. If you have very small children or infants, these are probably the safest because your kids ride in your regular vehicle rather than in the motorhome. You must have a vehicle that can tow a trailer, though.

2. The Type of Trip You’re Taking

Before you’ve rented your RV you will have planned the obvious – the dates of your trip, the places you’ll visit, etc. What you should also look into before making a vehicle choice is the types of RV Parks/campgrounds you’ll be staying at and the exact routes you’ll be driving. 

Some campgrounds have vehicle size restrictions, especially state and national parks. We noticed that many state parks here in the west have a 30-foot maximum. Will you be able to book pull-through sites where you can basically just drive up and park? Or will you need to back in and do some maneuvering before you can set up camp?

Also, check out the roads you’ll be taking. Is it all highways? Or will you be taking smaller roads, mountain roads, dirt roads? I’m not kidding, we had to drive a 9-mile gravel road once to get to our campsite near Glacier National Park. The RV rattled so much I thought my teeth would fall out! These things might make a difference with what type of rig you choose.

If you’re visiting National Parks, make sure you know any vehicle restrictions and how much driving you’ll need to do.  Some parks require a fair amount of driving to really see them (Yellowstone), some parks have vehicle size restrictions on certain roads (Going to the Sun Road in Glacier NP) and many parks don’t have hook ups in their RV sites. Check out my post on RV Trips to National Parks for more information.

3. The RV Rental Company Options

This absolutely depends on what type of trip you’re taking and what type of group you are. You have two choices.  You can rent from a platform like Outdoorsy or RV Share, where you’re renting from actual RV owners, or you can rent from a rental company like Cruise America or El Monte RV that rent out basic, empty RVs. I’ll tell you right now that I am biased towards the former because it’s like AirBnB for motorhomes. However, there might be reasons to choose the other.

When you rent from RV owners, you’re getting an RV that the owners actually use. It will come stocked with things like linens and towels and pots and pans. We rent ours out with things like beach toys, board games, flashlights, picnic gear, a grill and all kinds of things you might want on an RV trip, but don’t want to have to buy. 

We’ve chosen Outdoorsy as our RV rental platform and we’ve been very happy with them. We did a lot of research and ultimately chose them for insurance reasons. They offer the best insurance, in our opinion. Otherwise as a renter, I think you’d be happy with either platform; it’s probably more about finding the right vehicle in the right price range.

Renting from the companies that give you an empty RV means you have to stock everything yourself, and if you’re new to RVing, you might not even know about some of the things you will need. They do offer renter’s kits with some basic kitchen tools and linens at an extra cost. One reason to rent these vehicles would be if you want a one-way rental, like you want to drop it off in a town different from where you started. Also, if you’re looking to do a more raucous type vacation, where you don’t necessarily want to have to worry about how you treat other people’s things, maybe you’re better off renting from these companies.

4. Things to look for when choosing an RV Rental

• Price: you will see a nightly price posted, but many owners lower the price for weekly or monthly rentals – make sure to check.
• Mileage: how much free mileage (if any) is offered before you start getting charged a per mile rate? We offer 100 miles a day, over the course of the trip (which is pretty standard on Outdoorsy) before charging a per-mile fee.
• Number of Passengers: Find out how many people the rental can comfortably sleep. I say comfortably because that’s a different question than how many people can you fit in the rig. For example, our Class C technically sleeps 7, but I wouldn’t recommend traveling with that many people in it. We usually tell people four adults or two adults and up to four kids. Otherwise it’s just not comfortable.
• Amenities:  What does the rig come with and will you be charged extra for it? Some owners charge extra for everything, which means the per night fee is really a starting rate and you’ll end up paying a lot more. You can definitely find fully stocked RVs that aren’t charging you for all the extras. This makes the price much more reasonable.
• Reviews: RV Share and Outdoorsy offer reviews from other campers. Like with any purchase, user reviews can help you make a decision. Reviewers will often let you know if the owner was accessible, if the rig was as advertised and other important information.

5.  How to Make Your Trip Stress Free

• Get your entire RV rental experience negotiated before taking off:  Make sure you understand mileage fees, if you need to return it with the gas tank filled, if you’ll be charged for using propane, etc. All of this is in your rental agreement. If you’re hoping for a different price or that the owner will knock some of it off after you return the vehicle, you should ask about that ahead of time. Don’t try to bargain once your trip is over.
• Make sure you understand how everything works ahead of time:  The RV owner will do a walk-through with you ahead of time so that you know how to use all the features of the RV. Make sure you understand the water and sewer tanks – that’s often the part that can be difficult. Many owners will have a cheat sheet or a manual that they give renters with reminders on how to work everything. You could also take pictures or video while the owner shows you how to work everything. Hint: Most of this stuff can be found on YouTube!
• Slow down and take your time: Everything takes a little longer in an RV. If your map app tells you that it’s a four-hour drive to your destination, plan on five. Getting gas takes longer because you have to find a gas station big enough or properly situated to get in and out in a motorhome. Setting up your campsite takes longer if you need to back in and/or level your rig, then hook up, etc. Leaving a campsite takes a long time to dump your tanks, unhook and pack everything up so it doesn’t rattle around while you drive. If you factor in extra time for everything, you won’t feel stressed and anxious about it.
• Plan fewer stops with longer stays: I cannot stress this enough! I know that with limited vacation time, the urge to see as many places possible is real. But RV travel isn’t like packing up your suitcase and hopping in your car to head to the next spot.  Set up and take down in an RV takes a lot of time, and to do this every few days will really cut into your sightseeing. Pick a central location and stay for a longer period of time, you will be so glad you did!
• Stock your RV rental with everything you need: If you’ve followed my other advice, you will have rented an RV that comes with linens, towels and kitchen supplies. But obviously you’ll need to bring plenty of other items to have a fun, worry-free journey. Think of where you’re going, and what you’ll want when you’re there. Will you need hiking gear? Water toys? Sunscreen? Are you going to be building campfires? Note that many places will not allow you to bring firewood from another state – that is one item that you’re better off purchasing at or near your campsite. For a more detailed guide of what to bring on an RV Trip, check out this post.

RV Travel is so much fun, and it’s a great bonding experience for couples or families. I’m a huge fan of slow travel, and a motorhome is a great way to take a relaxing vacation.