I was recently asked by someone who works at an RV Dealership, what my thoughts are on the RV Rental Business.

I have some experience in this field, I’m a full-time RVer and my company does the social media for a few RV Rental businesses and many RV Dealerships that offer rentals.

More and more companies are popping up on the rental side of the RV Business, but why? What’s up with the RV Rental Business?

I think it’s a great addition to the RV Community and that it will most likely become a big part of the RV Business.

Who is Renting Out RVs?

So how exactly can you get a rental of an RV? Luckily there’s a lot of great options that you can trust.

That’s one of the big challenges of allowing someone to use your RV, how can I trust that my investment is going to be protected? Much like if you’re renting a house on AirB&B.

Except this isn’t an AirB&B and you can take it off the grid or do a multi-state road trip hitting all the best locations with the same comforts of home.

Online Rental Companies

Probably the most recognized name in RV Rentals is RV Share. It’s picked up a lot of steam lately because it’s a business concept that makes a lot of sense.

If you have an RV that you’re not actively using, why not allow others to rent it at a fraction of the cost of owning so they can enjoy the benefits of the RV Life? You earn some extra cash possibly to pay off the unit and the customers gets an unforgettable vacation.

There’s also the benefit of having such a large volume of units to choose from, so you’ll be able to hone into your exact needs.

Rentals at RV Dealerships

Many RV Dealerships are picking up rentals in their line up. It makes sense for a lot of dealerships to capitalize on this trend and leverage the resources you already have in place. They can often clean up and turn over units ready to be rented out again very quickly and there’s a lot of leverage in the marketing.

Rentals at Campgrounds

We’ve been seeing more and more where a campground will take travel trailers and 5th wheels and have them stationary rental units at the campground.  There’s going to be a limited selection of the types, floor-plans, and amenities however you don’t have to worry about moving the unit and is often good for seasonal or extended stays.

Who is Renting RVs

Try an RV Before You Buy

There are a few obvious benefits. I look back at how we started RVing and I would have been interested in renting for the first 6 months of our Adventure.

In fact, we were only planning on traveling for 6 months and then settling down to buy a house on the east coast.

Of course that changed when we started doing social media for RV Dealerships and campgrounds almost 5 years ago and our business started growing quickly, We made it possible to run it completely from the road. 

We’ve grown and built a company with our team who are all campers and almost all full-time RVers who are enjoying all the freedoms that working remotely in an RV offers.

None of that would be possible if we hadn’t planned on taking a 6-month trip. I’m absolutely convinced that if more people knew how easy it is to Go RVing and have views like this one of the Emerald Coast in Florida while they relax, work or swim at their Campsite (we did all 3), the more we can grow the industry!

Avoiding RV Commitment

It’s also going to engage a certain percentage of people who normally wouldn’t be a buyer of an RV. Some people just lack commitment and we can understand that too. There can be certain uncertainties that pop up and keep us in limbo in our lives such as kids, health etc. To be adjustable and flexible is attractive!

Our Class C RV was a great unit for our short term needs but we ended up upgrading to a new 5th Wheel after we found out Danielle was pregnant. She wanted to make sure that if we were going to continue traveling full time, that we had something we could change and adapt with the layout as our family grows. Which she’s done a good job of constantly redecorating and redesigning over the past 4 years of having our 5th wheel.

Work Trips and Extended Vacations

There’s a variety of scenarios where for work it would make more sense to rent an RV than to get an extended stay hotel room. We’ve run into business people, oil workers, accountants, and countless other types of workers remotely living their careers in the RV.

Whether you’re working remote for a project, or for your sanity, you’ll be able to control the views of your work environment.

The way we stay connected is we have:

• At&T for our phones to tether.
• Unlimited Verizon Wifi.
• Unlimited Sprint Wifi.
• We have a WeBoost signal booster that allows us to get a strong signal when it’s very weak and remote.
• Sometimes for a change of scenery or if we’re having rare wifi challenges, we’ll work at a coffee shop or restaurant with wifi.
• Once in awhile, we’ll find RV Resorts with internet rooms and strong wifi.

RVs have everything you need to keep all your electronics charged up. Another big perk is when you work from your RV you’re able to take quick breaks and do things like a dip in a heated pool with a view like this one at the West Glacier KOA.

Animal Lovers

Did you know that most of the hotels/timeshares in popular vacation destinations don’t allow pets? Many of the ones that do have a large fee behind it. That means you have to find a family member, a friend, a kennel service or some other way for your animals to be accepted and taken care of.

It’s easy to find RVs to rent that allow your 4 legged friends. Campgrounds and RV Resorts are known for having dedicated dog runs and areas for the dogs to play.

Travel Hoarders

Do you find yourself over-packing on vacations? Lugging so many suitcases around is a pain.

Another pain is not having things you need when you need them on vacation. Packing too light will put you in this situation and if you’re taking a flight to a hotel you’re obviously quite limited. There’s only so much you can cram into those suitcases, trust me I watch my wife try putting her entire wardrobe into hers.

So you get to your final destination and you may be spending a lot of extra MONEY and TIME picking up random things you “should have” brought.

Maybe you have wanted to bring more gear but due to being restricted on the amount of space you have, you left that extra camera lens, that extra outfit, or that extra toy at home. With an RV, you’ve got the space to bring all your gear.

Renters Often Have Friends

It’s a great joy in life to have friends who we can spend time with. It’s even better when those friends are like minded and their minds are on CAMPING!

When you bring in your friends, you’re able to lower the cost even more to have everyone be able to join along in the fun.

RV Renters are often a group of friends who are going to caravan to some location seeking adventure.

Renters Follow Specific Activities

Sporting events, concerts, fairs & festivals, heck we’ve even stumbled onto a large board game convention and competition in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Sporting events aren’t just to see your favorite professional teams, but the minor league, college, and even high school teams travel. RVs give you the flexibility of traveling to watch all the games in your own traveling cabin to retreat to in between games. You can provide the ice cream to the winning team from your RV Freezer.

Maybe there’s a tournament a bit further than you’d like to drive back and forth and you know there will be downtime in between games, BAM the RV comes in for the win!

Renting an RV is like a Choose Your Own Adventure Book, but for YOUR LIFE!

The Basics of Renting an RV

Here’s some random stuff that if you’re BRAND NEW to RVing than you may not know.

Things To Do While Camping

There are RV Resorts, Campgrounds, and Boondocking (RVing without hookups) locations all over and for pretty much all types of situations you could want in an adventure.

From luxury camping with big box stores at your fingertips to rustic primitive camping far away from others, you’ll be able to enjoy it with the same comforts of home while you’re in your RV. In fact, check out this massive list of things to do in America that we’ve compiled and the only reason it’s not twice as long is because we ran out of time.

Do You Need a Special Driver’s License to Drive an RV?

No, you don’t need a special or specific license to drive an RV other than your regular driver’s license.

This is something I had no idea and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has googled this to find out the answer. Class A, Class B, and Class C RVs have nothing to do with the driver’s license that you have.

If that seems a little nerve-wracking to you just know that everyone feels the same way and everyone ends up just fine.

How Does Hooking Up Work?

Although each unit varies slightly, overall it’s a very easy and standard process to hookup to the campsite and unhook to get back out on the road after you leave the campground.

RV Power

When you arrive at your campsite you’ll want to plug in the power chord. There will either be 30 amp or 50 amp. Larger rigs may need 50 amp if they are going to be running a lot of power (washing machines, multiple ac units, microwave, etc).

If you look you can find RVs that are extremely low on energy usage and have a minimalist experience. But most people are opting to get a few bells and whistles and you can find some incredibly loaded RVs to rent and give yourself a luxury vacation at minimal expense. 

RV Water

Simply hook up the white water hose from the faucet to the RV. There is a freshwater tank that you’re able to use when you’re not hooked up and traveling. That means you’ll be able to do everything you could normally in a sticks & bricks house; drink water, shower, take a hot bath, wash the dishes, cook, even do laundry. in the RV. 

We even replaced our hot water heater with an instant hot unit so Danielle can take her 45-minute showers as we travel all over the country. It also makes for really relaxing baths after pushing yourself on a hike in some scenic location.

Again it’s like a choose your own adventure journey when you travel in an RV! Ask yourself;

“Where do I want to go and what type of experience do I want to have when I get there.”.

RV Waste

This is referred to as the Gray and Black tanks. When you shower, wash dishes or use the toilet; the stuff has to go somewhere. It’s as simple as hooking up a hose with one turn and pulling a lever to dump your tanks into the campsite sewer systems. If you’re not at a campground many Gas Stations and Rest Stops will also have dump stations for you to use.

Can You Park Your RV at Walmart?

Yes but many people are taking advantage of this and not respecting general good practices and some locations are starting to turn RVers away, not a good thing. On long travel days where we drive all day from 5am to midnight, it’s incredible to be able to pull over at a Walmart and know you’re parking in a safe location for the night.

Some other big box stores are trying to attract RVers also because good practice is to pay back the business by purchasing from them. When we stay at Walmart we load up on supplies.

Motorized VS Towables

One of the first things you want to consider is if you’re going to rent a motorized RV or if you’re going to be pulling it behind a vehicle.

Class A and Class C’s are motorhomes and have the engine built in. So all you need to do is hop in and take off. However many choose to bring a vehicle (or toad) that they tow behind the RV.

Travel Trailers and 5th Wheels are towables. 5th wheels are more challenging as you need a 5th wheel hitch in the bed of the truck so travel trailers are the vast majority of what’s used for renting. Many of the smaller travel trailers are able to be pulled by some pretty lightweight cars.

So what are you waiting for!?! Make this year the year that you will start relaxing and ENJOYING YOUR LIFE in the most scenic and beautiful places in this beautiful country.