New Adventure: On the Road with Outdoorsy and PUPS!
Over the past several years, my husband and I stuck to a pretty specific vacation schedule. I’m a miser when it comes to vacation days (haha, but really) and we prefer to travel during times when kids are in school and places are less busy. This means that we rarely do anything for our birthdays (June & July), but after a locked up 2020…we have definitely been trying to hit the road as much as possible! Anybody else?
My husband decided that for his birthday he would like to go camping. He has always wanted to drive a Class A motorhome (the BIG one). Camping is not my thing, though I do love outdoor activities like hiking and spending time in the sun. Camping can keep its bugs and campfire smoke though! We were so excited to take a DOG FRIENDLY long weekend trip, so I started searching. I had heard of RV Share in the past, so I started there…and then I turned to my good friend Google. Shortly into my search, I discovered Outdoorsy.
What is Outdoorsy?
Outdoorsy is a website that connects RV owners with folks who are looking for all SORTS of RVs to rent. You can rent toy haulers, pull behind trailers, airstreams, motorhomes, and other unique RVs. Outdoorsy acts as the intermediary between the owner and the renter, like VRBO. They provide insurance and customer support.
How do you use it?
When you head to the website, search for your rental based on location, departure date, and return date. Once the initial results appear, you can filter your results by additional criteria. I initially just searched all of Indiana since I wasn’t sure where we would be going. I also wasn’t sure if there would be a lot of results since we only wanted a Class A and it needed to be dog friendly. You can select certain types of drivable or towable RVs, select a nightly price range, and choose the amenities and specifics you want.
After my search for a dog friendly Class A rental in Indiana, I narrowed the search by location of the motorhome (NE Indiana), flexible cancellation policies, and great reviews. If you have ever used VRBO, Airbnb, or similar, this process will seem really familiar. Obviously, some of the criteria are different for a RV versus a home, like paying for mileage in a motorhome, but reviewing photos and reviews is similar. The platform has a message system so you can contact the owners with questions and get approval if necessary. I recommend signing up for an account so you can keep a list of your favorites.
How do you rent the RV?
Once you select a RV, you can request to book or book if the instant book option is available. Like Airbnb, it will show you the breakdown of costs. Please note that the vast majority of rentals also require a security deposit, which is different from most home rentals. This cost will vary depending on the type of RV you choose. Once you book, Outdoorsy will show you the address of where to pick up the RV. Typically, this will be at the homeowner’s residence. We chose a RV located around an hour away. You pay a deposit when you reserve your rental. The balance is due a few days before the trip. We also had to input our driver’s license information so Outdoorsy could include us as drivers and we would be covered on insurance.
How much does it cost?
This was the most popular question! The cost varies greatly depending on the type of RV you choose. In our case, we chose a large motorhome, so it was more expensive and came with more costs than a pull behind option. It also had a hefty security deposit.
Our rental was $245.00 a night, about the price of a nice hotel. We rented the RV for three nights. Because it is a RV, you also have to pay for insurance. The vehicle protection was $199.80. We also paid a $33.50 service fee. In the end, we also paid $57.00 for extra mileage. Our total rental cost to Outdoorsy was $1,025.30 for three nights.
The security deposit for our rental was $1500.00. This is a lot and probably the most surprising thing about renting a RV. However, less expensive RVs have much lower security deposits. Some deposits are as low as $500.00. The deposit comes off your account fairly soon after you return the RV as long as there are no issues.
What does the Outdoorsy cost include?
The amount we paid to Outdoorsy covered essential insurance, use of the RV and everything in it, a filled 50-gallon water tank, four hours of generator use per day, and 300 miles.
If you use the generator more than the allotted free hours, there is an hourly charge. For this unit it was $3.00 per hour. For this rental 100 miles per day were included. We paid $.30 per mile for the 190 extra miles we drove above the included 300.
Are there other associated costs?
For a motorhome, you also have the cost of gas. This was a 2018 Class A motorhome and it only got about 10 miles per gallon. We got much better gas milage on the way home than on the way there. For our total trip of 490 miles, we spent around $180.00 on gas.
We also chose to camp at a Campground resort at a spot with water and electricity. The resort had a pool, hiking trails, etc. We paid a little extra for a dog fee as well. The campground rental was $190.00 total.
What was the rental experience like?
The rental process was very smooth. I contacted the owner of the RV before I rented because I wanted to confirm that we could bring our three dogs. He was super responsive throughout the whole process.
On the day our rental started, I communicated with the owner about what time we would be at his house. He offered to let us park our car at his home so we would not have to drive our car there and back an extra time. Ultimately, we decided not to do that because I went elsewhere after we picked up the motorhome, but it was an option.
When we arrived, the owner spent about 30 minutes showing us everything in the RV. He showed us how to work the slide-outs, how to empty the tanks, how to work everything inside etc. We felt very comfortable with his tutorial and he was available by telephone at all times during our rental period. We had to upload photos of the RV to Outdoorsy before and after the trip. The owner had to as well.
The RV itself was clean and tidy. It had everything you would find in an Airbnb, like dishes, pots, and pans, etc. The owner told us we could use anything in the RV. It had chairs, games, etc. too.
The return process was just as smooth. He contacted us a few hours after our return to let us know how much would be taken out of the deposit for the extra mileage.
Would we do it again?
Absolutely. Having our dogs with us made it 100% worth it. One of our dogs is not great in the car and he did SO well riding in the motorhome. It was so amazing to have them with us all weekend. We had such a good time playing games, being disconnected, hiking, and spending quality time as a family. I spent a lot of time prepping before we left, so most of our food was cooked, cut, etc. and we had a lot of options to easily pull out to eat and drink.
In total, this trip cost us about $1,500.00. However, it is much cheaper if you rent a smaller motorhome or a pull behind option. A motorhome this size comes with a higher security deposit, expensive fuel, and potential mileage fees. You could also choose a less expensive spot to camp like a State Park or a spot through HipCamp. For us, road trips cost us more than that per night for hotels, gas, food, attractions, and dog boarding. During our trip we only ate the food we brought and we never left the campground.
We were not fans of the campground vibe since campers with permanent spots (most of the campground) were very cliquey and a bit rude. We would love to do it again, but we want to camp at a State Park. We would also love to check out 4 Paws Kingdom in North Carolina. Check it out if you want to camp with your dogs!
Other Information.
I did not end up driving the motorhome since that was part of my husband’s excitement with the rental. He is used to driving large trucks and farm equipment, but he said the motorhome was VERY easy to drive once you got used to it. He said after a few minutes it felt like he was just driving a big van. He believes any experienced driver could drive a motorhome.
Please note that we (HE) had to empty the black tank (waste) and the grey tank (dirty water) when we left the campground.
We did not have to file a claim or contact roadside assistance, but Outdoorsy has a very comprehensive FAQ. International travelers are allowed to rent through Outdoorsy and they are covered through the provided insurance.
If you HAVE a RV you could rent to others, this would be a great way to make extra income. Does this sound like your type of fun and peaceful adventure? If you are READY to get on the road for a summer adventure, you can get $50 off your first RV rental of $200.
Katie G.