Anyone rent an RV for a 2 week family trip--pros/cons?

[Ottakee]

We are considering renting an RV for a 2 week vacation. The rental cost would be about $1700 for the unit and mileage fee plus the gas.

 

Traveling will be dh and I along with our 3 kids.  DH thinks it might be worth it as we could then eat 2 meals a day and snacks in the motor home and his biggest plus is that we would NOT have to haul all of our luggage stuff in and out of a hotel each night as we would only be staying in each place 1-2 nights out of the 12-13 we would be gone.  I can see the big time benefits of that as we have meds for the kids, his c-pap, fan, clothes, snacks, etc. that all would need to come in and out of the hotel each day.

 

How many MPG would a 23 ft. V-8 (diesel I think) Class C get?

 

Anything else to consider?  Camping would be fine with us as the kids like nature, walks, hikes, bike riding around, etc. and we could always stay a night here or there in a Walmart parking lot (is that safe?)

 

We have our own camper trailer---a 23 foot pull behind but our tow vehicle is a 99 suburban and dh is worried about the weight of our trailer (it is older) and the age of our tow vehicle.  If something goes wrong we will be stuck where if the rental RV has a problem they take care of it (but how soon, how, etc???)

 

I would love to hear the pros and cons of this.

[Pawz4me]

I'm not sure you'd be able to run a cpap all night in a WalMart parking lot.  I don't think most rental RVs have generators (and most Class C's don't even have compartments for them).  And I doubt the RV would have the house battery capacity you'd need to run something like that all night.

 

As far as overnighting at WalMart -- All RV'ers have their own opinions about that.  We've never done it.  With all four of us and two dogs, it's just not worth saving a few dollars.  We'd rather have all the conveniences (and full hook ups!) and safety of a campground.  But when the boys are gone and it's just me and DH and we're trying to make good time somewhere -- we'd sure consider pulling into WalMart for a few hours of rest.

 

One thing to keep in mind with an RV is the weight issue.  From what I understand most of the smaller Class C's are almost overweight right off the factory floor, even with no food or clothes and empty holding tanks.  It's very easy to overload one.  So I'd go as light on packing as possible, and bring along a good tire gauge and use it every single morning before you hit the road.

[Cinder]

I think I read somewhere that *some* walmarts allow RV's to park overnight but not all.

 

We rented a 28 ft a few years ago for 5 of us. It got 7mpg. Since we flew out to our destination we ended up buying a lot of what we needed at the local walmart--like sleeping bags and even towels. We thought we'd save $ buying dishes but our RV happened to already have dishes and after a couple days we found we liked the convenience of paper plates anyway.

 

Our RV had a generator. Some places have restrictions on when you can run your generator and for how long. You'll want to be able to get to a dump station at least every other day, possibly every day depending on how much you use your RV vs. using the camp facilities.

 

It is convenient not to have to pack and unpack each day but if you plan to drive around everything should still be put away or it will slide all around inside.

 

We ended up trying to eat 2 meals/day in the RV and only one meal out. We ended up eating a lot of convenience foods, sandwiches and salads as it's not as easy nor convenient to cook in an RV as we thought it would be. We also had to buy a lot of water as it's inadvisable to use the RV tank water for drinking or cooking.

 

Overall we had a pretty good experience but no one here is all that enthusiastic about trying another RV trip anytime soon.

[Swimtaxi234]

 

 

I can see the big time benefits of that as we have meds for the kids, his c-pap, fan, clothes, snacks, etc. that all would need to come in and out of the hotel each day.

 

Have you spent the night with all of you in a small room will the c-pap and fan were running?    :ack2:

[Barb_]

It sounds like hell on wheels to me. Camping is what I do every day but in a small and less comfortable environment. Once you factor in hook ups and gas, you may decide it's more cost effective to stay in hotels. Another plus is that it's relatively easy to find a hotel near places you want to see on a long distance road trip. Campgrounds are slimmer pickings. Also, will you be towing a car or will you need to cart and park your whole house any time you want to see something. I don't know, there's a really big learning curve when it comes to camping and I'm not sure a two week long distance trip is the best place to start. Sorry to sound discouraging, but I had cross country camping fever about two years ago, but talked myself out of it. Certainly don't rent a camper if you're under the impression it'll be cheaper or easier than staying in mid-priced hotels. Stay in embassy suites or homewood suites when you can and score free breakfast and beer/wine/cocktails. That sounds more like a vacation :D

[itsheresomewhere]

Each Walmart has a different policy on if they allow overnights.   

[itsheresomewhere]

Have you spent the night with all of you in a small room will the c-pap and fan were running?    :ack2:

 

If she is anything like me the cpap is a welcome sound.  Compared to the sound of what sounds like a group of bears rough housing, snoring and choking.  

[datgh]

We have rented RV's several times and loved it.  We have used Cruise America and have been satisfied.  We did Arizona last year for eight days.  We had a 30 footer I think and got about 8 miles to the gallon.  I love the convenience of an RV.  You have a bathroom on board so trying to fine one is never an issue. (Very few bushes in Arizona!) You have a fridge and a stove so if you are ready for lunch just look for a place to pull over and you are all set.  In some parts of Arizona the only place to eat out was McD's if that.  If the kids are bored they can play a game at the table while you are driving.  That is what my kids did a lot of.  One thing I would recommend is to find out what will be in the RV for cooking.  In our case we had a convection/microwave but not a regular oven so I did most of my cooking on the stove top.  I planned meals accordingly and planned them out ahead of time along with a grocery list so I knew what to get without overloading us and wasting things.  We left with enough food for about four days and then stopped and repeated the list again.  I always find I feel better on vacation if I don't eat out much but keep to my normal eating routine.

 

We stay in state park or national park campgrounds when we can because they are cheapest but you don't always have hook ups.  We never use the RV's for showers because they just don't have the water capacity for a nice long one but all the campgrounds and RV parks are well equipped. RV parks usually have laundry fascilities also.  If you don't have hook ups, you usually have a generator but they are noisy and most campgrounds don't allow them to be run during quiet hours. We found the lights worked just fine off the battery.  Sometimes we would deliberately go for a little drive just before dark so we could make sure the batteries where fully charged. The heat and air conditioner wouldn't run for long on just the batteries so if you are going to need either make sure you have hook ups.  We froze the first night at the Grand Canyon because we had no electrical hook ups. Our RV was big enough that it had a separate bedroom with a door so if a CPAP was used you could at least mask some of the noise.

 

We have enjoyed our RV travels so much that we are hoping to do another one this spring.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

 

[Pawz4me]

Each Walmart has a different policy on if they allow overnights.   

 

My understanding is that it's the local city/town ordinances that dictate whether or not overnight parking is allowed.  Historically WalMart as a whole has done all they can to accommodate and even encourage overnight parking by RV'ers.  It's considered courteous to go in and buy and few things and then find a manager to ask if you can park overnight.

 

Many Cracker Barrel restaurants are RV-friendly (have dedicated parking places for RVs), and many allow overnight parking.

 

Flying J and Pilot truck stops usually have dedicated parking areas (and fuel islands) for RVs.

 

[Swimtaxi234]

 

Swimtaxi234, on 21 Feb 2014 - 8:35 PM, said:

Have you spent the night with all of you in a small room will the c-pap and fan were running?     :ack2:

 

If she is anything like me the cpap is a welcome sound.  Compared to the sound of what sounds like a group of bears rough housing, snoring and choking. 

 

I was actually thinking about how awful it would be for the children if they had never tried to fall asleep and stay asleep to the c-pap and fan noise.

[MommyOwl]

Have you considered just renting a tow vehicle since you already have a camping trailer? That way you'll have a vehicle to use and won't have to drag your 'room' with you sightseeing ;-)

 

As for the two weeks in an RV, I'd say go for it! 4 years ago, we took 6 weeks to drive out to UT, WY from PA and the kids loved it so much they were begging to go again. We leave for 8 weeks to hit the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Canadian Rockies, and the Pacific coast on May 4th.

 

I'm with your husband on not hauling your luggage in and out of hotels - plus hotel rooms can feel pretty tight whereas with an RV, you can always toss the kids outside when you're getting ready in the morning :-)

 

Have a great time, whatever your decision!

 

P.s. I find its a lot easier to eat healthy and affordably out of your own fridge than out at restaurants all the time.

[Ottakee]

Thanks for the varied opinions.

 

The kids would be fine with the cpap and fan noise.  They sleep like rocks and nothing bothers them.  The rental has a generator we can use but you do pay more for that.

 

We have camped so know what is involved in that.  I like the idea of having a campground/park to explore at night after our day excursion vs. being in front of a TV in a hotel each night.  We will be moving almost every day 1-2 hours away so we would pack in the morning, drive to the museum/park/attraction, do our thing there and then drive 1-2 hours to the next location.  For 3 of the nights we would be able to park for free with relatives and plug in there.

 

I know this will be more work in some ways for me if we do it with the cooking, snacks, cleaning, etc. but The thought of sitting around the campfire, talking walks in the evening, etc. sounds good.  We are NOT city or crowd type people so simple food around a campfire is more appealing than a busy city restaurant.

 

My son has a Golden Eagle Pass (the disability pass) for National parks and other places that gives us free or reduced admission to those places.

 

Still lots to consider.  Another option would be to see if we could find a private RV to rent.  Towing ours isn't really a good idea as our is older and heavier.

[KungFuPanda]

In my mind, packing up a hotel room is always easier than packing up a campsite. In your situation I'd rather pull a small trailer with camping gear so I could choose to tent, cabin,or hotel camp as I see fit along the way. Also, having a regular vehicle for day excursions seems much more freeing than an RV.

 

Another thought is to rent a reliable tow vehicle and use your own camper. That HAS to cost MUCH less.

[PeterPan]

We rented an RV for 2 weeks when we did Alaska, and it was AWESOME!!  23 foot sounds a little, um, cozy if your kids are older.  Most rental places put their floor plans on the web, so spend some time looking at them.  Ds was 2 at the time, so we wanted very specific things like a seat with a belt (for his car seat) that was facing a tv to keep him quiet while we drove and a seat NOT beside him so dd could have some space, lol.  I think our unit was 32 ft maybe?  It was kind of long, but on the other hand we used all the space.  There was a set of double bunks that were REALLY nice to have for storage.  

 

Yes, we ate in a lot of meals, but we also enjoyed eating out.  Sometimes we'd eat breakfast in the RV, hike, then drive and eat a 2nd breakfast somewhere interesting.   :D

 

Yes, we were able to rent a generator and found it essential for boondocking. 

 

No it wasn't claustrophobic, lol, but then we got the unit pretty big.  I suppose it could get that way if you're having to make every single bed every single night from benches and you have no privacy, kwim?  Now every time I clean my (ridiculously large) house, I wonder why I'm living in this and not a nice, easy to clean 32' foot RV, hehe.  

 

You'll enjoy it.  Definitely do it.   :)

 

PS.  This is just my pickiness, but look to see if the unit you're considering has slider windows that open to let in fresh air.  Some of the units I saw online have a lot of fixed windows, especially with the large windows on the sides or back.

[Luckymama]

We rented an RV for 2 weeks when we did Alaska, and it was AWESOME!! 23 foot sounds a little, um, cozy if your kids are older. Most rental places put their floor plans on the web, so spend some time looking at them. Ds was 2 at the time, so we wanted very specific things like a seat with a belt (for his car seat) that was facing a tv to keep him quiet while we drove and a seat NOT beside him so dd could have some space, lol. I think our unit was 32 ft maybe? It was kind of long, but on the other hand we used all the space. There was a set of double bunks that were REALLY nice to have for storage.

 

Yes, we ate in a lot of meals, but we also enjoyed eating out. Sometimes we'd eat breakfast in the RV, hike, then drive and eat a 2nd breakfast somewhere interesting. :D

 

Yes, we were able to rent a generator and found it essential for boondocking.

 

No it wasn't claustrophobic, lol, but then we got the unit pretty big. I suppose it could get that way if you're having to make every single bed every single night from benches and you have no privacy, kwim? Now every time I clean my (ridiculously large) house, I wonder why I'm living in this and not a nice, easy to clean 32' foot RV, hehe.

 

You'll enjoy it. Definitely do it. :)

 

PS. This is just my pickiness, but look to see if the unit you're considering has slider windows that open to let in fresh air. Some of the units I saw online have a lot of fixed windows, especially with the large windows on the sides or back.

Slight hijack----who did you rent from?

[Tammyla]

*Caution* Plugging in at the relatives may blow the entire street electic.  It happened at my parents, I can't remember the reason, but their visitor could not run the RV while visiting and the electric company had to come out and fix what had gone wrong.

 

I've always wanted to try renting an RV and hitting the road with the family, but the cost didn't work out for us and now my older teens would consider it torture.

Thanks for the varied opinions.

 

The kids would be fine with the cpap and fan noise.  They sleep like rocks and nothing bothers them.  The rental has a generator we can use but you do pay more for that.

 

We have camped so know what is involved in that.  I like the idea of having a campground/park to explore at night after our day excursion vs. being in front of a TV in a hotel each night.  We will be moving almost every day 1-2 hours away so we would pack in the morning, drive to the museum/park/attraction, do our thing there and then drive 1-2 hours to the next location.  For 3 of the nights we would be able to park for free with relatives and plug in there.

 

I know this will be more work in some ways for me if we do it with the cooking, snacks, cleaning, etc. but The thought of sitting around the campfire, talking walks in the evening, etc. sounds good.  We are NOT city or crowd type people so simple food around a campfire is more appealing than a busy city restaurant.

 

My son has a Golden Eagle Pass (the disability pass) for National parks and other places that gives us free or reduced admission to those places.

 

Still lots to consider.  Another option would be to see if we could find a private RV to rent.  Towing ours isn't really a good idea as our is older and heavier.

 

[Um_2_4]

I wanted to do it, but at 6-8 mpg, the math never worked for us. DH preferred to rent a comfy van and stop at moderate price hotels. Be sure to add all the fees (cleaning, etc) and nightly cost to stop and gas. Also people I know who did this would visit relatives, but still have to go to a place with hook ups to dump and stuff. They couldn't do it at their family's house. Not to mention, driving in cities sounded like a nightmare to DH not a vacation.

[Spryte]

Check into the seatbelts in the passenger areas. We did a ton of research a few years ago, and rented one from, I think, Cruise Amerca. They were the only company to promise that we'd have a vehicle in which the passenger areas would have seatbelts that connect to the actual vehicle, not just a piece of plywood. We wanted our kids' car seats to be connected to more than plywood, and not all RVs do this.

 

We arrived to pick up our rental, checked the seats, and no luck. We could pull up the cushions and clearly see where the belts connected. :(

 

We left without our rental, and not knowing if our approximate $1500 would be returned. We drove in our car, and rented a cabin instead.

 

Fortunately , they did return our money, as we'd been so clear about the seatbelt issue upfront!

 

We have a family friend who is a state cop, and he was adamant about that particular safety issue. Plus, I'd asked here, and we'd done a ton of reading, and we were clear in our family's comfort level re: seatbelts. Your comfort level may be different, and that's ok, just be aware. :)

 

I think most of the newer rvs have the seatbelts connected to the chassis, hopefully.

[Ottakee]

Now to complicate issues, dh is thinking of Montana instead of heading south from us.  That we would not do an RV for at all.

[PeterPan]

Slight hijack----who did you rent from?

Ok, it's been three years, but looking at the pictures I *think* we used Great Alaskan Holidays.  Our experience was TERRIFIC.  I made the res online maybe?  Can't remember.  Anyways, everything was perfectly ready, clean, great condition, with dishes, etc.  We had some things shipped to them and they stored them till we came.  We knew it would be a bit cold when we were there (fall), so we shipped up an Adam and Eve sleeping bag from Cabela's for me and dh.  For the two kids, we just packed bags.  I think they provided sheets, but that way we didn't have to run the generator for heat at night.  We just enjoyed the nippiness and went to sleep with happy glacier thoughts, then turned on the heat in the morning, lol.  

 

They'll pick you up at the airport and take you back.  I don't know, the whole thing was just terrific, no complaints at all.  They didn't mind us going across the Denali Hwy, though they offered you insurance in case you had damage from it.  

 

Check into the seatbelts in the passenger areas. We did a ton of research a few years ago, and rented one from, I think, Cruise Amerca. They were the only company to promise that we'd have a vehicle in which the passenger areas would have seatbelts that connect to the actual vehicle, not just a piece of plywood. We wanted our kids' car seats to be connected to more than plywood, and not all RVs do this.

 

We arrived to pick up our rental, checked the seats, and no luck. We could pull up the cushions and clearly see where the belts connected. :(

 

We left without our rental, and not knowing if our approximate $1500 would be returned. We drove in our car, and rented a cabin instead.

 

Fortunately , they did return our money, as we'd been so clear about the seatbelt issue upfront!

 

We have a family friend who is a state cop, and he was adamant about that particular safety issue. Plus, I'd asked here, and we'd done a ton of reading, and we were clear in our family's comfort level re: seatbelts. Your comfort level may be different, and that's ok, just be aware. :)

 

I think most of the newer rvs have the seatbelts connected to the chassis, hopefully.

Oh dear.  Honestly, we saw a ton of Cruise America RVs while we were in Alaska, and they were not nearly as nice as what we rented.  Even on the exterior it seemed like they skimped, with fixed windows and typically no full rear window.  I would be horrified if there were no belts, mercy.  Not only is it common sense and safety, but we brought our car seat to buckle up.  

[nd293]

We spent 2 weeks in an RV / campervan in New Zealand. It worked very well for us. We stayed in proper campgrounds, though, so we hooked up to their power, and often cooked in the communal kitchens. We used communal bathroom facilities at campgrounds most of the time, but it was very convenient to have out own kitchen and bathroom facilities when needed them .We often prepared quick pasta lunches in the parking lot of whichever museum or attraction we'd just been to. We had one flat tyre, and it was wonderfully convenient to be able to pull over, eat a meal, wash up and wait calmly for someone to come 'rescue' us. We were travelling with small children, so having everything we needed on hand was very helpful. And I loved being able to unpack properly on Day 1, stash the suitcases and be 'settled' and organised for the whole trip!

[Pawz4me]

Oh dear.  Honestly, we saw a ton of Cruise America RVs while we were in Alaska, and they were not nearly as nice as what we rented.  Even on the exterior it seemed like they skimped, with fixed windows and typically no full rear window.  I would be horrified if there were no belts, mercy.  Not only is it common sense and safety, but we brought our car seat to buckle up.  

 

Just an FYI -- No full rear window does not mean scrimping.  In general, the more expensive the RV the less likely there will be a rear window. ;)  Fifth wheel campers are different--many of them do have an almost full rear wall of windows.  But RV's?  No.  Pay attention to the big, high dollar diesel pushers and you'll notice that it's extremely rare to see one with a rear window.

[PeterPan]

We spent 2 weeks in an RV / campervan in New Zealand. It worked very well for us. We stayed in proper campgrounds, though, so we hooked up to their power, and often cooked in the communal kitchens. We used communal bathroom facilities at campgrounds most of the time, but it was very convenient to have out own kitchen and bathroom facilities when needed them .We often prepared quick pasta lunches in the parking lot of whichever museum or attraction we'd just been to. We had one flat tyre, and it was wonderfully convenient to be able to pull over, eat a meal, wash up and wait calmly for someone to come 'rescue' us. We were travelling with small children, so having everything we needed on hand was very helpful. And I loved being able to unpack properly on Day 1, stash the suitcases and be 'settled' and organised for the whole trip!

Ooo, can you tell us about what you did there?  That would be an awesome senior trip for a LotR fan!  :D

[Luckymama]

Ok, it's been three years, but looking at the pictures I *think* we used Great Alaskan Holidays. Our experience was TERRIFIC. I made the res online maybe? Can't remember. Anyways, everything was perfectly ready, clean, great condition, with dishes, etc. We had some things shipped to them and they stored them till we came. We knew it would be a bit cold when we were there (fall), so we shipped up an Adam and Eve sleeping bag from Cabela's for me and dh. For the two kids, we just packed bags. I think they provided sheets, but that way we didn't have to run the generator for heat at night. We just enjoyed the nippiness and went to sleep with happy glacier thoughts, then turned on the heat in the morning, lol.

 

They'll pick you up at the airport and take you back. I don't know, the whole thing was just terrific, no complaints at all. They didn't mind us going across the Denali Hwy, though they offered you insurance in case you had damage from it.

Thank you very much! That's the company I keep coming back to :)