Travel by RV!

[JM Aggie08]

Several buddies and I decided to travel to Louisville to hit up the Bourbon Trail. Renting and taking an RV, which started out as a joke, turned into reality once we realized the cost and general unavailability of flights from our area to Lousiville. It shook out to a 15hr drive each way, which we split equally amongst the group (half driving up, other half down).

Holy shit. No regrets! Fuel costs included, it shook out to be <$500/person to rent that thing for the duration of our trip, including comprehensive insurance. We stayed in an Airbnb at our destination but man, having a bathroom + multiple TVs and kitchenette for the duration of that long drive was incredible. It made for a far more memorable trip.

Don't know if I'd ever own one, but renting one I give a 9/10. Only downside was emptying the sewage tank upon returning it -- I don't think the previous renters had emptied it

 

[noway069111]

Curious, how long was your trip with the RV and where did you rent it from?

 

[JM Aggie08]

Curious, how long was your trip with the RV and where did you rent it from?

Including stops for gas/food, it took about 15.5hrs each way, getting a blazing 8mpg lol. We stopped for gas 3 times per direction. Could we have just rented a van? Sure. Could we take a piss, make food, play vidya games, watch movies, nap in actual beds in said van? Absolutely not.

RVShare is where we got ours -- Outdoorsy is another rental company. Typically you'll get a fixed amount of miles included based on the duration of your rental, and like $0.50/mi over that allotment - a similar cost for usage of the generator onboard. Both companies offer insurance coverage -- it was like $190 for us.

 

[pete6032]

Was it one of those really big bus-like ones with the flat front or a smaller RV?

 

[Captante]

Guy I used to know sold Bluebird Coach's for a living.... aside from being quite pricey to buy in the first place those things can be a maintenance-nightmare to own. Renting or possibly leasing is the way to go!

 

[sdifox]

How much meth did you cook?

 

[JEDI]

Both companies offer insurance coverage -- it was like $190 for us.

why not use your credit card for liability coverage?

 

[JM Aggie08]

Was it one of those really big bus-like ones with the flat front or a smaller RV?

It was a class C -- Ford F450 front-end! Drove like a mid-size uhaul.

 

[JM Aggie08]

why not use your credit card for liability coverage?

24/7 Roadside service and towing were included with their coverage. The total cost was also split 6 ways, so it was negligible.

 

[Captante]

24/7 Roadside service and towing were included with their coverage. The total cost was also split 6 ways, so it was negligible.

Springing for it was smart.... often rental companies will require payment in full via credit-card for even minor body damage before accepting the rental return if you don't do so.

 

[BFG10K]

 

[JM Aggie08]

The worst part was emptying the sewage tank. We had a very strict rule on what could be done in the toilet -- however, I don't believe the folks that rented it last emptied the tank. I also fucked up and opened the valve before the hose was connected. Nearly vomited in the parking lot of a truck stop.

Regardless, still the most fun I've had on a roadtrip.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Took a somewhat similar RV trip with the fam last April from the Bay Area around a giant loop through Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, then back to the Bay through the Tahoe/Truckee pass. 2 weeks total.

We wanted to do some more relaxed camping at national parks, see some friends in new mexico, but didn't want to risk a Covid infection by flying or staying in poorly cleaned/disused hotels/motels.

It was legitimately the trip of a lifetime, and just the convenience of having a shower and a toilet at your disposal made camping about 1000x more fun and enjoyable than weekend warrior tent camping ever would be. Saw so much natural beauty and the American Southwest and Mountain regions.

Smaller Diesel Powered RV was very comfortable to drive and got remarkably decent milage.

Like @JM Aggie08 I'd say the roughest part was our first night at the RV Park in Las Vegas, getting the Grey/Black water drainage hose hooked up. Didn't have it griping properly and it popped off and I had to scramble to grab the shit covered hose and jam it back on the drainage pipe to avoid a hazmat situation. Took some extra care after that and things went smoothly.

 

[brianmanahan]

my great aunt and uncle sold their house and got a big RV after retiring 6 or 7 years ago. they thought it'd be just a few years phase, but they love it so much that they're still living the full-time RV life. live in an RV park near the kids for a few months when it's nice in ohio, spend the rest of the summer/fall traveling to national parks, then spend the winter in arizona.

 

[JEDI]

however, I don't believe the folks that rented it last emptied the tank.

did you tell the rental company and ask for some compensation?

also, since the rental company doesnt check, you could have not empty it?

 

[skyking]

Sounds like a great experience for you. My niece has a similar class C and they take it up skiing and all over. It makes a great ski trip base for the kids.

 

[bbhaag]

This thread needs some pics! Glad you had a good time with your buds. It sounds like fun!

 

[Brainonska511]

why not use your credit card for liability coverage?

Need to be careful with that assumption. Some cards have specific exclusions for trucks and RVs.

 

[HomerJS]

Several buddies and I decided to travel to Louisville to hit up the Bourbon Trail. Renting and taking an RV, which started out as a joke, turned into reality once we realized the cost and general unavailability of flights from our area to Lousiville. It shook out to a 15hr drive each way, which we split equally amongst the group (half driving up, other half down).

Holy shit. No regrets! Fuel costs included, it shook out to be <$500/person to rent that thing for the duration of our trip, including comprehensive insurance. We stayed in an Airbnb at our destination but man, having a bathroom + multiple TVs and kitchenette for the duration of that long drive was incredible. It made for a far more memorable trip.

Don't know if I'd ever own one, but renting one I give a 9/10. Only downside was emptying the sewage tank upon returning it -- I don't think the previous renters had emptied it

Sounds cool. Got any pics or the model of the RV?

Septic tank empty sounds too gross. I would have figured the rental co would do it. Wonder how they check to see if it has been done? An overflow would be disastrous

 

[FelixDeCat]

my great aunt and uncle sold their house and got a big RV after retiring 6 or 7 years ago. they thought it'd be just a few years phase, but they love it so much that they're still living the full-time RV life. live in an RV park near the kids for a few months when it's nice in ohio, spend the rest of the summer/fall traveling to national parks, then spend the winter in arizona.

Sounds like a neat idea, but what about mail? Where does your mail go? A POB several states away?

 

[brianmanahan]

Sounds like a neat idea, but what about mail? Where does your mail go? A POB several states away?

i can't remember for sure, but i think they might've gone for one of those service that gives you a "permanent" residence and mailing address in south dakota. they give you a PO Box or something like that, and either scan/upload your paper mail to you or do traditional mail forwarding

then you get all the benefits of south dakota like basically no taxes

 

[skyking]

The #1 and obvious mail trick is go paperless as much as possible.
The second trick with mail is to sign up for Informed Delivery, a free service from the USPS.
They scan anything that fits through the scanner, and also put any tracking numbers in a daily email.
Informed Delivery

That is the second layer, knowing if there is anything to really care about.
You can still opt for a service as stated above, but this is free and a great tool for anyone with a PO box.

 

[dullard]

We stayed in an Airbnb at our destination but man, having a bathroom + multiple TVs and kitchenette for the duration of that long drive was incredible. It made for a far more memorable trip.

You basically described an Amtrak vacation. Of course trains don't go everywhere you might want to go, but if they do go to your destination trains are worth considering. Sit back, watch movies or the scenery, play games with everyone (no need for a driver), eat/drink all you want, and always a bathroom handy.

 

[Zorba]

Including stops for gas/food, it took about 15.5hrs each way, getting a blazing 8mpg lol. We stopped for gas 3 times per direction. Could we have just rented a van? Sure. Could we take a piss, make food, play vidya games, watch movies, nap in actual beds in said van? Absolutely not.

RVShare is where we got ours -- Outdoorsy is another rental company. Typically you'll get a fixed amount of miles included based on the duration of your rental, and like $0.50/mi over that allotment - a similar cost for usage of the generator onboard. Both companies offer insurance coverage -- it was like $190 for us.

Thanks for the RVShare link. I've looked at renting before, through the big companies, and it's $$$$ and not convenient at all. RVShare looks like a great deal, might actually go to Big Bend now.

 

[JM Aggie08]

For those interested, we were in a 2021 Thor Chateau -- I think ours was a lower trim level (vinyl floors, counters, tabletops -- shit was starting to peel), but was still super comfortable for 6 grown men. There were 2 queen beds, a couch that sat 3, and a booth. There were 3 TVs; one in front of the booth/couch, one in the bedroom, and one on the exterior for use if we were actually camping.

We had a nintentdo switch and an XBOX loaded up with movies hooked up to the main TV. Movies and vidya games the whole way! There's a generator that runs off of the same fuel line as the truck which we had no issues with, other than tripping the breaker once -- ran all appliances, AC, etc.