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2 months road trip out west - need one way renting mini RV

2 months road trip out west - need one way renting mini RV

Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 12:46 AM
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2 months road trip out west - need one way renting mini RV

My boyfriend and I are planing to discover out west of the united states. We would like to start with San Francisco California, then down to Arizona and New Mexico (Maybe), then go up Colorado, Wyoming and end up with Montana. With this long trip, we would like to have suggestions if we can rent a mini RV for one way from CA to MT, then we leave everything in MT because we want to fly or take a train back to CA. We are not sure if there is any mini RV renting service like that? if yes, we would like to have the details. Otherwise, we want to have advices to plan a great road trip with anyway possible.
Also i found some info that in some states we can't sleep in mini RV, it's forbidden. So please advice us if any details on road trip that we should know.
Thanks in advance for great suggestions!
annametarthur is offline  
Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 02:29 AM
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This sounds like a really fun trip, but I fear you may hit some obstacles. I checked CruiseAmerica, one of the larger RV rental companies in the US. The maximum amount of time they will rent an RV is 36 days - and they add a one-way fee and do not guarantee that they will be able to arrange every one-way itinerary. Cost for the smallest RV they rent is about $110/day with miles.

By "mini-RV" do you mean a van? They don't rent those, but if you look on their website you will see what they do rent. Add camping fees, one-way fee and gas to this and I am estimating about $175 - 200/day

Then I looked at rental cars (figuring you could camp). A 1-way car rental is going to cost about $35/day. Camping fees might be a bit less since you would haul a tent and not have to park an RV. Gas would be less as well. So I am estimating about $85/day.

Of course you cannot cook in a car, but with a cooler and camp stove you could still eat most of your meals while camping. Bringing or buying camping gear - tent, sleeping bags and minimal other supplies would run you about $500 or less.

Obviously this is a travel-style as well as cost consideration; just wanted to give you a rough cost estimate.

And if you are going to be driving around for 2 months, what is a few more days? I would return whatever vehicle to the rental point, taking a different route and save some money.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 03:04 AM
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A reasonable compromise might be to rent a van and buy basic camping equipment as Gail suggests: a foam pad for the back, a couple of sleeping bags, ice cooler, camp stove, water container and a couple of pots, plates, cups, etc. You can price all this on line and see how it compares to renting a car and simply staying in motels.

The advantage of a van is that you are inside a steel wall if there are critters about. The second advantage is that many people do casual camping in the West, sleeping in parking lots at Walmart and various casinos. You would have to add some sort of toilet and "used water" for this because the surest way to get sent on your way is to let the washing up water run on the ground.

The complete negative for what you want to do is heat. You are talking about visiting places with summer temperatures up to 35C. Wouldn't it be nice to pop into a nice air conditioned motel at the end of the day?
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 04:22 AM
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Anna,

I don't see where you mention when you plan to travel. Spring or fall would be nicest weather for most of your destinations.

No need to camp in the Walmart parking lot, ugh. With the exception of San Francisco, there are plenty of National Parks, National Forest, and commercial campgrounds everywhere. I hope you don't intend to skip amazing Utah!

There are rental companies in Las Vegas (and maybe other cities) that rent the van style campers. They are very expensive. I know there are none available out of Salt Lake City because I live here and keep trying for one, but evidently there just isn't a big enough demand for those here.

The brand names I know of are Roadtrek and Pleasureway, both are manufactured in Canada.

If you search online look for Class B RVs. Those are the vans.

Good luck!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 04:26 AM
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Also ,if you were to start in the summer, start in Montana and go south. If you were to start in the late spring, start in New Mexico and go north. This would be best for weather.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 04:34 AM
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If this is the style of travel you want - then go for it - but you need to be willing to pay. It is usually less expensive to rent a basic car and stay in modest motels - and not have to deal with the legalities of where you can stay and the cost/availability of campgrounds.

And agree that doing this in summer just won't work unless you have a vehicle with AC that can run 24/7 - since much of the area is VERY hot in summer.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 07:17 AM
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I spend 4 months Camping in the California wilderness of Trinity County (13,000 people & 18,000 bears) in the County so know the desire but renting a RV of any size is very expensive so I like the suggestion of buying some basic camping equipment like tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bag, stove, a few camping cooking utensils, flashlight etc.
Should be under $300 total at Sports Authority, Dicks Sport or Big 5 in almost any city in California. Far cheaper than a RV!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 08:00 AM
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By "mini-RV" do you mean a converted minivan? http://www.jucyrentals.com/ AFAIK these are only available in major metro areas.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 10:59 AM
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RVs are NOT cheap by the time you add in all the extra costs like low gas mileage, fixed amount of miles per day, anything extra you pay x amount per mile per day, rental of linens, pots and pans, RV park rentals, etc.
I would not use a campervan, they do not have toilets inside.
My vote is for rental car and motels.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 11:03 AM
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Agreeing with everyone else, renting a car, SUV or van and renting or buying basic camping equipment would serve you better than trying to drive a regular RV around.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 04:21 PM
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Just a note, the van style campers I mentioned literally have everything, except a dishwasher. That's why they are so expensive, and nice!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 05:16 PM
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Thank you everybody for all your answers, it was more than helpful, we think are gonna rent a car and camp. we're so thrilled about this trip!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 06:13 PM
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Yay, someone who came on here to ask for advice, received advice, and is taking it...imagine that.

OP, I hope you have an awesome trip!! Might I suggest that you rent a small SUV. We did that one year for a great trip from Salt Lake City to Jackson, Tetons, Yellowstone, Idaho, and back to SLC. We took some camping gear with us on the plane but bought most at WalMart once we got there. I think our rental was an Izuzu Rodeo and it was just perfect.
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Old Sep 3rd, 2015, 07:59 AM
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Another suggestion. Every state that you drive into has Travel Centers and large gas stations that will have a rake with coupon books that offer good rates on motels/hotels. If you want to save by not buying camping equipment and enjoy a discount motel with AC and heat this could be an option. Also many offer a complimentary continental breakfast and all have free coffee and tea. Many have a small frig and microwave that you could use to prepare a modest dinner. When we were young and traveled with our children we traveled with an electric skillet and prepared many meals in that skillet to save on food bills. Just a thought.
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Old Sep 3rd, 2015, 02:32 PM
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Camping restrictions:
Along highways: Most state do not allow camping at their rest stops. I recall that New Mexico may be an exception

Wal-Mart. Basically, camp at the far side of their parking area. Some communities forbid any camping at Walmart. Just walk in and ask.

Truck Stops - Ok, park in back. Usually very noisy with some diesel running all night.

National Forests: Anywhere free. PLEASE NO FIRES
Bureau of Land Management: As above

National Parks - yes. Make reservations at www.reservations.gov. Some state parks have camping.

Suggest buying a commercial camping book. Good Sam and Woodalls are the best. Good Sam features their campgrounds at a 10% discount with small membership fee. KOA is very good, but more expensive. They also offer a discount with membership.
I believe Woodalls is more comprehensive. To REALLY save money, join Pass Port America - https://www.passportamerica.com/campgrounds/ Downside: their campgrounds are slightly 'off the beaten path", but at 50% discount ??? We use all three.

When selecting a campground, we use a road map program (Delorme Street Atlas, or ...) to insure that campground is not next to a freeway or a railroad.

Vaga
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 11:36 PM
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If you are tent camping, camping in a Walmart parking lot is not the thing to do. With the exception of large cities (Salt Lake City?), there are campgrounds close enough to any town you might want to visit. Years ago we camped near Flagstaff and did not find the drive to the city onerous.



This year we stayed in a motel, which we did every five to seven days to take showers and do laundry.

While we were lucky because of storms coming up from Mexico to keep temperatures down, the nights do cool down generally if you camp at 5000 ft. elevation or higher. In other words, look for National Forest campgrounds (fees paid in a drop box, so make sure you have the right amount to place in the envelope) and National Parks and Monuments at that elevation.

Some campgrounds are free, other low cost, and many National Forest campgrounds have no running water--a nearby stream is not a good alternative unless you boil the water.

You might want to take a look at my trip report from this summer's trip which started in San Francisco, traveling through the Southwest and back to SF. Click on my name to find the trip report.

BTW, I know only of the Sports Authority in San Francisco for getting low cost equipment. There are other sporting good stores, but they are not reliably low cost. The suburbs will have Target, K-Mart, Big 5 Sporting Goods for low cost equipment which you can donate to Goodwill at the end of your trip.
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Old Sep 6th, 2015, 12:12 PM
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Would you like help planning an itinerary? Where are you coming from? Why do you want to start and end in San Francisco? Is San Francisco the only part of CA that interests you?

I ask this for two reasons: 1) If you are on a tight budget, then you need to consider the cost of airfare which can vary wildly; 2) this will influence your driving route and may reveal that flying "open jaw" (arriving into one city but returning from another) would be most economical or may affect train travel options.

What are your ages and/or interests? Can you name some of the places in the states you mention that caused you to include them on your list?
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Old Sep 6th, 2015, 04:16 PM
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Actually there are many, many National Forest campgrounds with running water. In fact, I've never been in one that didn't have afresh water source. You may encounter pit toilets and no showers, but you will have running water.

If you camp on BLM land, you will be primitive camping. No campsites, no water, no toilets. Dig your own latrine, bring your own water. Know what fire restrictions are in place, this is critical. Pack all your own trash out, including TP. Like backpacking.

There are beautiful, but popular campgrounds just 25 minutes up the canyons from SLC. If camping in the summer you can find a spot on weekdays, but must have reservations far in advance from Fri - Sun. There are many more campgrounds 1 hour east of SLC in the Uintas (east of Park City), same situation.

There are many, many other campgrounds in the Utah mountains all the way up the I-15 corridor between Las Vegas and the Idaho border. Most of them are absolutely gorgeous!

Hope this helps, happy travels!
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Old Sep 6th, 2015, 05:52 PM
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If you camp on BLM land, you will be primitive camping. No campsites, no water, no toilets.

Not my experience (around Moab), except for no water. But the point is that one should be prepared to carry water. In Moab water spigots were available just for that purpose at the national park's visitor's center.

As for national forests, I believe that in California many spigots are turned off because of the drought.
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Old Sep 7th, 2015, 06:13 AM
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You are right Michael. I forgot all those CO river campgrounds in the Moab area are BLM. Most used to have water though, so I wonder if that has changed.

There are also areas in Natl Forests where you can primitive camp outside of the developed campgrounds . There are some very popular National Forest lands where it is posted that you cannot due to overuse.

For this trip it will pay off to do your research in advance. Most of this is available on the web, but you might need to consult maps also to get the names and locations of the natl forests along your route.
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