My boyfriend and I are now thinking about renting an RV and doing our 10-day trip to Denali/Kenai that way. A friend of mine at work did it with his wife and daughter and son-in-law and they had a blast.

Details about us -- very active, low-key, trying to do this on a budget, late 30s/early 40s.

I need some advice from the Alaska experts. Has anyone ever done this? How hard is it to maneuver one of those things -- it seems a bit overwhelming to me. Do you have a recommendation for a particular company that you used? And does anyone have any thoughts about pros and cons of RV'ing rather than hotels & cars?

It seems to me that if we get one of the smaller RVs and buy food to make our own meals (at least our own breakfasts and lunches) we might come out a couple hundred dollars ahead than if we did hotels/hostels and rented a car. Does that seem about right?

Thanks!

Alaska isn't low budget. I guess it could be done, but would be very hard. I don't see how you will save much money in an rv. Just figure the cost fuel from Denali to Kenai. It will be 2 to 3 times more. Most of the rv rentals are more per day than a hotel or motel. You might save a litle by cooking your own meals. I am sure it would be fun, but just wanted to make you aware of a few things. Alaska is the most expensive trip we have ever taken. definately worth every penny.

Wehave researched renting an RV for several trips (not Alaska) and found it turned out to be a lifestyle choice - not a financial savings. Check out cost on a couple of RV rental websites and be sure to include fuel, mileage charges and insurance (your regular auto insurance will likely not cover an RV rental).

We have always found that staying in less expensive hotels, renting a car, and economizing on food (staying at hotels that offer breakfast, packing a lunch in a cooler, sometimes eating take-out for dinner) was always less expensive than cost of renting an RV.

But it offers a completely different experience for a trip - so make decision based on things other than finances as well - it works for some, not for others.

Alaska is expensive, no matter how you go.

We did not RV in AK but have a small camper we use for local vacations. It might depend on how much you like your showers and privacy. Our camper shower is very small so if I want a long shower I use the one at the campground. AK is pretty liberal about where you can camp but keep in mind that if you are not at a campground with hookups, you will have limited battery power. Frig and stove will probably run on propane. No microwave, no electric coffee pot. Family members who lived in AK enjoyed primitive camping - tent and what they could pack in the jeep. Some of their friends would not camp in a tent because they were afraid of bears.
If you plan on buy lots of groceries, get a store card. Sorry, can't remember whether it was Carr's or what but it provided a small discount. Once you are north of Wasilla, you won't find much in the way of groceries. (One time we ate what we could buy at the gas station.) We stayed in b&bs (plus relative's home) which ranged from room over the garage and cold breakfast to a wonderful B&B in Palmer (Alaska Garden Gate) where we chose the best room that had a kitchenette. Breakfast was hot and several courses. Karen was also a great hostess and we enjoyed hearing about her life in AK and why she moved there. Other b&bs can be very spartan. You won't see the host at all once you unpack. Compare prices of b&b's with kitchen facilities. Bring a cooler plus insulated lunch bag. You can get sandwiches from the grocery store. If the b&b doesn't have a kitchenette many have frig and microwave. Research cabins. If you don't mind driving a bit out of the way the prices are more reasonable. Usually stocked with dishes, etc.
If you are in an RV you will have to pay attention to where you park when you got to grocery stores. Park where no one else will park near you. They can be very handy when you aren't near anything since you'll have your own toilet and cooking facilities. You are going to put on many hundreds of miles so compare mileage/gas costs. The RV might get less than 12 mpg. Also keep in mind that you will need to find a dump station every couple of days to empty the RV wastewater tank unless you have a 3 way hookup at a campground. Also consider that if you got to the campground and then decided to go out to dinner you have to unhook everything to drive anyplace. In some areas, the local family food restaurant (i.e. fried halibut) was better than a nice sit down restaurant.

Thanks for all the information. Looks like we have a lot of research still to do.

Anyone else?

We rented a RV for our Alaska trip. It was one of the best trips we have taken. It was not that difficult to drive- sort of like driving one of those U-Haul rentals trucks. It took a day or so to get accustomed to the turning radius, and after that, it was pretty easy. I don't know that we actually saved money renting the RV but it was so easy to have meals whenever and wherever we wanted. Also, it seemed to us that there were many more RV parks and campgrounds than motels and hotels in Alaska. We rented from Great Alaskan. If you search on fodors, you'll find many threads about Alaska.

There are entire books and discussion boards dedicated specifically to RVing in Alaska.

We rented from Great Alaskan too and had a great time. You will not save money by RVing but as my son put it you will be "living Alaska". We went the end of May and due to no crowds were able to wing it without reservations, which I understand is hard to do in the summer months. We usually had campgrounds to ourselves and enjoyed evening campfires (even though it was light until 11pm) with amazing scenic backdrops.

We had no problem parking anywhere, of course that could have been the fact we were early in the season. And yes, as someone already said the biggest drawback is having to take you room with you if you want to go to dinner and you have camped in a remote location.

I think if you have any experience with camping you will love it. If you are more of a room service travelor you will hate it. Just my opinion.

Do not expect cost saving going the RV route vs lower cost lodgings/B&B's and a rental car. I have done both, and for me, I prefer having some contact with others and staying in my preferred B&B's.

For comfort, I only recommend the RV's with a permanent lower bed, usually the 26 footers and above. I've rented from Great Alaska Holidays. Be sure to budget for and purchase the the added insurance waiver, so to have no deductable.

One other small advantage an RV has over a car is your heigth off the road while touring. Sitting higher than you would be in a car, you're able to see a bit further. That can make a difference in wildlife sightings. Often, a bear, moose, or whatever will be just off the side of the road but you'd never even know it was there in a car.