Published June 2006

Photo courtesy of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association Two-thirds of RV owners in the United States plan to use their RV more this summer than last, according to a recent survey by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association. Some will travel with a trailer in tow, while others will hit the road in a Class “A” motor home (above) with their car in tow.

Don’t own an RV?
You can rent into the lifestyle

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

“On the road again
Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again,
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.”
— Willie Nelson, singer-songwriter

Despite the rising cost of gas, Nelson’s ode to the road will be the anthem for millions of Americans experiencing breathtaking scenery, partaking of the great outdoors and making family memories with the help of a recreation vehicle, or RV, this summer.

According to a recent survey by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, two-thirds of RV owners plan to use their RV more this summer than last. But they will make adjustments for prices at the pump.

“In times of high fuel prices, RVers tend to spend more time enjoying the campground and less on the road. Whether they travel five miles or 500, their outdoor experience can be the same,” said Richard Coon, president of RVIA.

Which RV to choose From motor homes to travel trailers, recreational vehicles come in all shapes and sizes to meet just about every need including: Motor homes There are three basic types of motorized RVs: The Class “A” motor home, from 24 to 40 feet in length and built on a self-propelled vehicle chassis, is generally the roomiest and most luxurious of the motor homes, sleeping up to six or seven people. The Class “B” motor home, which is commonly known as a van camper and can sleep up to four people. The Class “C” motor home, from 20 to 28 feet in length, is also known as a mini motor home. This RV usually has sleeping bunks atop the cab as well as rear sleeping quarters and can sleep up to six or eight people. Towable RVs Designed to be towed by car, van or pickup truck, towable RVs can be unhitched and left at a campsite so that families can use their vehicle to explore their surroundings more easily. They include: Travel trailers Conventional travel trailers have a wide array of floors and come in a variety of sizes, with the larger ones sleeping up to 10 people. n Fifth-wheel travel trailers are towed with a pickup truck and include two-level floor plans, typically sleeping up to six people. Travel trailers with expandable ends provide light-weight towing, with ends that pull out for sleeping accommodations for up to eight people. Folding camping trailers These trailers fold for lightweight towing and are about 10 feet in length when closed and 15 to 23 feet long when opened. Fully set up, they can sleep up to eight people. Truck campers These campers are mounted on the pickup bed or chassis and are about 18 to 21 feet in length including the trunk and can sleep up to six people. Sport utility RVs These RVs are available motorized and towable and include a built-in “garage” for hauling cycles, ATVs and other sports equipment as well as sleeping up to eight people. Sources: Recreation Vehicle Rental Association and Recreation Vehicle Industry Association

And they can experience the outdoors — hiking, swimming, biking — away from home without missing the creature comforts of home, said Dan Wulfman, owner of Tracks & Trails, a Colorado-based company that provides RV trip-planning services.

“For families, it’s ideal because you have all the conveniences of home with you as you travel: a clean bathroom, a stocked refrigerator with your family’s favorite foods, a place to lie down if the baby needs a nap,” he said during a phone interview.

It’s very different from the usual family road-trip scenario, said Wulfman, who regularly hops into the family RV with his wife and two young sons for an extended weekend trip to nearby natural wonders.

That “usual” road trip involves keeping an eye out for public bathrooms and eating in restaurants or at snack stands, which, in national parks “usually means waiting, paying too much and usually not getting great food,” he said.

“And staying in a national park campground, rather than in a hotel in a nearby town has huge advantages, especially for families,” Wulfman said. “You’re actually spending your evenings and nights in the outdoors at historic campgrounds that were placed at the most scenic spots.”

While enjoying those scenic spots, visitors can attend a park ranger discussion around a campfire, learning about the area’s history or wildlife, or making memories around their own campfire as they toast marshmallows and share stories.

“Families are spending time together outdoors, but the RV affords the same comforts as a hotel room,” Wulfman said.

Comforts vary from vehicle to vehicle, trailer to trailer, but can include queen beds; a kitchen with range, oven, microwave and refrigerator; a bathroom with toilet, shower and vanity sink; TVs with DVD/videotape players; and an awning to create a covered patio area.

For those who already have invested in an RV of their own — and RVIA estimates that nearly 8 million U.S. households have done so — the perks of traveling with a home on wheels are well known.

But consumers don’t have to buy into the RV culture to enjoy eating homemade pasta by campfire or snuggling into a queen-size bunk after a hike through the Olympic Peninsula’s Hoh Rainforest; they can always rent.

According to RVIA, more than 400 national rental chain outlets and local RV dealerships rent RVs, with a valid driver’s license and poof of age required by those renting the vehicles.

The types of RV available for rent depend on the dealer. Western Motor Coach in Lynnwood, for example, rents Class “A” and Class “C” motor homes as well as standard travel trailers, a few fifth-wheels for long-term rentals and some “toy haulers” — RVs with a built-in space for cycles, ATVs and other sports equipment — said Jan Marcin, the company’s office manager.

“We’ve been busier this early in the season this year than in past years,” Marcin said, noting that the busy rental season begins with spring break, builds with Memorial Day and continues through Labor Day.

The same holds true for Cruise America, said David Johnson, the city manager for the company’s Everett office.

Local RV rental facilities Cruise America Address: 12201 Highway 99 S., Everett, WA 98204 Phone: 425-355-8935 Web site: www.cruiseamerica.com Can Am Recreational Vehicles Address: 15709 Highway 99, Lynnwood, WA 98037 Phone: 425-741-3860 Web site: www.canamrv.com Western Motor Coach Address: 19303 Highway 99, Lynnwood, WA 98036 Phone: 800-800-1181 Web site: www.westernrv.com All Season Recreation Rentals Address: 17225 W. Main St., Monroe, WA 98272 Phone: 800-613-1491 Web site: www.asrrentals.com

“Summer is the busiest time by far,” he said, adding that by late summer his rental fleet of 135 Class “C” motor homes is 100 percent booked.

Cost to rent an RV varies by season and vehicle type and size, with peak rates generally set for the summer months.

According to RVIA, depending on the season, motor homes generally rent from $70 to $170 per day, while truck campers and travel trailers average $50 to $120 per day. Along with a per-day charge, motor home rentals usually include a charge for mileage.

There also are reservation and damage deposits, prep and sanitation charges, and the option of renting accessories such as a kitchen kit with pots, pans, plates and other culinary gear, and a sleeping kit with a sleeping bag, pillow and other like items.

When choosing an RV to rent, price certainly comes into play, but so, too, does a company’s rental policies.

Some rental agencies allow smoking and pets; others do — for a fee; and others do not.

And some rental agencies allow for one-way RV trips, so that renters can drop off their RV at a destination along their journey rather than having to return it to its original location.

At Cruise America, which operates nationwide, 35 percent of rentals from the Everett location are one way, with renters dropping off their RVs at other Cruise America stores across the country, Johnson said.

“We do a lot of one-way rentals up and down from Alaska,” he said.

And for those worried about their ability to take the wheel of a 30-foot vehicle — and guide it to its destination unscathed — many rental agencies include a video orientation on the RV in question. Some, like Cruise America, will even take renters for a test drive.

“A lot of people do circles in the parking lot,” Johnson said.

“You just have to have the confidence that you can do it,” Western Motor Coach’s Marcin added.

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