Renting With Outdoorsy: My Personal Experience

Wondering what owning an RV is really like? If you’re RV-curious but don’t own one yet, or are thinking of getting something completely different than what you have, renting can be the perfect way to try before you buy. Learn more about your options as I share in this post a recap of my personal experience renting with Outdoorsy.

I’ll never forget my first experience renting an RV through Outdoorsy. At the time, I didn’t own my travel trailer yet. I was just an enthusiastic RVer-wannabe who’d signed up for an RV event down in Texas and had a problem – I didn’t own an RV.

Thanks to Outdoorsy, that’s not a problem at all. Their online marketplace allows you to shop for the type and style of RV you want, located in the city of your choice. When I rented, I lived in Denver and wasn’t keen on driving someone else’s RV hundreds of miles across the country to central Texas, so I looked for rigs based in my destination of Fredericksburg, Texas.

I thought about renting a travel trailer, since that’s what I was looking to buy, but I didn’t yet have a truck that could tow anything.

Vans and Class B+ looked too cozy for me and my 50-pound dog to share comfortably. And, I wanted to my own (dry) bathroom.

So I settled on a Class C owned by someone in the area. Better still, they were willing to drive the RV to the campsite for me and set everything up for an extra fee. They would even dump the tanks and pick it all up at the end. I was sold.

Related Reading: Pros and Cons of Renting a Campervan for the Weekend

Outdoorsy is just plain fun to use. From their styling to the user-friendly interface, I found it seamless to search and filter rigs based on my requirements.

Searching for the Right Rig

I only need a rig that slept one person, but I needed one that would allow my dog and also give us both some space. All I had to do was plug in my travel dates, pick my travel destination, and address requirements about number of travelers, pets, and ADA accessibility.

From there, Outdoorsy gives you a list of all RVs in your search area that match your requirements. You can then filter on extra factors like:

When you find something interesting, just click on the listing to see more pictures and information.

Related Reading: RV Rentals in Top US Destinations

Contact the RV Owner

You can also contact the host with any questions before booking. This is what I did, and it helped address many of the concerns I had about using a stranger’s RV to camp without hookups for a week.

Here’s where things get muddy … literally. Fredericksburg had record levels of rain in the few days before I arrived. Unfortunately for me, I had reserved a “dry” camping spot (meaning no amenities) in the RV park’s field.

A Muddy Start

When I checked in, they told me to park anywhere in the field. So that’s what I told the very nice man who came to drop off his RV. The RV park did NOT tell me that half the field was a septic field. And even muddier than the rest of the place.

You can probably guess what happened next. The RV got stuck in the mud. And even though it was hardly massive – it was probably a 35-foot Class C – no one could help get it out until the sun had worked its magic and dried out the area.

Fortunately for me, one of Outdoorsy’s owners happened to be at the event. He could not have been nicer. He offered me help with finding a new RV if the Class C was unusable, which, unfortunately, it was not. It was a little unlevel, but ultimately just fine while parked at an odd spot in the campground’s field.

Badge of Honor

For the rest of the event, I was infamous as “the girl who got stuck in the mud.” Which I suppose is its own badge of honor, right?

Despite the mud-related mishap, I had a wonderful experience renting with Outdoorsy. Meeting the owner only confirmed my already high opinion of the company and how it operates.

Outdoorsy Ease of Use

It’s so easy to use. I love any marketplace that matches people with stuff to share with other people who would love to use it.

I also think Outdoorsy is one of the best ways to test out your “dream RV.” If you’re considering buying a rig to live in full-time or take on an extended trip, I highly recommend renting a similar size and style through Outdoorsy first. It’s the best way to take an extended “test drive” of any RV you can imagine, from a teardrop to a Class A motorhome.

Here is a short list of the pros and cons you may experience when renting with Outdoorsy.

Pros of Renting with Outdoorsy

Cons of Renting with Outdoorsy

Sarah Kuiken

Sarah Kuiken has been a full-time solo traveler for 4 years and counting, but she’s been a solo adventurer for decades. She owns her own copywriting business, Flourish Writing, which she operates from the road. Sarah loves to explore state and national parks with her two dogs, Orion and Piper—wherever they’re allowed, of course. When she’s not whipping up web copy for fellow entrepreneurs, she’s probably out hiking or paddle boarding with the dogs in tow. Learn more about her freelance writing business at FlourishWriting.com.