If you’re looking to rent an RV, it’s tough to go wrong with Outdoorsy.
Outdoorsy is one of the most innovative rental companies out there right now. They’re also hands down our top pick of all the RV rental companies out there.
Rather than stocking a fleet of travel trailers or motorhomes like other RV rental services, they’ve created a peer-to-peer network that allows renters to rent directly from RV owners. From Class A motorhomes to compact travel trailers, you can rent just about anything you want.
In many ways, Outdoorsy is like the Airbnb of recreational vehicles.
With peer-to-peer rentals, the choices for your next adventure are practically limitless.
Outdoorsy Review: Why They’re #1
The direct owner-to-renter model gives you a lot of options when it comes to renting a travel trailer or motorhome.
But, a great selection of RVs isn’t the only thing they offer.
Renters get class-leading insurance coverage and great customer support. Thousands of happy renters really set Outdoorsy apart from other rental companies.
Largest Selection of RVs
One of the biggest advantages of renting from Outdoorsy versus other companies is the massive selection of motorhomes and travel trailers they have available for rent.
The company’s reputation, level of service and protection provided to both owners and renters have made them the number one company in the market.
What does that mean for you?
Lots of RVs to choose from.
As the most trusted name in the industry, they’ve become the go-to rental service for RV owners looking to make some extra money. If someone is renting out their rig, odds are they’ve got it on Outdoorsy.
This has allowed them to amass thousands of camper rentals across the US, making them the biggest RV rental service in the country. Whether you live in a big city or prefer a more rural setting, there are — more than likely — listings near you.
On Outdoorsy.com, you can rent:
- Motorhomes (Class A, B, and C)
- Travel trailers
- Campervans
- Popup campers
- Fifth wheel trailers
- Plus, interesting options like vintage VW campers, off-road-ready truck campers, and more
This company has travel trailers and motorhomes that are great for a couple, family, or group or friends to rent.
Industry-Leading Insurance Coverage
Does the thought of driving or towing someone else’s trailer or motorhome scare you?
Renting a vehicle of any kind can be stressful — especially a big RV that you’re not familiar with. Like it or not, we all make mistakes.
One of the biggest advantages we’ve found to renting with Outdoorsy is the peace-of-mind you get with their industry-leading insurance coverage.
All rentals come with a few different insurance options that include liability coverage of up to $1 million. Physical damage can be covered up to $500,000, covering both the exterior or interior of the RV.
Whether you’re worried about backing into something, a surprise fallen tree, or vandalism, their rental insurance has you covered.
Coverage is provided through Liberty Mutual, giving renters national coverage with a major US insurer.
Every RV owner is protected too, ensuring that both parties are covered if something goes wrong.
Honest Customer Feedback
If you’ve ever rented from Airbnb or directly from an individual, you know how widely quality can vary. Some listings are exactly as described, others … not so much.
The same is true when you rent from Outdoorsy. While all of the listings are vetted, some just aren’t as great as others.
Thankfully, they have a robust review system that allows the renter to leave feedback on their particular experience. When browsing through Outdoorsy’s rentals, you’ll notice that nearly every listing has plenty of honest ratings from actual customers with experience with the listing.
If you’re thinking about renting through Outdoorsy’s website, be sure to read carefully through the feedback on each RV and see what sort of experience another renter might have had.
Free Roadside Assistance
For a little added assurance for renters, they also offer a solid roadside assistance program.
A lot can go wrong on the road. And if you’re not familiar with and used to dealing common issues, resolving simple issues can be a challenge.
Outdoorsy’s network of more than 40,000 RV roadside assistance providers is available 24 hours a day and 365 days each year.
Roadside assistance providers are available for mechanical fixes as well as towing and other repairs that may need to be made to get you back on the road. While renters will need to cover many repair fees, they will assist with mechanical breakdowns.
Responsive Customer Service & Support
For a company that simply facilitates RV rentals between individuals, Outdoorsy has a surprisingly good support department. Many of this company’s best feedback focuses on how friendly and helpful their customer service experience was when they needed help with a rental, RV owner, or renter.
Their team of customer service reps are available around the clock to help renters find a different rental if their original reservation doesn’t work out. They also help you deal with service issues, and anything else renters or owners may need to resolve.
Renting a RV
Renting an RV is a big investment — especially if you’ve never rented or used one before. While RVing is a fun and often unforgettable experience, there’s a little more to it than throwing a tent in the trunk and hitting the road.
Thankfully, Outdoorsy makes finding the perfect camper rental very easy and offers some key benefits to help ensure your vacation goes smoothly.
The Process
The website has a very simple and clean design, making it easy to search for and choose a camper. Even if you just want to browse the site and see what’s available, the only thing you need to do is search for your city or zip code.
Once you’ve found an RV you like, the reservation process is clearly laid out. You’ll just need to create an account and add your information.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s involved with renting through Outdoorsy.
Browsing Their Inventory
Like I said, Outdoorsy’s website is really nicely laid out. This makes finding your ideal rental a simple and straightforward process.. When browsing through the site, you’ll find that all of the rentals have a nice big picture, a clear title, and some details about the unit like size and cost.
Once you click through to a listing, you’ll see more pictures and a detailed description of the motorhome or trailer. Most listings have lots of pictures and good descriptions, but some do not.
Listings that lack details or pictures aren’t worth your time, so you might want to move on.
Remember: while Outdoorsy facilitates the rental process and vets the owners, not all RV rentals are the same. You still need to do your research and be sure you’re renting the right camper trailer or motorhome for you.
Along with a description, each listing should have an explanation of additional fees, like mileage, and any rules for the rig. Some listings may not allow pets and may not include small items like dishes or sheets so be sure to check all the details.
The Importance of Reading Reviews
When you’re looking through listings it’s also really important to read through each review carefully. They will tell you a lot about the condition of the RV and what it’s like to work with the owners.
Since you will need to meet the owner and walk through the RV with them before hitting the road, you must make sure you’re comfortable with them and the camper.
The ratings on Outdoorsy are very honest and most customers appear to be sharing an accurate experience. Make sure to read more than one review. Some people only know how to leave a good review while others only bad. You want to ensure you get an accurate assessment.
The Booking Process
Once you’ve found a listing you like, it’s time to book your reservation.
Start by choosing the dates for pickup and drop off. You’ll get a rundown of the total cost including taxes and fees. Then click “request booking”. Keep in mind that some listings might offer a discount for renters who book for a week or more.
After you request the booking, you will need to create an account and enter your payment information.
Once you’ve booked your reservation, you’re ready to go! Just follow the instructions for pickup.
On the appointed pickup day, it can be helpful to communicate with the owner to ensure everything is ready to go. People get busy or perhaps there was a misunderstanding about pickup or drop-off times. A quick text message between renters and owners can alleviate any potential hiccups.
This can also come in handy if you want to extend your rental by a day or two. Reaching out to the owner via text or email to get approval before changing your dates is a nice courtesy.
Understanding Your Insurance Coverage
Every RV rental comes with insurance coverage through Liberty Mutual. This coverage is designed to protect both you and the owner.
While this insurance does provide liability protection up to $1 million, it doesn’t completely let you off the hook. The provided coverage is really designed to protect you in the event of an emergency or unforeseen issue. If the RV is damaged due to negligence, you may lose a portion of your deposit or need to pay a fee.
Your Insurance covers things like:
- Physical damage due to an accident or other issues
- Windshield damage
- Trip cancellation coverage
Understanding Cancellation Policies
Sometimes things just don’t work out. If you need to cancel your trip, Outdoorsy does provide a few options for cancellations.
Outdoorsy actually gives owners the option to choose between three different levels of cancellation fees and regulations: flexible, moderate, and strict. So, again, be sure to read through all the details of the RV you’re interested in before committing.
Each listing clearly states which level of fees you’ll be charged in the fees section of the listing.
With flexible cancellations, the renter’s deposit minus Outdoorsy’s fees will be refunded in full if canceled at least five days before the reservation begins. If you’ve already paid in full for your booking, you’ll get a full refund minus fees if you cancel at least five days in advance. Cancel less than five days in advance with a flexible cancellation and you’ll lose your deposit (25% of the total reservation) and will be refunded 75% of the total booking price.
With moderate cancellations, the 25% deposit is non-refundable. If you cancel at least seven days in advance, you’ll get a refund for 75% of the total reservation cost. Cancel less than seven days in advance and you will be responsible for 50% of the booking fees.
Strict cancellations come with a 50% non-refundable deposit. You will receive a 50% refund of the full rental amount if you cancel more than 14 days in advance. Cancel less than 14 days in advance and you’ll receive no refund.
Easy Communication
Communicating with the owner is really simple using the Outdoorsy app. You can quickly and easily set up a time of day to pick up the RV and ask any questions you might have.
When communicating and setting up a pick up time, be sure to leave enough time to really go over the ins and outs of the camper (more on that in a minute).
With some rentals, you can even arrange for delivery to a campground or other location. Just make sure to discuss this with the owners during the booking process.
Picking Up Your Vehicle
No one knows an RV better than the owner. If you’ve never used a camper before, there’s more to setting one up and moving it around than you might think.
When you pick up your rental make sure to get a thorough walk-through to ensure you understand the important details. They should take the time to show you how everything works and answer any questions you might have.
Make sure you check out the whole RV and understand how everything works before you hit the road. Most owners are very friendly and will be happy to share their experience and knowledge with you, so don’t be afraid to ask!
Make a list of all the things you need to do once parked in your campsite. You should also make a list of everything that needs to be done before leaving.
Returning the Rental
At the end of your rental period, the Outdoorsy app makes it really simple to arrange a time to drop off the RV.
Before you bring it back, make sure you’ve done everything you’ve agreed to do like cleaning the interior, dumping the tanks, or other things. Some listings offer to pick up the RV and dump the tanks if needed, but be sure to arrange those things beforehand if needed.
Remember: if you don’t clean up the RV or dump the tanks you may lose all or part of your deposit.
Your Security Deposit
Like I just mentioned, if you want to get your full security deposit back, it’s important for the renter to do everything that was agreed to before returning the rental.
Some things, like dumping the tanks, will be dependent on your reservation terms. But, in general, it’s really important to take care of the RV. Keep it clean and don’t break anything if you want your deposit back.
Some people are very sensitive to cleanliness and may charge you for things you didn’t think were a big deal. So, be sure to check everything twice and leave the RV in better shape than you found it.
The Good & the Bad
Outdoorsy really is one of the best peer-to-peer RV rental services out there. From their massive selection of RVs to their excellent liability coverage, this company is doing a lot of things right. But, they’re not perfect.
Pros
Massive Selection
Outdoorsy has a huge selection of RVs to choose from. From big Class A motorhomes to adventure-ready off-road rigs, they’ve got something for everyone.
Great Liability Coverage
The $1 million liability and $500,000 damage protection are unparalleled in the RV rental industry. No other business is offering this level of coverage right now.
Friendly 24 hour a day customer service and roadside assistance add another layer of protection for renters and owners.
Excellent Customer Feedback
With over 55,000 reviews on their website and an A+ rating from the BBB, Outdoorsy is loved by owners and customers alike.
Cons
You still need to do your homework
Before renting through Outdoorsy’s website you do still need to do some research before you choose which RV to rent. Carefully read the fine print including all of the rules and terms.
Peer-to-peer rentals
Although many of us have gotten used to renting from individuals through services like Airbnb and Uber, peer-to-peer rentals still feel risky for some consumers. And in the end the level of service you get is often heavily dependent upon the RV owner, not Outdoorsy themselves.
Outdoorsy For RV Owners
If you’re an RV owner, you know how much your investment sits around unused. The average owner doesn’t take their camper out for more than a few weekends a year, leaving them in storage most of the time.
If this seems like a waste to you or if you’d like to offset the cost of ownership, Outdoorsy is a great way to do just that. This company allows you to share the RV lifestyle with others who are looking to rent trailers or motorhomes just like yours.
While you could just rent your RV out yourself, you’d have to assume a lot of risk, create a contract with each renter, figure out how to accept payments, and lots of other hassles. Outdoorsy helps protect your rig and allows you to keep most of the rental fees (80%), plus mileage and any extras you want to include.
This makes the rental process easy and allows you to keep most of the profits.
Outdoorsy’s generous liability coverage protects your RV in the event of an emergency. Deposit fees, which are collected upfront, will more than cover any minor items that come up during use.
The biggest downside is that you are, of course, handing your RV over to a complete stranger. Although Outdoorsy provides great coverage and other protection, a renter could still total your RV or do serious damage to it.
Final Thoughts
If you want to rent an RV (or rent yours out) Outdoorsy is a truly innovative company that has established a great reputation with both renters and owners.
The rental process is very simple and straightforward with tons of feedback on individual rentals. Through the Outdoorsy app, you can quickly arrange to pick up and drop off your rental. And you’re covered in the event of an emergency with Outdoorsy’s insurance coverage and roadside assistance.