Googling “The right RV for me” took me to a RV Selector Quiz which enabled me to understand that I needed a Class B RV which is built from the ground up as a recreational vehicle. The term campervan implies a van that has been converted from other uses.
The next step was to find the right Class B for rent in my immediate area. Googling “Class B RV’s for rent near me” brought me to a few websites. You will find RV middlemen as well as owners; my choice was to work directly with an individual owner. The first question I was asked when calling was “which precise dates do you need? The paragraph below in italics is my understanding only. Get the details for yourself.
There is a maximum rental time in California of 30 days. Since I wanted a 60 day rental, I had to ask each person I talked to about the 30 day limit. I believe it has something to do with insurance, over 30 days in California gets the owner into squatter rights issues. The rental I got went through a Canadian insurance company.
Once certain of the dates, I made an appointment to drive, and investigate, three separate rvs. I drove a Jayco Swift, a Mercedes Thor Synergy, and a Dodge Ram type, all of different model year. The model year is important because of amenities and drivability. The most important issue for me was safety, so I looked only at those with a good backup camera.
The 2021 Mercedes was by far the easiest to drive, and felt the safest. Driving it wasn’t a lot different than my Mazda SUV. The Synergy is top of the line, so you pay for it – ~$220/night (all fees are up to negotiation except insurance fees which are steep.) It also has great amenities- heating, ac, kitchen stove, refrig, kitchen sink,
toilet, shower, bathroom sink, tv, wifi and many other things.
Bottom line -everything I wanted.
If you want more details about prices, insurance, middlemen, negotiations please let me know. I enjoy the details, and am always happy to respond to questions.
Next post: Books and other references to assist in RV Camping
