First time RVing. What should we consider? Insurance?

Hello all,

I will apologize right at the get so as some of my questions might be very vague. This is our first time renting an RV and there are so many unknowns.

From: Chicago
To: Seattle
Duration: 15 days

The most important question that I need answer to: INSURANCE?
My current auto insurance doesn't cover RV Rental. Their RV policy won't cover RV rental either. The rental company is charging me an arm and leg for good coverage. Are there any reasonable alternatives to buying it from rental company?

We are planning to rent an RV in Chicago and drive to Seattle in May/June. We got a good deal on a rental so we booked it without doing much planning. We are renting a large 2020 Class C motorhome (not sure of the exact model). Any suggestions or recommendations on how to plan a cross country trip? I am used to plan road trips in a car with camping/motel stops but I am not sure what resources to use to look for good RV stops. What should I look for in a camp ground that is specific to an RV? Also, are there any resources for looking at best practices for a long RV trip? We are renting a generator. We are planning to bring our own linens and kitchen utensils. We will be flying one way from Seattle to NYC and do the one-way return trip. What are some of the obvious things to carry for a long RV trip? Any general advice for first timers?

We are not too keen on visiting or driving through cities. We surely want to visit Yellowstone and Glacier NP. If it makes sense, we would also like to visit Badlands NP. I am not sure about rest of the trip. Once I do more research, I will probably post another post asking for suggestions regarding recommended routes, stops, and sight seeing places. But feel free to drop any advice or suggestion.

Thank you for your time.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

There are actually a lot of great RV resources on RTA that I think you'll find quite helpful.

How to plan a successful RV vacation
Operating Your Rental RV Safely
How to Find an RV Campsite

There is also an entire section of our Forum for Camping RoadTrips which is filled with general tips as well as directories of campground options across the country.

Hi Pagetrip,

I have 44 years of camping and 28 years with a motorhome. We also rented a motorhome once and back then our insurance company covered rentals. I personally would feel uncomfortable without having insurance.

I have a few question so I can better help you. How long is the Class C motorhome you are renting? You mentioned renting a generator so does that mean you are open to campgrounds that don't have all the necessities like electrical, water and sewer hook ups or do you want to have the generator for use when driving and will want to stay in private campgrounds with full hook ups?

I would recommend not planning to drive as many miles per day as you would in a car. Driving the RV will be a lot more tiring!

For the drive between popular destinations, it hasn't been as important to have reservations but these are not normal times and more and more people are going camping so reservations for all stops might be the best bet. The popular places like national parks, you will want to make reservations as soon as you figure out your dates! Yellowstone now has restrictions and you are not allowed to drive on a few side roads and some parking areas with a motorhome. You won't be able to drive the motorhome on the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier if it's even open by the time you get there. https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/gtsrinfo.htm


We like to use the Good Sam RV campgrounds and RV park directory for planning our RV trips stops. When we rented the motorhome they supplied us with one but that was a long time ago. If you want to plan ahead you can just use their website https://www.goodsam.com/campgrounds-rv-parks/

Flying home will really limit what you're going to want to bring. Chairs are nice but if the campsite has a picnic table, they might not be necessary.

Hope this helps and I'll come back if I think of other things.

Utahtea

I'm not sure what baggage charges there may be for internal flights but for what bedding and pots cost to rent, I don't think I would want the hassel of carrying pillows, sheets, duvets and the like around with me.

When you say you are renting a generator do you mean through a different company to the RV rental centre ? Most Class 'C' RV's have there own you just pay for usage.

As you are used to planning (non RV) trips, just use the format you use and find a nice campground/RV park at the locations you wish to stop at. Allow more travel time (less miles) each day so you keep at a relaxed pace. Any National park campgrounds you wish to stay at, I would look at availability right now and book asap if there are any spaces remaining.

Quote:

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I will probably post another post asking for suggestions regarding recommended routes, stops, and sight seeing places.

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Once you start mapping it out we can help fill in the blanks and make suggestions, but keep all your posts in this thread so it's easy for everyone to follow.

Sorry I can't help with insurance, we usually get that included with the rental company.

Warning: Heed the posted ramp speed limits! While these often seem ridiculously low for a sedan, it is vital that you reduce your speed in a top heavy RV to avoid losing control. As an RV newbie, this might not be readily apparent.

Here is some RV advice I gave someone else in the past.

Take a screwdriver if they don’t supply one. EVERY time I rented an RV, something has come loose, especially cabinet hinges. Cheap construction is the name of the game!

Take disposable gloves to make dumping less unpleasant. Watch the movie RV for Robin Williams in the hilarious Dumping scene.

Take along a handheld GPS or download the free geocaching app and search for one of the millions of geocaches hidden all over the earth. Just search for that word.

Bring a broom if one doesn’t come with the RV!

When inspecting the RV, make sure all of the outer storage door latches actually work. Sometimes they’ve rattled loose or even fallen apart.

Problems I’ve experienced:
Broken cargo latches
Cabinet doors falling off
Faucets falling apart!
Fans not working
Lights not working
Missing/torn curtains
Fridge Complete failure
Fridge Inside thermostat fell off
Rattles everywhere!!!
Folding bed falling apart
Dinette table falling apart
Missing tire air gauge
Bath door falling off hinges

Many of these were on a several month old RV!

Like I said, look over everything!