Folks,
I am almost retired. My wife is looking at a vacation trip and with our various medical challenges it looks like the simplest solution is to Rent a mid-size RV.

Is there anyone with experience, recommendations, etc?

Geoff
Who wants something with national support and reasonable interior size and an accessible toilet.

I'd think the best approach would be to contact those who rent RVs and see what the cost and rental terms are, including insurance. I considered doing it some years ago for a 2-week vacation, and discovered it would be somewhat cheaper to drive my own car, stay at motels, and eat in restaurants. So that's what I did.

Check with Bob Munro. RV (2006) - IMDb

I just could not resist! I have many friends who have rented only because they were trying to decide whether to buy or not. What they all said was the biggest drawback, other than the cost of their trip, was the fact that they did not have a towed vehicle. The simplest chores, like running to a convenience store are a huge pain without alternate transportation available. That only adds to the cost and complications of renting an RV.

I just cannot reconcile the total cost of renting an RV with driving your own car and staying at motels/hotels/resorts. Don't even try to compare the cost comparison of owning one, but many love them.

California: RV rental - Is it right for us? - TripAdvisor

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Gary
SWCA 2515

I looked into renting an RV last year so that we could decide if we wanted to buy one. The only place that I found that rents them is the franchise Cruise America. Two things stopped me: the rental RV was shabby, dirty and so uninviting that my wife said she would not sleep, eat or shower in it. The cost was also very high for this smallish RV. When we added the actual rental cost to yhe mileage cost for a 1,000 mile trip, the expected cost of gas (even a small RV uses LOTS of gas) and the estimated nightly costs of staying in decent RV parks, the cost for a week's trip was well over $2,000.

For what its worth, after looking at the prices for new or only slightly used motorhomes, we reconsidered the idea of buying a travel trailer. The advantage of a trailer is that you still have your vehicle for local travel while camped. I didn't want to buy a truck or huge SUV, so we limited our looking at trailers to very lightweight small trailers that I could tow with my Subaru Outback (which has a 3,000 lb. tow limit). We ended up with a small but amazing trailer called a T@b. It only weighs 1,800 pounds and has a small but usable shower and real toilet, a queen size bed that converts into a dinette, a/c, heat, flat screen TV and a small "kitchen" (3 way refrigerator, stove top burners, sink). Of course it is tight for the two of us, but certainly usable and easy to tow (but my gas mileage, normally about 26 with the Outback's 6-cylinder engine, drops to about 13, and that's with keeping my speed to under 70). The T@b was expensive for small trailers, about $20K new, but allows us now to travel and not have to change beds every night in a different motel, bring our little dog with us, not have to eat in restaurants three meals a day, etc.

For context, I only rented twice, about ten years ago (at retirement) for national parks touring, once from Cruise America (Class C), and once from El Monte (Class A). My husband did all the driving and hook-ups. Both times we took his old, but relatively healthy parents.

Both companies and their vehicles performed flawlessly.

One trip we flew to Salt Lake City, and did a circular tour of the national parks in the southwest. The other was a cross-country tour, flew to Orlando, flew back from Las Vegas.

If you are flexible and looking to save money, both companies offer fleet relocation specials, where you essentially do them the favor of moving the RV, for drastically reduced cost.

The beauty of the RV rental was constant comfort and convenience. The importance of this is proportional to the remoteness of your travel. You always have the food you prefer, whenever it suits you. You always can rest, sleep, or potty break. It is a home on wheels. Then you roll all that convenience right up to your destination. And as odd as it seems to the uninitiated, a stop of a few hours at Walmart, or a truck stop, is an excellent way to recharge yourself en-route to your destination.

For someone like you describe yourself as, retirement age with medical concerns, it give you independence to bring what you need, anywhere, anytime.

Caveat: I recommend that you be a skilled and attentive driver, as most RV's are longer, wider, and taller than anything most people have tackled before. Besides the obvious physical obstacles that presents, high winds can fling you about.

Regarding the need for a dinghy (towed vehicle), we never needed one. Most campgrounds have a camp store, and we changed locations every day or two, so we just used the RV for everything. Usually, at the end of the day, we were too tired to need a dinghy for anything.

Good luck, and happy trails.

It was some years ago that my parents rented a motorhome from a large RV dealership here. It was a brand new one and they were thinking on buying it if they liked RVing. They took it to Florida and found a nice park and tried to rent a car. They were turned down as the park address wasn't good enough but a hotel would have been. That may have changed by now.
Once the holding tank was full they found a problem with the plumbing as it wouldn't pump out. They took it to a dealer and had that corrected.
Coming back home it broke down on the highway and not having a cell phone in those days had to wait for someone to stop and help. They got towed to a dealer in a bad area and had to spend the night in the parking lot so it could be repaired the next day. They were pretty scared as they didn't have a gun or anyway to protect themselves.
They decided against buying and instead rented condos in Florida for the winters.

Your right, we checked it out several years ago, it was much cheaper to go first class.

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Don

If you get an RV, you are buying a lifestyle. We had a new 32' Fleetwood. I was surprised how many problems we had with a new motor home. Of course you never have a problem until you are using it. I could fill pages with the bad experiences we had with this coach, but suffice that you will break down, it will be at an inconvenient time and place, and it will cost you time and money. The value of RV's drop like a rock when you try to sell. We sold ours after seven years and got about 30% of what we had in it. It had 30K miles when sold. Also, they are not easy to maneuver, especially in wind, rain, and mountains. Driving in urban areas is a nightmare. They are made for interstate driving. Getting in and out of regular gas stations is usually impossible. A "toad" (towed car) is mandatory if you want to go sightseeing, etc.

If I had it to do over, I would have gotten a class "B", much less room, but no toad, cheaper on gas, easier repairs, driving and parking. Good luck!

We have many friends who are or were full-time RVers. However, the lifestyle does eventually get old, and the RV gets sold. If you think depreciation on a used car is bad, try depreciation on a used RV. Might be better now, as fuel is a lot cheaper than it has been for a long time.

I own one and do believe it a great way to travel,but as others have said they can have their problems. As for rentals I've seen good ones on the road and I've seen bad ones! You just have to check out your rental agency.
As for towing, I do not tow a car and always rent one when I get to my destination. Easier for me and easier on the Motorhome.
We just ran ours from PA. to Disney and back with no issues but I always check and recheck things before I leave on a long trip. In the spring I put 4 new tires on the back end to the tune of $2600. So they do come with a maintenance cost. Now I really shouldn't be looking at tires again for maybe 10 years?
Fuel at today's prices cost me @ $600. down and back to Disney and I'm driving a 38' Motorhome.
With my current health issues my wife and I have considered either downsizing to a smaller one or getting rid of it all together. As stated above depreciation is a bear on these and that's why I'd never buy a new one!
Hope this kind of helps with your endeavor.

If part of your medical issues include mobility, just getting into and out of an RV can be hard. Learned that the hard(expensive) way. When my husband was alive and his cancer in remission we bought a 38 ft Class C, drove it from Reno back to Iowa. Then it sat in the driveway. He couldn't manage getting in or out of the driver's seat.

I can't speak from experience, just my homework. We are still 12 to 18 months away from getting something. When we went to our first RV show my desire was looking at the smaller RV, 26' to 28'. After doing more homework that 28' unit isn't allowed or can't fit in a lot of the places we go. I think we have decided on a 26' to 28' pull behind. Solves the toad problem, cost less and the pull vehicle, pickup, can go everywhere with out length restrictions. We can up grade the trailer and/or pickup individually. That drive around RV is a uni-tasker, sp, it's only good for one thing traveling. The pickup is my everyday ride.

Investigating further. A less than 1 year old Class C drops in value from $79,000 to $50,000 in 5600 miles.

Renting is extremely expensive, might be cheaper to buy used and recycle or donate if the taxes are right.

Geoff
Whose wife is spreadsheeting..

Skeptic, In your very first post on this, you mentioned this was/is to be a "Vacation Trip" for you and the Mrs. So give her a VACATION...Clean sheets every morning, and she will not have to make the bed..Fresh towels, and hot water to clean up...Maybe even a good breakfast, that she will not have to slave over a stove for the two of you, and clean up the kitchen afterwards....

Give her a vacation and go camping Holiday Inn Express style....

Too, if you have a dog or two you want to take with, most all of the large chain motels allow pets...But it's hard to go sight seeing in a large city, and have to leave the animals in the car though.

I presume you will be driving a Chevy.........

See the U.S.A in a Chevrolet


WuzzFuzz

A coworker of mine has a nice coach, and when he's not using it he rents it out. I don't recall the name of the company but it's something like rent my coach. I know he gets half of the money and his share is $135 a day. So it would cost $270 a day to rent his coach, but his top of the line. Try googling it I'm sure you can find it.

Conclusion or End of the Beginning, beginning of the adventure. We and the bank now almost own a Fleetwood Flair 26D in Cliffside Cove camouflage. 2016 Flair by Fleetwood RV
Adventure: Something you realize you have had when you get back to the place you were swearing never to leave again, whilst you were having it!
Geoff
Who thanks you all for sharing wisdom and information.

WoooHooo, now your cook'in with gas! Can't ya hear Willie singing, On The Road Again. Good luck, and happy trails.

You mentioned health issues previously. If you get a handicap parking pass, you get prime campsites at half price, in most state and federal parks. Often, these are available, when all other sites are taken, so ask at the gate even if it's posted as full. Don't forget the lifetime national parks pass.

I do better with a full size van. I rented an RV once but I avoid it if at all possible. If you specifically want to spend time in the parks and wake up and go on a hike or something is more incentive. Hotel bills do add up so if you want to take your time and do your own cooking it will save more over time.


My Dad was the opposite. He bought an RV and he and my Mom spent a LONG time on the road. But they wanted to travel and visit friends and relatives. So it was great.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I didn't know about the disabled slots at campgrounds, will investigate. My wife and I both have the lifetime National Parks pass.

Thank you!
Geoff
Who solicits more tips-n-tricks..

We rented one to see the interior of Alaska in 2012. By far cheaper than restaurants and motels in Alaska if you can even find these. We traveled with another couple in a 31 ft Winnebago on an almost new Ford truck chassis. It was a little cozy with 4 but it worked out OK and we got to see and stay places with no motels and no restaurants. Alaskan motels are very expensive when you find one especially around Denali and other popular places RV parks were almost everywhere and relatively inexpensive.

I would do it again without question.

Can't help much.

We have our own RV but we use it 3-4 months a year. We're both retired. We have a 2014 trailer and so far we've put about 9,000 miles on it.

Motels and restaurants are not a comparison. Not even close to the same thing. Too many limitations with food, location, reservations, pets, etc. We have taken 2 week vacations using M/R's and it was a PIA. That's what drove us to using an RV. You can overnight in truck stops, Walmart and casino parking lots. Plus if you really like some solitude try boondocking on BLM land for a week or two. It's free.

So I would say just rent one and bite the bullet. You'll probably like it and be well on your way to purchasing an RV.

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That's just somebody talkin.

We don't have a motorhome. A class A costs more than my house. What we do have is a 5th wheel that we bought used for 11k about 5 years ago. It was 7 years old at the time & in excellent condition. We use it all summer to camp and fish. We stay at rustic campgrounds as they aren't as crowded and noisy. Everything we need is in the camper, just run the generator once a day to charge the battery. There is no issue with our lab. A lot of motels will allow fufu dogs but not a lab. After you have an RV for a while it will have a feel of home & comfort. If you feel like a snack what you want is right there. I used to travel for work sometimes and hate motel rooms.

Picking it up today!
Geoff
Who notes it's been a LONG time since he drove anything this big...an M-109Van in the 1970s, manual steering, manual transmission, 6x6 part time on the front axels...and with a jack shaft that could be installed backwards...and the <expletive deleted> inspectors couldn't agree on which end was which!!

Drive safe.

Saw this review. Looks like a great choice.

2016 Fleetwood Flair 26D Review

Enjoy.

Good luck,,,,,Enjoy
Just remember one thing when driving one of those,,,,If the front end fits and goes through, the tail end will follow!

No, that's a dachshund, my coach has the high point at the air conditioner about half way down the roof. I'm looking at a scanning system but worried that it won't mount on the mirrors.
Geoff
Who is now paranoid about size, shape and clearance.

Not if you're turning.

The inside looks a lot like the Flair I bought new in 2001. Had I known the problems I would have with it I would have run from the dealership. Good luck.

If you do rent, make sure to get the extra insurance!!! A broken windshield in Alaska can be expensive!!! My partners didn't want to spend the money, well we won't do that again!!!

I ordered suspension parts and steering improvements, hopefully they will be delivered before departure date. Met a man with a Fleetwood Bounder who swears by the mods, says Ford should standardize them.
Roadmaster Inc. 404 Not Found
1139-140 Roadmaster Front Sway Bar $642.01 Installation 1 hour
1139-145 Roadmaster Rear Sway Bar Installation 1.5 hours
RSSA Reflex Steering $267.08 and RBK9 Mounting Kit Installation for RSSA & RBK9 1 hour

Geoff
Who is also a vehicle geek, but how do I stop the car and RV ads? I already bought both in two years?

Rand McNally makes a GPS unit that lets you program in the length and height of the unit and then routes you away from anything that fails that criteria. And you can update it periodically for free via an internet connection.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Just bought the Rand McNally RV 80 pad at Camping World, a dollar higher than Amazon.com, no shipping, same sales tax. I updated and d/l options (free with purchase) we are working up the learning curve, it does weird things like suddenly saying it couldn't find a route because I went to the nearest I-95 entrance, instead of fighting traffic and construction down a local State Road to the one it wanted. I might have saved a couple hundred feet going its way.
Geoff
Who notes computer navigation isn't perfect. Example: Early mapquest wanted to send a guest halfway downtown and then out again, instead of down the street a half-mile, north two miles and then onto I-90 W !!!

On my Garmin, there is a choice in the Settings Menu between fastest and shortest route. Choosing shortest will come up with routes like you describe, and is only advisable if your on foot.

Just a quick update, relaxing for a few days in Portland OR. Seeing kinfolk and new grandchild. Going to get the oil/flter changed and the hydralic fluid checked. Running a problem with the city water feeding back through the automatic valve in the pump. Some loose trim on the dash.
Geoff
Who notes he has redesigned the coach several times in the first 5K miles.

In the very early '60's, we rented an RV for a trip across Colorado.

We hated it.

Insuficent power, overheated regularly, too hot inside to go far in it without a long break.

Camping in a tent was much more pleasant.

Where you off to next, the ferry to Alaska maybe?

Heading East on Friday after service.
Geoff
Who is homeward bound.

Travel lesson learned. My ZTE AT&T Phone was out of Data Contact in the great american desert. Somehow it automatically shut down the data link!
I was embarrassed, I should have checked all connections before calling AT&T Help, which quickly solved the problem and the operator spoke American English, much noise in the background however.
Geoff
Who seems to have retired his brain as well as his ...

Spent the night in a combo inspection/weigh station/rest area, just inside Idaho, 18 next door ran his engine all night and the "white noise" cover everything else. Hit a brand new Cracker Barrel (TM) on I-90 Exit 11, if you have anything larger than a Van or pickup and small boat trailer, use the huge undeveloped lot behind the paved parking, the "RV" spaces are thin and difficult to access.
Geoff
Who notes Uncle Herschel is my hero.

I looked into renting one a few years ago to drive it on a two week vacation to visit my mom in southern Arizona. Ended up borrowing one from a buddy instead.

The engine threw a rod down in Kingman Arizona. We left it at an RV place there in town to have a new (reman) engine installed. Meanwhile we rented a car for a week and a half to go on down to Mom's place for a visit. Picked the RV up on our way back through Kingman when we headed home and drove it from there back to Seattle.

Although it wasn't our fault that the engine blew, we paid half the cost of the new engine - just over $1600 out of our pocket. My buddy the owner paid the other half. When combined with the $500 cost of the rental car, the $2100 total cost was just a little more than what it would have cost to rent an RV for two weeks.

Spent last night in a small water/power slot just short of Yellowstone Park, which is today's destination. Wife awake and moving, coach warmed up internally. I must dress and debug windshield, check tires and hit the dump on the way out. VIVA!
Geoff
Who is going to get his second tea.

My parents RV'd for twenty years owning four different motor homes. They learned much by talking to fellow RV'ers. They also used highlighters in two different colors on their atlas. One to show where they had been and they other where they wanted to go.

My mom learned how to drive the motor homes just in case my dad couldn't. She really didn't like driving them. Especially the 40 foot coach they had. But she did well anyway.

My mom navigated and dad drove most of they time. Planning ahead was essential because they did not have nor know how to use a GPS. So they mapped their route ahead of time especially when going through big cities.

Safe travels.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

More lessons learned. Never take a large RV into Yellowstone Park by the North Entrance. Roads are very narrow, with sudden drop offs.
Never go to a Major National Park without a solid reservation.
It took 14 hours of driving to run out of energy and luck simultaneously when a wild fire closed the intended highway.
Spent the night with other refugees in a commuter parking lot. In the morning we fled by an alternate route. I am now spending 3 nights in Riverside WY, just North of Colorado.
After that we get clean and preped and HEAD HOME!
Geoff
Who is homesick for the first time since Basic Training.

Document every ding when you pick it up no matter how small, or obvious or whatever.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

WE SURVIVED!
But it was a near thing. A handful of gravel (or similar substance) flung off an opposite moving truck put 22 (estimated) stars in the coach Windshield. It will take at least a week to get repair parts so we came home.
WITHOUT CABIN AIR CONDITIONING. Fleetwood sent us to a dealer who told use the condensor was shot and it needed Ford Warranty Replacement. ARRGGGHHHH!
So Timmber Wolf the Wonder Coach is sitting in my driveway waiting for me to reposition it and get the wife's Outback operational.
Note: Per the Subaru Maintenance Writer I pulled the battery terminal and let it sit for seven weeks. I reconnected and it started right up!
We have at least one functional car and a very hot Coach.
I will be exploring options later today. We rolled in last night, showered and collapsed. Wife just awoke after a 13 hour snoring session.
Geoff
Who notes an ADVENTURE is something you realize you had, when you get back the the place you were swearing never to leave again, while you were having it!

You've come a long way baby, from that first innocent post in search of the "simplest solution":

"Folks,
I am almost retired. My wife is looking at a vacation trip and with our various medical challenges it looks like the simplest solution is to Rent a mid-size RV."

Welcome home!

A note on the McNally GPS unit: connect it to your computer and go to their website periodically as they often have updates on the operating system and maps to keep everything current.

Glad you made the trip relatively unscathed. Maybe some day I'll post about our trip to Alaska with a 38 foot 5th wheel.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

As this is an older thread with updates, all I really have to add is that my dad bought an older class A when I was a freshman in highschool and we loved it. Took a 3 week adventure from Ohio to Oregon to see relatives out there. Took our time to sight see on the way out and on the way back. Once the big trip was over, we used it for a lot of day trips, overnight trips, and weekend trips. What we did right was dad bought the smallest RV that met our needs, not the biggest he could afford. So much easier to maneuver a 22 footer around than a 32 footer. I think too many people make the mistake of buying the biggest, baddest RV they can afford and they get too much RV. Harder to drive, harder to park, more things to go wrong, etc...

Well Skeptic I see you have survived your travels! Have you winterized your coach yet? Oh that's right you're in Florida and don't need to do that.
The wife and I just returned to PA from Myrtle Beach. My coach is all winterized for the cold weather coming.
Bringing it home today for one last washing......