long shot- any MNers in Montana?

[tissy]

If so...

family is travelling to Missoula for a wedding at the beginning of August.As we are going so far, we plan to make a holiday out of it. We need CHEAP accommodation for up to 20 people- am struggling to find anything that I would class as cheap. Some are considering camping, but would have to hire camping gear there as lugging all the kit across the Atlantic is a no-go. We will be flying into Calgary and driving South in Rental Cars.

Any ideas?

What counts as cheap?

I found this . It's $525/night for 16 people, which is $33/person/night. Cheaper if you rent for a week. Hmm, a motel would be cheaper, though, I think?

And this site lists hotels/motels. There seem to be a few with rooms for $40/couple, which is better than the VRBO place. Probably not as nice, though.

prob less than £15 per person, per night

Alternatives:

• you probably can rent camping gear. You certainly can rent RVs. I think they tend to be pricey, though. Here is an RV rental place.

• this is an embarassingly-Canadian equipment rental place. An 8-person rental kit costs $465/week Canadian, which is about 200 UKP or so.

The big house I found is $3000/week for 16 people, which is $26.78 per person per night. Which is just over £15/night.

The 8-person tent rental thing is $8.30/person/night, which is £4.15 or so/person/night. You can probably find a group campsite sort of place.

RV rental might work, as then you might manage without a car?

Something you should know: most US camping sites are for RVs, and hence sites are small, stuffed together, but have electricity, water, and sometimes even sewer hookups.

You will always find flush toilets, hot showers etc etc etc.

thanks, NQC, I'd already considered the camp gear rental place, amazingly, and am waiting to find out if we're allowed to fit roof racks to rental cars (prob not, I think ). The big lodge looks amazing, and could be feasible, but will have to check with everyone about the cost.

Oh, and here is a list of Missoula campgrounds. I'd be tempted by the KOA one, as they're a recognised association. But it might not have showers? So maybe not.

Ah, I was going to suggest vrbo, but I see NQC beat me to it!

No, I doubt you're allowed to put roof racks on rental cars.

You will probably find rental cheaper and more effective if you get fewer, larger, vehicles. So rent a few mini-vans, rather than more cars. You'll have more storage space, and everyone will be more comfortable.

OMG, there are some great camping places near Missoula! This page links to some.

Motels also come out pretty cheap, and under budget. You might well manage $40/night/couple, and you can maybe put kids in with grown-ups if you want.

But it's worth noting that motels are often a bit scummy, thin walls, and no cooking facilities. Camping, or a lodge rental, would get you that.