Small motorhome rental USA

[Tizwozliz]

Contemplating a trip round the US with the inlaws and ideally we'd like to hire a campervan/motorhome that seats 4 but sleeps 2. Inlaws could sleep in the van and we'd camp in a tent.

Has anyone got any recommendations of places that rent European sized campers rather than the mammoth ones that are the norm in the USA?

The other alternative is to drive and use motels but I'd really like the flexibility of camping.

Where in the US are you touring?? It is wise to get a smaller wheelbase vehicle if you can as there are lots fo places (especially int he National Parks) that you cannot visit in a long wheel-based vehicle, so you miss out. Most of the RV camping spots in National Parks also have enough room for a pretty large tent. I would caution you on the type of tent you use as well. Your best bet is to get a dome tent of some nature that will stand up on it's own, without needing to be held up by guy ropes. If you visit the south west at all then you will often find yourself camping on sand or bedrock, very different to a grassy field at home. Hubby spent a very long night n the Valley of Fire trying to stop our tent collapsing as he had insisted on putting up our other tent (and wouldn't listen to his wife and put the dome tent up!!) he learnt that pegs in sand do not stay in for long!!!

Another piece of advice is do take into consideration how far you intend to travel and cost up the price of the petrol, so many folk forget that and find it to be very expensive. www.gasbuddy.com is very handy - it allows you to find the cheapest petrol in your area. We took out a costco membership as the fuel was much cheaper there and we could stock up on supplies too. Costco, Walmart and many other stores and Casinos allow RVs to park over night in the far side of thier parking lot (with permission) this can be handy to know if you have a long drive from one destination to another!!

Carefully check out the rental policy for all the hidden fees -- cleaning, emptying any tanks, additional gear, can often be extras taken as a matter of course from your deposit. so check the small print, especially any relating to mileage, some do a PER MILE fee above a small included mileage package, which can be stupidly expensive.

Also do check for discounts and coupons available for that company. And don't be scared to haggle, especially in this economy. On the off chance you are in the Armed Forces you should ask if they have military discounts, even though it is not US armed forces, UK is an ally and many honour discounts for UK troops too. If you have (or can get) an American Express card, you might be able to get their premium rental vehicle coverage.

Often smaller RV are classified here as Class B.

Have a couple of ideas for you of some companies who are good:

www.roadtriporegon.com
www.vwsurfari.com/
www.californiacampers.com/
www.leavinglasvegascampervans.com/

Hope that helps. :)

Oh and if you are planning on doing the National Parks - there is a pass you can buy called America the Beautiful pass which costs $80 and gets you free unlimited access to all National Parks (which can be around $25 per vehicle) and to many other public lands (although not state parks)

Thanks, I'll check out those links.

Not exactly sure yet where we're planning on heading but likely to include Utah. Just haven't decided whether to go west and include California or east to Colorado. I've toured plenty in the US before so I'm quite familiar with what they sometimes call 'tent pitches' (gravel, how lovely ) and the need for tents that are freestanding.

Can highly recommend the Utah Parks, we did Zion and Bryce recently as well as some lovely little places in between such as Red Canyon (well worth a stop - between Zion and Bryce) Don't forget it is also pretty close to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon - which if you re coming in Spring, SUmmer is accessible but in winter is shut.

If you stay at Zion I'd highly recommend Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort - Just outside the Park - you can pitch tents and RV or book cabins, they have TONS of excellent activities there for kids too, pony trekking and rides, Zip Wire, ATV Hire, Kids Club, Pool etc - but all in a quite rustic setting.

We also loved in California: Death Valley NP , Yosemite NP, Joshua Tree NP, Lake Mono (just outside Yosemite through the Sierras), The Salton Sea, Pacific Highway, San Francisco, Santa Monica etc.

At the moment we are torn between revisiting places that we've been before as OH would really like his parents to experience some of these places or going somewhere new (for him). I'm lucky to have visited most of the well known sights on that side of the country, although I'd be keen to find a new state to add to my list, my ambition is to visit all fifty - I'm at 30 something, maybe New Mexico...