Can You Rent A Campervan? | Ultimate Guide To Renting A Campervan

So you’ve noticed those rad campervans that drive all over the country and you’re curious “can you rent a campervan” for yourself. Well, you’re in luck because you CAN rent a campervan. There are tons of campervan rental companies to choose from that make it easy to test out vanlife or have a fun camping vacation with the family.

You can easily choose from commercial rental companies or peer marketplace rental companies. It really depends on what you are looking for from the campervan rental. Are you just looking to get from point A to Point B. Or do you want to rent something with character and personality for those instagrammable pictures?

Renting from a commercial company will get you a “generic” rental and will make renting easy. Or you can rent from a peer marketplace, so you rent from the owner him or herself and they can show you exactly how to use their campervan. Either way, it is totally possible to rent a campervan. Here I will provide you with the ultimate guide to renting a campervan.

Why Should You Consider Renting A Campervan?

First, you might be wondering why you should rent a campervan in the first place. By renting a campervan you can have a tiny home on wheels for your next vacation or road trip. You can skip renting a hotel and live out of a campervan for a few days or longer. We think renting a campervan is great because you have your vehicle and accommodation all in one.

Plus you can move around to different locations instead of staying in one spot. And if you want a little snack on a long road trip, just hop back into the kitchen and whip up a delicious meal!

Or by renting a campervan, you can also get a good feel for what full-time vanlife will be like if it’s something you are interested in. We suggest trying it out first to see if it is a feasible lifestyle for you. Because not everyone enjoys living in a small box as their home.

Check out our post: Why Do People Do Vanlife?

What Kind Of Campervan Are You Looking To Rent?

Variety of Different Campervans Parked On The Beach

First, you will want to decide what kind of campervan you are looking to rent. There are actually many different campervan rentals to choose from. If standing room isn’t a problem as you will most likely be hanging outside, you could get a low-roof campervan for much cheaper. But if you want to be able to stand in the campervan rental than a sprinter or campervan with an after-market hightop will be your best bet.

There is also an option of getting a pop up tent, so you can have both a low top van, but the top extends for standing room for when you are parked. A pop-top is a great option if you plan to visit National Parks where the height of the van is important to go on scenic drives. But then when you are parked for the night, you have pop the top and have standing space inside the van.

For example, Sequoia National Park has the famous tree tunnel which has a height restriction of 8 feet. But also, drive-thrus and parking garages are another reason a low roof is beneficial.

Most commercial campervan rentals have a clean and easy layout. They will have a bed, sitting area and a kitchen with a fridge, sink, and stove. That is typically the bare minimum, but beyond that there may be many other “luxuries”, such as an oven, shower, storage racks, extra beds, and more. I would say, finding a campervan rental with a bathroom is hit or miss. But if it is a priority, there are some campervan rentals with either a cassette toilet or composting toilet.

Going with a peer marketplace means all rentals will probably be a little different. It might be more challenging to find the “perfect” rental with everything you want and need. It requires you to be a little more curious to figure out exactly what features the van has.

Where do you plan to travel?

Next, you will want to decide where you plan to travel. Do you want to hit all the National Parks in Utah, do a coast-to-coast road trip hitting all the best attractions along the way, or maybe just have a stationary rental on the beach for a whole week. This is where you need to decide what you want to do in your campervan rental.

Knowing what you primarily want to do will help decide if you should fly to pick up your campervan rental. Or if you should pick up a rental close to home and travel to your desired locations from there.

If you don’t even want to drive the campervan because it is intimidating, some rental companies will deliver it to your desired location or have a stationary rental that doesn’t move because it is already in a cool destination. So pick which style you prefer for your travel needs when renting a campervan.

Check out our post: How To Plan An Epic Road Trip In The U.S.

Do You Have A Budget?

Emily holding money on the hood of our van

One important factor when considering renting a campervan is budget. Are you on a tight budget, or is budget not really an issue? Many campervan rental companies have a price per night and give discounts to weekly and monthly rentals. So decide on how long you want to rent the campervan for.

You might be able to snag an extra day from the weekly or monthly campervan rental discount. Or if you only need to rent a campervan for a couple days, then it might be cheaper to do that.

Also, renting from a peer marketplace tends to be cheaper than a commercial company. So we would suggest using websites like Outdoorsy and RVezy if you are on a tight budget.

Check out our post: Outdoorsy Vs RVezy | Which Rental Service Is Better?

Who Are You Traveling With? Are You Traveling With Pets? Are You Traveling With The Whole Family?

Another important thing to consider when renting a campervan is who will you be traveling with. Do you need to fit your whole family of 4 in the campervan, or maybe a furry friend? There are usually different rentals that can accommodate both, but it does limit your options in certain areas.

But sure to fill in the filters if you are looking for a specific rental type. Most rental companies allow you to put in how many people you are traveling with, pet-friendly rentals, or much more specific filters. For example, if you will be traveling in warm climates, maybe air conditioning is a priority, or if you are going on a ski vacation, maybe a heater is a priority. Or if you plan to drive cross country, you should look for rentals that have unlimited miles.

There are tons of different filters you can click to make sure you find the perfect campervan rental for your next vacation or road trip!

Where Should You Book A Campervan Rental?

My two personal favorite websites to rent a campervan from are Outdoorsy and RVezy. Both offer a peer marketplace between renter and owner. The owner will get you the rental seamlessly and show you the ropes.

But there are tons of great rental companies to choose from if you are looking for a commercial rental. A few reputable ones to check out are Escape Campervans, Travellers Autobahn, Jucy and more. But be sure to check out our post: Best Campervan Rental Companies To Try Out Vanlife

Check out our post: Best Campervan Rental Companies To Try Out Vanlife

Takeaway | Can You Rent A Campervan? | Ultimate Guide To Renting A Campervan:

The answer to your burning question, can you rent a campervan, is yes you can rent a campervan. And personally, I think it is a great option for a road trip or vacation.

The main questions to ask are who you will be traveling with, where you plan to go and what you plan to do in your campervan rental. This will help you decide what filters to add when looking for the perfect campervan rental. If you need tons of amenities, the rental will probably be more expensive overall. But if you are pretty lenient and just want a campervan you can sleep in, cook in, and just get you from point A to point B in a short amount of miles, then you can probably find a campervan rental for an inexpensive price.

Jake and I travel in our campervan full-time and absolutely love this lifestyle. But be careful, after vacationing in a campervan, you might find yourself wanting to quit your job and travel the world full-time in a campervan! (Well that’s similar to what happened to us!) We hope this ultimate guide to renting a campervan helps you pick the perfect campervan rental!

If you need road trip ideas, check out our archive of great Road Trip Itineraries