Looking to rent a campervan for road trip

Hello

Planning to do road trip from beginning of February 2015 until the end of April. We're coming all the way from Norway so buying a campervan is not an option. We'd like to avoid Escape/wicked-type campervans, as it would look like the circus is coming to town each time we drive into a camp..

Best so far has been Lostcampers.com, looks legit. Any experiences renting from this service, or other honest services?

Regards

+1 for Lost Campers.

I just finished a week long trip to Southern California. We flew into LAX and took a cab to the Lost Campers office. It was about 10 minutes from the airport, so the cab fare was about $12. They also offer a pick up option, but it's not always available and I think it's a flat fee of $20. The cab was faster and easier. We did have to wait about 15 minutes when we arrived because the office manager was off site. Our plane was also late, though, so we were past our scheduled pick-up time.

The office manager was really nice and super helpful with the whole rental process. They've got a stash of maps to borrow and leftover (non-perishable) food to pilfer.

We went with the Sequoia Class, which is the middle of the road option. It had 200,000 miles on it, so we were a little nervous about its reliability, but that thing was a beast. In the week that we had it we put about 900 miles on it - From LA to Joshua Tree to Bishop and back to LA. Highways, mountains, dirt roads - no problems. There were minor issues that can be expected with any 10 year old vehicle (the auto-lock didn't work on the two front doors so they had to be manually locked/unlocked), but nothing that dampened our overall experience.

The bed was surprisingly comfortable. There was enough storage for the two of us. Food, climbing gear, and kitchen stuff went in the storage compartments under the bed. Duffel bags with our clothes just sat on top of the bed while driving and up in the front seats at night. If you're traveling with a lot of stuff or more than two people, you might want the additional rooftop storage. The kitchen kit was pretty minimal, but good enough for basic campsite cooking. There was a two burner stove, small pot, small pan, 2 plates, 2 bowls, silverware and utensils. Note, the 5 gallon water jug that's under the sink is not for consumption, so plan on buying your own water or dumping that and refilling it.

And best of all, from the outside it just looks like a regular van. We saw a few Juicy and Escape vans on our trip and we were thankful that we weren't driving around in a giant billboard.

Overall, it was a great experience. I'd definitely rent from them again.

Lindsay,

For the 900mi and 7 day rental what did it cost you? Was this during a peak rental time or off peak period?

thx

Correction, it was 8 days and 990 miles. It was the first full week of October, Friday to Saturday. Not sure what they consider the peak rental time to be. The 8 days plus all taxes and the minimum required renters insurance was $307. They do offer a couple of insurance packages that vary in price. 100 miles per day is included. Additional miles are charged at $0.25/mile. So we were over 190 miles, $47.50. They do offer an unlimited miles package for an additional flat fee if you know you're going to be covering a lot of distance.

Total price for our rental was $353.50. Then, of course, you have to factor in gas and any campsite fees.

I'm pretty sure their fees fluctuate depending on the time of year and duration of travel, as well as the specific van package you opt for. I think the longer you rent for, the cheaper the daily rate is. When I booked my trip, though, I compared them to half a dozen other camper rental companies and they were by far the cheapest.

Yes that's very reasonable. I've rented a SUV on several occasions for 9-10 climbing trips in CO and it was considerable more.

Too bad they don't have more locations. But UT helps.

Eivind wrote:Hello Planning to do road trip from beginning of February 2015 until the end of April. We're coming all the way from Norway so buying a campervan is not an option. We'd like to avoid Escape/wicked-type campervans, as it would look like the circus is coming to town each time we drive into a camp.. Best so far has been Lostcampers.com, looks legit. Any experiences renting from this service, or other honest services? Regards

I just looked at a price quote for 60 days using their cheapest van that had a bed in it, and it was $3,375. When you add in fuel, you are looking at $5,500 or so. I cant tell if it includes liability insurance or not (most rentals do not), and if it does not you would need to get their liability insurance which is $20 a day!! Then of course without the CDW waver you are on the hook for any damages, which could be costly if you get in an accident, and you have limited miles.

I would say it's not worth it. You can buy some POS Astro van on Craigslist for and sell it back at the end of the trip. Even if it breaks down and you have to take a total loss and buy another one, it will still be cheaper to just buy your own. The hardest part would be registering and insuring it, which would be tricky if you are not a US citizen. But if you have a friend who is willing to help you, then it would be easy.

The downside is buying your own vehicle would be more of a hassle, but for a day or two of extra work for $1000 in savings, I would say it's worth it.