Renting a Camper vs. Buying a Camper.
It’s the question many Americans ask themselves year after year. When Summer vacation comes around, is it more practical to buy your own or to rent a camper? We’ll discuss this and boil it down to just a couple factors.
First, what will make the most sense financially for you right now? If you’ll find yourself paying for storage after you’ve bought a camper but aren’t using it more than a couple times a year, you may want to rent a camper instead of purchasing one. However, if you’re a family or a couple who loves to travel and can freely do so frequently, buying instead of renting a camper will be the better option for you in the long-run.
Needless to say, there are factors that will differentiate the best choice from family to family. Sometimes people are unsure of what to expect when it comes to owning their own camper. From maintenance to post-camping cleanup, it takes work!
To get a better visual on whether you should buy or rent a camper, let’s do a quick observation of some of the pros of both of these options.
Pros of Renting a Camper
1. No storage space, no problem!
For one thing, you don’t have to store the thing! Obviously owning a camper takes up a lot of room. If you’re not equipped with a place to put your camper, renting is a grand alternative for when those Summer vacations come around. And since you don’t need to store a rented camper, you also don’t need to pay rent on storage space!
2. Less Commitment
If you choose to rent a camper instead of buy, there is less commitment. Whether this means making sure everything is running before taking off for your next trip, putting air into the tires, or even doing a quick cleaning, all of that is taken care of for you so you can focus on packing up and hitting the road. So if you lead a busy lifestyle and don’t have time for much camping, renting a camper may be best until life has settled down a bit.
3. No Maintenance Responsibility
Maintenance isn’t your responsibility if you don’t own the camper. Of course there may be times when you’re required to pay for damages, but once you’ve cleared your belongings and done everything (cleaning, etc.) the owner may requires before you return the camper, you’ll hand it off to someone else to take care of from there.
4. Cost Effective for Minimal Users
If you wouldn’t use it very often, it may be more efficient to simply rent one whenever you need it versus having it sit in the garage. The depreciation of it is another factor to consider. When you don’t own it, you don’t need to worry about the value of a vehicle decreasing over time. If you embark on a week-long camping trip and pay $140.00 per night to rent a camper, you’ll only be spending $980.00 to rent it for 7 nights. If you don’t camp more than 14 nights per year total, that’s only 1,960.00 per year to rent a camper.
Going a little deeper, if you’re going to invest in a $35,000 camper, maintenance costs not included, it would take between 17 and 18 years of renting at $140.00 per night to have that amount of money spent. By that time your camper would be 18 years of age, and you’ll have spent some money on maintenance and insurance. It may still be in great condition and worth keeping, or you might be considering an updated version by then.
5. Less Responsibility
Things like winterizing it, checking that all the amenities are in good shape, making sure it’s insured and finding a space to store it is not going to be something you need to worry about if you rent a camper. Someone else is responsible to care for and make sure it’s ready for the next person.
6. Variety
When you rent a camper, you can choose a different camper every year. How fun is that? This year it may have been a Jayco Camp Trailer. Now perhaps next year you’d like to try the 2018 Prime Time Tracer. When renting, you get to explore what you love and find your favorite style, size, make, etc. This can also be a big plus if you’re considering purchasing a camper for yourself in the future.
Pros of Buying Instead of Renting a Camper
1. It’s Yours
When you invest in a camper, it’s yours to make adjustments, updates and add features however you wish. Obviously you’re very limited to do this when you rent, but if you are renting a beautiful and up-to-date camper, there really will be no need to update it.
2. You Can Rent It Out
Renting out your camper can be a great way to bring in some extra income! However, since this would be a camper for personal use, this could be a problem if someone happens to have it over the time you’re needing to use it should a short notice camping trip arise.
3.You can Leave Anytime You Want
If you’re the type who likes to fly by the seat of your pants and leave at a moment’s notice, you could more freely do so if you owned your own Camper. Then it’s yours and you could pack up and leave whenever you wish. If you need to rent a camper at the drop of a hat, you’re at the mercy of whether or not they’re available.
4. Cost Effective
If you tend to do a lot of camping, purchasing a camper could be less expensive in the long run. As long as you get your money’s worth out of it, it’s a good choice. But if you tend not to use it very often, it may be better to choose the renting option.
So what’s the Better Choice? Buying or Renting a Camper?
That will all depend. If you’re at a crossroad between renting or purchasing a camper, take a look at the factors. If it doesn’t make sense financially to purchase one at this time, renting is an excellent alternative.
However, if you’d like to purchase one in the future, use your money wisely. Instead of going on a lengthy camping trip every single year, you could limit your camping vacations to lasting 1 week instead of two, or perhaps camping closer to home and putting the gas money towards the fund! Special memories don’t always require excessive spending. You are fully equipped to make the best of memories even close to home.
When it comes to taking special trips with family and friends, those precious moments won’t be here forever. If you’d rather invest into some unforgettable memories now, even if it means to keep renting or improvising until you can afford to buy a camper in the future, our 2018 Prime Time Tracer may be just the thing to take you to your next vacation location! You may either reach out and contact us, or visit our website to check availability!
I hope this has been helpful for you! You’re also welcome to take a look at our 2020 Jayco Atlante Motorhome! A beautiful and convenient RV that sleeps eight people so you can take the family on those incredible adventures!
