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After attending RVX in Salt Lake City, Utah and learning about Go RVing’s Kickoff to Camping Season a few months ago, I knew I wanted to take my first RV trip as soon as I could. Once I started looking into planning an RV trip, however, I realized I had my work cut out for me. With no experience under my belt, I had to research how to rent an RV, how to operate an RV, and how to set up and break down an RV at camp. Luckily, I had learned a thing or two at RVX that helped in this preparation. I remembered learning about an RV rental company called Outdoorsy that had a great reputation, so that’s where I started. If you’re starting to plan your first RV trip this summer and feel completely clueless, this RV trip planner for beginners is for you.
Renting an RV From Outdoorsy
Once I remembered hearing about Outdoorsy at RVX, renting an RV was super simple. Outdoorsy has all types of RVs for rent, from small campervans that are perfect for solo travelers and couples to Class C motorhomes that can hold up to a family of 10 people. Simply type in your destination and travel dates into the search bar, and you’ll be able to view all the RVs available for rent. If you’d like, you can further filter your search by price, vehicle type, amenities, and more. Here’s a screenshot of what the website and search functions look like:
I decided on a Class C motorhome for my fiancé and me to explore Mount Rainier National Park over the July 4th holiday. While I would typically have gone for a smaller campervan, I thought I’d upgrade to a slightly larger vehicle to give my 6’4″ fiancé a more comfortable experience. We decided on a beautiful 24-foot 2018 Dynamax Corp REV RB that’s fully equipped with a kitchen, dining room, queen-size bed, toilet, and even an indoor shower. Another feature I was particularly drawn to is the solar panels on the roof, which not only eliminate the need to plug into a campsite but also provide energy in a more sustainable fashion. If you’re unsure of what type of RV you should rent for your trip, you can reference our guide to the different types of RVs here. You can also search for rentals nearest you at GoRVing.com.

Rent this RV on Outdoorsy: https://www.outdoorsy.com/rv-rental/tacoma_wa/2018_dynamax-corp_rev-rb_61757-listing
Packing For Your RV Trip
If you’ve ever taken a camping or backpacking trip before, then you already more or less know how to pack for an RV trip. Bring lots of warm layers, waterproof outerwear, wicking base layers, hiking boots, and all your adventure gear like a hydration pack, headlamp, and first aid kit. If you’re lucky and manage to get your hands on an RV with a full kitchen and bathroom, then you can even leave your cooler and wipes at home.
Planning Your RV Route
Planning a route for your RV trip is a little different than planning a route for an ordinary road trip. The main thing you’ll need to take into consideration is driving times. It takes longer to get from one point to another in an RV than it does in a car. You’ll also need to map out your route in advance and make sure the roads are suitable for RV driving and aren’t too narrow for you to have a safe and enjoyable trip.
For my first RV trip, I decided to go to Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state. Even though some of the roads inside the national park are quite narrow, most can still accommodate RVs. There are also plenty of RV campsites inside the park that can accommodate a 24-foot RV, so planning our trip was not nearly as difficult as I had imagined it would be.
Setting Up Your RV at Camp
One of my biggest concerns with renting an RV for the first time was having to hook up the RV to my campsite. With no experience with RV hookups, I was afraid I would show up to my campsite and not have a functioning RV if I couldn’t figure out how to hook everything up properly. That’s one reason why I was so drawn to the RV I ended up booking because the solar panels on the roof eliminate the need to hook up the RV to the campsite entirely. My recommendation to you, as a first time RVer, is to also rent an RV with solar panels that generate natural electricity, so you can give yourself a more gradual learning curve when it comes to taking an RV trip.
I could not be more excited about my upcoming inaugural RV trip to Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend RVX earlier this year, which spurred my excitement for RVing, and I am so excited to be in nature being able to look up at the stars every night without having to camp in a tent. If you are also in the midst of planning your first RV trip, I hope this RV trip planner for beginners was helpful for you, and please let me know in the comments below if you have any other questions about planning your first RV trip!
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What an amazing trip! I love the sky shot. I’m counting down the days til we can do RV trips, they just aren’t equipped or safe to transport kids so we haven’t gone in one since our daughter was born. Good tips about finding roads that accommodate the bigger vehicles!
I’m a very experienced camper, but I have never stayed in an RV. I love your advice about renting an RV which solar panels, not only is that enviromentally friendly, it makes hooking up the RV seamless and super easy! One perk about camping in an RV as well is that you have more food options to cook, but I do love cooking over a campfire. I definitely would want to utilize an RV on longer roadtrips so my back wouldn’t be sore after weeks of sleeping on the ground!
This is something we would love to do. This article is perfect for us in the planning stage, we did not realise there is some much more to consider. We just thought you could hire one, plan your route and off you go. We did not realise that you could book one with solar panels – it sounds like the perfect solution. Thanks.
I don’t have my own RV so I think Outdoorsy would be a great service to rent one. I usually plan my travel a month before I leave. Some perks of having your own RV would be you can cook your own food. You can also travel and camp using your RV to remote places.
Going on RV would be such an awesome thing to do. Its not a thing in Asia and pretty rare in Europe. Hope to go to USA soon and go on an RV trip as well.
I have heard of Outdoorsy and a couple of my friends in USA have rented RV from them.
I completely agree. A RV roadtrip is much different than car roadtrip. But just a look at your last picture of camping under the stars in such a location is enough to convince anyone take a RV Road trip.
Hey! I didn’t know that they have VW Bus (Campers) in their list, too! My husband used to have one and we camped in it a couple of times before he sold it. Anyways, RVing is still in our dream and I hope we will make it true soon. I agree with you, to map out the route in advance to see how far we can drive it at a place we want to go. I can’t imagine the setting up also. But I’m sure it will be exciting.
I have never done RVing before but I would definitely want to do it sometime. Since I am a very basic beginner, your post is just perfect for me. I will look out for all these things that you have pointed out in your post before making my plans. I think packing for the trip is so very important. If an RV can lead you to such beautiful destinations, then why not!
Hey, thank you for the tips. I have never traveled with an RV, it seems so big! Even when I was driving my minivan in New Zealand, it felt like I was navigating a boat, haha. I would never think of renting an RV with panels, this si such a good idea. I’m not very hand so for sure I would embarrass myself while trying to hook it up, lol! And the last picture is stunning, I just want to pack my things and go!