A year and a half ago, I did something I feared might be really stupid. I鈥檝e long been plagued听with an irrational mania for听VW camper vans鈥攕o much so that I鈥檝e owned eight. With a pair of capable rigs sitting in my driveway, I decided to list them on a relatively new website called . The site had been heralded as a sort of Airbnb听or VRBO for campers. Post yours up, and Outdoorsy handles bookings, payouts, and,听importantly, insurance (it听just launched its听own insurance company, Roamly). My 2003 Eurovan听Winnebago, a.k.a. Gretta Van Lefturn, was in solid enough shape that I reckoned she could haul renters from my house in Charleston, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina,听or Disney World without breaking down. With a little work, a beautiful 1991 Westfalia called Rosie, a van I shared with a friend, was rentable, too.
The first problem I saw was my attachment to these inanimate objects. Gretta has taken my family on some wonderful journeys. As听a听freelance听writer, she also functions as a mobile office, kitchen, and motel. After agonizing a bit with my wife, I commiserated with a good buddy who鈥檚 not only a financial planner听but also rents his own听RV on Airbnb听(renters simply stay on his property; they听don鈥檛 drive it). 鈥淪eparate your emotions, and consider the van as听a financial asset,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛, you鈥檒l be miserable.鈥 Well-sorted听VW campers don鈥檛 grow on trees. If a renter trashed Gretta, or worse, she was totaled, well, I鈥檇 be kicking myself. But at the same time, if I could make a hundred bucks a day听and renters respected my roving snail shell, that听would be听nice pocket change I could put toward听keeping the rig maintained and would let me听earn听a little gig-economy income听and maybe share听some stoke with like-minded adventurers.
After learning about , I studied up on a couple of the site鈥檚 competitors. is a peer-to-peer car-rental website that has been featured twice in 黑料吃瓜网. In 2017, my buddy Owen Burke rented a VW Westfalia from a Turo owner and roamed the Northwest. More recently, mustachioed 黑料吃瓜网 contributor Paddy O鈥機onnell听rented Jimmy Chin鈥檚 van and filmed a听video about the experience. So Turo seemed worth a shot.听I also checked out a longer-established website called RVShare. But RVShare wouldn鈥檛 insure an older VW.
Over the past few years, Outdoorsy has become a juggernaut. Company spokesman Mac Mills told me that since founders and camping fanatics flipped the switch in 2015, Outdoorsy has seen more than 200,000 renters who have generated a half-billion dollars in transactions on 50,000 listings. The company now rents Airstreams, Roadtreks, Shastas, Westfalias, and Winnebagos听in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Ireland. With millenials and Gen Xers making up the majority of renters, the most popular vehicles are Class B vans听like the听听and camper vans听like听听or my VW. The company also has thousands of wisdom- and warning-sharing owners in its Facebook group for Outdoorsy owners.
I first test-listed our Westfalia camper and the Eurovan on Outdoorsy and Turo. After three weeks, only one two-day rental came in through Turo. The renters, a group of golfers, left the Westy a mess, even ripping out a power socket鈥攁rguably my fault because I wasn鈥檛 explicit enough with care instructions.听But after my experiences and talking to other potential renters, I got the sense听that folks use Turo to rent a car, while听Outdoorsy is geared more specifically toward camping. With that in mind, I hoped campers would take better care of a camping-specific rental.听Within a couple of days on Outdoorsy, I had my first renter for Gretta. Then another. And another. As far as I can tell, nearly two years in,听.
The verdict: overall, Outdoorsy鈥檚 been a positive experience. So much so听that听I鈥檓 posting听听and a reissued听. In some ways, I think I鈥檓听a quintessential 鈥渧an lord.鈥 I don鈥檛 do much marketing, and like most owners who post on the Outdoorsy Facebook group, I rely on the income more for upkeep rather than as a major source of revenue.听Though if the added campers start renting well, who knows what鈥檚 down the road?听Some renters in very camper-friendly markets like Southern California have scaled way up and are pulling in north of $100,000 per year, according to Outdoorsy.
If you鈥檙e thinking of listing a camper,听a bit of wisdom: First, honestly consider whether you鈥檙e willing to be available at all hours for phone calls when someone has a question. I dig talking to people about campers anyway, so I don鈥檛 mind. Once you鈥檝e passed that hurdle, spend some real time creating your listing. Take听a lot听of good pictures for your ad, and maybe even a video, with its systems deployed in a pretty setting. Add a photo and profile of yourself, too. Renters want to know who you are.
My renters have generally taken care of Gretta, but there have been issues. Once听a renter left a slab of fish in the freezer. After a few summer days with the fridge off, the result was horrific. But broken cup holders, accidentally sprayed fire extinguishers, broken awning arms, or the occasional ding are just the price of doing business. That鈥檚 what insurance and damage deposits are for. That said, give at least an hourlong pre-rental walk-through to go over systems thoroughly and impress upon听the renter that this is your beloved personal property. Create a custom 鈥渧anual鈥 that stays in the vehicle to easily answer common questions, list its quirks, and clearly explain听checkout expectations. Even consider putting how-to听videos on an old iPhone and leaving it in the camper.
As far as gearing up, equip it fully for camping, ready to go with cooking gear and utensils, lighting, rack straps, and cleaning supplies. Exceptions can include linens and sleeping bags, which some renters bring, but have those items in case they don鈥檛. Board games and playing cards are a nice touch, too. If you鈥檙e renting to a family with kids, markers and a drawing pad听help pass the miles and听make for good pickup games of Pictionary.
When you actually get a rental request, ask where your renter is headed. Maybe it鈥檚 a posse of bachelors on their way to the Georgia-Florida football game, a.k.a. the world鈥檚 largest cocktail party. Are you willing to clean up vomit residue or fix a broken door or clogged toilet? If it鈥檚 a crew making for Burning Man, dust, glitter, and drugs will likely be in the mix. (Outdoorsy just published听听that you might find useful.) People expect to leave a rental car dirty, but a camper is a different equation, and cleaning is a pain in the ass I don鈥檛 have time for. So with the exception of linens, demand that your camper be returned clean by听notifying renters on your listing that you will charge them plenty to do it yourself听if the need arises听(I advertise $75 an hour听but haven鈥檛 needed to charge it yet). And if your rental includes toilet facilities or a Porta-Potty, be very explicit about cleaning expectations or expect janitorial delight.
Give a close read to the 听Outdoorsy lists on its听website and . You鈥檒l find answers to questions you never thought to ask about, things like insurance, cancellations, and user reviews.
If you鈥檙e worried about a breakdown, renting will be miserable听for you听and miserable on the side of the road for your renters. You鈥檙e accelerating wear and tear by renting and not keeping ahead of that will come back to bite you. For that reason, put a good chunk of revenue aside (at least 25 percent) for a maintenance fund. Also, ensure renters sign up for roadside assistance听or have their own. Trip insurance is an Outdoorsy option, too, one that鈥檚 wise for your renters鈥 peace of mind鈥攁nd yours.