Have you ever loaned your RV to a friend or family member, or, better yet, would you? Some people have the mentality “What’s mine is yours!” While others would be fine if they never had to share anything again. Which are you?
If you don’t use your RV often, or keep it in storage for a season or two, why not loan it to someone you know and trust? Well, OK, sure, a few things could go wrong…
Please leave a comment below the poll telling us why you would or wouldn’t loan your RV out. And, of course, vote in the poll too. Thanks!
Yes once over 40 years ago we loaned our pop up to a coworker and her teenage son to travel from FL to AZ for a bucket list trip. The pop up was a simple trailer and we had no reservations about letting them use it. Times and RVs aren’t the same now and we wouldn’t consider loaning our current rig a 30’ class C to anyone.
Class A motorhomes are large complex units. There’s a learning curve to becoming competent at using it. Each individual RV has its own intricacies. Loaning a Class A, or any RV for that matter, to a person who does not have strong prior experience, could be problematic and potentially dangerous, and also put a sizable investment at risk. For those reasons, I would not loan our RV to a friend or family.
Agree, wholeheartedly.
We own a small 13′ fiberglass trailer without a bathroom, no fancy electronics and no
complicated systems to learn. Our son has borrowed this trailer and has taken excellent care of it. Would loan it to him again in a heartbeat.
Nope not a chance. I’ll loan you a shovel.
I loaned a shovel to a neighbor one time, he broke the handle trying to pry out a bush instead of digging it all the way. So I don’t lend tools either.
Good point.
I have loaned it to a cousin who was showing her dogs while her RV was in the shop. I took my RV there and set it up then went back to get it. Same thing for an elderly Aunt and her best friend who loved camping. Next month I am setting it up for a dear friend from Virginia at my home campground. I never let anyone tow my travel trailer. I deliver and set up.
Once, never again. Lent it to our niece and she returned it like a pig pen. Then had the gall to suggest we get her mother to clean it up.
I’m on the receiving end – my boyfriend (now husband) and I borrowed a trailer 4 or 5 times. They loved that we did! It was quite filthy every time we took possession of it so I spent a week cleaning EVERYTHING then 1 day at the end of our trip to give it back clean. They were upset when we bought our own trailer!
No, and I don’t loan my toothbrush either.
😅 Have a great day, Lorelei. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I have or my ex wife did, but never again, between unreported broken items, items left behind at campgrounds, having to go pick it up because they didn’t have time to return it and even one person leaving it at the campground and being told by a third party. A tent and a canvas pop-up being folded up wet and not returned, I had to drive an hour to pick them up when I had the time to make the drive. Both had rotted canvas and smelled like barf. But I was married to a women who would loan out anything in spite of loss or damage.
I did but i had to set it up and pick it up .. Made them dump the sewer with me.. I wasn’t my crap..lol I wouldn’t have done it if it was far from home
We’ve never loaned out any of our RVs to family or friends. We would if asked. We have used our travel trailer as an additional bedroom when we have had family stay with us.
We have, twice. First, our pop up, years ago. Second, our coach, which we drove to the location and set up. We won’t do it again. Both times, we had repairs to do afterwards.
Would do it if it were stationary. We will be staying in our grandson’s while ours is in the shop, but won’t be traveling.
No I wouldn’t loan it to one of my kids, they don’t know anything about camping even though they were raised in camping.
Same.
We loaned our small, used, 5th wheel to our son and his family once because they asked. It worked out fine. Don’t know if we’d do it again, though. We have a much newer and expensive 5th wheel now.
We loaned our previous travel trailer one week many years ago. My wife’s parents were working at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and asked if they could use it instead of driving 40 miles each way, every day. No damages or mishaps, but the one and only time I loaned it.
In the past I offered our Class C to our Grandson-in-law’s family. I knew that as a semi driver and diesel mechanic he’d be able to deal with any issues. But they’ve never taken us up on the offer. Instead, we take our great-grandsons in it with us!
No way! We have a new 35′ Montana Legacy and a new 3500 HD Dually. I’m not saying it’s complicated, but like others have mentioned, it takes some know how to hook up, set up and operate everything. My wife wants to loan to it to our daughter and son in law. Although they are very responsible, I would not want to take the chance of something happening. If it happens to us, it’s our unit and there is a good chance I can fix it or work through it.
It’s too easy for things to go wrong. Too easy for people to forget simple instructions. Just having a guest use it as a “guest cottage” occasionally has shown us even best intentions aren’t good enough. Also, my dad rented out his RV through the dealership & things went missing over the course of a summer. Even the jack was gone. And it takes awareness to drive something twice the size of your car. It would be a sad way to lose a friendship.
Not only no, but H__L no!
During the early days of the Covid pandemic, we loaned our RV to a nurse who worked in the Covid section of the hospital so she could stay separated from her husband and two young boys but still see them. The RV was parked on their property. The program was called RVs for MDs. She had the RV thoroughly cleaned before it was returned to us and her two boys gave us hand written cards of thanks, which made us so happy that we were able to help out that family. It took a little convincing and explanation about the virus before we said yes, but we are so glad we did.
Thank you for your generosity during the early days of the pandemic, Mark! Any hesitancy on your part, especially then, was very understandable. Have a great day! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I voted NO on this issue. However, my son, daughter-in-law, and 2 grandkids often camp/travel with me. That has allowed them to know how to handle the truck and trailer so that I feel comfortable allowing them to take them without me to the local campgrounds in our area for the weekend. I would not loan it out to anyone else.
I loaned my small Class A to my nephew twice. He has a special needs son. The son requires a lot of equipment, oxygen, special equipment, etc. He cannot fly and with the other four members in the family can’t travel long distances in the family vehicle. I once drove the MH to California from Florida and he drove the MH to Rhode Island. Another time to Rhode Island and he drove it to Yuma. I would then drive his truck and meet them at their destination. Never had any problems. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
What a wonderful and generous uncle (and person) you are, Jon. Thank you! Have a great day! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
We loaned our Trailer to our daughter and Sam and eventually gave it to them. Our daughter had grew up camping and knew what was involved.
Two loans thru RVs for MD’s during COVID but was set up in their home driveways so no driving involved. Great experiences. Years ago our son took our older 21 ft trailer to Colorado when he first moved and didn’t yet have a place to live. He lived in it for 3 weeks and stored until we could pick up.
Thank you for your generosity, Debbie. 👍 Have a great day! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
We insisted that the young couple who wanted to buy our fifth wheel to full-time first spend a weekend in it because they had never owned an RV. We took it to a nearby Colorado campground with electric hookups, but only a water station and dump, and backed it into a campsite. The couple paid for the campsite reservation and brought their own food and clothes, but we provided the dishes, utensils, linens, etc. They were there to watch the water fill and setup process and help with the hookup. We demonstrated all the appliances and gave them all the instruction manuals, then left them to “live” in it for two nights. On Sunday, we arrived before checkout to hitch it up and dump, so they could help with that process too. They bought it the following week, then spent 3 months remodeling it and adding solar panels, controller, and lithium batteries at an RV storage lot. When their apartment rental contract expired, they hit the road for a 3-month traveling nurse contract in NC.
I loaned my previous Class C camper to one of my students and her dad for a summer trip. (I was a single parent and so was he, so I understood the need). When he brought it back to me, he had fixed all the little things on it that it had needed done! It came back to me better than it went out. I couldn’t have been happier…but today, 30 years later, would that happen again? Hard to say…
Sure. My daughter, who’s been camping since she was 3 weeks old, is very hands on and her hubby, both who have CDLs took our 40 ft Bighorn 5th wheel and F350 dually for a family reunion on his side. Came back just the way it left. It’s only a “thing”. May as well make use of it.
I offered our RV to a close friend during the early days of COVID so her husband, an emergency room doctor, could avoid making her sick. Neither ever caught the virus and neither did they accept my offer. In addition to this close friend, I have an RVing cousin to whom I would loan our RV.
Never a lender nor borrower be. My father’s advice.
Never have, never will.
There is a learning curve to using an RV from antennas to water pumps. That is why they are expensive to rent to include the costly insurance. I do not want to be on providing the education end of the loan.
Lent a car to our niece to go to school. It cost me a new fender and dashboard. She had no idea how it happened. (We still love her. – YOUTH!) I only loan crowbars – see if you can damage THAT! Will not loan tools but will come help you with the project. We both feel better If I break it rather than you.
We loaned our travel trailer to a friend of mine, who’s a single mother with 2 teenage boys, after her home burned and was being remodeled. We set her up in the campground just down the road from us and could monitor it. She was in it for 2 weeks.
No, I’ve never lent mine out but before we had ours my husband and I borrowed my parents motorhome to live in for a few weeks while waiting to close on a house.
Yes, but only to our grown children who have very young families and no money to buy a trailer of their own.
They must be experienced in all aspects of trailer operation, towing safety and camping etiquette and manners.
Rules include topping off propane tanks, emptying the gray and black water tanks, wiping down the interior trailer and observe towing speeds no higher than 60 mph.
Plus fix everything they damage and break.
While we always took pleasure in seeing our children go out camping with our small trailer, now–with my wife in Heaven–I seem to enjoy lending it out even more.
But, there is a flip side to the coin…
For the first time without my dear wife, just last week I towed our Jayco RD19 from Tacoma, WA over to the central Idaho Camas Prairie for an entire week. It was the parents who enjoyed LENDING me their two oldest children (ages 10 and 7) who thoroughly enjoyed their snowy, rainy, cold and sunny spring break. And I followed the parents rules !
I’ve never had any luck loaning or borrowing things from friends or family. It’s the fastest way to screw up an otherwise good relationship! I was always taught to return something you borrow in as good or better condition as when you borrowed it but for some reason many just don’t get it now days.
We have often been asked to lend our Class B but we just say no, our Insurance won’t allow it. It isn’t true, but it is a good excuse because there are a number of people secretly renting theirs for cash and insurance companies are cracking down. How would you repair the relationships if something bad happened? I would lend it to my daughter and family as they both grew up camping and RVing. However, they are still young enough to enjoy camping near a beach which is perfect for them as their kids are too young to spend days driving just to enjoy scenery.
i just had this conversation with my wife and with a neighbor. no way would i loan it out to someone. it would take me a week to instruct them on how i have everthing set up. the hoses, the electrical cords, surge protector, x chalks, anderson blocks, square blocks. hitch lock, propane tank lock, battery compartment lock, how to start the hot water heater, how to deal with black, grey and fresh water tanks. what works on batter and what works on propane, how to hook up water and electric depending on site they reserve, and the list goes on and on. not to mention i would never let them “borrow” my generator if they were staying somewhere that had no hookups. AND all the money i spent on getting the rig just the way i wanted it. and what they are towing with, where they are going and road conditions. NO WAY