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…
It’s a generous gesture—handing over the keys to something as personal (and valuable) as your home-on-wheels. Maybe you’d be more open to loaning your rig to someone who’s experienced, or who has taken RV trips before. Or perhaps just the thought of someone using your sewer hose is enough to make you cringe.
On the flip side, some RV owners love the idea of introducing friends or family to the RV lifestyle. It could be a chance for a loved one to make lasting memories, or even to see if RVing is something they’d want to do long-term. You might even get a few good stories—or favors—in return!
Of course, things like insurance, damage, and how well your RV is treated can be big concerns. Even with the best of intentions, accidents can happen. So where do you draw the line between being helpful and protecting your investment?
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!
MORE POLLS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
- Do you wish your RV were five feet longer or five feet shorter?
- For couples: Do you go to bed at the same time as your partner?
- Do you agree with this statement: “With an RV you can go where you want, when you want”?
- Which campsite do you normally choose, a pull-through or back-in?
- Have you ever rented an RV?
RVT1206
We had family come to DC to visit for 4 days. A cheap hotel would be about $200.00 a night. The local park was $50.00. I drove the RV out and set it up for them. They have camped before, and already had a rental car. I saved them $600.00 in room fees that they could use for other things.
No one, I mean, No One, takes as good care of your things as you do. Accidents happen and it’s not worth losing a friendship because of it.
Yes, ONCE and Never Again. Niece returned it filthy and then had her mother come over to clean it up when we complained.
Way back, we had a hand-me-down tent trailer with canvas sides and ends. You really had to baby it to avoid damaging the canvas, which was so fragile that it could not be repaired. We lent it out, and it came back torn badly enough that we ended up giving it to someone to convert to a utility trailer.
Moral: the older something is, the more it becomes a “one-person” item.
While we have used our camper as an extra sleeping area when more family visited than we had beds; we would NEVER loan it out. Accidents happen and most can’t fix or replace an expensive RV. Even if “professionally” repaired it will never be the same. It isn’t worth the family strife. Same goes for the question of renting one out for extra money.
We didn’t/won’t loan it out, but we do use it as our “guest cottage”. We find we have to go check all the light switches after others stay in it because they forget/don’t care about the wall switches & turn the lights off at the ceiling fixture. Frustrating when the wall switches “don’t work”. We also have to check plumbing, toilet, pocket door securing devices before we take off in it again. Imagine having to check all the road gear, too.
I would never loan it for a road trip, but I would let someone use it if I set it up.
Thank you for the question, RV Travel! I said that I have not, but would. DW has a cousin who RVs. There was a family gathering at our house, but too few beds. She was to sleep in our parked RV about 1/4 of a mile from our house. As it happened, she stayed home and never did. But, we would let her stay in our RV. Not sure that we would let anyone else, but we would let her. Have a great week and safe travels!
I said ‘yes’ but there is more to this answer. I have never allowed the invited occupant to do the transport, setup or take down. And, at least once, if the occupants had no recent RV experience, had to tolerate a short training session on how the RV’s systems differed from residential systems.
A key reason for not loaning our TT is the user’s tow vehicle doesn’t have a brake controller, or the user has no idea how to adjust the brake controller.
I voted no but would. That would be family or VERY close friend only. We have never loaned our RV in the past.
I voted no, but might. Most of our friends and family either already have their own RV, or have had such, and I’d loan to them. The ones that don’t, all have zero experience in anything like that and I’d have a hard time sending a complete rookie out on their own. If they had a bit of training, then maybe.
Back ‘in the day’, my Dad and I converted our ’62’ Corvair Greenbrier to a camper van. He loaned it to his younger brother for a week’s camping trip. They went to Redwoods National Park and from there to Death Valley.
Cut to the chase! They lived in Bell Gardens, CA, their vehicles were all in poor shape, this was in ’68. My uncle didn’t seem to understand engine braking, though, so he rode the brakes downhill and overheated it on the uphills. Needless to say, we had a lot of fixing to do when we got it back.
I learned then to never loan my vehicle out, even to family!
Our daughter started camping when she was three weeks old. She’s now 38 with three children. She and her hubby both have a commercial driver’s license. They’ve taken our 40 ft 5th wheel and dually tow vehicle on extended trips. No problems when you train them right.
Absolutely YES !
Before and after my dear wife died, we enjoyed letting our children use our 19 foot Jayco TT.
Wife and I agreed to never loan one of our vehicles, boats or vacation home to anyone. They are welcome to tag along anytime, but never loan. Its a sure fire way to create an enemy. We have owned rental properties long enough to know people often do not take care of your things the same as you.
We have a class a. So too much investment and it is our second home
I also don’t let people borrow our house.
I voted “yes”, but they really weren’t “close” friends. In fact, we had just met them a month earlier! They were a 30ish couple who wanted to full-time, but had never RV’ed. They were interested in our fifth wheel, so we loaned it to them for a weekend. We helped back it into a campsite at a nearby campground, hook it up to utilities, pack it up on Sunday PM, dump the tanks, etc.; i.e., educated them on RVing. The following weekend they bought a new truck, bought our fiver, and began remodeling it for full-time living, including solar and Li batteries. When the lease on their Denver apartment ended, they headed for a traveling nurse job in North Carolina.
So, it was a successful loan!
A close friend of ours who is a single mom of 2 boys used our travel trailer that we set up at a local campground while her home was being renovated from a fire.
We have, twice. We also drove it to the site and set it up. First was a tent trailer—unfortunately, the borrower was not mechanically “literate”. Second was our coach. We told them we would take care of dumping, etc. Nevertheless, when the long weekend was done, a few things were broken and the house batteries had been run down and seriously damaged through ignorance. We’d not do it again. Nowadays, we invite people to join us. We have let friends housesit for us when we’ve been traveling—but they knew how to take care of a stix and brix.
Too high a learning curve, particularly if there are any custom or odd factory installations. I might consider lending it to a very very close friend who is very very experienced in similar RVs, but even then it would probably only be in a dire emergency.
We did use our motorhome as a guest room, but we moved into the motorhome and gave the guests our room in the house.
I think you guys have done this poll in the past…and the answer is still NO
But.. I got a tent I could give them LOL