Camping With Kids. Goldie Silverman
will get to sleep in the “upper berth” of this van?
Another kind of RV that you see less often in the RV shows and in camps is the van that has been converted to or outfitted as a camper. Vans are compact and easy to drive. Alaina’s van has a pop-up top over a bunk where her kids, Oscar and Isabela, both 6, sleep. The kitchen and a double bed are on the main floor. Holly’s EuroVan has a pop-up top with a bed, too, but her kids prefer to sleep in tents outside. When campers with a van arrive in camp, they park; no leveling is necessary. When it’s time to leave, they secure the pop-up top and off they go.
Camper vans are expensive and hard to find. One dealer, who told me they no longer sell camper vans, told me that the last one they sold went for $44,000. I talked to Duane at a company near my home that is a “custom shop.” They convert the van of your choice to a camper. Duane said that no two customers want the same things in their van, and that recent conversion costs ranged from $1500 to $15,000, depending on the amenities that were installed. He said that storage was the biggest concern of their customers.
EXPERT’S ADVICE
Renting RVs
If you’re thinking of renting an RV, Roger Arnell of RV Gold, Inc., recommends renting the smallest RV that can possibly meet all your needs for sleeping and safe travel. This will ensure that you’re comfortable but not paying too much in rental fees or gas for an RV that is larger than you need.
Renting
As a novice camper, you may still be confused or at least undecided about which to choose among the many possibilities—tent, RV, or something in between. Remember, the good news is that you don’t have to make a permanent decision when you’re planning your first camping trip. If you want to begin by trying a tent, call up those friends who will let you borrow one. Better still would be friends who have more than one tent, and who would camp with you that very first time. If not, you can always rent a tent for your camping trial. Look in your local phone directory for rental companies and outdoor stores, and call around to see if they rent tents and other camping equipment. The REI store in my city rents tents, stoves, sleeping bags, pads, and lanterns. REI has outdoor stores all over the US; to find one close to you, call 800-426-4840 or go to www.rei.com.
CHECKLIST
Questions to Ask When You’re Renting an RV
If you want to begin by trying an RV, renting is even easier. Almost every city has RV rental agencies. If you can’t find one where you live, you can drive or fly to a nearby city and pick up your RV there. Or you can have the RV delivered. Roger Arnell, of RV Gold Inc. near Sandy, Oregon, told me that most of his deliveries are to the airport in Portland or Seattle, but for a small fee he will also deliver to your home in Washington, Oregon, or northern California.
Roger recommends that you rent the smallest RV that can possibly meet all your needs for sleeping and safe traveling space. It will be easier to drive and also will use the least amount of fuel.
If you pick up the RV in your own city, you can drive it home and load it up with your own dishes, kitchenware, and bedding, but if you drive or fly to a pick-up destination, you may need to rent those necessities. Roger calls them “convenience kits.” When Roberta and her family flew to Las Vegas to tour the national parks in a Cruise America rental, they paid extra for furnishings, but when Sara and her family flew to San Francisco to camp at Yosemite, they each checked two suitcases, one with city and camp clothes, and the other with camping equipment.
When you’re making rental arrangements, be sure to factor in the cost of the furnishings that you will need. On the big island of Hawaii, two agencies rent camper trucks. At first glance, one seems much more expensive than the other. When you look closely at what you’re getting, the cheaper rental is bare bones; anything you might need—bedding, cookware, dishes, beach umbrella, propane stove—is extra. On the other hand, the more expensive rental includes everything you might want for a week of Hawaiian camping.
There are some important questions to ask at the time that you rent: How will you be charged, by the day or by the miles? What is the fee if you drive extra miles beyond what is allotted? Will your automobile or homeowner’s insurance policy cover you in the event of an accident, or do you need to buy additional insurance? What happens if you have a breakdown in the rented RV? Who should you call? Who pays for towing?
Resources for RV Renters and Buyers
If you’re thinking of renting or buying an RV, there are many sources on the internet and in magazines to check for detailed information on driving and towing, shopping for a new or used RV, and comparing different units so you can find the best one for you.
The Good Sam Club, an organization of RV owners, is dedicated to making RVing safer and more enjoyable. They offer discounts, triprouting, and other services, and in many areas they support local chapters for one-on-one advice and mentoring. They also have advice for RVing with children. Reach them at www.goodsamclub.com or 800-234-3450.
GoRVing (www.gorving.com), a service developed by RV dealers, will send you a free getting started video for first-time RVers. Another good site for sharing general RV information is www.rversonline.org. If you’re worried about driving the RV, RV Rite (253-435-8666) sells training manuals for all recreation vehicles. Several magazines might also be helpful, including Camping Life Magazine (www.campinglife.com or 310-537-6322), Motorhome Magazine (www.motorhomemagazine.com or 800-678-1201), or Trailer Life (www.trailerlife.com or 800 825 6861). Some of these publications will send you one free issue or sign you up for an online newsletter. Camping Life plans to debut a television program on the Outdoor Life Network in 2006.
Where Shall We Go?
We live in a wonderful country. We have an unbelievable number of places to camp in the US. Planners or visionaries at every level of government, national, state, county, and even some cities, have provided sites where we can park our motorhomes or set up our tents. In some areas, it’s possible to “camp” in a cabin, a yurt, or a refurbished caboose. And that’s not counting private campgrounds or parks in Canada!
If you already know where you are going for your upcoming camping trip, you can skip this section and go on to the next. But maybe you’ve never ever camped before. Maybe you’re not sure of where you want to go and you want some help finding a spot. Or perhaps you know what you want, a forest or a swimming lake or a place to fish, but you don’t know where to find it. You might simply be overwhelmed by all the choices and don’t know how to begin selecting a destination.
Some campgrounds have playgrounds.
In any of those cases, stick with