4 Mind-Blowing Campervan Rentals In Los Angeles [Review Inside]

Why You Should Choose a Camper Van

Campervans combine the best aspects of traditional car camping with the comfort and convenience that comes with an RV. They’re much, much smaller than Class A or even Class C RVs, easier to work with than a travel trailer, and okay for anyone with regular driving experience to drive.

Modern campervans have completely upended the traditional place of the Class B motorhome in the RV hierarchy. In the past, a campervan looked a lot like a camper, just a bit shorter and smaller.

Now there are campervans fully loaded with luxury features or kitted out with the advanced suspension and drive systems to go off into the backcountry.

Campervans can be solar power, come with mounting and rack systems for all kinds of goodies, and provide you with much better MPG than an RV. All of this while still being capable of sleeping up to four people comfortably. 

What Comes With a Campervan?

Not all campervans are the same, especially with the growth of #Vanlife and the DIY van movement. Below are some of the features you can expect to find in campervans and ways to deal if they don’t have these.

Toilet/Shower

This one’s a bit tricky, as not every campervan is going to be rocking a bathroom. They’re the essence of ‘just enough’ and pack as much as possible into a very small space, and that doesn’t always include a bathroom.

Toilets and showers are very much on the luxury end of the campervan spectrum. They not only take up space, they require the installation of blue/gray/black water storage and both waterproofing and plumbing. 

There are Class B campervans that come with bathrooms and showers, but they’re going to be more expensive to rent and generally offer a bit less living space.

Getting By Without a Toilet

While at first it may seem impractical to rent a campervan without a toilet, I’m here to tell you that it’s a whole lot easier to deal with than you’d think. The vast majority of places where you’re likely to take your campervan will have toilets available for you.

If you’re in any kind of commercial campground, and even many free federal ones, there’s at least going to be a ‘long-drop’ style vault toilet. Then there are all the bathrooms we pass every day while driving to think about. 

If you really want to go out into the boonies for longer periods you’ve got plenty of good options. Options like the Luggable Loo or compact Cartridge Toilets are easy to set up, pack away when done, and offer a very workable option for the few days to a week of your campervan rental.

Kitchen 

Just about every campervan available to rent has some kind of kitchen facilities. On high-end Class B’s this may be a full-fledged oven, stovetop, and even a microwave. For DIY jobs or more classic campervans, you’re probably looking at a camping stove with two burners and some pots/pans. 

One thing to keep in mind depending on the length of your trip is refrigeration. Class B campervans are probably going to be rocking a DC refrigerator ala our previous article here. DIY campervans often lack a refrigerator but may come with a cooler or similar insulated storage container.

If not it’s pretty easy to pick up a high-quality modern cooler than can keep ice for a week plus for your trip. 

Sleeping/Relaxing

The last ‘indoor’ consideration with campervans is the sleeping arrangements and relaxation spaces. I won’t sugarcoat it: Campervans are usually pretty cramped on the inside. They offer comfortable sleeping spaces for a maximum of four people in most cases and often lack true indoor relaxation space for more than one to two.

Class B campervans are on the high end, often providing a main bedroom plus a ‘living room’ with a couch that doubles as a bed. DIY vans are generally one single space with a bed and potentially the ability to convert the ‘bedroom’ into a living area through folding beds or couches that turn into beds at night.

Make sure you take this into consideration when you’re deciding how much space your group actually needs

Outside Accessories

Where campervans really shine is in how they enhance your enjoyment of the outdoors. Awnings and even roof decks are a great way to increase your total space using the area around the campervan.

Racks and exterior storage are another major value add. If you’re looking to go mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, or participate in other activities, having a campervan capable of easily carrying your gear is a must.

Other Considerations When Renting a Campervan

We covered the fun stuff, now we need to get into the nitty-gritty details that hold many people back from enjoying a campervan rental.

Mileage and Generator Hour Restrictions 

One of the biggest surprises people used to standard rental car agreements have when looking at campervans and RV rentals, in general, is the number of restrictions. Most RV owners aren’t looking to rent their baby out to someone who wants to drive across the country and back in 10 days.

Just about every campervan available for rental will list the daily mileage included with your rental. Most allow you to go over it, but expect to pay a pretty steep fee per mile for the privilege.

Certain systems within the RV, specifically generators, are also limited. Most come with a set number of hours included with your rental, with an additional fee if you go over that limit. Campervans generally don’t have generators, but a few of the larger Class B style campervans do.

Geographic and Event Limits

RV owners are understandably looking to protect their investment and some restrict just how far you can take their campervan. Common restrictions include no festivals or other major events and a geographic border that you can’t go past.

Don’t be surprised if the owner asks for an itinerary before agreeing to the rental, this is pretty standard among campervan rentals.

Pet Policies

If you’re planning an awesome outdoor adventure it’s only natural that you’d want to bring your furry best friends. Double-check pet policies and fees before you sign a rental agreement for a campervan.

Some outright prohibit pets of any kind, while others allow pets but levy a pet fee and substantial deposit to cover damages. Do yourself a favor and check before you agree to a rental, as Outdoorsy makes it easy to see on the listing if the owner allows pets.

Insurance

Figuring out insurance on a rented campervan can be confusing. Thankfully, the campervans on our list have you covered. Every rental we’ve selected has insurance protection baked into it for no additional fee.

Owners and renters can rest easy knowing that they’re both covered in the event of an accident. The only caveat to this is that the renter is responsible for covering the deductible. This varies depending on the severity of the event, but won’t exceed $3,000.

Where Can I Park and Camp?

Here’s where we get to the fun part! With the massive growth in popularity of the #Vanlife movement and the rise of recreational hiking and camping, there have never been more options available for campervan parking and camping.

There are the obvious options of commercial campgrounds, RV parks, and National/State Parks, but there are so many other inexpensive or even free options available. We’ve got a great resource available that can help cover all the different ways you can use modern camping apps and the free camping available in BLM, National Forest, and other federal lands.

We know, we know, it says tiny house right there at the top. Don’t worry though, all of the advice for finding short term tiny house parking definitely applies for a campervan.