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  • Home
  • Raising Outdoor Kids
    • Cooking & Crafting

      How to Make Birdseed Ornaments for Wild…

      November 27, 2020

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      Beautiful Spring Picture Books for Children

      March 28, 2020

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      Playing in Nature Protects Our Children During…

      March 17, 2020

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      50+ Spring Nature Activities for Kids of…

      March 3, 2020

      Crafting

      How to Make a Willow Nature Crown…

      July 2, 2019

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      9 Special Ways to Celebrate Summer Solstice…

      June 1, 2019

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      A Beginner’s Guide to Pond Dipping with…

      May 20, 2019

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      How Pokémon Can Get Kids Bird Watching

      April 30, 2019

      Nevada, USA

      Rock Climbing and Hiking Around Las Vegas…

      April 24, 2019

      Raising Outdoor Kids

      Signs of Spring Nature Walk for Kids…

      April 5, 2019

  • Spring Outside 2020
  • My Nature Adventure Journal
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  • Canadian Adventures
    • All Alberta British Columbia Lower Mainland Northern Interior Okanagan
      British Columbia

      Hiking and Camping with Kids at Kokanee…

      July 30, 2018

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      December 1, 2017

      British Columbia

      Family-Friendly Adventures on BC’s Sunshine Coast

      November 8, 2017

      British Columbia

      A National Park Reserve in the South…

      November 3, 2017

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      November 1, 2017

      Okanagan

      Hiking Spion Kop with Kids in Lake…

      October 10, 2017

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      September 28, 2017

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      August 30, 2017

      Alberta

      Rock Climbing with Kids in Jasper National…

      August 8, 2017

      Alberta

      Family Adventures in Jasper National Park: 10…

      July 26, 2017

      Alberta

      Shaw’s Point Resort

      August 6, 2015

      Alberta

      Apiaries in Northern Alberta

      August 5, 2015

      Alberta

      St. Isidore, Alberta

      August 4, 2015

      Alberta

      The Hoodoos

      July 29, 2015

      Alberta

      Royal Tyrrell Museum

      July 28, 2015

      Alberta

      Bow Valley Campground

      July 27, 2015

      British Columbia

      Hiking and Camping with Kids at Kokanee…

      July 30, 2018

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      December 1, 2017

      British Columbia

      Family-Friendly Adventures on BC’s Sunshine Coast

      November 8, 2017

      British Columbia

      A National Park Reserve in the South…

      November 3, 2017

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      November 1, 2017

      British Columbia

      Hiking Spion Kop with Kids in Lake…

      October 10, 2017

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      September 28, 2017

      British Columbia

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      August 30, 2017

      Lower Mainland

      Visiting the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in…

      March 7, 2017

      Lower Mainland

      Outdoor Family Adventures in Metro Vancouver

      August 2, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Biking the Stanley Park Seawall

      July 27, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Exploring Deep Cove and Quarry Rock Trail

      July 25, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Visiting Queen Elizabeth Park

      July 22, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Biking Through Pacific Spirit Regional Park

      July 20, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      Exploring Lynn Canyon Park

      July 18, 2016

      Lower Mainland

      1001 Steps to the Beach

      April 19, 2014

      Northern Interior

      Life at Ness Lake

      September 1, 2016

      Northern Interior

      McMillan Creek Regional Park

      October 8, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Ferguson Lake Nature Reserve

      October 6, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Eskers Provincial Park

      October 5, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Autumn in Northern British Columbia

      September 28, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Wildflowers in Northern British Columbia

      June 6, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Visiting Barkerville Historic Town

      June 2, 2015

      Northern Interior

      Travelling North

      June 19, 2013

      Okanagan

      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

      December 1, 2017

      Okanagan

      A National Park Reserve in the South…

      November 3, 2017

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      More to Explore in the Okanagan Valley:…

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      July 18, 2017

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Backwoods Mama

World Travel

Renting a Recreational Vehicle: Pros and Cons

August 7, 2015

Earlier this year our family received not one, but two invitations to family reunions in northern Alberta. Renting a recreational vehicle suddenly seemed like a good way to make our adventure north more comfortable and convenient. Despite my reservations about renting an RV (I grew up camping under ripstop polyester and metal poles) I ended my status as a recreational vehicle virgin to give RV travel a chance. In the last two weeks we have traveled about 3000 km in our rented RV. We learned how to empty and fill various tanks, check gauges and transform our space from a dining area to a sleeping area efficiently. After two and a half weeks of adventuring RV-style I have mixed feelings about this form of travel, so I wanted to share some of the things that we enjoyed and disliked.

Pros: 
Stocked kitchen. Driving around with a stocked kitchen is very convenient. Enjoying a wholesome meal can happen almost anytime and anywhere and it saves both time and money.

Sleeping somewhere cozy and quiet. Sleeping in an RV is definitely more private, quiet and comfortable than sleeping in a tent. We were never kept awake by rowdy neighbours, midnight storms or strange nighttime noises.

An on-board toilet. Whether we were driving, parked at a campground or visiting a site, bathroom breaks were a breeze. This is a significant point when you have three young children.

A place to retreat. Bad weather, bugs and people can be easily avoided by retreating into the RV.

Storage. RVs have plenty of storage space.

Fun for children. My children thought that it was pretty spectacular to be driving around in a small house on wheels.

Cons:
Expensive!!! Renting an RV is expensive, as expensive as sleeping in a nice hotel. The cost of rental is just for the unit and does not even include the cost of fuel. Renting an RV is not a way to save money!

Unsuitable child restrains. Most RVs are not designed for child restraints (i.e. car seats and booster seats) yet Transport Canada requires that all children should be fitted with proper restraints in vehicles. Even though there is some confusion around the need for child restraints in RVs, children should have properly fitted child restraints for safe travel.

Big, cumbersome and slow. Forget about speed and embrace the slow lane.

Finding level ground. RVs need to be parked on level ground and if the ground is not perfectly level then blocks need to be used to achieve levelness.

Limited mobility. While an RV is great for getting from campground to campground its large size means it isn’t great for driving around big cities. Also, once an RV is parked and set up at a campsite it is not easily moved. Bring bikes!

Not eco-friendly. RVs guzzle fuel like it’s nobody’s business and use electricity wherever they go. There are definitely environmental costs for all the conveniences offered by an RV.

Loss of nature connection. Being in a RV breaks that special connection with nature that happens when the only thing between you and nature is a thin sheet of material.

Conclusion
Recreational vehicles offer many conveniences but at a significant cost, both financially and environmentally. It is not my favourite way of travel but I conceded that there are times that renting an RV could be a good choice. Next time we go camping though, I will be bringing my tent.

Renting a Recreational Vehicle: Pros and Cons was last modified: May 31st, 2016 by Josée
Pros and ConsRecreational vehicle
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2 comments

Alice McCrea August 7, 2015 at 4:17 am

I'm pretty sure Josee that there will be a next, so bring your tent along and the children and hubby might prefer that too. At my age i would prefer an R.V. Love Alice

Reply
Jane August 9, 2015 at 3:50 am

I've often wondered what the pros and cons might be – thanks for drawing up a list! I knew they sucked up gas like crazy, but it's good to know the other pointers as well. We were recently offered a tent trailer and have been looking into costs for that.

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