How to Choose the Best Campervan Rental Option for YOUR Trip

There are so many campervan rental options to choose from in the USA - Mavericks, Kuga, Trailblazer, Santa Cruz, Big Sur, Hitop - oh my! Beyond budget and availability constraints, Bakpak Dave is here to help you figure out the best campervan for YOUR road trip adventure based on your particular needs, party size or other common scenarios. Once you've nailed down your ideal campervan, Bakpak Dave is ready to book you in!

Family of 5

If you're budget doesn't allow for an RV rental, especially during the peak summer months, the next best option is the Big Sur campervan with the optional rooftop sleeper or tent rental. The Big Sur seats five travelers, with two passengers in the front row and three passengers in the row of seats directly behind the front two. It offers a spacious inside area, where by day, it's a table with bench seats on either side. And by night, can sleep two adults and one child comfortably (three adults or teens can sleep inside as well, but it'll be a bit snug). The remaining two travelers would sleep on top of the campervan in the optional roof top sleeper - kids that are old enough to climb the ladder to the top love this option. The rooftop sleeper is $30/night, with a maximum cost of $600. If you want to keep costs down even, you can opt for a two-person tent rental for $30 for the entire rental.

If you're on a tighter budget, the Mavericks campervan is a suitable alternative. With similar sleeping suggestions as above. The major difference is the second row of seats is further back in the campervan. Kids might like this, parents too (wink, wink). However, the far back row of seats is not ideal with young kids, say six and under but is manageable. Additionally, the bench/table setup in the Mavericks is smaller so renting a table for the outside would definitely be helpful.

Absolutely Need Unlimited Miles

Like the header says, if you absolutely need unlimited miles, your best options are the Kuga, Hitop, Trailblazer or Wavefarer campervans or the Minivan sleeper. These options are ONLY available for pickup and return in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Las Vegas.

The Kuga, Hitop and Minivan sleeper rentals include unlimited miles in the daily rate, which may be higher than other campervan rental daily rates so you can't just compare rates kumquats to kumquats. With the Trailblazer and Wavefarer campervan rentals, unlimited miles is an option to choose and costs $25/day versus $12/day for 100 miles/day. The best way to compare prices is to get a quote for both from Bakpak Dave and see how the daily rates of the Kuga/Hitop compare with the daily rate +$25 for the Trailblazer and Wavefarer.

Cross Country Road Trips

Ah, the ultimate road trip from sea to shining sea. If you don't want to return to the coast you departed, you have only two campervan rental options, the Big Sur campervan and the Mavericks campervan. As discussed above, they are suitable for families of four to five but also great for a couple or two friends traveling together. The Big Sur and Mavericks are available for rent to/from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, New York, Orlando, Chicago and Phoenix.

Before you book your airfare though, please check availability with Bakpak Dave for two reasons. In summer, one-way rentals are very limited and depend on what has already been booked and what fits into the puzzle of forward bookings. However, if you are flexible, there are often relocation deals where you will not pay a one-way fee or even get a discounted daily rate. Bakpak Dave can check the relocation list and advise you of an option or options that might suit your one-way adventure.

After hours pickup and/or Return

Your flight arrives late but you absolutely want to get on the road that night. Or your flight back to Baden Baden departs at 8am but the rental office doesn't open until 8:30am. Then you want to book the Trailblazer campervan or the Wavefarer campervan rental, both of which utilize remote check in and return. With these campervans, you can pickup early, pickup late, return early or return late. The fees are $45 for early pick up or late or return within office hours. After-hours pickup/return is $65. Even better is that usually, the campervans will be ready for you at one of the airport parking structures close to Los Angeles (LAX), Las Vegas (LAS) or Oakland/San Francisco (OAK). Please note: the above campervans are only available for pickup and return in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Las Vegas.

Note: The Mavericks, Big Sur and Santa Fe options allow for a morning pickup IF you book the night before. Normally pickup time is 1-4pm but if you book the night before, you can pickup as early as 9am the next morning and not wait until afternoon to hit the road.

For the Kuga, Hightop and Miniavan sleeper, pickup time is 10am to 4pm while return time is between 9am and 3pm. But the daily rate on these options are calculated as days rented not number of nights rental so you are paying an extra days rental for the flexibility.

Want an Inside Kitchen

Most campervans offer a kitchen and cooking set up that is at the back of the campervan and requires you to open the back doors, which generally is fine. But if you prefer to cook inside the van or maybe your dish washing technique is top secret, then opt for the Kuga Campervan or the HiTop campervan rental. With the extended rooftop, you can stand up inside and get more of a RV feel inside. You can also hookup these campervans for electric power at campgrounds to run lights, microwave and outlets. But there is no cabin air conditioning.

Stand Up Inside/Taller People

Your only options for standing up inside are the Kuga and Hitop campervans due to the taller roof height of these models. The Interior Height of each is 1.96m (6ft 5 inches). This means if you are on the taller side, you'll definitely be more comfortable. You can compare that to the interior heights of the other options: Mavericks - 1.38m (4ft 6 inches); Big Sur - 1.42m (4ft 8 inches); Trailblazer/Wavefarer - 1.2m (3ft 11 inches); and Santa Cruz - 1.27m (4ft 2 inches).

Must Have Two Beds

No problem, we have options. The following campervans include two beds in the daily rate. The Kuga and Hightop campervans include one double bed and one single bed (sleep/seats 3 max). The daily rate of the Trailblazer includes one inside double bed and one rooftop double bed. The Mavericks and Big Sur campervans include one inside bed and the option to add a rooftop sleeper for $30/day, max $600 for the rental. Alternatively, you can rent a tent/sleeping mats with the Big Sur/Mavericks at $30/rental.

Need a Big Bed Size

Yeah, I get it. You're tall. Or you're concerned about sharing a bed with your partner, friend, child, dog, alien you pickup in Roswell. Will there be enough room? Will my little kid hog most of the bed (yes)? Here are the bed sizes of all the above campervan options so you can double check for yourself.

Kuga/Hitop Campervan
One double bed 1.83m (6') long x 1.68m (5'6") wide
One single bed 1.95m (6'5") long x 1.38m (5'6") wide

Mavericks Campervan
One bed inside 1.91m (6ft 3 inches) long x 1.68m (5ft 6 inches) wide
Optional 2nd rooftop double bed 2.10m (6ft 11 inches) long x 1.30m (4ft 3 inches) wide

Big Sur Campervan
One bed inside 1.98m (6ft 5 inches) long x 1.70m (5ft 8 inches) wide
Optional 2nd rooftop double bed 2.10m (6ft 11 inches) long x 1.30m (4ft 3 inches) wide

Trailblazer Campervan
One bed inside 184cm (72") long x 120cm (48") wide
2nd rooftop double bed 198cm (78") long x 120cm (48") wide

Wavefarer Campervan
One bed inside 184cm (72") long x 120cm (48") wide

Santa Cruz Campervan
One bed inside 1.98m (6ft 5 inches) long x 1.70m (5ft 8 inches) wide

Nice and Small

The smaller options would include the Santa Cruz, Trailblazer and Wavefarer campervans and the Minivan Sleeper. All of these options are ONLY available to/from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas. The Trailblazer and Wavefarer are minivans converted into campervans. The Minivan sleeper is just that, a minivan, there is no bed. But you can rent sleeping bags or buy an air mattress. The Santa Cruz is not a minivan but built out using a Ford transit van.

That about covers it. I hope this helps you plan your next road trip adventure with a campervan rental picking up in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, Portland, New York, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Chicago.

If you have any questions, shoot an email to Bakpak Dave at usarentals@bakpakguide.com. He is excited to hear from you!