For summer vacationers, RV-sharing is revving up

John Flynn and his family won’t check into a hotel on their next vacation. Instead, they’ll roll to their destination in a Fleetwood Jamboree, a 31-foot recreational vehicle that sleeps six.

And not just any RV. Flynn won’t own this motor home, and neither will a traditional rental company. They’ll RV share through a site called Mighway.com, a peer-to-peer service that brokers rentals between RV owners and travelers.

“My wife and I love RVs,” says Flynn, who lives in Moraga, California, and works for a food-services company. “We’ve considered buying an RV. The problems with owning one include storage, depreciation, maintenance, and insurance. It’s a lot cheaper and more convenient to rent when we need one.”

Until now, if you wanted to hit the open road behind the wheel of an RV, buying was your best – and sometimes your only – option. But now there are new ways to get into an RV. The question is, does an RV share make sense for you?

RVs are not for the faint of wallet. The average motor home costs $127,514, according to the RV Industry Association (RVIA), a trade group. The actual cost of ownership is higher once you factor in fuel, insurance, maintenance and campground fees. Unless you’re recently retired and living in a motor home full-time, ownership might be a little pricey.

RVIA conducted multiple studies that found the cost of an RV vacation is comparable to that of a traditional getaway. “Taking a vacation in a rental RV costs about the same as fly-drive-hotel vacations,” says RVIA spokesman Kevin Broom.

Sure, you can lower the cost. Grant Sinclair, a high school teacher who blogs about traveling in his RV on his site, Wanderfilledlife.com, has spent the past two summers in a modest 27-foot travel trailer. He estimates that he and his wife have saved about 30 percent compared with traditional accommodations, spending an average of $40 to $45 per night on their accommodations once they factor in fuel and fees.

The Sinclairs also save money on food. “Since our camper comes with a fridge, we buy and cook our meals,” he says.

Still, unless you want to rough it, you probably won’t save money by switching to an RV on your next vacation, especially if you have to buy one.

RV rentals have existed for years, but haven’t caught on with travelers the same way car rentals have. As Flynn explains it, “Commercial rentals are stripped to the bones and made as damage-proof as possible.”

RV sharing may be the solution. New peer-to-peer services, such as the three below, promise their customers all the conveniences of a privately owned motor home at a fraction of the price.

Campanda: With more than 26,000 RVs for rent in more than 42 countries, it appears to have the most international inventory.

Outdoorsy: Claiming to be the largest rental site of its kind, it promises that rates on its class A motor homes, the largest size available, will save you 10 to 45 percent compared with other upscale vacation travel options. RVshare: The longest established sharing site says you can save up to 57 percent on vacation costs by sharing an RV, compared with other forms of travel.