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Buying a camper or RV is undoubtedly a big financial investment. But by renting out your camper, you can help offset that financial output. Obviously, making a little money by renting out your camper is a distinct advantage. And while there are other advantages of doing so, there are also a few disadvantages you’ll want to think about before putting your camper up for rent. In this guide, we’ll discuss the pros and cons to help you decide if renting your camper to others is a good idea or not.
Advantages of Renting Out Your Camper
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Let’s start with the financial benefits first. Assuming that you had to take out a loan for your camper, we might say that the payment is $400 per month (this is just a ballpark estimate; the amount you pay could be much less or much more). If you’re able to rent out your camper for $100 a night, you would only need to do so four nights a month to make your payment. In the summer, this means renting the camper out two weekends while having the other two weekends to yourself. That’s not bad! 
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In the peak travel months, you might find that you can rent the camper out more often or for more money, so there is potential to earn far more than your monthly payment. Of course, if your camper is paid in full, any rental income you make is free and clear. A second benefit of putting your camper up for rent is that the camper spends less time in storage. If you have to pay to store your camper or RV, this could end up being a significant savings. For example, perhaps rather than paying for year-round storage, you only put the camper in storage in the colder months. Alternatively, if you have room, maybe you park your camper in your driveway, thereby making it easier to rent out since there would be no trips to the storage facility to get it ready for the next renter. 
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A third advantage of renting out your camper is that doing so has become extremely easy. Websites like RVshare and Outdoorsy take all the stress and worry of renting out your camper by making it easy to create a listing and manage bookings. Sites like these also offer features like roadside assistance, DMV checks, and renter reviews to help ease the anxiety you might have about renting out your camper. Honestly, the most difficult part of the process is taking photos of your camper or RV and creating the initial listing. From there, these sites really do handle just about everything for you!
Disadvantages of Renting Out Your Camper
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There are some disadvantages to this process that are important to consider. Primarily, the concern is about increased wear and tear on your camper. After all, there is a significant difference between the wear and tear from you using it a handful of times a year and you renting it out a dozen times a year or more. This isn’t to say that the people you rent it to will trash it (though that is a concern with some renters), but the simple increase in normal, daily use will inevitably lead to the need for added maintenance and repairs like new tires, just as an example. 
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Another downside of renting out your camper is that you have to remove all of your stuff before renting it out. Leaving things like clean towels, clean sheets, and cooking utensils is fine, but all the other personal stuff you have in your camper needs to come out. If you use your camper a couple of times a month and rent it out a couple of times a month, this can lead to a lot of time packing and unpacking your camper. Some folks might not like the idea of perfect strangers using their camper, and that’s okay! If you rent it out a time or two and find that you’re riddled with anxiety about who’s in your camper and what they’re doing, it might not be worth the money to be stressed out while your camper is gone. 
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So, there are certainly some pros and cons to renting out your camper. Your task is to weigh both sides and decide if it’s something that is attractive to you or not. I will say this, though – RVing and camping is only becoming more popular, so if you do decide to rent out your camper, you might find that it becomes a lucrative side hustle to make some additional money, especially if you’re in or near a popular tourist area. Just saying!