help/questions regarding rentals

[sdb]

Hey all
New here and need some help. I looked over the topics but did not see a dedicated section so...here goes -
Family of 4 is planning a road trip from South Florida out West to Yellowstone, Teton, etc. There seems to be only 2 places down here that rent RVs. Should I fly somewhere where RV renting is more popular and start from there or is renting RVs - especially Class B or B + not particularly easy anywhere?!? Thanks in advance. -SDB

[markopolo]

That sounds like fun. What a great adventure.

You might find that a Class B is too small for a family of 4. A small Class C would probably be better.

You present two interesting options. At first I thought renting from a nearby place would be best but now I think you could save time by renting where the things you want to see begin. I guess it depends on how much time you have for this trip. A small Class C might get 10 to 12 mpg if gas engined or 16 mpg if on a diesel chassis. The average price of gas across the US today is around $3.30 and diesel $3.86 so every 1,000 miles driven might cost $275 (12 mpg gas) or $240 (16 mpg diesel).

[Mike]

If air fares are really low for a family of 4, and keeping in mind the cost of fuel per mile traveled, as markopolo suggests, it might be cheaper to skip the section between home base and where the interesting stuff (to you) begins, where driving would be the better option to see the sights up close and personal. If you can sketch out an itinerary and decide what places you want to see or visit, you could possibly save a few bucks flying there, and starting the driving part there. Best to set up the rental first. It's possible that someplace that rents RVs might be able to set you up with a rental at your flight destination.
Family of 4 for a few weeks in an RV? I would agree, maybe a small class C would be a better size.