I’ll preface this review by saying that up until now I’ve only ever given 5 star reviews on Outdoorsy, and that there were definitely some positives about using this camper to get out camping w the family. That said, there were some downsides to this rental that people should be aware of prior to choosing:1. Note that unless you are plugged in at a site w dedicated RV hookups, the outlets, microwave, and AC will not work. The fridge barely works when not hooked up to power. For us the main drawback was that we couldn’t charge any devices or use anything requiring a plug. There are no USB ports either. There is a 12v outlet that doesn’t require external power providing you have an adapter, but it drained the entire camper battery before it finished charging two phones so was essentially useless. You could rent/bring a generator but for us that was a hassle. We’ve never had issues charging small devices w campers that are just a couple years newer (no hook up required). Definitely unexpected and a bit of an inconvenience.2. When we’ve rented from Outdoorsy we’ve expected used, well-loved campers, but this one was in greater disrepair than what we have experienced in the past. There were several DIY/improvised repairs (e.g., an ancient piece of peeling duct tape covering a crack in the screen door that freely allowed bugs in) and other things that were not repaired at all. The host gave us a laundry list of existing damage to review when picking up the camper that was cumbersome since we were trying to leave town. We were also surprised that after returning the camper our security deposit was charged $70 to repair an existing patch on the roof. The low res photos the host sent clearly show existing damage with some new fraying of the old patch. Nothing touched the roof of the camper while we were driving. Definitely possible something happened while we were out for the day, and also possible the existing DIY repair simply failed w highway driving. The host said that he’d be charging us for a replacement patch, which he quoted at $10, but that he was also charging us $60 extra for labor. I just bring this up because renters should know that it can be hard to discern existing damage on this trailer from anything you might be accused of damaging, and based on our experience you definitely won’t be getting the benefit of the doubt.3. One thing we love about Outdoorsy is that the well-used campers have a family vibe. In the past they have come w cooking supplies, hosts have asked us if we want to borrow toys for kids, and more. Generosity has been the norm. By contrast, this camper comes w nothing but the absolute bare essentials (e.g., sewage drainage hose). The host will rent things to you à la carte, but the level of hospitality is much lower than we’ve been used to. Be prepared to bring anything you might need (silverware, etc) as even basics were not included for us.4. We were very surprised to discover on picking up the trailer that there was no available trailer brake controller. Prior hosts have included these for lighter trailers, and from what I’ve read they are recommended (and in several states required by law) for trailers over 2500 pounds with electric brakes (i.e., this camper). The host gave us the option to go buy one ourselves, but that felt like a stretch for a rental. We ended up going without and definitely noticed a difference in terms of braking distance and control going downhill. It certainly feels like the safer thing to have one, and we wondered if there may be liability issues w driving without one if there was ever an accident as there are laws about having them that differ between states. Future renters should make sure that their vehicle has an integrated brake controller (some newer full-size SUV and trucks), consider buying their own to install prior to the trip, or (better yet) negotiating w the host to provide one as an additional safety measure.Hope that our subpar experience can help the next folks be better prepared to enjoy the rental!
