I have long been drawn to the idea of #vanlife. I love following YouTubers like Eamon and Bec, and Kinging-It. My friends Sarah and James, whom I originally met when living in Mexico City, have been living in their self-converted van since 2020, and they have been able to see so many incredible places with it.
Luke and I traveled in a campervan around Australia way back in 2013, and we always look back on that trip fondly. But we haven’t had a chance since then to hit the road on an epic van-worthy road trip, until this past July when I got the chance to work with Roadsurfer.
Roadsurfer has been on my radar for a while, especially when I was living in Lithuania. They are a German company with tons of rental options around Europe, but I was always a little bit nervous about driving a van on those tiny European roads (plus Italian drivers are terrifying).
So when I learned that they were opening an office here in Seattle this year, I jumped at the chance to work with them and finally get back on the road with a home-on-wheels.
How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Roadsurfer?
The price of your rental depends on what type of vehicle you rent, what day of the week you’re renting, and even what time of year. I rented the largest vehicle in the fleet, the Family Freedom, which is a Class C RV. I also rented it during one of the most expensive weeks of the year, the week of the 4th of July.
As you can see, the cheapest price per night for our rental was €169 per night, which is roughly $196. If you want a more budget-friendly rental, you’ll want to rent the Couple Condo or the Liberty Lodge, which are Sprinter-style Class B RVs. Both of those start as low as $115 per night.
The most expensive model to rent is for those who want to get off-road and into the wild with the Horizon Hopper. This is a Winnebago Revel 44E and is the only van at Roadsurfer that has a 4WD system. So this is for you if you want to go off-grid on your adventures with the campervan. Those rentals start at $149 per night.
Check their website for the most up-to-date prices (and use code BRONNER11 to save 11%)
Should You Get Extra Insurance Coverage?
The younger me always turned down extra insurance on rental cars, but as I’ve gotten older and perhaps more cautious, I always opt for at least the mid-level extra insurance to cover me in case of anything that may happen on the road.
I especially recommend this for people who are new to driving campervans or who are road-tripping to a part of the world that they have never been to before. You don’t know the roads, you don’t know what the drivers are like. This makes things unpredictable.
Roadsurfer has three insurance options available. The basic insurance is included in your rental and has the largest deductible, but you can opt to upgrade for either $15 per night or $29 per night for better coverage.
Visit the website for the most up-to-date insurance prices.
Picking up the RV at Roadsurfer
The pickup location here in Seattle is well-located. It’s not too far from downtown and has a few bus stops nearby, so you can take public transportation to get here and away. The best part is that it’s located right next to the entrance to I-5, so you can hop right on the highway and not worry about navigating your rental through city traffic.
The pickup process at Roadsurfer is pretty easy. Once you make your booking, you will set up an account with a username and password. This login will give you access to a portal where you will be able to see the RV guidebook at any time during your rental period.
This guidebook shows you how to check your battery and water levels, how to fill and empty different tanks, how to use the electricity, and any other questions that may arise during your trip.
At pickup, you will she shown to your vehicle and given the keys. You will then go through the guidebook and check that each thing works and that you don’t have any questions about it. If you do have a question, you will be able to ask one of the employees at the office before you hit the road.
This is a fantastic way for you to get to know the vehicle and test all of the quirks out before pulling out of the driveway, only to discover that you have no idea how to plug into power or empty your wastewater tank.
The kitchen in this RV had so much space for storage and cooking most meals. We cooked for the entire trip and managed pretty well after we picked up a few more things, like a sharp knife for chopping.
Family Freedom Roadsurfer Review
After spending a week driving around and camping in the Family Freedom, I was sad to return it. It felt like we were just getting warmed up, just getting used to how to drive this thing, and suddenly the trip was over.
I feel that way with most vacations, of course, but I do think I could have spent 10 days or even up to two weeks living and traveling in this RV. It had absolutely everything you could possibly want.
The Pros of the Family Freedom
- Tons of sleeping space for up to four adults or two adults and two children. There are extra spaces, but I think squeezing more than 4-5 people in here would be a tight fit.
- Plenty of storage space, including cupboards for food, closets, and a garage-like storage space on the outside of the RV where we stored the camping chairs, table, and our backpacks once we unpacked everything in the RV.
- An enormous fridge and plenty of space for cooking. There isn’t a ton of counter space, but I also used the dining table as a space for chopping. We bought groceries for nearly the whole week, and it all fit in the fridge and cupboards with room to spare.
- The bed is a real mattress, so it was a very comfortable place to sleep at night.
- The tanks are enormous. We used propane every day at least three times a day, and after a week, we’d barely used any at all. We filled the freshwater tank to 1/3, and we both took showers twice (we usually used the showers at the campsites unless there weren’t any), and we washed dishes all week, and we still had water leftover at the end of the trip.
- The rental comes with chairs and a table, so you can be outside at any campsite, even if there aren’t picnic tables.
The Cons
- The cooking equipment is cheap, and there isn’t a ton of stuff if you want to cook more elaborate meals. We had to buy a can opener and a sharper knife for chopping. The pans are quite small since they are just camping pots and pans, so if you are cooking for more than two people, you may want to consider bringing some of your own cooking equipment.
- The bed was a little small for two adults. Luke and I are pretty small people, both in height and width, and we found it was just about right for us both to sleep. If you are over 6 feet, your legs will likely hang over the edge. If you like to have more space between you and your bedmate, one of you will be sleeping in the bed above the cab.
- Having a toilet in the cab that flushes into a blackwater tank means that if you don’t empty it every day or two, it can really start to smell. Roadsurfer gave us a liquid to pour down into it, which we did daily, and that helped between dump stations. But I would rather have a compost toilet. In the end, it meant we tried to use the toilet on board only when we absolutely had to.
The bed at the back of the RV was a real mattress, and the pillows and blanket were pretty comfortable, too.
Driving the Family Freedom
The booking includes a second driver for free, so Luke and I both registered as drivers, thinking that we might share the driving duty. He ended up driving it the entire time because it took a day or so to get used to the size of the vehicle, and then he was a pro at it.
The positives about driving the Family Freedom, especially if you are driving something of this size for the first time, like we were, are that there are cameras and extra mirrors everywhere. There are two side mirrors so that you can see both wide and low.
There are cameras not only for reversing, but also for changing lanes. So when you put your blinker on, the camera shows you what’s in the lane that you are trying to turn into. This helped us immensely when we were turning onto a road that had a curve, which was hard to see around with the blind spots of the RV.
I think if you are familiar with driving a U-Haul or other larger SUVs, then this might not faze you very much. But we have a low-to-the-ground, very skinny little Subaru, so driving this took some getting used to.
You feel the wind more in a vehicle of this size. You feel the potholes more, the curves and bends in the road. It was well worth the experience, and I’m so glad we got the chance to see what it’s like to travel in a Class C RV, but I’m not sure we need something this big again.
After spending a week driving this, Luke said that he would much rather drive something smaller, like a Sprinter van, for our next road trip.
This is where the other seatbelts are located, so if you are driving with more than two people, this is where they will sit during transit.
Who RoadSurfer is Perfect For
With four different van options available here in the US, I think Roadsurfer has something for anyone looking for adventure or who wants to spend more time in the great outdoors.
The smaller sprinter vans are perfect for couples. There is plenty of space for two people, and they are easy to drive and small enough to park in most regular parking lots.
The Family Freedom is big enough for families of five or fewer. It can also easily fit four friends who want to go on a road trip together and don’t mind being in close proximity. That would also make this a much more affordable option if you split it among four people.
The off-road Horizon Hopper is next on our list to test out since we are craving some off-road adventuring. It sleeps two people and has more than enough space for Luke and me to cook, camp, and rinse off after a day of exploring.
Final Thoughts on This Roadsurfer Review
Would I rent with Roadsurfer again? Definitely.
Like I mentioned above, I think we would opt for one of the smaller vans next time both because we didn’t really need the space of the Class C RV for just the two of us (it was a luxury to have it all though!) and because it would be more better for both of us to feel more comfortable driving something smaller.
But my experience with the company has been fantastic. The team at the Seattle location was helpful and friendly. They made us feel a lot better about being first-time RVers and walked us through the whole process of the very new-to-us things like emptying wastewater and keeping the battery topped up.
This adventure has definitely ignited a flame in me to want to get back on the road and explore more of the US with a campervan, so stay tuned for more road trips!
Save 11% on Your Roadsurfer Booking
You can visit this link to book your next trip or use the code BRONNER11 at checkout to get 11% off your next Roadsurfer booking.
If you do book a Roadsurfer, let me know where you end up going. I would love to hear about your adventures!