Road Bear RV

My husband and I had never rented an RV before, but we were road trip warriors and wanted to take a 30 day road trip for our honeymoon. After many months of analyzing our options, it made the most sense for us to rent an RV, especially for that amount of time. We looked at El Monte, Cruise America, and RoadBear. Even though the cost was a bit higher with RoadBear, the reviews spoke for themselves. We decided to follow the advice of others and give RoadBear a try.
WOW. Such a wonderful experience! We booked our adventure last October to get the «early bird» discount. You pay a $ 300 fee that goes toward your rental or is lost if you decide to cancel. We drove 6,300 miles in 30 days from San Francisco to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and back.
There were so many small factors that made our experience better than expected, so I’ll try to list them here. But overall, those small factors added up to an incredible experience, and that’s what I’d like to pass on.
Because we are local, we were allowed to pick up our RV early in the morning. VIDEO THE DEMO so if you have any questions, you can refer back to your video. Even if we didn’t have that video, they provided everything you could ever need in a handy binder. And if that still doesn’t help solve your issue, there was a ²⁴⁄₇ hotline you could call any time to get your issues handles. We never felt alone, intimidated, or stranded in this experience!
We rented a Class C, 21 foot RV. This is the larger of the smallest Class C vehicles (either 19 feet or 21 feet). Our RV also had a slide out, which made all the difference! Ask for the slide out unit if you can! The RV is super intimidating to drive at first, but after a few days you’ll get used to the wide vehicle and learning to turn with your back wheel. It was a piece of cake to navigate by the end of our journey, even on gravel roads or tight spaces.
We had so many worries regarding charging our electronics and using the refrigerator while we’re «dry camping» (i.e. not plugged in at a camp site), but we never had any issues. The battery in this camper is strong enough to power your devices, while the motor is off, for days! The refrigerator automatically changes from electricity to gas when you turn the RV off, so there’s never anything you need to think about. We only filled the propane tank ONCE in the 30 days we used this, so we never felt like we were stranded or needed to find hook ups. We dry docked in many locations and felt we had everything we need. We used the generator many times, especially when we left our dog in the RV while we were out hiking, in order to maintain a normal temperature in the vehicle. It worked wonderfully! The generator isn’t too loud and at $ 3/​hour, we spent less than $ 100 on the generator over 30 days. I will note that you need to have the AC turned OFF before turning the generator on (that took a few tries to figure out).
Learning how to dump the gray water and black water tanks was easier than I expected. Never once did I get my hands dirty! If you do it properly, everything runs smoothly. We did have to dump at gas stations a few times, due to dry docking, but that was also a piece of cake (just don’t breathe while dumping!!). We never ran out of fresh water, but we always made sure to top off our fresh water tank whenever we were at a site that had hookups. If you stay on top of it, it’s very easy! We had a routine where one person would handle the outside of the RV and one person would handle the inside of the RV. In 20 minutes, you could easily be rolling out.
When we returned the RV the RoadBear, we knew we’d have some issues to take care of. We had scratched a panel on the interior and one of the wall surroundings next to the pantry had popped off. We expected our $ 1,000 deductible to be gone. How surprised were we when they didn’t charge us for either repair! They noted that because these were easy repairs, they didn’t feel the need to charge us. WOW! This is why RoadBear is the way to go! They don’t nickel and dime you every inch of the way! They charged us the lowest cleaning fee available ($ 50) and nothing else. We got our deposit back easily with no hassle. We were out of there in less than half an hour. So impressed!
We can’t wait to rent an RV again and will only use RoadBear moving forward. Give them a shot and I know you won’t regret it!

Fantastic Experience. First off the RVs are in great shape, generally less than 18 months old, with low mileage, clean and detailed nicely. We had everything we needed and took the 29ft RV all over California. Road Bear does a nice job giving you an intro to the RV and getting you started. Every RV park we pulled into we had one of the nicest RVs there and many folks commented that they could not believe it was a rental.
Upon return Road Bear was great. As always when you are living and driving in a vehicle of 10+ days little things happen. Road Bear treated us very fairly and made sure we were happy. Thank You.
Our kids loved the vacation and want to do it again and when we do, it will definitely be with Road Bear.

We went to another bigger name RV rental company initially, but I were so disappointed in what they had to offer (dirty and old rigs) and their lack of customer service that we were thinking about nixing our trip all together. Good thing I checked Unilocal and found Road Bear RV! They were the complete opposite of their competitor and we gladly paid a little more (not much though really) for what we received. We were the second renters of a 27 – 30′ class C and it was immaculate inside and out. Their customer service was top notch at check in and check out. We did have a little bit of an issue with rattling, which I believe most of it was due to the glassware they have on the shelf above the sink as well as the appliances located below the sink. Batten those down and it should be a smooth ride! Other than that it was a great trip and would highly recommend using Road Bear RV when you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life.

Our younger has been fascinated with RVs for a couple of years now. The idea of cooking, eating, watching TV, sleeping, pooping, and showering in a vehicle that moves is irresistible. We took a tour of our friend’s RV, and it only fueled her obsession.
So, for her birthday, instead of a party and gifts, we did an RV weekend at a local beachside campsite.
I didn’t know where to start, but Unilocal lead me to Road Bear.
They were great! We had to get a larger model than we wanted, because the smaller ones book months in advance and I hadn’t planned that far ahead. The behemoth was new and in pristine condition. They showed us how to use everything. And it was a boatload of fun. Good clean family fun. So much fun in fact, that the siblings were too delighted to remember to annoy each other, and it was two of the most harmonious days we’ve spent together in some time.
I think it would be more cost effective for a longer trip than a weekend, but now that I’ve had tried it, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back and do a more leisurely vacation.

Had a GREAT experience with Road Bear! We were RV rookies so really had no idea where to go to rent. This place is close to our house and my husband regularly passed by. He figured it was between this and Cruise America, and liked the fact that the rentals at Road Bear are practically brand new. We were not disappointed. Customer service was fantastic and they explained everything thoroughly. We ended up renting from the Hayward office, but picking up the unit in their Vegas branch. They actually suggested this to save gas and time (thank you!). Pick up and orientation were a breeze, although afterwards, I wished I had videotaped some of the instructions. We figured it out, plus they had a manual if needed, but I think a handy checklist would’ve been helpful. Most of the tips were about driving, not so much about dumping, the generator, etc (luckily I took notes!). As far as the RV, it was AWESOME! Far exceeded our expectations. Practically in brand new condition with all of the amenities. Perfect accommodations for our family of 5 (we got the 23 – 26 ft). We took it to the Grand Canyon and nothing could beat the comfort and convenience. We are SO doing this again, and definitely renting again from here. A bunch of our friends (jealous from my Facebook posts!) are also thinking of doing the same. I would have no problem recommending this place to them.
If I were to note any downsides, the early checkout (11 am) is kind of a pain. They explained it’s the same concept as a hotel, which I get… but when you are driving back from the Grand Canyon! We had to wake up at 4:30 am to get back in time!
Also, the fridge/​freezer is pretty weak. It seemed to be at the coldest setting, but didn’t really ever seem very cold. Our ice cream melted in there, if that’s any indication. I’ll have to remember to ask them about that next time. Long trips, I’d worry about my food spoiling.
Overall, totally sold on the RV experience and thank you Road Bear for the hospitality!
Initially was thinking 4 stars, but my husband said 5 stars for the painless experience and the fact they didn’t charge us the $ 50 for not emptying the tank!

Very nice customer service over the phone! I spoke to a gentleman (forgot his name, he’s Filipino) very knowledgeable about their services and explained details to a newbie like me. Never sounded condescending at all. Will rent here someday!

For the 1^st time we rented a 24 footer Leprechaun RV during the summer from them and was very satisfied with the outcome despite it was expensive (not a lot) in comparison to other RV rentals. Here’s quick highlight of my experience.
1) Good friendly customer service onsite and over the phone. I could always get hold of someone when called or via email (24hr or less turn around time) with any question. And they have an international crew to help you if your English skill is not great, provided someone there speak your language.
2) The RV orientation process took about an hour. They took the time to go over insurance, RV operation and fees etc…
3) RV is quite new and upscale, not cheesy like some competitor’s RV you see on the road. I got a 2015 model with about 11K miles on it. You want something that’s not beat up if you go far away especially in places that are hot. You can not take a chance on equipment failure. And if you do have problem, they have 24hr hot line you can call for help.
4) They charge you extra fees on top of the rental for generator use, propane use, mileage, and dump (black and grey water) fee if you don’t empty the tank when returning your RV. That is fine since they let you know this way in advance so you should not be surprise if you have to pay extra.
5) I booked by calling this Hayward office directly instead of doing it online. When doing it online, it goes directly to their corporate office.
6) Some minor information on their web site is missing or not updated and inaccurate so I had to contact them to clarify.
In all, good European rental company (Germany or Swedish?) to deal with.
Hope you experience is just as good.

My husband and I just finished a fantastic RV trip in a 30 foot Class C RV rental from RoadBear RV. Hands down, Road Bear is one of the best businesses that we have encountered in the past few years. The whole process went smoothly from the very beginning (we live in SF so the Road Bear staff picked my husband up at BART), they fully explained how everything in the RV worked (we had no problems following the instructions despite the fact that there is quite a bit to get a handle on when operating an RV for the first time), and the RV was beautifully maintained (practically brand new with only 15,000 miles). We are new to RV’ing but had the feeling that the RV we got was hardly bare bones, it was very nice inside, with great appliances and beautiful wood floors and paneling. There was a separate shower and separate toilet and a back bedroom with a door that closed the room from the rest of the RV. Plus there was a slider that meant that when parked you can slide the side of the RV out (electronically) to get a couple more feet of room in the main cabin. There was plenty of space for our whole family (husband, myself, au pair and two toddlers) to travel in style, with four separate beds. We had a small mishap and one of the interior panels was scratched but Road Bear was VERY fair and just charged $ 99 to buff and paint. (this may be important to some people considering renting because reviews for some other operations are true horror stories about thousands in extra charges etc.) This said though, Road Bear does keep its RVs immaculate so they expect the RV to be returned very clean etc. (so give yourself extra time to unload and clean at the end of the trip, which we did and had not problems with extra cleaning charges etc.) The total cost of the rental was about $ 1500, which included seven days, plus six nights of use of the RV, $ 50 dump charge (because we didn’t make it to a dump station before we returned the RV), about $ 100 to refill the propane tank (Road Bear charges a reasonable rate for propane and gas plus a $ 10 service fee if you don’t top off the tanks yourself before you return the vehicle), plus the $ 99 charge I mentioned, and 1,000 miles (when renting an RV the mileage charge is one of the biggest costs) at $ 210 per 500 miles (they only charge about $ 0.45 per mile if you go over. Bottom line: after researching all the rental companies in the Bay Area we are thankful that we rented from Road Bear — a top notch operation! We can’t wait for our next trip.

We rented a 30-​foot RV from Road Bear for our Arizona-​Utah road trip. Their staff was incredibly helpful and thorough when we came to pick up and drop off the RV. Katherine walked us through every little nook and cranny of operating the RV; from the slideout to sewer maintenance to making sure we understood how to properly hook up the RV and more. We drove away pretty confident that we wouldn’t mess it up in the next 15 minutes. On to the interior of the RV: Simply immaculate. The kitchen came fully stocked with pots and pans, plates, glasses, mugs, various kitchen gadgets, even a toaster and coffee maker. Fancy! At other RV rental companies, they charge for all of that. Surprisingly, we were the first renters of this brand new RV and were pleased to learn that Road Bear’s turnover for their fleet is roughly 2 years or less. In their reception area, you’ll find a community property corner where renters dump their surplus of supplies which they’ve cleaned out of their RVs at the end of their rental period, such as plastic wrap, half-​full bottles of dishwashing soap, toilet paper, cases of water, and various travel books/​guides, GRATIS! What a great idea! In addition, for out-​of-​towners, we noticed that Road Bear offers shuttle service from the airports to their rental location. How thoughtful. We’ll definitely be back next summer.