Road Bear runs a near-new US fleet from seven pickup cities, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver and Orlando. Every coach you collect is less than one year old, all Ford-chassis Class C and Class A motorhomes sleeping four to seven. Pricing sits at the premium end, with mileage, generator hours and a prep fee billed on top.
Road Bear RV rents motorhomes across the US on one promise: the RV you pick up is less than a year old. It runs roughly 650 coaches and retires them by the time they hit one to two years, so you get fresh tires, current layouts, and far fewer breakdowns than a budget outfit like Cruise America. The company took its modern form in 2001, with roots back to 1980. It is based in Agoura Hills, California, and owned by New Zealand's Tourism Holdings Limited, the world's largest commercial RV rental operator. El Monte RV is its sister brand. Pickup runs from seven cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, New York (the depot sits in North Middletown, NJ), and Orlando. Dallas is drop-off only.
Road Bear books four models: three Class C motorhomes and one Class A. The compact Class C (23-25 ft) sleeps up to 5, has no slide-out, and rides on a Ford or Chevy V8 gas chassis. The mid Class C (25-27 ft, labeled 26-28 internationally) adds a slide-out, sleeps 6, and runs a Ford V8 or V10. The largest Class C (28-30 ft) sleeps up to 7 with a slide-out. The Class A (29-32 ft) sleeps up to 6, adds a panoramic windshield and slide-out, and carries an 80-gallon tank. Everything is gas Ford, automatic, two-wheel drive. No diesel, no Sprinter. Berths run 4 to 7 across the line, and every coach is built by Coachmen or Thor and kept near-new.
Road Bear runs depots in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, New York and Orlando, putting a near-new Class C or Class A within a day's drive of the country's biggest scenery.
Not on the standard Flex rate. Road Bear sells mileage in prepaid 500-mile packs at $220 each, with overage miles at $0.47 per mile plus local tax, settled when you drop off. You have to pre-book the packs; you cannot buy them at pickup. For a long loop like LA out to the national parks and back, an all-inclusive plan (around $105/night) bundles unlimited miles instead. For a tight round trip from one depot, the packs can work out cheaper.
Every coach has an onboard generator, but running it is metered, not free. You pay $3.50 per hour of use, or buy an unlimited option at $11 per night. If you boondock off-grid and run the air conditioning in Las Vegas summer heat, the $11/night flat rate almost always beats the hourly meter. If you mostly stay on powered campground hookups, the per-hour rate keeps costs down. Generator use is never included in the base nightly rate.
A preparation fee applies per rental: $225 for Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday pickups, and $295 for Friday, Saturday or Monday pickups. The RV Essentials Kit (kitchen gear, cleaning supplies, sewer and water hoses, plus a 5GB WiFi hotspot) runs $150 per booking. Bedding and towels are a separate Linen Kit at $75 per person, free for kids 0 to 6 once the adults pay. Budget these on top of the nightly rate when you compare quotes.
You leave a $1,500 hold on a credit card at pickup, not charged unless there's damage or loss. It rises to $2,500 and is actually charged for major events like Burning Man. VIP Coverage is built into the nightly rate and caps your damage liability at a $1,500 deductible; VIP Plus drops that to zero for $22.75 per night. Enhanced Liability Insurance adds up to $500,000 in third-party coverage for $19.95 per night. Towed objects are never covered.
Road Bear runs seven US pickup depots: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, Orlando, and New York (the lot is actually in North Middletown, New Jersey, about 50 miles from Manhattan). Dallas/Fort Worth is drop-off only, not a pickup point, and a one-way drop charge applies there. The Western depots make the obvious base for Utah and Arizona park loops; Orlando suits Florida and the Gulf; Seattle and Denver open up the Rockies and Pacific Northwest.
Road Bear is the premium play: a near-new fleet, roughly 650 coaches all under a year old, with leather interiors and bundled VIP insurance, typically $200 to $350 a night. Cruise America runs older, higher-mileage rigs at a lower price. You pay more with Road Bear for newer mechanicals and finish, not flashier service. On CampervanPlanet you compare Road Bear against other US suppliers side by side, pick your depot and dates, and book the coach class that fits your trip.
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