I want to remind people that there are thousands of these out there. They were manufactured in such a rush and so cheaply that they had dangerous levels of formaldehyde in them. The usual supply chains were stressed by the volume so the factories started buying products from other countries and regulated sources. Many people, including children, became very sick while living in them. Some people even died in them after surviving the original disaster.

Many of these trailers have never even been lived in. Some have had flood damage increasing the health hazards that already existed in these sick campers from the beginning.

In the nature of good old American capitalism, there are people out there that would love to sell you one of these campers, possibly disguised as something else. It is up to you to know what you are buying.

Please take extra care when looking at any trailer made in 2005. Yes, the worst of the gases would have dissipated into the air but the levels are still higher than normal all these years later. The crappy foreign glues they used were so deadly to begin with, they are still above recommended exposure levels.

So you save a few bucks. You give those savings to your insurance. They take your money, deny your claim and then you’ll be both sick and out of money while some suit is richer for it. That is what is happening to many people that are still in the wake of disasters like Katrina. They got taken by their home insurance company. They got taken by a private company under government contract. They got taken by their health insurance company. That’s the nature of business these days and it’s up to you to avoid it at the start.

Many companies and factories produced these trailers in Indiana. Many employees of those companies have become very sick. Note that the regular branded retail products from these companies are fine. The retail products are were made with more care and expense than the rushed and cheap bare bones FEMA trailers. It’s up to you to decide who took the money and ran and who is being responsible.

According to documents shown on a HDNet news report by Dan Rather, companies that were sued in the aftermath of these FEMA trailers include the following companies:

Gulfstream
Fleetwood
Starcraft
Pilgrim
Monaco
KZRV

To get started, you need to know what you can comfortably afford on an RV rental. Be sure to include all costs that you are going to incur. There is nothing worse than forgetting about additional charges, and eventually learning that you are going to be stuck spending more money than you want to.

One of the main factors that determine the cost of renting an RV is the model that you decide on. Generally speaking, the more people an RV can accommodate the bigger it is. And the bigger the vehicle the more money it is going to cost. The best thing you can do is determine how many people you will be traveling with and then find the cheapest RV that will comfortable accommodate everybody. If you really want to look into the details, consider the RV. For example, if you rent a smaller Sprinter based model like the View, pictured above, your fuel mileage could be 50% better. So even if the rental price is higher, you may save money on your entire trip!

Most RV rental companies will only allow you to travel a certain number of miles. For instance, you may pay $200 for 600 miles worth of travel. For every additional mile you will be charged a set fee, such as $.30 to $.40. While booking your RV you should have an idea of how many miles you will travel. This will give you an accurate idea of how much you will spend on mileage fees.

Finally, not every RV rental company offers the same prices. Where can you find the best deal?

Now that you know more about the cost of renting an RV, you can begin to budget for and plan your trip.

Where to go?

You can go to one of the big ones like Cruise America or El Monte RV or a few others out there. But you may also want to look at local newspapers, Craigs list and other little papers. Some smaller RV dealers rent them out instead of letting them rot on their lots. Recently, I’ve seen more private owners offering to rent out their RVs so you may want to look into that. Just make sure everything is spelled out as to what you paying for and what happens in case of an accident or breakdown. Get out there on the road!

Here are three RV travel tips to keep in mind:

1. It all starts with the right rental. When renting an RV, make sure you consider size, cost, and mileage. There is nothing worse than renting an RV that cannot comfortably accommodate your entire group, or one that will break the bank. There are some major campgrounds out there, especially National Parks that do not easily accommodate big RVs.

2. Take it slow. Driving an RV is not the same as a car due to the larger size. It can seem intimidating at first but you will get used to it. There is no reason to take any risks. Instead, start slow and as you get a better feel for driving the RV you can begin to settle into a routine. I was a bit scared the first time I drove my RV but then I wound up being surprised at how fast I was completely comfortable behind the wheel.

3. Safety first. No matter what, make sure you are always thinking about safety. You are in a big vehicle, and there are many other people around you. If you are always thinking about the safety of you and everybody else on the road, you should not have any problems in this department.

These three RV travel tips are good for beginners. But even if you have experience traveling in an RV they can still help to make your trip an enjoyable one.