Brief - The Hustle

The ‘Airbnb of RV Rentals’ just raised $100m+

Written by Trung T. Phan | Oct 22, 2020 7:02:17 AM

This year’s hottest vacay isn’t a plane ticket to some faraway beach — it’s a road trip in a recreational vehicle.

This boost in interest is great for companies in the space: RVShare — dubbed the “Airbnb of  RV Rentals” — has seen a 16x increase of rental traffic on its platform since April.

The startup just raised $100m+ on the back of exploding interest

According to TechCrunch, RVShare isn’t the only one getting on the action:

  • Outdoorsy — which has 68k rental units, including RVs, motorhomes, and camper van trailers — has raised a total of $88m
  • Cabana merges #vanlife and hotels (it has raised $3.5m)
  • Kibbo is “turning RV parks into a photo-worthy version of the hashtag vanlife”

The RV life was trending before COVID

A previous Trends report did a teardown of Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS), the largest RV campground owner in America.

Per ELS, several macro tailwinds are supporting the industry:

  • Through 2030, 10k boomers will turn 65 every day, providing a robust customer base for RVs.
  • Millennials and Gen X combined have also grown to represent more than half of RV buyers.

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