Rental Truck Experience

[Letthemgrow]

As this has turned in to a bit of a "rented hunting vehicle story" thread, I'll add one.

Sold a pickup years ago on the day before my wyoming antelope hunt opened. I went to the nearest rental place and all they had was an SUV.
I took it, with total crap tires and I ended up getting a flat, but killed a buck on the second day of the hunt.
I quartered it and packed it all back to the SUV with the ice chest, full of ice, waiting in the back.
Stayed at a motel that night and drove home the next day.

When I got in the SUV the next morning I thought, "wow, that cape smells really strong?" Oh well, drove home.
I get home and begin unpacking my stuff and quickly realize I had left the drain plug in the ice chest half screwed out.
The entire back of the SUV carpeting was saturated with antelope blood/water.
I drove to the car wash and luckily a lot of the carpeting was in velcro panels, so I could remove them and spray them down while being held in the mat holders on the side of the car wash. Stopped by Walmart on the way home and picked up a can of Febreze. Dumped half of the can inside the vehicle and dropped it off. No problems.

I would never buy a rental vehicle.

 

[Sam Colt]

There are signs up about every 10 feet at the Casper airport Rent-A-Car warning no hunting no off road.

 

[huntabsarokee]

I rented a RAM through Hertz in NM this year but even though I called a few days ahead to confirm my order they couldn't get me a RAM. They gave me a Tahoe and said they would work on the RAM but would have to bring it back to do the swap if and when they could get a RAM. For where I was going wasn't worried about capability other than the front air dam. Sure enough broke 3 bolts on the right side that held it on. Before I returned it stopped at Ace and picked up a roll of Gorilla double sided tape rated for 30 pounds an inch. Did the job and no fee. Looked fine.

Renting a truck on a hunting trip is not perfect but in some cases beats a 32 hour ride across country.

 

[matechakeric]

Check out Turo. Its a private vehicle rental app/website. Prices are better than rental cars, and you can find just what you want, to include a beat up 4x4 that the owner will let you tear up all you want.

I think this Tacoma cost me $75/day plus taxes etc. It was 2010+/-, had new bad ass tires on it, and climbed mountain passes at the speed of smell when loaded camp, and elk and a deer, but functioned perfectly for what we needed. If the guy knew were it went, he probably wouldn't rent to me again. Luckily mountain pinstripes don't show to well on gray paint.

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did the owner of the truck know you'd be using it for hunting? this sounds like a great idea

 

[Seeleylakehunter]

I got a u-haul one time to move a buddy. Got it for 4 days . Moved house in 1 day. Hunted for the rest. Wouldn't recommend it but it worked alright with a small load of firewood in the back for weight.

 

[hank4elk]

Never rented for hunting.
But I remember one year BF came down for an antelope hunt in my area and I saw him twice in town getting tires fixed on his rental. I think he said he got 3 flats in 5 days.

 

[FlatlanderAZ]

I rented a RAM to scout my moose hunt. Ended up with a D shaped tire on a FS road, not even a bad one. And then had to drive out on one of those cheapie limited use spares. I was real nervous and couldn’t get that thing back to them fast enough.

 

[matechakeric]

anyone else have experience renting from Turo for hunting?

 

[EastCoast94]

anyone else have experience renting from Turo for hunting?

I used a rental from Turo in Montana for a hunt this past October. The owner knew I was hunting and was super nice. It was very easy picking up and dropping off. The owner had a car wash membership I used before I returned it and I just had to fill it with gas and take pictures when I dropped it off. I saved money and definitely prefer that to major rental companies. This past January I used Hertz rental for a hunt in Wyoming and they tried charging me fees for cleaning and windshield damage. I got most of the fees dropped but didn’t like the hassle of renting thru them.

 

[Tradewind]

I hit a deer opening weekend. truck in the shop for 2 months waiting on parts. Had 2 weeks on the rental.
So I rented one on hotwire. I was an hour down the road when I figured out I had a 2 wheel drive.
I did not think they even made them anymore. it was the most useless vehicle I have ever had