I took a 1,000-mile road trip in a 150-square-foot RV, where no space was left unused. Take a look inside.

Sophie-Claire HoellerAug 27, 2020, 02:41 IST

I recently rented an RV for the first time in my life.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

Cruise America's "compact RV" was the smallest motor home I could get my hands on for a recent road trip.
The RV was comfortable but not too difficult to drive.
I thought the RV was surprisingly spacious and comfortable.
While there was a clever way to store the dinette table's leg to turn it into a bed, I didn't notice any other space-saving features.

I recently rented an RV for the first time in my life, using it to drive almost 1,100 miles from New York to Acadia National Park in Maine and back.

As first-time RV-ers, my friend and I spent hours scouring the internet to find just the right one: small enough not to be too difficult or slow to drive, but large enough to sleep us comfortably and not ruin a decade-long friendship (i.e. had a bathroom with a door).

We settled on Cruise America's "compact RV," the smallest motor home offered by the rental company, which has 127 locations across the US and Canada.

RV rental companies have seen an enormous spike in bookings since states started lifting stay-at-home orders, as Business Insider's Brittany Chang previously reported.

While I paid $225 a night for my rental, booking about a month in advance, Cruise America's website says "prices fluctuate based on season, location, and availability much the way airline prices fluctuate. In general, the earlier you book, the lower the price."

Despite being 20 feet in length, 12 feet in height, and 7.5 feet wide, my compact RV was a lot more comfortable and spacious than I thought it would be, though it didn't have the space-saving features I expected from a tiny home on wheels.

With a length of 20 feet, our RV wasn't that much longer than an SUV. For reference, a Ford Expedition is 17.5 feet long.

Thanks to its size it wasn't too difficult to drive. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

The RV looked pretty standard on the outside.

Here, it was hooked up to water and electricity at a campsite. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

There was a little storage window for the water hose ...

There were 6 cubic feet of storage on the outside of the RV. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

... And another one for the charger cable.

The electricity cable basically attached to an outlet, much like a phone charger. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

Inside, the RV was surprisingly spacious.

The kitchen was small but functional. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

Six-and-a-half-foot ceilings meant that even my tall friend could stand up straight and move around comfortably.

The interior was 6.5 feet high, though the RV's clearance was 12 feet. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

We had two cozy beds, one behind the driver's seat and one above it.

One bed was technically for kids. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

The main bed, located over the front of the RV, was queen-size and full-length.

Getting up into the bed required a few acrobatics. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

It featured a window, skylight, and curtains both for the window and between the bed and the rest of the RV for privacy.

The narrow space was cozy. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

My bed was technically for children, but at 5-foot-4 I fit perfectly and slept soundly.

My (unmade) bed was wedged between the bathroom and the driver's seat. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

There was a dinette table that could seat four. The table and cushions could be turned into the second bed.

Remove the table leg, push down the table, rearrange the cushions, and you have a bed. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

Turning the cushions into the bed meant that there were no stray pillows obstructing the limited space at night.

I scoured the internet to figure out how to turn the table into a bed. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

The table's leg went in here, which I thought was a clever space-saving feature.

It's a smart way to keep the table leg out of the way. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

While there were cabinets for storage around the top of the RV ...

There were three of these cabinets and one smaller one throughout the RV. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

... I didn't really unpack and kept my suitcase under my bed.

The suitcase tended to slide out while driving, however. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

This extra seat was also a great storage spot for backpacks and other knickknacks, though they tended to shift while driving.

This was mainly a step stool for my friend to get into the upper bed. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

Underneath that seat, there was a nifty little shoe rack that fit about three or four pairs.

It didn't store a whole lot of shoes, but enough. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

I think this compartment was meant for clothes since it had a closet rod (though no hangers), but since it was located between the fridge and kitchen sink it made more sense to us as a pantry.

We kept cleaning materials in the drawers. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

I think this compartment was meant for clothes since it had a closet rod (though no hangers), but since it was located between the fridge and kitchen sink it made more sense to us as a pantry.

The fridge was quite small. As you can see, a gallon jug, laid sideways, took up almost an entire shelf.

The fridge was also quite narrow. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

The freezer was even smaller. The ice tray didn't come with the $110 kitchen kit we rented with the RV.

We had to use our distilled water to fill up the ice tray. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

The kitchen also had a microwave ...

We never used the microwave but it was a good indicator of whether the electricity was working. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

... And a double burner stove. To get it going, however, you need matches.

We made stovetop mac and cheese one night. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

Counter space was extremely limited (especially when you kept the dinette table made up as your bed), but the stove had a clever plastic lid that could double as counter space.

We ate a lot of PB&Js. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

Counter space was extremely limited (especially when you kept the dinette table made up as your bed), but the stove had a clever plastic lid that could double as counter space.

There were three cupboards and three drawers in the kitchen.

The drawers below the stove kept popping open while driving, which was annoying. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

There was also a small sink, where we put everything from the counter before driving so it wouldn't fall to the ground as we were moving.

You can't leave anything on the counter when you're on the road. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

There was a control panel in the corner that was meant to show us how full the tanks were, but it didn't seem to work half the time. It was also where you turn the generator and water pump on and off.

The lights didn't always seem to work properly. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

There was a control panel in the corner that was meant to show us how full the tanks were, but it didn't seem to work half the time. It was also where you turn the generator and water pump on and off.

The tiny bathroom was right next to the kitchen and had the smallest sink I've ever seen.

There's barely room for hand soap next to the tiny sink. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

There's a freshwater toilet that you flush by pushing a lever with your foot. If you run out of water in the tank and aren't connected to a water hookup, well, then you can't flush ...

The bathroom didn't have a mirror. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

There's a freshwater toilet that you flush by pushing a lever with your foot. If you run out of water in the tank and aren't connected to a water hookup, well, then you can't flush ...

There's a handheld shower head right over the sink, meaning that to shower you basically contort yourself between the sink and toilet, as there's a drain between the two.

A skylight makes the bathroom seem bigger than it is. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

There's a handheld shower head right over the sink, meaning that to shower you basically contort yourself between the sink and toilet, as there's a drain between the two.

If your grey water tank (used water that isn't sewage) is full, however, the shower won't drain. We learned this the hard way.

It was like this for half a day before we had the opportunity to dump our tanks. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

Surprisingly, a very quick shower managed to flood the kitchen right outside.

The kitchen floor flooded despite the water never rising to the bottom of the bathroom door. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

Outlets were few and far between.

We usually charged our devices with a cigarette lighter charger upfront while driving. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

The door, which was covered in duct tape, had two locks so that it wouldn't pop open while driving.

The duct tape was a bit unnerving. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

The front of the RV was comfortable and spacious, and filled with various nooks, crannies, and cupholders.

There were four cupholders in the middle console. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

While the RV was nice and bright thanks to various windows and skylights, that's not what you want when parked at a campsite where people are all around you looking in.

When it was dark outside and the RV lights were on, we felt very visible. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

This divider curtain, I believe, was meant to shield the RV interior from view, but clearly didn't do a good job. I'm sure a few passersby caught glimpses of me changing.

This divider curtain didn't do much. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

This divider curtain, I believe, was meant to shield the RV interior from view, but clearly didn't do a good job. I'm sure a few passersby caught glimpses of me changing.

A Cruise America representative told me that the oldest compact RV they have at my location is from 2017. While I don't know what year mine was from, it felt a little older and more worn to me than that.

The wall and color scheme felt very '90s. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

A Cruise America representative told me that the oldest compact RV they have at my location is from 2017. While I don't know what year mine was from, it felt a little older and more worn to me than that.

It was also not as clean as I would have liked.

What the Clorox wipe looked like after we wiped down the floor when we first got the RV. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

My biggest gripe, however, was that the RV only had four hooks for towels and coats, and not a single mirror anywhere.

More hooks would have been useful. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

While super comfortable for a short summer road trip in which we spent most of our time outside, and kept the second bed made rather than turning it back into a dinette every day, I thought it could get quite cramped in this RV if we had heavier clothes in winter, or if we were on a longer trip with more luggage.

I was too lazy to turn my bed back into a table every morning. Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider

While super comfortable for a short summer road trip in which we spent most of our time outside, and kept the second bed made rather than turning it back into a dinette every day, I thought it could get quite cramped in this RV if we had heavier clothes in winter, or if we were on a longer trip with more luggage.

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I took a 1,000-mile road trip in a 150-square-foot RV, where no space was left unused. Take a look inside.

With a length of 20 feet, our RV wasn't that much longer than an SUV. For reference, a Ford Expedition is 17.5 feet long.

The RV looked pretty standard on the outside.

There was a little storage window for the water hose ...

... And another one for the charger cable.

Inside, the RV was surprisingly spacious.

Six-and-a-half-foot ceilings meant that even my tall friend could stand up straight and move around comfortably.

We had two cozy beds, one behind the driver's seat and one above it.

The main bed, located over the front of the RV, was queen-size and full-length.

It featured a window, skylight, and curtains both for the window and between the bed and the rest of the RV for privacy.

My bed was technically for children, but at 5-foot-4 I fit perfectly and slept soundly.

There was a dinette table that could seat four. The table and cushions could be turned into the second bed.

Turning the cushions into the bed meant that there were no stray pillows obstructing the limited space at night.

The table's leg went in here, which I thought was a clever space-saving feature.

While there were cabinets for storage around the top of the RV ...

... I didn't really unpack and kept my suitcase under my bed.

This extra seat was also a great storage spot for backpacks and other knickknacks, though they tended to shift while driving.

Underneath that seat, there was a nifty little shoe rack that fit about three or four pairs.

I think this compartment was meant for clothes since it had a closet rod (though no hangers), but since it was located between the fridge and kitchen sink it made more sense to us as a pantry.

The fridge was quite small. As you can see, a gallon jug, laid sideways, took up almost an entire shelf.

The freezer was even smaller. The ice tray didn't come with the $110 kitchen kit we rented with the RV.

The kitchen also had a microwave ...

... And a double burner stove. To get it going, however, you need matches.

Counter space was extremely limited (especially when you kept the dinette table made up as your bed), but the stove had a clever plastic lid that could double as counter space.

There were three cupboards and three drawers in the kitchen.

There was also a small sink, where we put everything from the counter before driving so it wouldn't fall to the ground as we were moving.

There was a control panel in the corner that was meant to show us how full the tanks were, but it didn't seem to work half the time. It was also where you turn the generator and water pump on and off.

The tiny bathroom was right next to the kitchen and had the smallest sink I've ever seen.

There's a freshwater toilet that you flush by pushing a lever with your foot. If you run out of water in the tank and aren't connected to a water hookup, well, then you can't flush ...

There's a handheld shower head right over the sink, meaning that to shower you basically contort yourself between the sink and toilet, as there's a drain between the two.

If your grey water tank (used water that isn't sewage) is full, however, the shower won't drain. We learned this the hard way.

Surprisingly, a very quick shower managed to flood the kitchen right outside.

Outlets were few and far between.

The door, which was covered in duct tape, had two locks so that it wouldn't pop open while driving.

The front of the RV was comfortable and spacious, and filled with various nooks, crannies, and cupholders.

While the RV was nice and bright thanks to various windows and skylights, that's not what you want when parked at a campsite where people are all around you looking in.

This divider curtain, I believe, was meant to shield the RV interior from view, but clearly didn't do a good job. I'm sure a few passersby caught glimpses of me changing.

A Cruise America representative told me that the oldest compact RV they have at my location is from 2017. While I don't know what year mine was from, it felt a little older and more worn to me than that.

It was also not as clean as I would have liked.

My biggest gripe, however, was that the RV only had four hooks for towels and coats, and not a single mirror anywhere.