Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Smith.
Matt, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve lived in Oceanside for about 25 years now, and honestly, I never set out to build a big RV rental business. It started out as a hobby—a side project to help a few friends cover their RV payments. I thought, “Hey, if we rent these things out when we’re not using them, maybe we can afford new RVs every couple of years and still have plenty of time to camp with our families.”
Before long, word got out. More and more people came to me saying, “Wait—you’ll store my RV for free, maintain it for free, and let me use it whenever I want, all while paying my payments?” It kind of snowballed from there. What started as a fun little project turned into almost 40 RVs in our fleet today. I don’t want to take the credit though, most of the growth and success is because of this incredible team that I’ve assembled at Rv Fun. Years ago, I hired the dynamic duo–Oscar and Klaidas–who really are the reason RV Fun Rental is so successful today. Those 2 incredible individuals are amazing in every way and thousands of families have benefited from their efforts. Every day I see an email, or a text or a Google review from our guests talking about how much they love those two. Also, I gotta give a shout out to Trevor who helps maintain fleet–and in my opinion is the best in the business. And also, Dorian, Peter, Cindi, Pria, Kilo are the backbone of this machine and I’m so grateful to know and work with these wonderful people.
I’ve run several million-dollar businesses over the years, but this one is different. I love the outdoors, and I love sharing that with people. My wife Amanda and I raised four kids camping everywhere from Glamis and Ocotillo Wells to Pismo Beach, San Elijo, and even Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Utah. Those trips are some of my favorite memories, and I wanted other families to have the same kind of adventures.
What I didn’t expect was how many people we’d help on the ownership side. The tax benefits are huge—if you rent your RV more than 50% of the time, you can treat it as a business, depreciate it, write off expenses, and sometimes save thousands on your taxes. I’ve seen owners cover nearly all their costs and still get to enjoy their RV whenever they want. Dealers love us too, because people realize they can actually afford that RV if they put it into our program.
For me, the best part is seeing families roll out in one of our rigs with big smiles, and then hearing their stories when they come back. I like to say we’re not just renting RVs—we’re renting memories. Every trip becomes a story. And honestly, that’s what keeps me going.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Running an RV rental business sounds like a dream job—and don’t get me wrong, I love it—but it’s not all road trips and campfires. There are plenty of challenges behind the scenes that most people never see.
For one, RVs are big, complicated machines. They’re like rolling houses with engines, plumbing, and electrical systems all wrapped into one. Things break. All the time. Especially on the brand new RVs that just come off the line. It takes about 2-3 vacations to work all the bugs out on a new rv. We’ve got full-time techs who can fix just about anything, but coordinating repairs, parts, and customer schedules can be a juggling act. And if something breaks the morning a customer is supposed to leave for Yosemite? That’s when the stress really hits.
Then there’s seasonality. Summers and holidays are crazy busy—we can’t keep enough RVs in the lot. But winters can be slower, and that means keeping staff busy, managing cash flow, and planning ahead.
And of course, we’re dealing with people’s vacations. These aren’t just rentals—they’re once-a-year adventures, family reunions, or bucket list trips. The pressure to deliver a flawless experience is real. If an RV isn’t perfect, it can ruin a trip, and I take that responsibility seriously.
Finally, as we’ve grown, managing almost 40 privately owned RVs has meant balancing owners’ expectations, renter happiness, and employee workloads. It’s a constant balancing act between being a business owner, a mechanic, a manager, and sometimes even a therapist.
But you know what? Even with the long nights, last-minute scrambles, and the occasional “why am I doing this?” moment, I wouldn’t trade it. The struggles make the successes that much sweeter. When I see a family come back glowing after their trip, it reminds me why I started this in the first place.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about RvFunRental.com ?
Well, the quick version is this: we’re RV Fun Rental, and we’re all about taking the stress out of owning and renting RVs. We’ve built this business around the idea that people should be able to enjoy the outdoors without all the headaches.
What do we actually do? We manage a fleet of almost 40 RVs, all privately owned, right here in Oceanside. Owners bring us their RVs. We store them for free, maintain them for free, and rent them out when they’re not using them. The rental income usually covers most—or sometimes all—of their payments. So they get to own the RV, use it whenever they want, and not worry about the costs. It’s kind of like turning an RV into a little side business.
What sets us apart? Honestly, it’s the full package. We don’t just hand keys to a renter and say, ‘Good luck.’ We have full-time RV techs who prep the rigs—fill the water, top off the propane, check the systems, clean it inside and out—so when someone drives off, it’s road-trip ready. And when they come back, we handle everything again. It’s like valet service, but with way more cupholders.
We’re also different because we make ownership actually work. RV dealers love us because people realize, hey, I can actually afford this thing if it’s out earning money instead of sitting in a storage lot. I’m not a tax guy, but when you rent your RV out more than 50% of the time, the IRS usually treats it like a business—so you can write off expenses like maintenance, insurance, and loan interest, and even depreciate the RV’s value. That means a California family making $150,000 in W-2 income could save thousands in taxes each year while their rental income covers most or all of their RV payment, essentially letting them own and use an RV for little to no cost.
What am I most proud of, brand-wise? Definitely our reputation. We’ve got hundreds of five-star reviews, and they’re not just about clean RVs—they’re about experiences. Families writing in saying, ‘That was the best vacation we’ve ever had.’ That’s the stuff that makes me proud. I always tell people, we’re not just renting RVs, we’re renting memories.
And for your readers, what I want them to know is this: whether you’re looking to rent an RV for an adventure, or you own one and want it to stop costing you money, we’ve built something here that makes it easy. We’re growing into San Diego, Orange County, even L.A., and we’ve had everyone from everyday families to celebrities and YouTubers rolling out in our rigs. But no matter who it is, our goal is the same: make sure you have a trip you’ll never forget.”
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
“You know, I’ve kind of always been wired as a business guy. Even as a teenager I was hustling—starting little businesses, figuring out how to make things work. By the time I was in college, I was already building companies. Even after I got married young, I kept building new ideas—first as a newlywed, and later while raising four kids.
It’s just always been in my blood, you know? Some people grow up dreaming about being a doctor or a ballplayer—I grew up thinking about how to build something that people would love and figuring out how to turn that into a business.
And family has always been at the center of it. My wife and I raised four great kids while I was growing businesses. One of my daughters is actually in Brazil right now, serving a church mission in São Paulo. She’s been there over a year, helping people, and I couldn’t be prouder. The rest of the kids have either graduated college or are still in college, chasing their own dreams.
So when you look at RV Fun Rental, it’s not just another business for me—it’s kind of the perfect blend of who I am. I’ve always loved the outdoors, I’ve always loved building businesses, and I’ve always wanted my family involved in what I do. This company ties all of that together.”
Pricing:
- Some RV’s produce about $20,000.00 a year in income for the owners and we manage everything
- for renting rv’s we have basic rv’s for less than 200 a night and luxury 10 person and bus style for little more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://RvFunRental.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rvfunrental
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RvFunRental/
Image Credits
images owned by matt smith and RvFunRental.com
