“As a child, I had opportunities to camp in a camper several times and loved it, but I never considered getting one until I found my biological family and took a trip to meet them,” owner James Higgins shares with us. “We rented a trailer from Outdoorsy and took it to my mom’s driveway. This was my favorite RV experience by far—meeting and connecting with my biological family after years of searching. It was an overwhelming experience at the base of the Tetons.”
Meeting one’s biological family as an adult is definitely life-changing, but it wasn’t the only life-changing thing that happened on that fateful trip. “After that trip, we started looking into RVs,” says James. “We wanted to be able to share our love of making memories for others, and we wanted an RV to enjoy and make memories with our own family.” That’s right, that single RV trip inspired an entire business for the Higgins!
Of course, James chose to rent on Outdoorsy himself. “As mentioned earlier, we enjoyed our experience renting through Outdoorsy, and when we looked into renting out our RV, we really liked how the platform was set up and the legwork that was done to protect the renter and owner,” he tells us. “We feel comfortable renting with Outdoorsy and haven’t had any major problems so far.”
Higgins does his best to treat his customers extra well. “When we decided to rent,” he recalls, “we looked at tons of listings trying to figure out what to include and what we needed in the RV. We gathered things we needed and decided to incorporate local items as well, including local honey supplied by my brother-in-law.”
Another type of item James included? His own custom woodworking! James is a man of many talents, as it happens, and one of them just happens to be creating neat things out of wood.
“I have always tried to have a side job,” he explains. “I have a DJ company that was shut down in 2020 and I was looking at options to start another side business. While watching YouTube I came across many woodworkers making projects. I took woodshop in high school and thought to myself that I had the knowledge and skillset to start woodworking.
“I began with simple projects like making blanket ladders, before moving on to making custom cutting boards, coasters, trivets, etc. Once people started seeing my designs and work, they began ordering. When we bought our RV, I knew I wanted to incorporate my woodworking into it as a unique way of showcasing my work.”
Renting his RV has become a great source of income and a fun way to showcase his woodworking, but those aren’t the only things James gets out of the business. “We have had the opportunity to meet several fun families, from motocross racers to those attending family reunions, to people going on a Father’s Day weekend getaway,” Higgins tells us.
“It’s always good getting to know our renters. We’ve included a guest book in the RV and we encourage our renters to put a few words in it. It’s really cool to look back and remember the great families that have chosen to share their adventures with us!”
All About James
Favorite morning beverage: “Water or coffee.”
Favorite campsite meal: “Breakfast grilled cheese.”
Music you like to play on the radio: “All kinds, but usually ’90s rock or country.”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite: “Any game that connects people. We like cornhole, washer toss, and cards.”
Favorite season: “Fall.”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go? “I couldn’t possibly pick just one. I love the adventure of trying new things every new place I go.”
