Camping USA 2020

[MrWIB]

Hi all,

My name is Oskar and I live in Sweden.
After reading the "USA is Overlanding Nirvana" article, Im now planning a camping adventure for summer 2020 in USA.
My plan so far is going from Seattle to New York (Cant miss NYC when in US ;) ), something like this New York to Seattle
We will have aprox 30 days for this, not planning to drive everyday, so maybe 20 days of driving.

So now I hope for some help from this forum :)
These are the questionsto start with, guess many more will come.
1. Car rental, which one is best (value for money)? Is there a possibillity to rent a campervan/pickup with camper on it?
2. Is there a web site where I easily can find camping grounds? Not the RV type, they are riddiculus expensive and we are more looking for "real camping". We will split the camping with hotel stays from time to time.
3. Is the route OK? Would you suggest another route? Is there any problem taking at rental car to Canada and back?
4. Usually we travel with our car equipped with RTT, so we dont have any ordinary camping equipment, that has to be bought when we arrive. Any suggestions for a good camping equipment store in the Seattle area?

I have been googleing alot but not sure of the results, therefor this thread.

We have been in the USA before, and many years ago I drove the Hwy 1 from Seattle to San Diego and Vegas, was super nice, but then 100% hotel/motel.
This time I would like a bit more of nature experience and at least 50% camping ;)

And good to know, its a family trip, my wife, son (13y) and me thats going.
Dates are sometime in June/July.

If anything is unclear just let me know and I will add all the info that I can.

Br

Oskar

 

[Jeff B]

That is a good route. There are companies that rent camper vans, as well as small rvs. There are a few major car rental companies in the US like Hertz and Enterprise, which are available at the airports. I would check the rules of whatever rental you choose, because their insurance may not allow border crossings or off road type travel.
I checked and Seattle has an REI store, which sells camping gear, and happens to be their flagship store.

 

[Prerunner1982]

If you are going to be that close you might as well drop down into Wyoming and visit Yellowstone National Park.

 

[MrWIB]

If you are going to be that close you might as well drop down into Wyoming and visit Yellowstone National Park.

Thanks, totally missed that :)
Anything "must see" there?

 

[MrWIB]

That is a good route. There are companies that rent camper vans, as well as small rvs. There are a few major car rental companies in the US like Hertz and Enterprise, which are available at the airports. I would check the rules of whatever rental you choose, because their insurance may not allow border crossings or off road type travel.
I checked and Seattle has an REI store, which sells camping gear, and happens to be their flagship store.

Thanks :)
The REI store seems great

 

[Prerunner1982]

Thanks, totally missed that :)
Anything "must see" there?

I have never been but would love to.
They have many geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, and wildlife.

 

[GX_Overlander]

Thanks, totally missed that :)
Anything "must see" there?

Try to make your way through national parks. They don’t disappoint.

 

[Hyland33]

For finding campsites I would check out freecampsites.net, also checkout the mobile apps Wikicamps, iOverlander, and campendium

 

[Motoboss]

This https://www.couchsurfing.com/ is a good resource for connecting with locals as you travel. You don't necessarily have to stay with folks but can get information about local attractions, events, sites to see and camping from locals. And it's nice to have a local resource if you run in to issues and could use some help.