“I grew up tent camping, and my wife and I tent camped with our two boys when they were young,” Outdoorsy owner Michael Porter tells us. “In 2013 we bought our first camper—a pop-up—for a week-long trip to the beach near Pensacola, Florida with a group of friends from church. We kept it for a couple of years and then upgraded to a hybrid camper. We sold that and bought a Primetime Tracer 3200BHT to live in for 10 months while we built our house.”
After those 10 months, Michael and his wife saw a business opportunity. “After we finished our house, we didn’t need that big of a camper, so we rented it out starting in 2019,” Michael explains. “It was a great experience, so we bought three new campers at the beginning of 2020 and two more at the beginning of 2021. We have also consigned three campers.”
With so much growth, the Porters saw a need for extra protection. “We knew we wanted to grow, and that we wanted to have commercial insurance for protection,” says Michael. “We did our research and Outdoorsy/Roamly offered the best insurance products for both our tow vehicle and our campers. We also love the convenience of Wheelbase combined with the better commissions offered through it.”
Not only did this decision offer the insurance Michael was looking for, but it also helped his business grow. “Once we started using Outdoorsy insurance, we noticed a marked increase in our Outdoorsy reservations,” he recalls. “We’ve had $80,000 in gross revenue in two years!”
So what makes the Porters stand out from other Outdoorsy owners? “We have tons of camper and camping experience, and we enjoy teaching others and introducing them to the outdoors,” Michael shares.
In fact, Michael enjoys sharing his knowledge with others so much, he even started a blog for potential renters (and anyone else who might need some info on RVing). “I want to integrate the blog with our renter training that we do pre-rental,” he informs us. “Our next step is to import videos from trusted sources. We get a lot of questions on towing, etc, and we want to be able to share videos to help with that.”
He’s also in the business of helping other owners get started in the RV rental business and has written a book titled Make Cash With Your Camper that outlines everything you need to know to get started.
While he isn’t sure if his blog and book have brought him rental business directly, he is confident that sharing his knowledge with others does help him make connections and find new business opportunities. “People will frequently reach out to me for help buying and repairing campers because someone has told them I’m in the business,” Michael explains. “It’s a great way to start a relationship, and many times it will turn into business opportunities through renting or consulting.”
As an example, Michael tells us about a memorable renter experience: “I had a last-minute rental in the summer of 2020 with a family that had their other camper canceled,” he shares. “I delivered to them late on a Friday afternoon and saved their camping trip. They rented from us again that summer and have fallen in love with camping. I helped them buy a camper in January 2021 and we consigned it for them all year. They used it six times themselves and made over $5,000 renting it out!”
Clearly, Michael’s passion for camping is helping his renters as well as fellow owners, and we foresee a bright future for his rental business!
All about Michael
Favorite morning beverage: “Black coffee, decaf on doctor’s orders.”
Favorite campsite meal: “Steak and potatoes over a fire, followed by peach cobbler in the Dutch oven and homemade ice cream!”
Music you like to play on the radio: “Country music, old and new.”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite: “The card game Five Crowns.”
Favorite season: “Tough question…probably Fall because I love a good campfire.”
Last photo you took: “I love taking pictures of the horizon from mountain roads.”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go? “We flew to Colorado in October 2020 and had a blast. We want to drive an RV out west one day.”
