Rob Lykins and his wife Brooke are a very close-knit couple. The two of them spent last summer together in their RV with their two kids, and not only did they survive, but they also had an absolute blast. “Our trip took us over the Rockies to Colorado, up to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and onto Wyoming and Yellowstone,” the Lykins recounted their summer of adventure to us. “We then moved into Montana and back through Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California.”
Big, crazy projects
How did the couple get so close? One way they bond is through “big crazy projects” that they take on together. One such project happened in anticipation of their big summer trip. They built their very own adventure vehicle: a class-C RV. “My wife and I enjoy huge projects to do together, and we thought this would be a fun challenge,” Rob told us. “We were able to completely change the look of our RV while updating the interior to the modern condition.”
Unintentional business
Little did the Lykins couple know that their fun project was going to turn into a money making machine. “Our close friends asked about renting,” Mr. Lykins explained. “Since I’m in the insurance industry and was concerned about coverage, Outdoorsy provided the service we needed.” Once they listed the custom RV on Outdoorsy, an unintended business was born. Rob continued, “We immediately had 3 to 4 bookings and have had 3 to 4 rentals each month since. We average about $2,000 a month.”
More to come
Although they’ve been renting for a while now, Rob and Brooke are still working on their RV. “We have made improvements and additions as we felt we needed them and even taken some advice from renters on what they loved and wanted more of,” they told us.
They also recently added a new project to their lineup: “We just purchased a ‘79 VW Westfalia bus to renovate and rent since we have had so much interest in our Coachman,” Rob said, sounding thrilled. “We are excited to see if our VW bus can open a completely different adventure opportunity for our renters and us.”
Working for the renters
What kind of people rent the Lykins’ Class C? All kinds: “Our renters range from surfers and retirees to those camping in their driveway while their house is fumigated,” the Lykins explained. “We have had many first-timers and are just as motivated to make their trip as exciting and perfect as ours as we are to make money so we can enjoy more time on the road.” We think this is a great outlook and a wonderful way to run a business!
All About Rob Lykins
Favorite morning beverage:
“French press coffee.”
Favorite campsite meal:
“Skillet scramble over the campfire.”
Music you like to play on the radio:
“‘90s pop and country.”
Best game to play on the road or at your campsite:
“Battleship or Clue”
Favorite season:
“Summer”
Last photo you took:
“Beach overlook”
What’s your Outdoorsy spirit animal?
“Wolf. We have 2 huskies we saved from Hurricane Harvey: Harvey and Rainey.”
If you could travel anywhere in an RV, where would you go?
“Next to a river.”
