Business Spotlight: Happy Campers

Happy Campers RV Rentals is a Chico family business that started in May of 2018. The owner-operators, Matt and Caitlin Dunckel, have two children, Ashlyn 11 and Isaiah 8. The Dunckels are a family who loves to camp and have made it a point to get in as many camping trips each summer as they can. For most of that time, their camping trips involved a tent, a couple of coolers, sleeping pads and bags, and everything else that went along with tent camping. That all changed one weekend when Matt and Caitlin got the chance to get away by themselves. They thought it would be fun to change things up a bit and decided to rent a teardrop trailer. This was a game-changer for them, and Matt was sold. He loved the ease of not having to set up a tent and sleeping gear. When he and Caitlin pulled up to the Yuba River just outside of Downieville, on their first night in the teardrop, all they had to do was put up two chairs and open a beer. That was it. T he following fall, they joined several friends for an annual Fort Brag trip, and the forecast called for rain. Matt decided he wanted to rent a motorhome, so he found one in Sacramento. Having the RV on the coast proved to be a great idea because it rained hard for several days. They stayed warm and dry while some of their friends were not so lucky! On that same trip, another friend of theirs had rented a camper van. She loved it, but she had to drive to Redding to pick it up and drop it off. M att realized what a great opportunity it was for people to rent an RV, and also that no one was doing it in Chico. Having to drive to Redding or Sacramento from Chico to rent something is a pain, especially with two young kids, so Matt made the decision then and there to start an RV rental business in Chico, and Happy Campers RV Rentals was born. Within a month, he had his website, two travel trailers, and his first customers. T oday their rental fleet includes five units and is growing (four travel trailers and one class C motorhome). Matt’s favorite thing about the business is getting the opportunity to meet so many great people. Most of their clients are fellow North State residents, but once in awhile, they get clients from out of state or even out of the country. Most of their clients are weekend campers, but they also get families going on two-week road trips, or even a crew going to Burning Man, they get bookings during graduation weekend and the holidays as well. When people have extra family coming to town, renting an RV is a perfect way to provide the space and comfort they need for their visit. Happy Campers even offers delivery and set up for clients who are unable to tow a heavy trailer. Happy Campers Local Business Spotlight