Escape Campervans Mavericks vs JUCY USA Trailblazer

 So, you’ve decided to do a road trip in the great US of A? Awesome! There’s no better way to explore all this country has to offer than by driving in your very own RV or campervan rental at the pace that you want to go at. But one important decision that you have to make is choosing not only the campervan company that you wish to hire from, but also the vehicle that will make tiki-touring around as enjoyable as possible. To save you a bit of time and research, we are doing a series of posts comparing two similar vehicles from two different companies to help you make an educated decision. Make sure to have a read of our 7 Essential Tips for a Successful US Road Trip as well for some great advice!

Escape Mavericks vs JUCY Trailblazer

Today we are looking at two vehicles from Escape and JUCY USA that are suitable for a group of four friends or a family. If you aren’t too familiar with either of these companies, you can find out a bit more about them in our Escape vs JUCY company comparison article, where we talk about everything from background to insurance to fleet size. 

The Mavericks from Escape Campervans and the Trailblazer from JUCY USA are both minivans that have space for two people to sleep inside as well as two people in a rooftop tent. They have basic kitchen facilities so you can cook while on the road, but due to having no bathroom facilities, you’ll need to make use of holiday parks or public bathrooms for your ablution and toilet needs. 

If you decide to rent the Escape Mavericks, you can expect a Ford E150 or Ford Transit from around 2012 that was fitted out between 2012 and 2017, with a fuel consumption of around 13 litres per 100km. The JUCY Trailblazer is a Dodge Caravan (or similar) from 2012-2017, with a fuel consumption of 14km per 100km. Only two people travelling? Then these vehicles are probably not right for you, unless you want the extra space. If you’re looking for something designed purely for two people, then check out our Escape Santa Cruz vs JUCY Wayfarer comparison.

Rental Costs

Like with many things in the tourism industry, campervan rental costs fluctuate throughout the year so it’s hard to give you an exact figure of what you will have to pay. Seasonal promotions and discounts can affect the price, and you may even get a better daily rate if you hire a vehicle for a long period of time. The way to get the best deal on your campervan rental is to take note of any school or public holiday periods that may bring prices up and be flexible with your travel dates. For this article, we did a booking enquiry for the 7^th October 2019 to the 21^st October 2019 (2 weeks) picking up from Los Angeles, to get an idea of what each company would charge for this time period.

What’s included in the price?

We love anything that gives "unlimited" so we prefer Escape's plan here even though the 100 mile package is a little more expensive. I guess if you KNOW the exact route you are going to take then by all means you should probably pick Jucy here after you do some calculations, but we like to be a little more free to move around without thinking that we will go beyond our pre-paid "quota" of miles, and get stung for extra miles upon return of vehicle.

Optional Extras

Please note: Prices are one time unless otherwise specified 

It’s important to note that both companies do not offer free linen and towels like most of the rental companies Down Under do, so you can either bring your own or purchase one of their bedding packs when you pick up your vehicle. Unfortunately, you won’t get kitchenware provided either, but Escape has a kitchen kit available for $40, and JUCY’s is $115. Rather than having to lug everything with you on the plane or make an extra shopping trip, JUCY and Escape provide extras that you can buy or rent whether you are roundtripping from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, Napa Valley to Santa Ynez or Los Vegas to Los Angeles. 

Other optional extras that Escape provides include an electrical kit ($20,) 2-person tent ($30), BugSoc ($40), and other bits and pieces like sunshades, ice scrapers, snow chains, USB charger, Aux cable and propane. 

JUCY offers a charcoal grill ($24), generator ($75), DVD player ($20), smore sticks ($5), electric blanket ($20), frisbee ($6), a winter pack ($30), plus lanterns, playing cards, racquetball set and coolers. You can also take advantage of the 24/7 delivery service or the return vehicle fee for $100 each.

Escape vs JUCY Winner: JUCY

Escape Mavericks vs JUCY Trailblazer Design

Interior of the Mavericks

As mentioned above, both the Escape Mavericks and the JUCY Trailblazer are suitable for a family or group of up to four friends wanting to explore the USA by road. On the outside, JUCY vehicles are easily recognisable with the green and purple branding, but the Escape Mavericks are all hand painted uniquely by local artists. This means it will be easy to pick your campervan out in a busy RV park! 

On the inside the design is pretty similar. Upfront there is a driver and passengers seat, then a bench seat in the back, a table and a storage area for all your essentials. At night (or when you’re ready for bed), two people can make use of the inside double bed – created by folding the seats and table down. Two more people can use the rooftop tent, which is accessible by a ladder once you’ve erected the tent. 

While both vehicles have seat belts for five people, JUCY says that its vehicle only has room for four people to sleep, while Escape says the Mavericks can sleep five. Both vehicles come with basic cooking facilities, including dual gas burners, a fridge, water tank and a sink. These can be accessed by opening up the vertical trunk and pulling out the facilities from the back of the vehicle. This makes it perfect for cooking meals while on the road, and thanks to Escape’s dual battery system using both solar power and car battery, your fridge will always be cool. 

Since they only come with the basics, purchasing a kitchen pack is going to be key for preparing meals, unless you want to buy your own gear along the way. There are not many big differences between either of these vehicles, but thanks to uniquely painted exteriors and a dual battery system…

Escape Santa Cruz vs JUCY Wayfarer Design Winner: Escape

Company Reputation

The reputation of a rental company is worth looking into before making any commitments. Even if you really like the look of a certain vehicle, if there have been numerous complaints about customer service, break downs or overcharging, it might just not be worth it in the end. Thankfully, both Escape and JUCY are doing pretty well in terms of online reviews as you can see in our Escape vs JUCY article. However, Escape does have the upper hand in this department, with overall better ratings compared to JUCY across different channels.

Escape vs JUCY Reputation Winner: Escape

Insurance Matters

Perhaps the most important thing that you need to understand before clicking that BOOK NOW button, is the type of insurance policy that is on offer. While the majority of people have absolutely no problems whatsoever on their road trip, accidents can happen, whether they are caused by you or someone else. Even though it costs extra to carry out insurance, it could save you a LOT of money. 

JUCY offers a pretty standard insurance policy. You can choose to have no insurance and have a large bond taken from your card, or if you are willing to pay a bit more each day, you can reduce your excess to either $0 or $500.

Escape does things a bit differently. You either take out insurance and be covered, or don’t and be liable for the whole cost of the vehicle. Escape only takes a card imprint rather than a bond, but you’ll be best to take out insurance rather than potentially stuck with a bill of thousands of dollars. 

Our Escape vs JUCY comparison article explains more about this, and you can also get more details when booking through our website.

Escape vs JUCY Winner: Too hard to call

Anything else worth knowing?

Another way of knowing what the right campervan company for you is, is to check out what useful things it might have to offer you. We talk about this in our Escape vs JUCY USA article, but in a nutshell, we found that Escape doesn’t charge extra for one way trips which is super useful if you are going to be flying out of a different airport to the one you flew in on. It does tend to sell out quickly though especially in high season, so it’s a good idea to book as soon as you start making your travel plans. This article will explain why you’ll want to do that anyway. 

As for JUCY USA, we love that they give you a ton of discounts for various RV parks, tours and activities in the US – some can be up to 20% off which is great when you’re traveling on a budget. JUCY also lets you take pets onboard; however, you’ll need to get written permission for this beforehand and pay an extra cleaning fee.

Escape vs JUCY Extras Winner: JUCY

Overall Winner – It’s a tie!

Perhaps one of the closest races we’ve had, it really was hard to make a decision about the winner of this one. You really can’t go too wrong when hiring either of these vehicles, but of course there may be certain categories that are really important to you and so can base your decision according to that. If you want to go for the best design and don’t mind paying more, then it’s worth choosing Escape, but if you want the most number of optional extras then JUCY is the way to go. Whatever you end up choosing, you’ll no doubt have an amazing time touring the great US of A!