A cross-market brand comparison for festival trips, covering the best campervan and RV brands across Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.
A muddy paddock at CMC Rocks doesn’t call for the same rig as Burning Man’s alkali dust, and neither is a match for the dusk-to-dawn desert heat of EDC Las Vegas or the winter cold of Carnaval de Québec. This guide compares the main campervan and RV brands available across Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada, and matches them to the festival trip you’re actually planning.
For most festival trips, the right brand comes down to the market, the fleet age you’re paying for, and whether your specific vehicle carries an onboard generator. In Australia and New Zealand, the THL group brands (Britz, Apollo, Maui, Mighty, Cheapa Campa) dominate the fleet at every price point, sharing depots and vehicles across tiers. JUCY and Travellers Autobarn are the go-to budget choices, and Camplify’s peer-to-peer marketplace can cost less again for a shorter trip. In North America, Cruise America is the widest network, while Road Bear RV and El Monte RV are stronger picks for larger groups needing Class A comforts. Canada is a smaller field, with CanaDream and Cruise Canada the two most common festival choices.
Before working through the brands individually, it’s worth naming a pattern that trips up a lot of first-time renters comparing quotes.
Britz, Apollo, Maui, Mighty and Cheapa Campa are all part of the same parent company, tourism Holdings Limited (THL), and often share the same depot address. In Australia, all five commonly operate out of the same THL yard in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and other capital cities. In New Zealand, Britz, Apollo, Maui, Mighty and Cheapa share a shared Māngere depot near Auckland Airport. In the USA, El Monte RV, Road Bear RV and Mighty are the THL brands, and share the same Boulder Highway facility in Las Vegas.
What this means in practice: a “Britz vs Apollo” comparison is often really a comparison between the newer, mid-range Britz fleet and the older, cheaper Apollo fleet, both booked through the same company. Maui is the premium tier of the same group. Cheapa Campa is the budget tier. Mighty sits in the middle.
This isn’t a criticism, the shared infrastructure genuinely does keep prices competitive across festival weekends, but it does mean you can usually swap between “brands” within the THL group without changing anything meaningful about your pickup logistics.
Australia’s festival calendar runs the widest of any of the four markets Event Campers covers, with Bathurst 1000, MotoGP Phillip Island, CMC Rocks, Woodford Folk Festival, Deni Ute Muster and Tamworth Country Music Festival drawing tens of thousands of RV campers between them each year.
Britz is the flagship THL brand, with a mid-to-premium fleet of newer motorhomes across every state. For a family or friends-of-four heading to Woodford or CMC Rocks, a Britz 4-Berth or 6-Berth is the safe, no-surprises pick: onboard shower, toilet, generator, and enough kitchen to actually cook rather than survive on servo food.
Apollo shares the same depots as Britz but runs an older fleet at a lower price point. For festival trips where you’re mostly sleeping in the vehicle rather than entertaining in it, Apollo is often the better value, especially for AU festivals where the ground itself does most of the socialising.
Maui is the premium end of the THL group, aimed at travellers who want slide-outs, larger fridges and more comfortable interiors. It suits multi-week trips more than a three-day festival stay; for most festivals, the Maui premium isn’t necessary.
Cheapa Campa and Mighty are the two budget-oriented THL brands. For a couple or a group of three going to CMC Rocks or Strawberry Fields, either is a reasonable choice, with Mighty tending to have slightly newer vehicles than Cheapa Campa.
JUCY is the strongest non-THL competitor in Australia, with a green-and-purple fleet and depots close to most major airports. JUCY campervans are compact 2-berth and 4-berth, well suited to a festival weekend for a couple or small group, though larger family setups will find them tight.
GoCheap Campervans is a Perth-based budget option, well positioned for Perth-area festivals but limited in reach elsewhere.
Indie Campers operates in Australia (unlike its absence from the US market) with a modern, mostly compact fleet suited to shorter festival trips.
OnlyVans is a newer entrant with a smaller fleet, worth checking on availability but not yet at the scale of the THL brands or JUCY.
Camplify is a peer-to-peer marketplace rather than a fleet operator, so you’re renting a specific privately-owned vehicle rather than picking a “class.” For festivals close to a major city, Camplify can deliver the vehicle to your pickup point or the venue itself, which is a genuine advantage for weekend-only trips where a full depot pickup would eat into your festival time. For remote festivals like Deni Ute Muster or Woodford, the fleet operators are usually more reliable.
For AU festival trips, our generator rules for Australian music festivals guide is essential reading, especially if you’re going to a festival that bans external generators.
New Zealand’s festival scene is smaller than Australia’s, but the vehicle rules are stricter. Freedom camping in New Zealand requires a certified self-contained vehicle, meaning a fixed toilet, holding tanks and a self-contained blue sticker on the vehicle. Not every campervan on the market qualifies, so it’s the single most important thing to confirm before booking for festivals like Rhythm and Alps, Rhythm and Vines, Splore, WOMAD or the Taupō Supercars.
The THL group brands (Britz, Maui, Apollo, Mighty, Cheapa Campa) all offer self-contained certified vehicles in New Zealand, with the same tier structure as Australia: Maui at the top, Britz mid-range, Apollo and Mighty in the middle, Cheapa at the budget end.
Travellers Autobarn operates from Māngere near Auckland Airport and offers a mix of compact campervans and slightly larger 4-berth vehicles. Confirm self-contained certification on the specific vehicle at booking, since not every Travellers Autobarn model qualifies.
Star RV is a premium THL sub-brand focused on newer, larger vehicles, worth considering for a longer NZ trip that includes a festival mid-way.
Trek Campers, Elements World, Waka Campa, Sunta Campers and Happy Campers are smaller NZ-native operators with varying fleet sizes. Waka Campa in particular runs a distinctively branded compact fleet popular with backpacker-oriented festival crowds; the smaller operators can offer excellent value but confirm self-contained status individually.
For festivals in the South Island, especially Rhythm and Alps in the Cardrona Valley, remember the Cook Strait ferry (Interislander or Bluebridge) if you’re picking up from Auckland. A South Island pickup from a Queenstown or Christchurch depot removes that variable.
The US market is dominated by two names for practical festival purposes: Cruise America and the THL group (El Monte RV, Road Bear RV, Mighty). Travellers Autobarn also runs a smaller US fleet worth knowing about.
Cruise America has the widest branch network in the USA, with depots in every state relevant to a major festival: Las Vegas for EDC, Los Angeles for Coachella and Stagecoach, Nashville for Bonnaroo, Indianapolis for the Indy 500, and further. The fleet is standardised across C19, C21, C25 and C30 Class C motorhomes, with onboard generators standard. For a first-time US festival trip, Cruise America is the easiest option to reason about: you’ll know exactly what you’re picking up before you fly.
Road Bear RV targets a slightly older, family-oriented market with larger Class A and Class C motorhomes, full-size fridges and better blackout options. For daytime sleeping at EDC or Burning Man, where a hot desert afternoon meets a dusk-to-dawn schedule, Road Bear’s larger vehicles handle heat better than the smaller Cruise America fleet.
El Monte RV, THL’s larger US brand, shares depots with Road Bear (including the Boulder Highway facility in Las Vegas) and offers a similar mid-to-premium Class C and Class A fleet. Free generator use is included, which matters at dry-camping festivals.
Mighty is the THL group’s budget line in the US, sharing depot infrastructure with El Monte RV. For festival trips where the vehicle is really just a base to sleep and shower, Mighty is worth comparing against Cruise America’s cheapest models.
Travellers Autobarn operates a smaller US fleet from a handful of locations including Las Vegas, primarily compact campervans and smaller Class C motorhomes. Confirm at booking that the specific vehicle meets Camp EDC or other festival requirements for onboard generators and air conditioning, since not every model carries them.
Indie Campers, despite its Australian and European presence, does not operate its own US fleet at time of writing. Any “Indie Campers USA” listing on comparison sites should be double-checked before booking.
Canada’s festival calendar covers everything from Calgary Stampede and Big Valley Jamboree in Alberta, to Boots and Hearts and the Canadian National Exhibition in Ontario, Montreal Jazz and Carnaval de Québec in Quebec, and Shambhala in British Columbia. The fleet operator field is smaller than either the US or Australia.
CanaDream and Cruise Canada are the two most established Canadian operators, with fleets aimed at both domestic and international travellers. Cruise Canada is the northern arm of Cruise America and offers a familiar standardised Class C fleet with cross-border drop-off options (subject to fees and paperwork).
Fraserway RV is a strong Canadian-owned option, particularly for trips originating in British Columbia or Alberta.
Karma Campervans is a smaller campervan-focused operator, better suited to smaller festival groups than to the family-of-four Class C market that CanaDream and Fraserway serve.
For winter festivals, especially Carnaval de Québec in February, confirm the specific vehicle is winterised: heated water systems, insulated tanks, and a working furnace matter far more than fleet-brand prestige.
For clarity, a rough map from festival type to brand tier:
Our page on choosing the right motorhome size for a family of four at a music festival covers vehicle sizing in more depth, and freedom camping versus festival campgrounds covers where you can and cannot actually park what you rent.
Which is the best campervan brand for festivals in Australia? For most festival trips, the THL group brands (Britz, Apollo, Maui, Mighty, Cheapa Campa) offer the widest fleet and most reliable depot network. JUCY is the strongest non-THL competitor for compact vehicles. Camplify’s peer-to-peer marketplace is worth checking for short trips close to a major city.
Is Cruise America the best RV rental in the US for festivals? Cruise America has the widest US branch network, which makes it the easiest choice for a first-time festival trip. For larger groups or festivals with extreme heat like EDC or Burning Man, Road Bear RV or El Monte RV are stronger picks thanks to newer, larger vehicles with better AC performance.
What is the cheapest campervan for festivals? In Australia, Cheapa Campa, Mighty and JUCY compete for the budget end. In the USA, Cruise America’s compact and standard models and Travellers Autobarn’s smaller campervans are the cheapest. Camplify (AU) can undercut fleet operators for short weekend trips. See our note on choosing the cheapest RV rental in Chicago for how this tradeoff plays out at market level.
Are Britz, Apollo and Maui really the same company? Yes. Britz, Apollo, Maui, Mighty and Cheapa Campa are all owned by tourism Holdings Limited (THL) and often operate from the same depot. Comparing them is really a fleet-tier comparison: Maui premium, Britz mid-range, Mighty and Apollo mid-budget, Cheapa Campa budget.
Do I need a self-contained certified campervan for festivals in New Zealand? Yes, if you plan to freedom camp between festivals or use freedom camping sites near the venue. All THL group vehicles in NZ, and most Travellers Autobarn and Star RV vehicles, are self-contained certified, but confirm on the specific vehicle at booking.
Which brands allow onboard generators for festivals like EDC or Burning Man? Cruise America, Road Bear RV, El Monte RV, Britz, Apollo, Maui and Mighty include onboard generators on most Class C and Class A models. Confirm at booking for Travellers Autobarn and any peer-to-peer listing (Camplify), since not every vehicle in those fleets carries one.
What is Camplify and how is it different from Britz or Apollo? Camplify is a peer-to-peer campervan and RV marketplace where you rent a specific privately-owned vehicle from its owner, rather than picking a class from a fleet operator. It operates primarily in Australia. For festivals close to a major city, delivery options can save time; for remote festivals, fleet operators are usually more reliable.
Which brand is best for a winter festival like Carnaval de Québec? Winterisation matters more than brand. Confirm the specific vehicle has a heated water system, insulated tanks and a working furnace before booking. See our Carnaval de Québec RV hire guide for detail on cold-weather Canadian RV rental.
Are peer-to-peer marketplaces safe for festival rentals? Generally yes, though the trade-off is variability: you’re renting one specific vehicle rather than a standardised fleet model, so read reviews of the specific listing carefully, and confirm generator, AC and toilet setup before booking. Camplify is the main peer-to-peer marketplace Event Campers references for the Australian market.
Event Campers compares campervan and RV brands across Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada in one place. Whether the plan is a compact JUCY 2-berth to Splore, a Britz 4-berth to CMC Rocks, a Cruise America C25 to EDC Las Vegas, or a CanaDream Class C to Calgary Stampede, browse our full operator list or explore our destination hubs for Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.
