Would You Climb in The Back of a U-Haul Truck…For a Date?
There’s a truck trend sweeping social media that, I have to say, is pretty wholesome. It doesn’t involve tide pods, stealing Kias, or the Carolina Squat. So I guess the social media trend bar is pretty darn low. But it does involve thriftiness, some DIY know-how, and spending time with your loved ones. It is simply converting U-Haul trucks into getaways for cute dates.
What is a U-Haul truck date?
Popularized by Millennials on social media, a U-Haul truck date is simply renting and converting a U-Haul truck for any date you and your sweetheart might enjoy. U-Haul dates are only limited by your imagination; there’s a huge variety of them going down.
One of the earliest examples I’ve found was Jessica Johnston’s (29) and Dom Rand’s (34) first wedding anniversary. The Dunkirk, NY couple rented a U-Haul pickup truck, ratchet strapped an air mattress with blanket and pillows in the back, stopped by Walmart for snacks, and then took the rig to a local drive-in theatre for a double-showing of Dr. Strange 2 and Thor 4. With rental, movie tickets, and snacks, they kept the total to a cool $80.
“My husband and I are always looking for unique, out-of-the box date ideas…So, we thought renting a U-Haul, grabbing some snacks and catching a double movie marathon at a drive-in theater would be a really fun way to spend our first wedding anniversary.”
Jessica Johnston via NY POST
The couple also filmed their date, and Johnston posted the video to TikTok. And then it went completely viral. So far, over 1.5 million people have watched their video. You can see it for yourself, below:
What does a U-Haul truck date require?
A U-Haul truck date requires 1. You know how to drive a U-Haul, and 2. You have an idea for a special date. Otherwise, there are really no requirements. After Jess Johnston pioneered the art form, countless others have painted veritable masterpieces.
Blain Haskin, a 24 year old from real estate agent in Fresno, California went all out on his U-Haul date. He rented a 5,700-pound box truck and built out a full suite with a bed, LED candles, flowers, wines, and even sushi. Then he rolled up to his girlfriend’s house. Diana Del Muro is a psychology major at Fresno State. She remembered, “When he came to my house I was like, ‘What is going on? What is in this f- -king U-Haul?”
What was his plan? To drive her to a nearby lakeshore for a scenic picnic for their one-year anniversary. Haskin, like other folks under 25, would struggle to rent a car from Enterprise or Hertz. If allowed, he might have to pay a sucharge that could be $75 a day. But U-Haul had his back.
Diana Del Mar’s date night video also got 1.5 million views on TikTok. Here’s that one for you:
How much does a U-Haul date cost?
If you’ve ever seen a U-Haul pickup or small box truck, you’ve probably seen the $19.95/day sign painted on the side. What you might not know is that you’ll also pay for gas, plus $0.69-$0.89 per mile, depending on the branch you rent from. Otherwise, the only cost of your U-Haul date will be the cost of things such as food and movie tickets.
Because of this mileage fee, the cheapest U-Haul dates will be close to home. But considering that even the smallest U-Haul box trucks offer 502 cubic-feet of space that you can build out however you want, how far do you really need to drive?
Next, find out other pickup truck rental prices for your next adventure, or see a walkaround of the 10-foot U-Haul box truck to inspire your next date in the video below:
