Considering buying a Class B or C

[GaiaGoddess]

I currently have a teardrop travel trailer and have been thinking about trading it for a Class B or Class C. My reasons are mainly because I have had lots of trouble getting my camper into tight spots, backing up is always an issue for me, and hitching and unhitching as well. I just feel like it would be a lot smoother to drive up and just park. But the reason why I chose my travel trailer was because it kinda scares me knowing that if I break down, I will have no way of getting all my stuff home, as well as in the future if I live in it full time, I would be forced to sleep somewhere else while it's in for repairs.

So I was wondering how big of an issue this is for people who have a motorhome and how you deal with it when it happens. and also if maybe anyone here has owned a travel trailer and a motorhome and could tell me your opinion on how they compare.

[Deano]

If the trailer breaks down you are faced with the same problem.
I went with a "B" for just the reasons you said were the pros.

[GaiaGoddess]

Originally Posted by Deano

If the trailer breaks down you are faced with the same problem.

How so? If my trailer breaks down I can throw all my stuff into my tow vehicle and go home like I always do when I come home from a camping trip.

[Deano]

OK, what if the tow vehicle breaks down? I fail to see any difference than the Motor Home breaking down. Either way you have a problem.
My Sister and hubby have a class A, when it has had problems they were able to stay in it except when it was actually being worked on in the shop. I know, that does not happen often. I consider this sixes. The other reasons you have expressed say, go for the motor home. IMHO of course.

[Monica998]

The difference of Class B and Class C are as follows:
Class B Advantages and Disadvantages
Class B RVs are easy to drive. They will fit in most driveways and may double as a second family car if needed. These RVs get the best gas mileage and can fit into the tightest of camping sites without much effort. The addition of a tow hitch makes it possible to bring along the family boat or a small trailer. Class B RVs are best suited for two people. Some of the larger models have adaptations to convert the cab seats into beds, but four people traveling together for an extended period of time in a small space can be challenging. The bathrooms are also tiny, with the shower and toilet in the same space. Storage is minimal, both inside the cabin and in spaces along the sides of the RV.

Class C Advantages and Disadvantages
Class C motor homes are sometimes preferred over the Class A because they have an additional entrance into the motor-home cabin. Class Cs are fairly easy to handle. They drive like a typical U-Haul moving van or truck. The available space for both people and their belongings makes the Class C suitable for long vacations and camping trips. The larger truck motor and stronger chassis also allows for towing a boat or other vehicle. On the downside, that larger motor and additional weight mean the Class Cs are not as fuel efficient as Class Bs. The height, further increased by rooftop air conditioners, satellite dishes and vents, and length means they won’t always fit in the driveway. Some cities have restrictions against parking RVs on your property, so they must be stored elsewhere. The height and length of some Class Cs also means limited access to some campsites.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Monica998

The difference of Class B and Class C are as follows:
Class B Advantages and Disadvantages
Class B RVs are easy to drive. They will fit in most driveways and may double as a second family car if needed. These RVs get the best gas mileage and can fit into the tightest of camping sites without much effort. The addition of a tow hitch makes it possible to bring along the family boat or a small trailer. Class B RVs are best suited for two people. Some of the larger models have adaptations to convert the cab seats into beds, but four people traveling together for an extended period of time in a small space can be challenging. The bathrooms are also tiny, with the shower and toilet in the same space. Storage is minimal, both inside the cabin and in spaces along the sides of the RV.

Class C Advantages and Disadvantages
Class C motor homes are sometimes preferred over the Class A because they have an additional entrance into the motor-home cabin. Class Cs are fairly easy to handle. They drive like a typical U-Haul moving van or truck. The available space for both people and their belongings makes the Class C suitable for long vacations and camping trips. The larger truck motor and stronger chassis also allows for towing a boat or other vehicle. On the downside, that larger motor and additional weight mean the Class Cs are not as fuel efficient as Class Bs. The height, further increased by rooftop air conditioners, satellite dishes and vents, and length means they won’t always fit in the driveway. Some cities have restrictions against parking RVs on your property, so they must be stored elsewhere. The height and length of some Class Cs also means limited access to some campsites.

The power of Google, you missed to add this URL as the reference - https://traveltips.usatoday.com/diff...rvs-62395.html

[GaiaGoddess]

Originally Posted by Deano

OK, what if the tow vehicle breaks down? I fail to see any difference than the Motor Home breaking down. Either way you have a problem.

Because at least if my tow vehicle breaks down, it isn't filled with all my stuff, and I could still have all my stuff with me. It would be no different than right now when I bring my car to the shop, all I'm missing for a few days is my way to get around, not my entire home or all my things that were in my motorhome.

My Sister and hubby have a class A, when it has had problems they were able to stay in it except when it was actually being worked on in the shop. I know, that does not happen often. I consider this sixes. The other reasons you have expressed say, go for the motor home. IMHO of course.

So motorhomes breaking down doesn't happen very often? That is one thing I worry about a lot, I just figured there's a lot more that can go wrong with them unlike a tow vehicle and travel trailer. In fact the only thing that would stop me from being able to take my trailer somewhere would be if it had a flat tire but that is easily fixed. But with a motorhome you have all the problems of both units combined into one. It just seems like putting all your eggs into one basket. Not saying this isn't what I wanna do, I'm just trying to figure out if the issues that I forsee happening really do happen a lot to people so I can figure out if it's worth it to me.

[GaiaGoddess]

Thanks Monica and GeorgeRA! I'll google more about this, I mean I know I can research this information, I was just hoping someone in here has had experience with both and can give their opinions on owning both.

[Roadie1]

I’ve had two travel trailers over the years. Mostly used for shorter trips in the Southeast. Recently purchased a class B and took a nine day 3700 mile road trip from Tennessee to Colorado. It was incredible! Three people in the van and two dogs. Never an issue. I would never have done this long of a trip with my travel trailer. We can’t wait to take another long road trip!

[GaiaGoddess]

Originally Posted by Roadie1

I’ve had two travel trailers over the years. Mostly used for shorter trips in the Southeast. Recently purchased a class B and took a nine day 3700 mile road trip from Tennessee to Colorado. It was incredible! Three people in the van and two dogs. Never an issue. I would never have done this long of a trip with my travel trailer. We can’t wait to take another long road trip!

Sounds awesome!! Very inspiring!

[Monica998]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

The power of Google, you missed to add this URL as the reference - https://traveltips.usatoday.com/diff...rvs-62395.html

Yeah, thanks for the help! Nice post!

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Monica998

Yeah, thanks for the help! Nice post!

If you don’t reference the source of an article you copied and posted it could be viewed as you wrote where in fact it could be a breach of copyright.

[Monica998]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

If you don’t reference the source of an article you copied and posted it could be viewed as you wrote where in fact it could be a breach of copyright.

OK, thank you for the kind reminder. I'll remember that in the future.

[michaelingp]

Originally Posted by GaiaGoddess

So I was wondering how big of an issue this is for people who have a motorhome and how you deal with it when it happens. and also if maybe anyone here has owned a travel trailer and a motorhome and could tell me your opinion on how they compare.

I have never had a trailer, and never worry about my motorhome breaking down. Cell phones have changed everything and modern vehicles are very reliable. If they do breakdown, there are mechanics everywhere, just because there are trucks everywhere. So, most likely the worse that happens is you grab a toothbrush and change of clothes and stay over night in a hotel while they wait for a part. I think that would be the same if your tow vehicle broke down. There are extreme examples, I'm sure, but they are so rare they are not worth worrying about.

Ironically, in my experience you're better off breaking down in a small town than in a large city. We had brake problems one time in a small town on a weekend, and it was as if the entire town wanted to help us. Someone knew someone who knew someone, and eventually they got a mechanic to open his garage to fix our vehicle while we waited.

[femike99]

We had a tiny teardrop, then we got a puppy because we didn't want her sleeping outside even though we had a side tent. We went to a larger teardrop (T@B), but I didn't enjoy towing with a SUV, but decided against going to a bigger vehicle like a pick-up to improve the towing experience.

So, we purchased a Class B. After a little over a year, we've spend 4 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks and several weekends with it. After the first 4 week trip, we realized that we had way too much stuff (clothing, camping gear, cooking gear) which only caused us time to pack and unpack and complexity while traveling. Most of the stuff we carried at first was as a result of having stuff in the trailer and even more stuff in the SUV.

After some analysis (and a couple of Walmart trips), we now travel very light, knowing that in most pay campgrounds you can get a laundry. We're not looking back!

Class C's are cool, and sometimes having a little more space would be nice, but for the 3 of us (my wife, myself, and our puppy), our Class B far outweighs our experiences with our teardrops and is perfect 98% of the time (the other 2% it would be nice to have a Class C, but in those cases, we'll go to a hotel for a night).

[Pam G]

Originally Posted by GaiaGoddess

I currently have a teardrop travel trailer and have been thinking about trading it for a Class B or Class C. My reasons are mainly because I have had lots of trouble getting my camper into tight spots, backing up is always an issue for me, and hitching and unhitching as well. I just feel like it would be a lot smoother to drive up and just park. But the reason why I chose my travel trailer was because it kinda scares me knowing that if I break down, I will have no way of getting all my stuff home, as well as in the future if I live in it full time, I would be forced to sleep somewhere else while it's in for repairs.

So I was wondering how big of an issue this is for people who have a motorhome and how you deal with it when it happens. and also if maybe anyone here has owned a travel trailer and a motorhome and could tell me your opinion on how they compare.

Just thought I'd add another "what if" situation. If your tow vehicle should break down while you're out on the road, and there's no campground nearby, you'd have to have both your tow vehicle and your trailer towed to a repair shop. What if they allow you to stay in your trailer at the repair shop, but it's really hot outside and you have no option to plug in to electricity? Would you want to camp outside a repair shop or go to a motel?

When I was young, my dad bought a travel trailer, and back then, I thought that was the best way to go, particularly if you're going on a vacation, so you can set up camp and then go sight seeing. My dad did all the driving though and hitching up and unhitching the trailer, so I didn't get any experience with that. Twelve years ago, when I decided to get an RV to make it easier to go to dog shows, I decided to go with a Class B. I didn't want the hassle of hitching and unhitching since I travel alone. It is SO easy to drive and park the Class B, and it's been really useful to have a generator on many occasions. I've been using Class B's for the past 12 years. While I think it'd be nice to have a Class C for the extra floor space, storage, and bigger bathroom, etc., I really like the better gas mileage and ease of parking a Class B. A Class B can be towed with a regular tow truck too. It doesn't require the bigger tow truck that a Class C would need. In 12 years, I've had to be towed out of mud a couple of times, and I've had a couple of tires blow out, so I had to have roadside assistance come and put the spare tire on. I've traveled as far as from Iowa to Vermont, been to Georgia and the Smokies, drive from Iowa to Indiana for Christmas each year, and, fortunately, I've never had a time when I've had to stay in a motel. Obviously that will probably change when I start full-timing, but I will probably just stay in a motel if the RV needs repairs. I did read a great suggestion about keeping a tent in case repairs are needed sometime, but that would be difficult since that would take up storage space in a Class B.

[vfernandez]

The only way I would a travel trailer is if I was going to stay in a location for a period of time.. I use my B as a daily driver and live in Key West where I need to travel hours when I need something done. I either wait in the lobby with my dogs, usually u can stay in it overnight or u can rent a car. It’s a trade off!

[oclisa]

GaiaGoddess, I have your same concerns. I also hemmed and hawed about a B or a C. Ultimately, I went for the B because of it's easy maneuverability, easy parking, all that. Plus B's are usually better constructed than C's. I am getting ready to take off full-time in my older Pleasure-Way with a dog and a cat. I have spent countless hours on the internet trying to figure out what full-timers do when their house breaks down. Seems a lot of them actually are allowed to stay at the mechanics shop even for multiple overnights. There are all sorts of inconveniences that can come with that but it's only for a short while so I'll deal with it .... when, and if, the time comes. Travelling with my pets makes it more difficult, of course. Yeah, maybe I could stay in a motel but then I have to find one that will accept a dog and cat and then on top of that, those types of motels do not allow you to leave your pets inside alone. Plus car rental companies do not allow you to have pets in their cars. You can see how this can be overthought, even if the scenarios are realistic. So, as for myself, I decided to not worry about it. After all, it isn't a reality, it's just anxiety. Lots of B&C full-timers manage when their house breaks down; I've seen some Youtubers get through major breakdowns that left their rig in the shop for even a week or two.

[Mfturner]

I had a travel trailer when the kids were little and we needed more bed space, and a B suits us more now that the kids are mostly grown and it is mostly just the two of us. I think a breakdown scenario is similar either way, neither happens often or is convenient, and you just deal with it when it happens. I think a better approach is to ask yourself how you use the camper, whether you like creating a base camp for several days at a time or like to relocate every day. Towing wasn't the end of the world for me, but we don't sit still long and go cross country once a year so how the unit drives became my priority. You need to find your priorities.

[davedutah]

We used to have a travel trailer. Just the hitching and unhitching process made me decide against that this time. I think B's are the way to go. Everything you need in a tight package. My wife nixed the "tight package" part, though, so we ended up with a B+ (Trend 23L instead of Travato 59g). I'm very pleased, even though it doesn't completely fit in most parking spots. Setup takes 0-2 minutes, depending on if we are level already. I thought that dragging the B+ around on day trips would be a drawback, but instead it's a boon. I love having all of our stuff with us--cold drinks, snacks, bathroom, a place to relax. We can eat lunch whenever is convenient, instead of needed to plan a trip "back to camp" or locating a place to eat out (and spending the extra money). I can't see myself ever going back to a trailer and tow vehicle. Besides, our three year old Trend cost less than a good tow vehicle.