New Member: Still a Wannabe

[BEF]

I am a new member. Starting to plan a "bucket list" cross country trip with the wife for our 40th anniversary in 2022. Four years ago I needed a lifestyle change and left my job of 36 years and started a consulting business, basically going from 40-50 hours per week to 25-30 (and taking home same amount of $.) With the pandemic I found that I can basically do everything remotely. So now I am looking for a further lifestyle change that is more focused on personal fulfillment, while being able to stop for brief periods to still support my clients.

Looking forward to support from this forum for ideas about the best way to proceed, recognizing that delivery times for new RVs is pretty far out and availability of used RVs is somewhat limited right now (hopefully that will change over the next year.)

We are not campers, so our primary use case is to be able to travel from destination to destination in a reasonably comfortable manner, stopping at campgrounds and hotels a few times per week. Preference is for a gas vehicle under 20 feet, which I understand may limit options. I will be posting to the General Discussion Thread laying out more detailed thoughts on requirements, must haves and nice to haves for our search. Thanks in advance for any support you may be able to provide.

[Bud]

"primary use case is to be able to travel from destination to destination in a reasonably comfortable manner, stopping at campgrounds and hotels a few times per week."

Why hotels?

[BEF]

Hotel once a week would be to give the wife a chance to relax and not nag at me. Also would allow me to do at least some work-related calls/video conferences outside of the van on a stable wifi connection.

Things may change once we set out, but that is the thinking at this point. As I said, we have no experience camping or staying in campgrounds, so not sure how she would take to that. Trying to plan for worst case. Appreciate any feedback

[rowiebowie]

Welcome to the forum BEF!

[Jon in AZ]

My wife is the same. We sometimes end our longer trips with a night or two in a hotel. Usually that’s the part of the trip where we’re just making miles to get home or sometimes visiting family in an urban area. Unlimited hot water to get really clean makes a nice break from camping, especially for my wife. We're hoping to take some extended trips once our kids leave the nest in a few years, and I'm sure we'll break up the trip with a hotel stay every once in a while.

In the end your travel choices are your own and require no justification.

Our Chevy Roadtrek 190 is just a little over 20’. We removed the rear spare tire carrier to improve clearance for towing, allow it to fit in a single parking spot (almost), and make it easier to open both rear doors. (The spare fits nicely under the rear bed and still leaves a surprising amount of storage in and around the tire.) The length allows for longways sleeping so both of us can enter and exit without crawling over. That's huge for us because of nighttime bathroom visits and different sleeping patterns (I'm the early bird and my wife's a night owl).

Welcome and best wishes finding the right travel van for your needs!

[mam]

We have reached the conclusion that it is time to sell our beloved Agile due to family considerations. It has 37,800 miles and we are asking is $84,500.

It has been a terrific vehicle, so comfortable for driving and sleeping. We have enjoyed it from Maine to Florida, Ohio to the Dakotas. We have most recently made use of Harvest Hosts, and thanks to solar, it's a great self-sufficient van for off-grid use.

And, we have averaged over 22 mpg! Let me know if interested.

Mary Ann

[BEF]

Thanks for the offer. While it appears that the Agile checks a lot of our boxes, at this point we have pretty much decided to go with a gasoline engine and are a little concerned about getting service (locally and while on the road) with a Mercedes chassis.

We are just starting the journey and (I think) have a little time to finalize our priorities and "nice to haves" before making the final decision. Hope all goes well for you as you contemplate your future.

Brian

[Mbranscum]

Loving our 2021 Travato.

[AlexJ]

If you're in no super rush, I highy recommend the Safari Condo Promaster XL Flex.

[Lou]

We would recommend Pleasure-Way's Lexor (gas) models. Here is an example. https://pleasureway.com/models/lexor-fl/ You can compare all of the models on the Pleasure-Way site. It has a good reputation.

We have an Excel which is not made anymore but if it was destroyed, the replacement insurance would replace it with a Lexor. How they are better (in a way that matters to me) is the fridge is higher so you don't need to get down on your knees to fill. They are 20ft 11in. but our Excel is 20ft 4 in. and we have no trouble using parking spots.
It says it has a Queen bed but we put the couch down and don't fill the middle space so from below your hips down it is like a twin bed. Easy to get in and out of bed if someone (me) stays up late. We use sleeping bags.
***Be sure to stand in bathroom, lie down on bed and imagine cooking (including loading and unloading food). We almost bought a van that had a bed not long enough for my husband to sleep in and he is 5' 11''.
Apparently the Lexor FL unlike the TS has two swivellng front seats and one has a pop up 'desk' behind it. Good luck!

[BEF]

Thanks to you all for your thoughts an input. Living in New England, there are not a lot of RV dealers that hove a lot of Class B inventory for us to look at in person right now so all of the input is appreciated. Recognizing there will be trade-offs, I have developed the following list of criteria to help our search (any thoughts on that would also be appreciated.)

Must Haves

• Gasoline Engine
• Under 21' long
• Compressor Fridge
• Queen Bed or larger
• Toilet with Wet Bath

Strongly Prefer

• Under 20' in length
• AC runs without shore power
• Separate front lounge area
• Swivel front seats
• Induction cooktop
• Lithium batteries (>200 ah)
• 2,000 W or greater inverter
• Deeper sink

Nice to Have

• Bigger Fridge/Freezer
• Ford Chassis (Wife has had Fords for 30+ years)
• Instant Hot Water
• More Storage
• Second Alternator

Based on what I have seen, the vans that come closest to checking all these boxes (and under 20') are the Pleasureway Ontour 2.0 and the Roadtrek Zion SRT. Clearly the Ontour has build quality and the Ford Chassis, while the Zion SRT has more on-board battery/electric and a slightly better design for our needs, however, I am not sure whether the new owner (Rapido) will remain committed to this product or what the build quality will be.

Looking at slightly bigger vehicles, the Roadtrek Zion and Winnebago Travato 59kL seem to be best. (Except for the absorption fridge the Pleasureway Lexus FL would be on the list.)

That's where we are right now without seeing any vehicles. I'll probably start calling around to see if there is any place within reasonable driving distance to check things out. I may follow up with this group for more ideas or if we have to range farther. Thanks again.

Brian

[wny-pat]

Originally Posted by BEF

(Except for the absorption fridge the Pleasureway Lexus FL would be on the list.)

That can always be changed out for a compressor fridge!

Oh. buy used and let someone else deal with depreciation!!!

[Beachlife]

Originally Posted by BEF

I am a new member. Starting to plan a "bucket list" cross country trip with the wife for our 40th anniversary in 2022. Four years ago I needed a lifestyle change and left my job of 36 years and started a consulting business, basically going from 40-50 hours per week to 25-30 (and taking home same amount of $.) With the pandemic I found that I can basically do everything remotely. So now I am looking for a further lifestyle change that is more focused on personal fulfillment, while being able to stop for brief periods to still support my clients.

Looking forward to support from this forum for ideas about the best way to proceed, recognizing that delivery times for new RVs is pretty far out and availability of used RVs is somewhat limited right now (hopefully that will change over the next year.)

We are not campers, so our primary use case is to be able to travel from destination to destination in a reasonably comfortable manner, stopping at campgrounds and hotels a few times per week. Preference is for a gas vehicle under 20 feet, which I understand may limit options. I will be posting to the General Discussion Thread laying out more detailed thoughts on requirements, must haves and nice to haves for our search. Thanks in advance for any support you may be able to provide.

Hello, we have a newer Travato 59K at 21' and love it with 17-19 mpg gas. I made a few mods and added a on and off cargo rack to the back which take boxes for storage. If you have animals then a larger class B plus like the Wonder would work and it has a dry bath. We prefer gas to diesel and the Dodge for service and repairs. I have learned a lot in a year and know that 21' is min and 24' is max for ease of use. Watch out for the loud AC, and the Truma water and heater is outstanding. Works on both propane and elect. We have solar (300 watts) which helps the coach batteries. We have an nice inverter which really helps. I would watch a bunch of you tubes. Class B's are the best to park and handling. I love my RV and hope to keep it for years. The older ones have issues and electrical is the worst as well as water issues. I used the warranty and have a very good relationship with my RV center in Florida. Oh and may sure if you have an HOA you live they will allow the larger vehicle. Good luck and message if you need any other recommendations. Oh I do enjoy the ladder and sports rack. You must think small on things for a Class B.

[Beachlife]

Originally Posted by Beachlife

Hello, we have a newer Travato 59K at 21' and love it with 17-19 mpg gas. I made a few mods and added a on and off cargo rack to the back which take boxes for storage. If you have animals then a larger class B plus like the Wonder would work and it has a dry bath. We prefer gas to diesel and the Dodge for service and repairs. I have learned a lot in a year and know that 21' is min and 24' is max for ease of use. Watch out for the loud AC, and the Truma water and heater is outstanding. Works on both propane and elect. We have solar (300 watts) which helps the coach batteries. We have an nice inverter which really helps. I would watch a bunch of you tubes. Class B's are the best to park and handling. I love my RV and hope to keep it for years. The older ones have issues and electrical is the worst as well as water issues. I used the warranty and have a very good relationship with my RV center in Florida. Oh and may sure if you have an HOA you live they will allow the larger vehicle. Good luck and message if you need any other recommendations. Oh I do enjoy the ladder and sports rack. You must think small on things for a Class B.

Oh PS yes the new and popular models are a ways out. My friend bought a new Pleaseure way in Jan and just got it in October. Wow what a long wait time.

[BEF]

I hope you all had a great holiday. I just wanted to thank everyone who responded to my posts. You have all certainly given us a lot more to think about as we plan our future travels. Be well.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by BEF

I hope you all had a great holiday. I just wanted to thank everyone who responded to my posts. You have all certainly given us a lot more to think about as we plan our future travels. Be well.

And the same to you and others. What a year this has been. Very tough in so many ways.

Be patient and you will find the right "b" for you. It took us nearly two years and right now supply is low and prices are high. I'm glad we had '2018 & '2019 in our van to see so much. This year has been very limited travel and all within 200 miles of home.