Leisure Travel Vans simply got out of the Class B vans so their side slider ended with it. Winnebago discontinued the side slider. Did it not sell? Or most likely they probably had issues with weight and unbalanced loading as I have heard. The rear sliders are interesting but when you think about it it expands a short van which makes it a longer van thus why not have a longer van to begin with? They definitely are not as stealthy especially with street camping which we do a lot in front of friends and relatives houses. All sliders make the van much less function underway, whereas fixed vans can usually be converted to underway or stopped and maintain functionality both ways.
There seems to be a resurgence in poptops. Maybe a better idea for expansion of space but in most cases you have to be agile to occupy the sleeping quarters. I thought long and hard about that when I designed our next shorty Sprinter (19'-5") and opted for inside the confines bunk beds as a better compromise. My vans have progressively tried to eliminate converting space between being underway and stopped. The have progressively gotten longer too, to the point I want to go the opposite way shorter for travel goals more urban.
If you have tall cabinets or an enclosed bath you are not going to have 360º panoramic view windows. The best you can do is put the blind spot behind on the driver's side. I think some tall cabinetry and enclosed bathroom is more important. Why the ARV B-Box has small windows I don't know. I would think you could design a B-Box with more substantial windows if you set out to. It is an interesting concept on staying within a Sprinter van dimension but still the appearance is huge and "boxy" of course and not very stylish. I would have taken another step to get away from the Class C conventional look.
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Davydd
2021 Advanced RV 144 custom Sprinter
2015 Advanced RV Extended body Sprinter
2011 Great West Van Legend Sprinter
2005 Pleasure-way Plateau TS Sprinter
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