Coach House Arriva V24 TB — Twin Beds — Sprinter

[Davydd]

There are some interesting aspects to the Arriva but I will tell you right now I am never going to sit outside to watch TV with my sliding door wide open. Where is this bugless utopia?

[RobCS]

I emailed Coach House and a sales rep told me that the Arriva is "starting at $129,740". They have not decided yet if they will be at the June RV show in Tampa.

[booster]

It is interesting that the quest for bigger and bigger bathrooms has appeared to have regenerated the side sleeper floorplan, which had pretty much gone away for most manufacturers. I wonder if the shortcomings that many see in sidesleepers will come back into view once there are more of them around again.

[eric1514]

Originally Posted by booster

It is interesting that the quest for bigger and bigger bathrooms has appeared to have regenerated the side sleeper floorplan, which had pretty much gone away for most manufacturers. I wonder if the shortcomings that many see in sidesleepers will come back into view once there are more of them around again.

Can you briefly elaborate on those words. I'm new to the whole B thing and I'm trying to learn everything I can about them.

TIA,
Eric

[booster]

Originally Posted by eric1514

Can you briefly elaborate on those words. I'm new to the whole B thing and I'm trying to learn everything I can about them.

TIA,
Eric

There are certainly folks here that have been at this longer than our 5+ years, and probably know more about this, but when we were looking 5-6 years ago, there were quite a few of the used, and some new, rigs that had the two couches right behind the driving seats, and the kitchen and bath to the rear of the couches. Some had a small dinette in place of one couch. The "problems" we heard about were that the bed, if made to a big bed, and not twins, blocked all the movement in the van. You had to crawl out the bottom of the bed to get to the bathroom, and out the head of the bed to get to the front of the van or the door to the outside. It left no practical option for leaving the bed up when not in use. We have not personally lived with one, but we heard it often when we were looking at vans, and it did appear that it would be that way. The Leisure with the slide, has made it so you can just get around the bed with it in place which is better, but it is still in the middle of everything. Getting one with the bed in the back actually turned out better than expected for us, as we quickly realized that a full time bed worked better for us. We made ours with a "notch" in the foot area the width of the aisle, so it is easy to get out at night, but we still have full width of bed everywhere except at the foot of the bed.

That said, there are folks that love the side sleepers and wish there were more of them available.

[gerrym51]

I looked at thespecsheet. Awning,generator,spare tire are all options. I can't imagine the price. too steep for me.

[arvie]

Coach House now has a YouTube video of the Arriva. It is an impressive unit with added safety features on the chassis. Counter space in the galley is limited but it has a huge fridge and pantry. Plenty of storage and a nice fold out table/desk. Maybe someone could add a clicky.

[markopolo]

found it

[youtube:1bwes0kr]6fiKc0TvvVQ[/youtube:1bwes0kr]

[Davydd]

They surprisingly get a lot of storage in the Arriva. Since almost all the storage is inside the van with little back area storage (i.e. under and behind the beds) it is for the more refined tourer and not the active outdoor tourer desiring to carry lots of chairs, cooking devices, bikes, inflatable kayaks, fishing gear, golf clubs, etc. It would be difficult to haul two twin beds home from IKEA, a task I did last week with our B. So it is refined in that regard too in not being designed to do some double duty.

They may have a winner especially for the crowd desiring a dry bath. The one debit in that regard are the tanks are still small B size so the bathroom will not be fully appreciated unless in a full hookup campground. But then this B is more for that tourer than the BLM land or Minnesota forest CG tourer.

The mid-bed arrangement could work if one chose to sleep on a 28" wide bed to leave the middle passable. That width is what twin beds typically are when placed in the back of a Sprinter. The galley, fridge, etc. separates the sleeping from the two front turned around seats which are very functional for a living arrangement with a combined fold out desk and dining table. This is where the LTV Freespirit SS fails despite having a slideout. I would want the option of sleep or live zoning rather than the either or decision you would have to make. How many times does a spouse get up in the middle of the night?

It is definitely a two person maximum B with no compromises or space sacrifices. That I like.

It is kind of old school B. There seems to be no pushing advances like diesel heat (Espar) or hot water. It does not appear they have a solution for added battery storage (just one additional) or solar. So, again, this would be better suited to hookups for any extended or wilderness trips.

I already mentioned that TV built in the cabinet to watch outdoors would not work for me. I'd be embarrassed to sit in a Walmart parking lot watching TV. I'd rather have a side screen door I could leave open and sit in the turned around seats to watch TV. That space could then be used for something else. Which brings up a point. How customizable amenable is Coach House? Are they like Winnebago where you will get that TV come hell or high water?

I don't remember seeing the coffee maker. Do they have one? Coffee first thing in the morning is an absolute must for my wife. It could be one of the major reasons we are going off-grid electric for our next B.

They offer one color van, the Tennorite Grey Metallic. Not a bad color, but no choice. We chose the Graphite Grey Metallic for our next B which is pretty close to that color so would not have been a deal breaker for me after previously having had white and silver Bs.

If I were in the market for an off the shelf B this one would make my list. The extended stay livability of the bathroom could work for a snow birder or winter Texan from the north. It doesn't meet all my desires I have built up these past 9 years especially for wilderness touring.

[pattonsr]

I noticed in the video ducted air was mentioned, but oh so briefly without any further explanation.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by pattonsr

I noticed in the video ducted air was mentioned, but oh so briefly without any further explanation.

Probably a necessity since the air conditioner is in the back and over the bathroom and can't directly dump. But since they have to do it, they turn it into a supposed positive point. I've never felt air conditioning needed to be ducted in a B as it pretty much distributes without ducting.

[obgraham]

Seems to me "ducted air-conditioning in a small rig like a B is overengineering. It probably will not be as efficient as a standard a/c.
My other impression is that the Coach House is built on the extended Sprinter chassis. It's 2 feet longer than, say a RT. While that buys you a bigger bathroom, it starts to defeat the purpose of the smaller B rig.

Of course, others view this differently.

[Davydd]

A lot of Sprinter Bs are coming on the extended chassis which BTW is 16" longer not 2 feet longer. Airstream, Great West Vans, Winnebago and Advanced RV build models on a 24'-1" chassis. I just ordered one from Advanced RV and believe me I analyzed it every which way from Sunday and that 16" buys you a lot of real estate. I agonized over the decision but come to realize that 16" will carry a lot more than say a hitch receiver cargo box that generally extend back over 36" and there were things I wanted to carry that I couldn't carry otherwise. That 16" in an Advanced RV will carry two bicycles inside rather than on a hitch that extends out 24" or more. That 16" also could make the difference in choosing a small C vs. a true B in many instances. In the case of the Arriva it answers the one big objection to many Bs with that bathroom and will give you superior driveability over any small C. That's looking at it differently.

[obgraham]

That's looking at it differently.

Agreed. You have to find the rig that suits your needs. For us, coming down from a 36 ft pusher with toad, it was all about getting as small as we could manage. We'll just take less stuff!

[slim4511]

Davydd,
I am very early in the research process as we have decided that we want a "B." I have looked at a few of the manufacturers offerings but will have to wait for the fall shows here in Michigan to see some of them. From the research I have done, I have come to the conclusion that it will be a daunting process. You indicated that you just placed an order for an Advanced RV unit. Given that you certainly have a tremendous amount of experience on this topic, I was hoping you would share what your thought process was when determining the amenities and features you wanted in your rig. I am confident your further insight would prove invaluable. Thanks.

[Davydd]

Slim,

I was where you are now nine years ago. I had bought a vintage Airstream trailer two prior years to that only because I thought they were a cool design (and I still do). However, I knew when I brought it home it would never be an RV for me. Towing anything was just not my cup of tea. So I spent a couple of years while I had it doing less with it and spending more time researching. That’s how I arrived at the idea of a Class B. So I had two years to look at just about every Class B in that time. But it wasn’t until companies started converting Sprinters that I really got excited. The Euro design tall box just seemed to make more sense to me. They were light and airy with more windows, had a level floor, more upright walls, and no head bumper doors and cabinets. That is what initially appealed to me. This is now the future of most Class Bs with the Promaster and Transit finally coming fore.

One problem with Bs is the companies with low volume can only produce so many designs and I thought they compromised in trying to satisfy all kinds of desires or be all things to all people. Also, being a competitive business, they tend to match design for design, feature for feature and amenity for amenity between them which also reduces variety. Quality wise they are are close enough to each other to make that not the deciding factor.

First you have to understand what the advantages of a B are and decide if those advantages are worth it. The major advantages are size (small), drivability, stealthiness, go anywhere, and now, a unibody safe box. I personally throw in aesthetic appearance as well. A lot of people throw in the coolness factor similar to what the Airstream did to me. A lot of people have decided the small Cs have similarly enough traits. I disagree with that assessment especially in drivability, go anywhere, aesthetics and coolness.

Once you get through that decision, then you have to analyze your intentions. Are you a tourer? Do you want to stay in one place and relax? Are you a weekender or short vacationer? Do you want to full time? Where will you camp mostly? Do you have a family? Are you one person or a couple? Will you use it every day for other than as an RV? Do you tailgate at sporting events with friends? Are you a pack rat or like to take lots of toys along? All those things dictate different thinking of what a B should be or provide. Like I said earlier, companies try to appeal to all and that can compromise your primary use.

I’m a tourer with my wife. We will be out as much as 3 months at a time. We want a freedom of choice no-brainer decision as to where we stop for the night. The new awareness of multiple batteries, solar, second alternators, larger inverter/chargers, etc. that equal out how you use your B at every stop (shore power or not) is appealing to me. We’ve learned from experience we don’t need a generator. The Roadtrek models turned me off because their models insisted on additional passenger seats we would never use and a few annoying plan layouts like under counter refrigerators and microwaves and too narrow bathrooms. They finally got a little wiser with their CS model. I’ve figured out a Promaster will never work for me with my growing desire to have zoned living without having to make either/or sleep/stay up decisions. When you are out 3 months those things become more acute with two people and maybe not a problem at all with a single person. I’d love to have a short wheelbase Sprinter but it can’t happen with my desires.

I’ve gone through two Sprinters choosing from what was available at the time to match what I thought was best for us. The first was a 2005 Pleasure-way Plateau. The second was the 2011 Great West Van Legend when I determined the Pleasure-way could not be updated to what I desired. I am now on my third go around with an Advanced RV in planning. After 9 years and 127,000 miles and maybe 900 nights on the road I think I have honed in on what I want, but it is probably a never ending quest as you are always learning and even evolving desires. The first two decisions was just adding up the pluses and minuses of all the Bs available and picking the one with the biggest plus to minus differential and appeal. The Advanced RV has a bit of being able to make what I want happen as there is a custom element to it. I felt I made a good decision initially in the basic plan and each successive B has been building on that initial decision.

The Coach House Arriva in this thread throws an interesting design twist into the mix that has been missing with the mid bed, full bath and paying attention to using the cab seats in the RV. I think they have something but maybe from my experience I would want to make some design changes. Also, they seem to be old school or traditional RV in their amenities and options. They answer the bell in regard to small C advantages of a full bath. The problem with a full bath is to me it begs for full hookup campsites to fully appreciate.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Slim,

I was where you are now nine years ago. I had bought a vintage Airstream trailer two prior years to that only because I thought they were a cool design (and I still do). However, I knew when I brought it home it would never be an RV for me. Towing anything was just not my cup of tea. So I spent a couple of years while I had it doing less with it and spending more time researching. That’s how I arrived at the idea of a Class B. So I had two years to look at just about every Class B in that time. But it wasn’t until companies started converting Sprinters that I really got excited. The Euro design tall box just seemed to make more sense to me. They were light and airy with more windows, had a level floor, more upright walls, and no head bumper doors and cabinets. That is what initially appealed to me. This is now the future of most Class Bs with the Promaster and Transit finally coming fore.

One problem with Bs is the companies with low volume can only produce so many designs and I thought they compromised in trying to satisfy all kinds of desires or be all things to all people. Also, being a competitive business, they tend to match design for design, feature for feature and amenity for amenity between them which also reduces variety. Quality wise they are are close enough to each other to make that not the deciding factor.

First you have to understand what the advantages of a B are and decide if those advantages are worth it. The major advantages are size (small), drivability, stealthiness, go anywhere, and now, a unibody safe box. I personally throw in aesthetic appearance as well. A lot of people throw in the coolness factor similar to what the Airstream did to me. A lot of people have decided the small Cs have similarly enough traits. I disagree with that assessment especially in drivability, go anywhere, aesthetics and coolness.

Once you get through that decision, then you have to analyze your intentions. Are you a tourer? Do you want to stay in one place and relax? Are you a weekender or short vacationer? Do you want to full time? Where will you camp mostly? Do you have a family? Are you one person or a couple? Will you use it every day for other than as an RV? Do you tailgate at sporting events with friends? Are you a pack rat or like to take lots of toys along? All those things dictate different thinking of what a B should be or provide. Like I said earlier, companies try to appeal to all and that can compromise your primary use.

I’m a tourer with my wife. We will be out as much as 3 months at a time. We want a freedom of choice no-brainer decision as to where we stop for the night. The new awareness of multiple batteries, solar, second alternators, larger inverter/chargers, etc. that equal out how you use your B at every stop (shore power or not) is appealing to me. We’ve learned from experience we don’t need a generator. The Roadtrek models turned me off because their models insisted on additional passenger seats we would never use and a few annoying plan layouts like under counter refrigerators and microwaves and too narrow bathrooms. They finally got a little wiser with their CS model. I’ve figured out a Promaster will never work for me with my growing desire to have zoned living without having to make either/or sleep/stay up decisions. When you are out 3 months those things become more acute with two people and maybe not a problem at all with a single person. I’d love to have a short wheelbase Sprinter but it can’t happen with my desires.

I’ve gone through two Sprinters choosing from what was available at the time to match what I thought was best for us. The first was a 2005 Pleasure-way Plateau. The second was the 2011 Great West Van Legend when I determined the Pleasure-way could not be updated to what I desired. I am now on my third go around with an Advanced RV in planning. After 9 years and 127,000 miles and maybe 900 nights on the road I think I have honed in on what I want, but it is probably a never ending quest as you are always learning and even evolving desires. The first two decisions was just adding up the pluses and minuses of all the Bs available and picking the one with the biggest plus to minus differential and appeal. The Advanced RV has a bit of being able to make what I want happen as there is a custom element to it. I felt I made a good decision initially in the basic plan and each successive B has been building on that initial decision.

The Coach House Arriva in this thread throws an interesting design twist into the mix that has been missing with the mid bed, full bath and paying attention to using the cab seats in the RV. I think they have something but maybe from my experience I would want to make some design changes. Also, they seem to be old school or traditional RV in their amenities and options. They answer the bell in regard to small C advantages of a full bath. The problem with a full bath is to me it begs for full hookup campsites to fully appreciate.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Davydd

They answer the bell in regard to small C advantages of a full bath. The problem with a full bath is to me it begs for full hookup campsites to fully appreciate.

One could argue that unless you plan to spend a lot of time in the full dry bathroom, the tank sizes while dry camping are no more restrictive than they are in a class b model with the more common, smaller, wet bath. The alternative in either case is to reduce your hygiene breaks, or stop at places with full amenities or at least on site public showers. Given the options, I'd rather struggle with an on board full bath and deal with the tank sizes, than the equally restrictive alternatives.
Just my opinion based on similar experience and mileage on the road as an almost pure tourer. We aren't fans of commercial campgrounds and can count on the fingers of one hand over 6 years the number of times we've stayed at one. We prefer to be as much off grid, dry camping, boondocking or whatever you might call it, as possible. If we ever decide to upgrade our class b van, a full dry bath would be very high on the list of preferences.

[Davydd]

Mike,

The points I am making about "begging" are three-fold. First, if you are hooked up to city water you are going to get a much more satisfying shower stream from the pressure than with a Shurflo pump. Secondly, you can take a leisurely shower of 3 minutes or longer if you are hooked up to a sewer. lastly, you are not going to have to monitor your fresh water and grey water tanks. I can get that with a wet bath as well. The only difference is a wet bath just takes more prep time to set up and then when done it is wise to squeegie and wipe down the walls compared to a separate stall you can pretty much let drip dry and still use your bathroom. The difference factor is what I meant by begging for full hookups. There is no B made, separate shower or not, I know of that with give two people the luxury of daily showers, other than unsatisfying "Navy" showers, without seeking dump stations and water fill-ups about every 3 days max if that. That really includes the small Cs as well.

Right now the full bath choices in Class B are the Coach House Arriva, the LTV Free Spirit SS and the Winnebago ERA 70C that I know of and some rather older models. The latter two, LTV and ERA, don't meet my zoning and stealth criteria in that you have to pull out a slide and have an either/or situation for sleeping and staying up. On top of that the shower stalls are really no bigger than using a wet bath for a shower stall and there is no toilet seat to sit on if you choose. A separate shower stall in a B is also stealing a lot of space for other things. For a Class B it is a low criteria for me. A decent lavatory is a bigger desire. My first Pleasure-way Plateau had the best lavatory and counter for a B.

I can think of a few public campgrounds we have been to that have provided full private bathrooms with sink, toilet and large handicap showers. They are pretty nice. The Corps of Engineer campsites have them as does some Florida state parks that I can remember off hand. I don't mind a public bathroom were at least you can prep and change in privacy and is clean. I really like the super hot water ones with a powerful stream which you cannot get in an RV even with city water.

[Mike]

Davydd,
Good morning. I understood your opinions, and merely offered another point of view on the subject of full, versus typical, class b bathrooms. No need to reiterate or explain them.

re: the issues of "zoning" (that's a new one??) and stealth that you and others sometimes mention. Seriously, and this is just my opinion, anyone who thinks that just because they don't have an extended slide out on their class B motorhome, that they're fooling any HOA or other RV unfriendly entity about the true nature of a 24' long Sprinter with an awning, and any of the other RV related external vents, covers, carriers, and add ons, are only fooling themselves. Unless you actually stuck a commercial magnetic sign/logo on the sides to make it look like you really are "Joe's Plumbing" or whatever, parked in the driveway for days and weeks on end. I suspect those who disapprove of them are simply more accepting of the general size and appearance of class B models, and consider them less offensive than class C or A motorhomes, although some of the longer MB models are approaching small C status in length and height. Someone once said, "you can put lipstick on a class B motorhome, but it's still a motorhome".
What do others think?