Could the new Roam be perfect for me?

[mcookson]

I'm Michael and I'm new to the forum. I live in Draper, UT with my wife and 5 kids and 2 dogs. I have a medically fragile 21 year old from a previous marriage. I am his caretaker for 3 weeks and then I switch off with his mom that takes care of him for 3 weeks. His mom lives about 4 hours away in Southern Utah.
I've been wanting a Class B van for years, but I have an unusual situation and I only recently learned about the new Winnebago Roam. I wonder if it's something that might be just right or at least close enough for my situation:
https://sv.winnebago.com/models/prod...ductID=PROD558
I want a van like this for 2 reasons. It's small enough that I can use it as a main vehicle and drive it around town even going to Home Depot, etc. No more sticking my 12' boards out the window My 21 year old son is in a wheelchair. I take him to Dr appointments and to the wheelchair playground, but I have to transfer him to a seat and lift the chair in the back and it sucks. With this, I have a wheelchair van and no longer have to deal with that!
The 2nd reason is that my wife and I, our 9 year old, dogs, and occasionally our older kids want to go on road trips throughout the year! For that the pop top is a must. I probably won't have my 21 year old with us when we do that. His mom and I switch off with him every 3 weeks so I have a lot of time where I'm not taking care of him. But, if we're gonna spend sometime down south during the winter, I can imagine we may drop my son off on the way with his mom. Also, the lift may be handy if we hang out with my brother in San Diego who uses a wheelchair. It'd be nice to be able to pick him up and take him to the beach in his chair! But, then besides that, we're basically doing the camper van thing but have no need for the lift. That's why the UVL seems perfect. Since it's under the vehicle, it's not in the way when we're not using it. A lot of other vans seem to be taken up by all the wheelchair stuff. That would be annoying for the long periods of time my son isn't with us. But, I want the lift to be there for him when we need it. Also, since the inside of the van has a large area for the wheelchair to be fastened in, that area could be used for a dog kennel when he's not there which would be really nice! There may be downsides though. Maybe the bathroom takes up too much space trying to be wheelchair friendly... My son is diapered so he doesn't need that. And all the storage is reachable from a sitting position. But, that might be annoying because my son isn't going to be getting into stuff. I wonder how much else about this is accessible but might just be annoying from a caretaker's perspective? Also, it seems like this van has features so the wheelchair user can drive, which he can't. But, that just means the driver's seat swivels, but I like that because it makes it easier to turn around and play card games! So, I'm wondering if anyone here has any advice, What am I giving up with this van? When my son isn't around, what would the non adaptive van of the same size have that this one doesn't?

[mumkin]

It seems that it would be very workable for you. My question is when using it for the family camping where would everyone sleep? How many of your kids would be on the road with you at one time? The vans with the pop tops normally can comfortably sleep 5 people total... with one across the driver/passenger seats. (BTW, nearly all converted vans like this have driver and passenger seats that turn)

The other thing that rather jumps out is that it has a cassette toilet, and that only holds 5 gallons. That might take some usage planning... and a source for dumping at least once a day.

I used a van this size as a daily driver for 3 years and it worked out fine for me although mine had the advantage of no sofa across the back giving rear door access.

The obvious major advantage for you is dealing with your son and his wheelchair. That would certainly simplify your life and his.

[jrobe]

There should almost be a rule that no one can buy an expensive Class B without first renting one for a couple nights. We did this before we bought one and it was the best money we ever spent. In fact, we completely changed the RV we ended up buying.

I have no idea how anyone could function with more than 2 people in a Class B although some people do. It is a very tight fit for just my wife and I. I couldn't even imagine adding kids and pets. I think about this every time we have a rainy day and we are stuck inside the van.

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by jrobe

There should almost be a rule that no one can buy an expensive Class B without first renting one for a couple nights. We did this before we bought one and it was the best money we ever spent. In fact, we completely changed the RV we ended up buying.

I agree completely. Without any real-world experience, one is very likely to purchase the wrong van. Sometimes I wonder if the RV manufactures are counting on this - great "wow factor" at the dealerships and many impulse buys. No different than cars or any other expensive luxury item.

Like you, after many nights of camping, I would never consider purchasing the first few vans that caught my eye years ago.

[dmb496]

Have you looked at the vehicle in person? If so, ignore the rest of my post.

If you haven't been up close and personal with a ROAM or any other class 'B', it may be helpful for you to do so. Photos and use of wide angle lenses tend to convey a larger than life interior. We have a 24' long Sprinter-based RV. When we first saw and walked into one of these, overall the interior felt about 30% smaller than all the prior photos we had seen on a computer.

The two of us are very comfortable in a class B. It's sometimes a snug fit for 2 adult occupants, especially when both attempt to pass in the aisle. We wouldn't care to travel with any additional humans in our vehicle. There are many other folks who feel differently. I've seen photos of 2 adults and 3-4 children traveling in a 'B'.

Somewhat jokingly, I mentioned to my wife that if I were a child among multiple children crammed into a class 'B' RV, I'd find a lawyer and file for emancipation.

[MN1]

As a special needs teacher, I like the lift and the W/c tie down features. My question would be , do you have 4 younger children plus your 21 y/o? The reason I ask is that this would be a tight squeeze for 7 people let alone 8 with one in a w/c. It would be tight for just driving along with that many let alone with sleeping accommodations. Other question I would have is, the seat belts for rear seating. Are they safe harnesses? You would probably need to bring a tent or two for sleeping comfort while camping. The size of the pantry and the fridge might not be sufficient for a larger family. That would mean bringing coolers and bins....I wonder if you might do better to purchase a transit van with adequate safe
seating for 7/8 & put in tie down and lift. You could then pull a trailer or a hitch box with your camping gear......You don't say if you are a family that has much experience camping....if so, I am sure that you have considered some of these things.

[rowiebowie]

Welcome to the forum!

Kudos to Winnebago for making wheel chair accessible campers vans.

This would solve much of your son's needs and those of your brother. My greater concern would be traveling with 5 or more and trying to camp in it. So more of a capacity problem than just accessibility. Such is the typical negative of small camper vans.

And I don't even want to consider what Winnebago would charge for a Roam since all rv's are going for a premium these days. But if you can afford the price of admission, the small size, bathroom on board, and cramped sleeping arrangements allow for travel and sight-seeing that only a class b can offer.

Good luck.

[Dave in Nevada]

We bought it pretty much for the same reasons you are mentioning, mainly using it around town. It will be very crowded if you use it for a trip with kids and dogs. On the older models you have to choose between the roof AC or the pop top with sleeping for two. If you are down south you will want that AC. I would suggest you consider the newest model which is built on the 159 inch wheelbase EXTEND Promaster. It is 15 inches longer than the standard Roam BUT you can have the pop top sleeping area AND the roof AC. The pop top will give you two more sleeping places and a place to stuff the kids out of the way. The tie down system is very easy to use, we keep the two rear ones in place as well as the left front one near the fridge. Then my wife just drives in with her power wheelchair and we tie it down. The sensors on the lift are sensitive so we have found the remote control works better than the cable attached control. You might want to put a sign on the door about it being a handicap van and you need eight foot of clearance. Because it is a Winnebago people think it is just an RV and are not aware of the lift on the side. If you have an RX for this from a doctor you might be able to get funds from Medicaid or Social Security. If not then at least you can avoid sales tax on the $21,000+ cost of the lift and tie downs.

[Detroit80]

Originally Posted by dmb496

other folks who feel differently. I've seen photos of 2 adults and 3-4 children traveling in a 'B'..

So much this, lol.

I've had several large truck campers that felt tight to me as a solo camper, even with my Amerigo that was absolutely massive for a non slide out camper. I'm now "downsized" to the E350 van that has even less width, and I found myself wondering just how in the heck am I going to make this work...

Some quick Googling implies that those Mercedes Sprinters are a touch narrower inside than even my Ford...I cannot even begin to fathom how families are dealing with these things with kids, then add in a wheelchair to the mix too?

Seems like an excellent way to find the limits of one's patience inside of 30 seconds...