How long is to long?

[GAH]

We are looking at several models of class b. One is the Roadtrek Adventerous which is about 23 feet. We like the option to have 4 chairs in the front of the RV.

Interested to hear opinions as to how long is to long to park in a parking space easily which is one of the main reasons we are buying a class b.

Thanks

[g1g]

Mine is about 19' and I would say to some your 23' length is nothing but to others it would be too big. Personally I like mine smaller even if I put on a wheeless trailer. I might suggest that you give it a road test and see how you feel about it yourself. If it is to far away and you want to try something I suggest you borrow or rent a pickup truck and put a board in the bed extending to your 23' length and try it out. This is not exactly the same but someplace to start. If OK then make the trip to give a real road test.
You say you like 4 seats check out other models that have 4 seats as well as your "must have" list and even your "would like list" and see how long/short they are. Check out www.sportsmobile.com and you can get a good comparison of many possibilities.

[Phoebe3]

Our rig is 22 feet long and overhangs a San Francisco Bay Area parking space by a couple of feet. (I mention the area because "normal" sized parking spaces vary based on location.)

In most places I've lived the setback from street to house is 20 ft so if you are in a tight neighborhood, you may have trouble parking in the driveway. On the other hand, lots of people with Class B's carry a rack on the back, extending the length by a couple of feet.

The second thing to consider is the length of the wheelbase. A shorter wheelbase (usually) results in a tighter turning radius and is less likely to get high-centered on a hump. We have a driveway that is at an angle down from the street and a 170" Sprinter like the one you are considering wouldn't make the transition without hitting the undercarriage.

The third thing to consider is the amount of overhang past the rear wheels, including any racks. If our driveway had pointed up instead of down, a long overhang would have been a problem. Also, when you turn the steering wheel, the rear end swings out in the opposite direction so you have to ensure that when you are pulling out of a parking space, you don't smack the car or fire hydrant next to you. For the same overall length, a longer wheelbase will make this less likely to happen.

Our neighbors have an Adventurous and like it very much, but they have a flat driveway and space to park next to their house and most of the parking lots they go to will handle their rig if they don't mind parking on the fringe.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Phoebe3

Our rig is 22 feet long and overhangs a San Francisco Bay Area parking space by a couple of feet. (I mention the area because "normal" sized parking spaces vary based on location.)

In most places I've lived the setback from street to house is 20 ft so if you are in a tight neighborhood, you may have trouble parking in the driveway. On the other hand, lots of people with Class B's carry a rack on the back, extending the length by a couple of feet.

The second thing to consider is the length of the wheelbase. A shorter wheelbase (usually) results in a tighter turning radius and is less likely to get high-centered on a hump. We have a driveway that is at an angle down from the street and a 170" Sprinter like the one you are considering wouldn't make the transition without hitting the undercarriage.

The third thing to consider is the amount of overhang past the rear wheels, including any racks. If our driveway had pointed up instead of down, a long overhang would have been a problem. Also, when you turn the steering wheel, the rear end swings out in the opposite direction so you have to ensure that when you are pulling out of a parking space, you don't smack the car or fire hydrant next to you. For the same overall length, a longer wheelbase will make this less likely to happen.

Our neighbors have an Adventurous and like it very much, but they have a flat driveway and space to park next to their house and most of the parking lots they go to will handle their rig if they don't mind parking on the fringe.

All good points. The turning radius is the most frustrating for 170" wheel base Sprinters. A typical parking stall is 20 ft. with a driving aisle of 24 ft. in Target and Walmart parking lots at right angles. You cannot turn into a space at parallel to the white lines because of the 54 ft. turning radius if you have cars in the adjacent stalls. The 144" WB Sprinters that a 19'-4" in length have a turning radius of 47 ft. So even if you can park in a 20 ft. stall overhanging the curb and staying out of the driving aisle it is difficult and nearly impossible if cars are parked in the adjacent stalls. I generally find my spots and haven't been defeated yet in a McDonalds parking lot but you have less options. Walmarts have lots of fringe spaces but generally you have to drive through a front to front stall without adjacent cars to park parallel to the lines and then you occupy two stalls but a very compact car can still park behind you. If you have a shorter van you have the same problems if you have a hitch cargo carrier or bike racks other than the turning radius.

Metered and marked parallel parking stalls are usually 22 ft. to 25 ft. to make allowance for getting in and out. Your only chance is to park is at an end of the block stall. Unmarked and unmetered parallel parking is easier and the van being narrow does not stick out in the road as most Class Cs or if you prefer euphemistically Class B+s.

[gk&hc]

We have the Travato (about 21 feet), and find that it usually fills a parking spot. If possible, we look for streets that have diagonal parking, as then we don't have a problem getting in or out. I think the extra 2 feet would cause us to stick out too far, and it's the reason I haven't added on a hitch mounted cargo carrier.

[InterBlog]

There was another thread quite recently where the same question was asked. Apologies to readers who have already heard my rationale.

IMO, too much emphasis is placed on making the rig fit the environment's negotiable needs rather than making the rig fit the owner's less-negotiable needs. The owner is paying for the rig, not the environment.

Of course there are special circumstances where the the two begin to converge - for example, suppose someone were an architecture buff who wanted to travel and park in older historical cities predominantly. Well, if they desire to park predominantly in congested areas, then maybe they ought to pick their rig size accordingly.

But mostly, environmental constraints do not occur. There are three ways in which I park my 23.5-foot rig (1.5 feet of that is hitch carrier):

(1) By taking two front-to-back spaces, always in less congested portions of parking lots out of politeness for others.
(2) By overhanging my tail (backing in).
(3) By parking diagonally across two adjacent spaces.

This pic below provides a study in contrasts - me parked diagonally and a smaller Class B fitting neatly in one space (this happens to be a Cracker Barrel and both of us had boondocked in the rear of the lot the night before, and then moved up to the front to get breakfast).

Notice that there are no other cars around us. Nobody cares in open parking lots how someone else parks. As long as other people are not being inconvenienced, there are no objections. In three years of this behavior, including extensive use of our rig as a daily driver (I have a full-timer insurance policy on it), nobody has ever complained about what I've done. Of course, I've never made an ignoramus of myself either. I wouldn't take up more than one space if there were competition for spaces. But that virtually never happens, so why spec a rig on the possibility of it?

[GAH]

Thanks for all the responses. That’s a great picture showing the difference for parking.

[Davydd]

That picture shows you taking up three parking spaces. That may do in a Walmart but not a busy place like McDonalds during lunch hour.

[booster]

We have a 190 Chevy with the spare on the back, so a touch over 21' with the tire, which is only on one side, though. Wheelbase is 155" which is probably about as long as you really want to go to prevent high centering and wide turns.

We are short enough for the end spots in parallel parking, and nearly all angled street parking, but just barely. Stores and such are normally not an issue as they lots are nearly never full, so park out a ways.

Where longer would be an issue for us is getting into and out of some of the campsites we have been to as you have to make the either back in or sometimes front in turn around, trees, ditches, posts, etc. A 24', 170" wheelbase unit would be hard pressed to make some of the maneuvers needed. The "parking" areas at some trailheads is often worse than anywhere else, from what we have seen, with very narrow areas so nose in and you stick out to far into the so called road.

But if we needed to go bigger, I would put up with the issues of extra length before I would go wider, or even taller.

[Porsche911]

We have a 22 ft 170 wheelbase 2008 Pleasure way TS
We have not had any experience parking it in parking lots but will need to look for parking spots at the perimeters of parking lots due to turning circles etc.
As for our drive it is 25' from the garage door to the sidewalk this is ok but our B has (had) a continental spare wheel kit which made it really tight, also it was difficult for my wife to back her Jeep Grand Cherokee out of her side of the garage with the RV taking up
one entire side of the drive. We decided to widen our drive to the left by 3' to overcome this, however this caused another problem as the side our home extends another 18" which now shortens the available parking length to 23'6" making the van and spare wheel right on the edge of the sidewalk. At the end of the day we decided to remove the spare wheel kit along with the lowering frame and attachment so we are back to the same close distance from the sidewalk but there is now ample room for my wife to back out her jeep, we had considered the shorter 19' B but this one came along at the right price and we liked the additional interior space so there are swings and roundabouts with
our decision.

[jrobe]

The above excellent picture shows two entirely different RV's. One of them can get into the vast majority of parking spots at tourist areas, restaurants, hotels, areas of interest in parks, etc. etc.. One of them is significantly more limited. It is what it is.

[Davydd]

I don't have much of a problem in campgrounds backing into a campsite with the 24 ft. Sprinter. Even so called 21 ft. campsites haven't been a problem since you back in and overhang a bumper barrier or on one site I encountered the campground says to stay on the pavement and not put your wheels in the sand. Sprinters from the rear wheels forward fit in a 20 ft. space. Generally campsites are angled so the turning radius doesn't seem to be a factor.

[mlts22]

I wonder what model that smaller Sprinter is. I'm guessing a 2500, 144" wheelbase.

In my experience, from as you go from the 17 foot vans to the 24-25 foot extra long ones, you lose the ability to find and park places. Working in a metro area has changed what I look for in a van drastically. The best is a RT 170 Popular. However, a 144" wheelbase Sprinter can park almost anywhere.

Every person is different, on finding the best drivability versus camp-ability when parked.