LTV, Boondocking or just plain residing in a Class B?

[satellite]

Hi Everyone,

Newbie here. I want to full time RV, can't afford much and don't think the class C I just bought is the right class of RV for me. I bought a 1983 Fleetwood on a Chevy chassis. 350, auto, freshly tuned. First trip was 6 MPG!!!! UGH! Class C owners were bragging about 10-12 MPG and I though I needed the room. Is there anyone full timing/living in a class B conversion van? Roadtrek, Airstream B190 etc. The MPG must be better. How does it suit you? Condensation problems? How about solar power? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks and happy travels!

[markopolo]

About 30% of B owners full-time or would consider full-timing according to our poll:
http://www.classbforum.com/phpBB2/vi...hp?f=25&t=1214

MPG matters more to some people and not so much to others. For example, the option to sleep 6 people in the RV might be more important than MPG. MPG and ease of parking are at the top of my list. I've had a B+ at 10 mpg or maybe 12mpg, a Class C at 8mpg. It seemed to be 8 mpg no matter what - even when I towed a car. I had a B at 14mpg and my current older diesel van at 17-18mpg.

I saw a B van that had overnighted at a local tourism info center two days ago. The front windows were full of condensation inside. We would leave the driver and passenger windows open just bit to prevent that in our Roadtrek. We had those Ventvisor rain guards on the doors of those windows to prevent any rain from getting in. In our current van we leave the Fantastic fan open just a bit at night.

I've never fulltimed though so someone else here will be better able to speak to that.

[g1g]

Hello and welcome. I am far from full time because in reality due to work I haven't made a full week. However I have read on these forums where several people fulltimed in a B. I know that is not much compared the the big rigs but it does show it is being done. One person was doing it in a minivan all setup. Personally I love the boondocking and have only spent 3 or 4 nights in a campground since I got mine about 5 years ago. I have gotten condensation and haven't figured any best way to deal with it. You mentioned solar panels. They can always be good but the cost factor is always there. It may really depend on how you use electrical things. If you are driving a lot your vehicle charging system may charge the batteries during the drive time. If you do sit in one spot solar panels can be of some use but also keep in mind if they are attached tou your roof you must sit in the sun to really benifit. That can get hot in the summer. How many batteries do you have? Is your refrigerator 2 or 3 way? Do you have an inverter to run 110v appliances? If you have these things I really reccomend at least 2 batteries. The class As usually have 4 to handle everything but space is limited in a B. Presently I have one battery but I have plans to expand to either 2 or maybe 3 batteries when I can really hit the road.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by satellite

Hi Everyone,

Newbie here. I want to full time RV, can't afford much and don't think the class C I just bought is the right class of RV for me. I bought a 1983 Fleetwood on a Chevy chassis. 350, auto, freshly tuned. First trip was 6 MPG!!!! UGH! Class C owners were bragging about 10-12 MPG and I though I needed the room. Is there anyone full timing/living in a class B conversion van? Roadtrek, Airstream B190 etc. The MPG must be better. How does it suit you? Condensation problems? How about solar power? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks and happy travels!

There are several full timers on here, just be patient and they may comment. Maybe change your subject and
add "full timing" to the options as bait?
As for condensation, you have to keep the air moving inside the van, and it's best if you replace the stale
vapor laden air with fresh, if possible, to reduce build up on the inside glass. We pop the rear side windows
open just a crack, and the roof vent too, sometimes running the F-Fan as well. If it's cold. If it's hot, it isn't
usually as big a problem.
If by LTV you mean Long Term Visitor Areas, we just came back from a quick browse around LaPosa in Quartzsite
and it wasn't for us. Reminded me of "Woodstock" after the bands left......

[satellite]

Thanks for the replies and information. As far as my rig it's a Class C gas hog. I am looking at the Roadtreks. I figure I would sacrifice some space for fuel efficiency.

[Mike]

Any good class B van conversion will probably get you better gas mileage than a larger class C.
Unless it's in really bad shape, or in need of a major overhaul.
Don't forget some of the other makes, like Leisure Travel, Pleasure Way, Great West,
Sportsmobile (although they're custom builds and you may not see many used ones out there),
and some older ones like Xplorer, Bigfoot (very rare), and some others, you can find them in
makes/models section on this site.
Then there are the Winnebago family of small RVs, as well as other big rig makers that have
added smaller B, B+, and smaller C models, to try to take advantage of the gas economy buyers.
There are Navions and Views on Sprinter chassis, both by Winnebago, and they probably get
decent mileage too. Most, if not all, Sprinters use diesel, btw.
So, it's not just a Roadtrek thing. But we like ours and it gets around 20 mpg to an Imperial
or Canadian sized gallon (4.5 litres). Works out to around 15mpg to the US gallon (3.8 litres).

Happy Halloween.

[Ron J. Moore]

Could the poor MPG be from the engine needing TLC, tune-up? Might think of putting a couple of cans of SeaFoam in it when your down to about half tank and see if you can clean up to fuel system a little. Keep us "tuned" in. Safe travels, Ron.

[recumbentfalcon]

Condensation forms when warm moist air hits a colder surface. Venting the winow helps. So does using an insulating fabric on the inside of the window. No contact with a cold surface, no condensation.

There are numerous people living in Bs and modified vans, trucks and trailers. More so with the current economy: vandwellers, stealth campers, whatever they wish to call themselves. It can be done.