Need Advice mostly about size (for now)

[dralign]

Hello All, I am new to this site and am looking to buy my first RV. It is for my wife and I. We want to use it as our transportation, hotel and restaurant (during these times and beyond) to continue our traveling. I would think a few days to a week to even 2 weeks at a time. When Covid stops, we will go longer and supplement the nights with B&B and friend's house visits. So, my wife wants the smallest one 18-19 feet (144) because of driving ability and the ease of parking. I see that but I also see that the bigger one 24-25 feet (170 EXT) might be better, because of living space etc, as well as I've drove many large vehicles and I believe that we will get use to the length quickly and we can deal with the parking. As I said, I also see the benefit of the smaller one. I also wonder if there is a middle road concept of 20-22 feet (170 std). So, I am asking you the users for practical purposes, what do you think...
Thanks

[MsNomer]

It depends on how well it’s laid out. Often, builders with more square footage to work with are not as careful with how they use it.

We have lived comfortably as long as 4 months at a time in our 17’9” Promaster (136”WB). We have 18 drawers, 10 of which are 28” deep, plus bulk storage, fixed bed, 56” counter, shower, toilet, dining table, microwave, and there’s still an open area to walk around in, full windows all around and zero upper cabinetry, so nothing feels closed in.

[Bobd254]

I've got a 20' chevy express class B, that weve just used for overnights at state parks. We rented a 24' Sprinter when out at yellowstone. The 24' was somewhat more difficut to maneuver for parking , and a little harder to find parking spots. The 24 would be nicer probably for longer trips, but we're liking the Chevy for what we're currently doing.

[booster]

Yep all in how you live and what you get used to, I think.


We are in between at 21'+ in our Chevy Roadtrek 190P and it has done well for us for 12 years so far. It is the older Roadtrek floorplan with aisle shower and lots of storage.


All the newer and long vans we have looked at really don't have any more storage space than we do, as most of the extra room is air to haul around. Openness is the big deal these days at the expense of length and storage.


Our van certainly appears smaller inside as all the space is used, but for use that is fine as we don't live in it when camping. We are mostly outside, cook there, sit there, etc so not inside much except in the evening and early morning, plus sleep. An extra 3' of length is quite a bit, and more than I would like to have for overall length.

[mkguitar]

If you can, just go and look at various B vans new and used- experience the space together- if you have trouble moving around each other in the van imagine if it's been bucketing rain all day and you are in each other's pockets.
If someone wants to use the can, do some cooking, grab a jacket or common tasks, does the other have to move or stand outside???
( dealership videos often show a large man trying to move around inside)


sideways sleepers have shorter beds- how tall are you?

mechanized sofas may be heavy ( weight is always a consideration- my van weighs over 9000#) and lack storage underneath, and have a tetris of cushion to form a bed

extra seating ( with belts etc.) is great if you have passengers, but if it's just the 2 of you- it's wasted space ( most front seats swivel)- some remove extra seating and replace with a cabinet

the 2 of us ( + dog) have a 2006 pleasureway on a chev van.
we sleep fore/aft we have just the 2 front seats and the rear sofas, which convert from 2 singles to an "almost king".
We do 3~4 week trips and may stay in one place 5~7 days

our van with spare is just under 21"- we have 60's Cadillacs which are almost as long.
easier to park at the outside of a supermarket lot.
street parking never much an issue ( it's our camper, not a daily driver)

mpg 15~16 on gas

Cheers, Mike

[GeorgeRa]

We had 2 VW Westfalia campers in the past, both were around 15’, this was in 1977 and 1985. As we downsized recently from the 21’ trailer we wanted to duplicate our past van camper experience so was chose 20’ Sprinter (144). Longer Sprinter wasn’t even included in our decision.

This was a very good choice for us, easy to maneuver, park and drive.

Would we be interested in packing more household or sporting goodies we would most likely opted for a C or even an A in lieu of a B. For us the B is a Camping Van, a Camper, for many other folks a B is a cruising van with all house utilities at accommodating length.

I suggest driving both, and see of a 24-footer is OK.

[Davydd]

I have had progressively longer vans up to the extended body Sprinter at 24'-1" and have now designed a new 144 Sprinter 19'-5" long dubbed Mies - "Less is more." I'm trading in my side by side twin beds for a bunk bed arrangement. That is the most controversial aspect of my design. With that trade off I will have in a van almost 5 foot shorter, more rear storage for two bicycles, a much bigger bathroom and a galley with everything I currently have in counter, storage, refrigerator, microwave, built-in Keurig, etc. and maybe more functional.

I'm doing so because after 220,000 miles of Class B driving we have been to almost all the national parks in the 49 states (no Hawaii ) and provinces and territories of Canada. I'm an architect and was reluctant to go to urban areas partly because of the length of my B and my former job taking me to almost all the major cities in the United States already. If we keep traveling we want to expand our urban reach and get back to my roots more easily. I know all the tricks to park in most places but I continually and mentally acknowledge it would be a hell of a lot easier with more opportunities with less time looking if I could park in a single stall without sticking out. However, I'm spoiled by all the amenities I've grown accustomed to in a longer B. Tune in. It hasn't been built yet.

[dralign]

Thank you all so far for all your opinions. Please keep them coming. We will make our own decision, but your opinions bridge the gap from a 1st time buyer and a 2nd time buyer. All the input makes sense. Of coarse the design of the particular rv that we choose effects storage and is important no matter what length that we choose. Along those lines we are looking at Midwest Automotive Designs for. I have liked what I see with them. They have a drop down bed option that adds for better sleeping and storage. Please feel free to comment on that choice as well as the length. They make a small (~20'), med (~22') and large (~24') option. We are mostly using it for traveling, not camping. So on one aspect, we will be using it as our temporary home (will be in it a lot), but on the other hand we may need to maneuver on streets and towns and even parking. I am not to worried about driving maneuverability (please correct me if I am wrong). I think parking will effect us more. I am from NYC and I see that I can pull into Manhattan with the 20" and probably get a spot (whether I want to leave it alone on those streets is another thing). I might not have the same parking options with the 24 footer. Of coarse anywhere you go with a 24 footer you have to get a larger spot when you go to the Walmart, the grocery store, the restaurant. But, with a new vehicle, I will probably park at the back of the lot that has more room with either length. The question becomes does the extra room, the more storage and the better ride (not maneuverability, but someone told me that the longer wheel base is a more luxurious ride) compensate for the parking and maneuverability challenges. Thank you again for your opinions.

[Jon in AZ]

You are spot-on about parking. A standard parking spot is 18' long. Our Chevy Roadtrek (minus the continental spare carrier, which we removed for towing) is right at 19' long. We hang out a bit from a standard single spot, and when we needed on-street parking in Los Angeles, we had to find an end spot.

I'd consider 20' somewhat of a tipping point for parking, beyond which you'll need a double spot at the grocery store or RV parking in the city.

Or you could park like this...
Big Truck.jpg

Roadtrek manages to fit a large longways bed, a usable galley (smallish fridge), and a very small enclosed wet bath in 19'.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

You are spot-on about parking. A standard parking spot is 18' long. Our Chevy Roadtrek (minus the continental spare carrier, which we removed for towing) is right at 19' long. We hang out a bit from a standard single spot, and when we needed on-street parking in Los Angeles, we had to find an end spot.

I'd consider 20' somewhat of a tipping point for parking, beyond which you'll need a double spot at the grocery store or RV parking in the city.

Or you could park like this...
Attachment 9921

Roadtrek manages to fit a large longways bed, a usable galley (smallish fridge), and a very small enclosed wet bath in 19'.

Are you certain on the 19' long for a 190? I haven't measured for a while, but I seem to remember ours to be very close to what the brochure specs say at 20' 5" with the rear tire holder which adds 10" more. A 170 is listed at 18' 9". Ours is an 07 C190P that has the later style bumper covers and spoiler.

[Davydd]

Standard Target and Walmart parking stalls are 20 ft. long x 9 ft. wide. If they are shorter they will usually say for compact cars only. Both are mostly straight in parking and not angled and with 24 ft. driving lanes. That means a 170 ft. wheel base sprinter probably cannot park straight in if cars on in the parking spots on both sides because of the turning radius. I am mostly familiar with Target as I have laid out hundreds of site plans. They do have aligning spaces so you can pull in and take up two spaces and not hang over in the driving lanes. You can back in to a perimeter spot with curb and grass and not hang over into the driving lane with a 170 wb Sprinter regular or extended body.

Parallel street parking is generally 24 foot so you could snag an end of the row spot at each end of the block but not an interior spot because the length is there for pulling in and out.

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by MsNomer

It depends on how well it’s laid out. Often, builders with more square footage to work with are not as careful with how they use it.

We have lived comfortably as long as 4 months at a time in our 17’9” Promaster (136”WB). We have 18 drawers, 10 of which are 28” deep, plus bulk storage, fixed bed, 56” counter, shower, toilet, dining table, microwave, and there’s still an open area to walk around in, full windows all around and zero upper cabinetry, so nothing feels closed in.

I urge newbies to check out MsNomer's website - a custom build extraordinaire

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

I urge newbies to check out MsNomer's website - a custom build extraordinaire

I get a warning message for this website.

[themexicandoctor]

LA has a lot of parking restrictions, over 8 feet tall, 22" long, in some areas but you can always find parking - this is a question only you can answer - a Rental or four goes a long way to determining what, you can live with & what you cannot.

And then there is the Ownership question, once purchased, do you have wiggle room to modify the rig?

Roadtreks at 19.5, 20.5 with the Tire & Carrier.

As an Urban Stealth Camper to a degree, a 22.8 Mercedes Rig just would be too much of a compromise in finding parking spaces & then if you don't have a DC Fridge, leveling is a nightmare.

[booster]

Roadtrek lengths for 2010/2011 brochure, check the note 1 for tire in back adder of 10" to listed.


Order is 170, 190, 210, RS, SS

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

LA has a lot of parking restrictions, over 8 feet tall, 22" long

Yes, Santa Monica is 8'/20' & requires a permit if overnighting
https://www.smgov.net/Departments/PC...arking-Permit/


We use a regular visitor hanger on the mirror when visiting MiL, and no issues as yet ( years)
with spare we are at 21' and 9'4" ( chev)
...back up camera helps


with the heat, whats the RV situation in Ventura/Oxnard/Hueneme?

mike

[MsNomer]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I get a warning message for this website.

What kind of warning? It’s just a plain-Jane Wordpress blog.

[avanti]

Just for calibration, here is what our 22’ 8” Sprinter looks like in a supermarket parking space:

sprinter parked.jpeg

[SteveJ]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I get a warning message for this website.

I did also.

[MsNomer]

What does it say?