Second car at Camp?

[Hatteras Jim]

After several cross country trips to visit all 48 states in our Sprinter (60k miles total), we did so without pulling a tow vehicle. 2-4 nights at most campgrounds. Since we were touring different National and State parks mostly, we would do our grocery and small item pickups while we were out.



Only encountered 4 places that a car would have been a better option: San Francisco (took a public bus from outside the campground) (parking was the issue). Boston (parking again). Took a train from an outlaying city that had RV parking at the train station. Key West (parking). Took public bus for 50 cents (Senior rate) from outside the campground (about 10 miles) and Las Vegas. Campground (Sam's) had a free bus.


Would not want to deal with a towed vehicle on a touring trip, especially over some of the mountains. Most NPs had enough spaces for a "B", even at their roadside overlooks. If I was parking for several weeks at one spot, a towed vehicle would be a better option. IMO

[Kobieta]

We differentiate between "traveling" and "camping." We even have two different checklists. If we are camping, relatively local, say within 100 miles, we will drive two vehicles. I drive the Roadtrek, he drives my Jeep. Then if we do want to go into town for groceries or just do some sightseeing, we don't have to batten down the hatches and pull out. The additional gas for the 2nd vehicle isn't that big of an issue when we're closer to home.

[drsdig]

I have been camping in a class B for almost 30 years and have never felt the need of a tow vehicle. I feel comfortable driving in the city and can always find a place to park my Xplorer. There have been times I have had to back in onto a ferry and would not want to do that towing anything. When I know I will be leaving the campsite, I rely on my 12V system until I know I am in for the night and then I plug in or set up camp. I have made a sign that I leave at a campsite indicating that it is occupied when I leave for the day.

[Davydd]

I seldom ever plug in. Don’t have an awning. With enough battery power for 3 days minimum to run your B the same way electrically whether plugged in or not is the way we go for 6 years now. So follow the weather and avoid situations where you need air conditioning. Those that have enough battery power to run an air conditioner overnight, what do they do the next morning when the temperature heats up again? If you need air conditioning the reasonable approach is camp where there is shore power.

I did concede I wanted (need) a shorter van to get up and go even more easily but it is more for when I do get up and go I have more options of where I can go like a car. I did eliminate 460 watts of solar on the roof and reduce my battery power from 800ah to 576ah because of weight and space issues and the realization of what I said about air conditioning and the historical fact most of our stays in one place are less than 3 days.

I will never tow anything. I once had a vintage airstream trailer and quickly learned i”m towing dyslexic. Never got the hang of it and glad I got the romance of Airstream trailers out of my system. They would have made a good guest cottage in my yard if I needed one.

[RossWilliams]

Why are you considering a class B? As others have pointed out, towing something negates some of the advantages. My guess is that you will find you rarely, if ever, want a second vehicle. One of the great freedoms of a class b is traveling light. We use our bikes for errands lot, but we do that at home too.

[Macodiva]

I think a tow vehicle defeats the object of a class B. Disconnecting the water & electricity is no big deal.
Guess a lot depends on the type of traveller you are & areas you camp.
Have you considered an electric bike?
While living in Canada i managed to ride (non electric bike) 3 miles each way to the store & back with a 9 pack of TP, a house plant (not recommended) & backpack full of groceries! lol

[RossWilliams]

I can certainly imagine reasons to tow a vehicle. The most obvious reason for me would be to have a high clearance vehicle to explore with. We considered getting a flat towable car so we could stick our kayaks on it.

I can imagine trips where people travelling together need to go different places. With people working on the road it might not be convenient to pack up and move just to get groceries in the middle of the day. And if you have teenagers who drive you might not be too enthusiastic about being left at your campground with no shelter while they drive off in the RV.

In short, the question is really what does the class b give you that makes it worthwhile. That is going to vary for people.