Side or rear bath

[GAH]

We are looking for our first b. The rear bath seems attractive as it opens up the interior quite a bit and provides a bigger shower. The only downside I can see is a lack of storage in the back.
The side bath seems to make the interior feel tight to me and the shower is tiny.

Since this is will be our first Class B I am interested in the opinions of other owners. Which do you prefer and why.

Thanks

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by GAH

We are looking for our first b. The rear bath seems attractive as it opens up the interior quite a bit and provides a bigger shower. The only downside I can see is a lack of storage in the back.
The side bath seems to make the interior feel tight to me and the shower is tiny.

Since this is will be our first Class B I am interested in the opinions of other owners. Which do you prefer and why.

Thanks

I assume you are talking about the Travato.


Simple decision -- If you are over 180 lb, get the rear bath.

[GAH]

Originally Posted by BBQ

I assume you are talking about the Travato.


Simple decision -- If you are over 180 lb, get the rear bath.

Yes the travato. There are a couple of older. Idea that also have the rear bath. I have tried the side baths but at 6’1” it is a bit tight- just slightly over the 180 you reference

[InterBlog]

This question gets asked frequently and it is a personal preference. There's no way I would ever squander precious rear-end real estate on bath fixtures, because that's where the million-dollar view is.

But that ^^, of course, assumes people are staying in areas that have something to look at. If the owner's sole intention is to occupy campgrounds, most of the time that will not be the case.

For me, it's not just a quality of life assessment - it's a logical calculation. Of the 24 hours that are in each day, I'm in the bathroom for somewhere around 1 percent of that time (15-20 minutes). So the side wet bath (what Airstream calls "mid-bath") is a little tight... it still doesn't make sense to me to prioritize a feature that is used so little.

From Instagram, an image quilt of million-dollar views, a few of which were mine:

[Phoebe3]

Here's a recent poll and some associated comments:

Class B Forums - View Poll Results

I would say that our Crossfit side bath is pretty tight and is probably too short for someone who is 6'1".

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

This question gets asked frequently and it is a personal preference. There's no way I would ever squander precious rear-end real estate on bath fixtures, because that's where the million-dollar view is.

But that ^^, of course, assumes people are staying in areas that have something to look at. If the owner's sole intention is to occupy campgrounds, most of the time that will not be the case.

For me, it's not just a quality of life assessment - it's a logical calculation. Of the 24 hours that are in each day, I'm in the bathroom for somewhere around 1 percent of that time (15-20 minutes). So the side wet bath (what Airstream calls "mid-bath") is a little tight... it still doesn't make sense to me to prioritize a feature that is used so little.

From Instagram, an image quilt of million-dollar views, a few of which were mine:

+1

Fantastic views.

[mikes47]

InterBlog - you present a compelling argument! Great compilation. And I agree, 100%.

[jrobe]

Just from a driving standpoint, having full windows in the rear and passenger side is a big advantage. Watch this video of the Pleasureway Ascent and look at the driving viability from some of the images from the driver's seat. I would hate to block off the whole back end with a wall for a bathroom for this reason alone. Of course, there is no perfect floorplan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJI3VrYlldw

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by jrobe

Just from a driving standpoint, having full windows in the rear and passenger side is a big advantage. Watch this video of the Pleasureway Ascent and look at the driving viability from some of the images from the driver's seat. I would hate to block off the whole back end with a wall for a bathroom for this reason alone. Of course, there is no perfect floorplan.

The video looks good.

But when you are sitting in the driver's seat,
you do not really see anything.

[jrobe]

Originally Posted by BBQ

The video looks good.

But when you are sitting in the driver's seat,
you do not really see anything.

I can see pretty well out of my Sprinter backing up and changing lanes - a lot better than if it were a bathroom wall (like in a Roadtrek or Travato).

[booster]

Personally, we are glad to see more of the variations of the old standard aisle bath/shower coming back, albeit with nicer "curtains" and blockoffs like expanding/roller doors or such. They are huge space savers and give plenty of height and room in the aisle for shower or bathroom use. For us, either side of van is fine for the kitchen or bath as the small bathroom gives good view out the third door on the Chevy, even though I never turn around to look before changing lanes, as properly adjusted mirrors do fine for that and don't take your eyes off the front. We still have rear windows, but with big Chevy door edges down the middle. You can still see enough in the rear view mirror to know what is going on behind.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by jrobe

I can see pretty well out of my Sprinter backing up and changing lanes - a lot better than if it were a bathroom wall (like in a Roadtrek or Travato).

I've never used the rear view mirror in an RV. For backing I used the camera and mirrors... and I only use the side mirrors when driving.

In fact, I stopped using it in my cars too... back when I had one.

[InterBlog]

Ancillary note:

I like the wet bath directly behind the driver's seat and I like a conventional swinging door because of its storage potential.

Directly behind the driver's seat means it is opposite the sliding door which makes it the widest remaining part of the van (the rest being built out with cabinetry). I made a custom computer table that I hang on the front side of that door (image below). It is secured in place with a square of Velcro which keeps it from banging around. But those two hooks you see at the top, the hooks on which the table top is hung - they also function as clothing hooks. Coats, pants, hats, scarves, you name it - it all gets piled here. And again, because this is the widest remaining part of the van, all that stuff does not impede movement in the van.

A light sliding door or accordion door could never take all that weight. We have a robust wet bath door with a piano hinge all the way down the side.

It may sound like a little thing, but our rig is NOT built on an extended Sprinter, so we have no rear space. And I converted its closet into folding bike storage (blog post) so we can't use the closet, either. There's really no other remaining storage space for all that stuff.



Not only can the front of the wet bath door be used for storage, the side of the wet bath facing the rear of the driver's seat also has storage potential. I bought a piece of sheet metal which we trimmed to fit using an air tool, and turned ours into a magnetic organizer board (blog post). I've got a lot more stuff stuck on there now than I had when this initial pic was taken:

[Keyne]

I agree with interblog about the rear of the van for the view. One of my favorite things is to open the back with the screens in place and relax. We have a RT Agile so unfortunately the rear couch faces inward - I would have preferred a side facing dinette but everything is a compromise. With the bed in place its an awesome place to take a nap with the doors open.

Also, under the couch is where the storage is for cables, grill, leveling blocks, etc. I would not want a rear bath.

[Ron J. Moore]

FWIW, I feel that having the toilet in the rear would make the small footprint we live in seem smaller. On the other side, we all are not alike, our likes and desires are as varied as the weather - so having the choices available for us to choose from seems better for the B community. I really enjoy having rear windows, even with the split, but when open - oh wow! Ron

[jon]

This is my rear bathroom-ette. Being in the back corner makes it fairly compact but with the door open there is a lot a room.

[GAH]

Originally Posted by jon

This is my rear bathroom-ette. Being in the back corner makes it fairly compact but with the door open there is a lot a room.

Jon
Is that a custom setup? I would love some more pictures if you wouldn’t mind posting. Interested to see the whole layout!
John

[jon]

Originally Posted by GAH

Jon
Is that a custom setup? I would love some more pictures if you wouldn’t mind posting. Interested to see the whole layout!
John

I added some picts on registry page

[Saldar]

You have an ideal location for a single sink. Neat!

[wincrasher]

I found that in either Travato model, you could see out the rear windows (via your rear view mirror) just fine. Basically you have to decide on how you want to use the van. If you have lots of sports equipment, then go for the floorpan with a rear cargo area. If you are doing touring, on the move a lot, then get the rear bath. I've had both and much prefer the rear bath. I carry my bike on an exterior rack anyways, and those times I carry the foldable kayak, there are places to store it in the van.