Where are all the "B's" ?

[Davydd]

I've done it all from -15F to 105F. MsNomer quote, "The van has wheels." is apt. I have an air conditioner but rarely use it and I have a van that I can operate and live (survive? ) in below zero conditions. We don't seek those extremes but they can happen by circumstances not under your control especially in the bridge seasons of fall and spring. We plan and practice most of our trips with the proverbial seeking the 70 degrees. Go north in the summer. Go south in the winter. Seek elevation of mountains and woods when it's hot or seek shore power.

[Jon in AZ]

Yup- the wheels are the true under-mount climate control system.

I will observe, however, that it’s easier to use in some regions than others There are large swaths of the continent that require several days’ travel during certain seasons to access temperate weather not requiring some kind of mechanical climate control. That’s not practical unless you’re retired or able to do work/school from the road

And of course some people use their B’s to visit family or pursue various activities, sports, or hobbies that don’t coincide with temperate locations and seasons.

[Sebtown 1]

Out of curiosity I counted the class b and conversion Van's on an 11 mile stretch of California Hwy 1 between Bodega Bay and the Russian River. Today's count was 7 of which 4 were genuine B's and 3 were conversions. I drive this route often and am never surprised to see multiple class Bs on any given day. I'm confident this number would be higher if we cruised thru some of the local coastal camp grounds.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

With all the popularity and recent surge in interest, I still find other "B's" as rare as hen's teeth. Just completed a 6 Day/5 Night trip through central Texas State Parks with only a single sighting of a class b (that includes in the parks and driving on the road). I am not including a couple of DIY vans that were less than full-featured.

We do our trips during the "off-season", but in nearly 3 years of traveling we've only seen multiple B's in Monte-Seno State Park (AL) due to rally being held there.

I like the exclusivity of our rv class, but I still marvel at the rarity of sightings.

Lack of presence of Bs is directly proportional to their prices. Have we had prices close to European price entries of about $50-60K we would see more of them, just like in seventies or eighties or even nineties. Since, B market turned to a very profitable drainage of retirees' pockets, why not, if I would be in this business, I would do the same.

I am retired as well, but I didn’t go with the flow.

[coss370]

That’s one of the richest part of the country, of course you will get more. Plus parking is tight on rt1, anything small helps. I am driving a long b van, I almost got stuck in the desert because I couldn’t u turn

[Lou]

We see Class Bs all of the time. We live in Vancouver BC and there are at least 3 within a couple of blocks. Even now, if we take the freeway to our daughter's house, in a 30 minute drive we will usually see a couple of Bs. Before COVID 19 restrictions it would be half a dozen or more. Tourists fly into Vancouver and rent Class B's to tour the province or to travel east through the Rockies and fly back to Europe via Calgary Alberta. Lucky for us, because we were able to afford to buy our Pleasure-Way second hand from Canadream when it was only 3 years old. They find that tourists prefer to rent new ones.

[Monstermash74]

One is parked in my driveway in Seattle

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Monstermash74

One is parked in my driveway in Seattle

Nice condition!

[@Michael]

Found three of them on the highway yesterday. The guy must have bought one, decided it was too small, then bought a couple more and a flatbed to haul them.



Either that or they travel with their kids and in-laws, and need three separate living areas. 😁

[SteveJ]

We just sold our y2k 200v after almost 7 years.

It's been replaced by a '98 Safari Trek.

The confines of the RT were just a bit too problematic for the spousal unit. We had talked about going a bit bigger for a number of years but I was able to hold her off. This resulted in her mostly not traveling, especially on the longer trips.

The Safari is "only" 26' long and does have decent clearance underneath, but it is wider and taller. This will preclude some places while boondocking, for sure. I/we do currently tow a motorcycle behind for local access and plain old fun.

We'll see how it goes. I really do like the lay out with the "magic bed" creating a spacious floor plan in a smaller (well, for a class A) foot print. It should encourage the wifey to want to travel more and longer.

For sure, no more parking overnight(for free on Saturday nights) in St. Augustine at the municipal lots.

[IWUGrad]

I just drove from Indiana to California, and was amazed at the number of huge class A's towing vehicles. It seemed they were 10 to 1 over class B or C for that matter. Especially on Highway 10 from Arizona to California. My wife and I were shocked.

We did see B's but few and far between. I'm sure glad I had a B on 89A from Flagstaff to Sedona! What a beautiful ride, but in anything bigger than what we have I would have been freaked out.

[rvsprinterguy]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

We’ll be there with our silver Roadtrek and Scamp trailer during Thanksgiving week.

Hey, Jon. I'm intrigued about your towing a camping trailer. Do you need more living space?

[coss370]

Gas is $2 outside of CA. We have blood in our gas

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by IWUGrad

I just drove from Indiana to California, and was amazed at the number of huge class A's towing vehicles. It seemed they were 10 to 1 over class B or C for that matter. Especially on Highway 10 from Arizona to California. My wife and I were shocked.

We did see B's but few and far between...

Sounds like snowbirds headed to their winter habitat. The largest Class A's tend to arrive earlier and settle in for the winter in long-term parks. Others trickle in throughout the winter and tend to be more nomadic. Class B's tend to fit the latter pattern.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by rvsprinterguy

Hey, Jon. I'm intrigued about your towing a camping trailer. Do you need more living space?

We're four (two teens), so yes. We camped for years in the trailer (a 13' Scamp with snug berths for four). When we acquired the Roadtrek as a family hand-me-down, we kept the much-loved trailer. Separate quarters for teens and parents- priceless!
Roadtrek and Scamp.jpg