Where are all the "B's" ?

[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.

[Jon in AZ]

I’ve seen many (okay, maybe a dozen or so over the last month or so, more than usual anyway) passing through our small town. Fall is a wonderful time to explore the Southwest.

[NAZCamperVan]

Ditto the observation of Jon in AZ. I've seen oodles of Class B's of all sorts passing through Flagstaff AZ in the last 2-3 months, and on a recent trip in southern Utah. There's lots of RVs in general out on the road.

[jrobe]

As I recall, Class B's make up less than 1% of all RV sales in the US. Class C's are even several times greater (closer to 6%) and of course, towable trailers are close to 85%. The fact that Class B's probably have some of the highest cost per square foot is a big factor.

[coss370]

Also lack of chassis from the manufactures

[ilmor]

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.

I think you'll find the large majority of them out west.

[Davydd]

You will find more of them out west in certain areas like Joshua Tree NP, Arches NP and desert where off-roading and biking are popular because they congregate there and attract a wider range of B users when they attract a younger user for the activities as well of the older crowd that can afford and have the extended time. There are more rental company opportunities out west supplying Bs as easy transportation for non-RV users though those omnipresent Class Cs are still greater. It seems greater but just about any campground you stay that lower percentage to all RVs seems to stay true.

If you really want to see Class B's get with a group of them and plan rallies and socials at parks and campgrounds. People do a double-take and usually with wonderment and amusement of tiny campers. Everybody seems to love them but ultimately most RVers opt for more space. I'm guilty of that going from 21', 22' and 24' in three successive Bs and am now correcting that trend getting back to under 20' where Bs excel (I hope.) I belong to a few Class B groups and one has morphed almost into a general RV group as people seek more comfort and space. But I don't hold that against them and say in my Jack Nicholson voice, "You can't handle a Class B."

[mumkin]

When I got my first B back in 2004 and some years after, I could drive from up north down to AZ in the winter and get excited if I saw more than 2 other B's for the whole round trip. We used to count and report over on RVnet back them. That number has risen every year and this year I saw 10 or more a day average... and likely missed a few of the stealthier ones.

So, I feel the opposite... I'm amazed at how many B's there are now versus 10 or 15 years ago. Of course one reason for the jump is that the old ones stay on the road, and sales have been up the last few years and were way up this year with the virus.

[PleasantonMac]

Just confirming what everyone else is saying... I just spent a week in Southern Utah (in my minivan, because my PW Ascent is still on order, I can't tell you how much that chafed), and I can assure you, they were EVERYWHERE there. Now, admittedly, I was actively looking for them (from my minivan, because my PW Ascent is still on order, I can't tell you etc. etc), but they were easy to spot. We stayed in an AirBnb, and just to taunt me, the guy next door rolled up in an Airstream Interstate. He and I had to pass the Revel owner as we turned into and out of the neighborhood every morning.

Just drove yesterday from SF bay area to Los Angeles (Hi Gaucho, Hi MexicanDoctor!) and passed two of them on the freeway during the trip.

Oddly enough, I've even recently spotted two or three new arrivals in my sleepy suburban town, which is hardly a rural outdoor destination. Mine will eventually join their ranks.

[KitsapEra]

Yup, having just come back from there, I can report that southern Utah is heaven for a class B. Saw way more B's than A's during our time there. Helps that A's can't go thru the tunnel at Zion!

-dm

[museme@rogers.com]

I absolutely agree...every time we venture out we look to meet other B'ers but rarely see any! We have a 2020 Pleasure Way Plateau FL with Dually rear wheels which makes accessing the inner tire valve very difficult, does anyone have experience with valve extensions? i have heard horror stories but also others saying they have been fine. thx john

[avanti]

Originally Posted by museme@rogers.com

does anyone have experience with valve extensions? i have heard horror stories but also others saying they have been fine.

I have been left at the side of the road due to failure of a rubber valve stem. They WILL fail, especially if you add a TPMS sensor, which you definitely need with duallies, doesn't matter if they are "heavy duty" rated.. You absolutely need proper all-metal stems and extensions. Properly installed, they will not fail.

[Davydd]

BTW, if you want to see a congregation of Class B's on any given stay, Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah has 13 sites with a 26 ft. limited RV length which is a true limitation. If you have a B+ with bike rack or storage box you might not fit. If you have a trailer, there is no place to park a tow vehicle in most sites. It's first come, first served and I suspect a lot of larger RVs come and get discouraged and leave. I love this campground for the obvious reason. It has great hikes to several natural bridges.

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah has 13 sites

That's a regular stop on my motorcycle trips as I come up the Dugway from Monument Valley/Mexican Hat



B's ? my neighborhood in PHX has at least 5 other Pleasure Ways I see on my dogwalks- and a few brands as well


mike

[rowiebowie]

Thanks for all your observations. It seem that Texas (the home of pickup trucks and 5th wheels) does not have a great concentration of class b's. But even in our travels across this country, I've not seen the amount of b's some of you describe. But then, we've done very little remote boon docking and only once stumbled upon a "b" meet-up.

More typically, we're the only b lost in sea of class A's, class C's, 5th Wheels, and 25ft.+ Trailers as in this picture.

[KitsapEra]

Our Era came from the factory with metal extensions on the valves for the inner wheels. So they must be available from some supplier.

Other poster is absolutely correct, bad idea to put TPMS valve caps on rubber stems.

[KitsapEra]

If you only stay in RV parks, you are in a whole different world than that inhabited by most Class B's. The whole point of a B (IMO) is to be able to stay far away from such places.

[PaulB-2006 T4R]

Originally Posted by KitsapEra

If you only stay in RV parks, you are in a whole different world than that inhabited by most Class B's. The whole point of a B (IMO) is to be able to stay far away from such places.

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, our only negative camping experiences have been in a RV park. The longer we went into our first year of campervanning the more experienced we got with off the grid camping and we were so much happier.

We have found boat launches to be near water, BLM and State/US Forests to be the most fulfilling.

Also agree with the further west you go the more B’s you will find.

[rockymtnb]

Originally Posted by jrobe

As I recall, Class B's make up less than 1% of all RV sales in the US. Class C's are even several times greater (closer to 6%) and of course, towable trailers are close to 85%.

Class B's have been expanding market share-wise in recent years and currently comprise 1.6% of the overall RV market. Class C remains the largest motorized segment of the RV market at 5.0% of total.

However, Class B does have the highest growth rate of the RV market in the last few years and therefore garners a lot of industry attention from a demographic trends perspective.

[BrianCO]

Well I know of 5 true B models within about 4 blocks of my house in NW Denver (city proper), and a few others that have B+ models. My storage facility has room for 80 rigs I think, and there are a total of 6 B units in it. I just got back from a trip to Ohio and back and commented that we saw significantly fewer B models the further we went East.