Why people choose Class B motorhome?

[vanvan]

Hi.
Wondering why people choose Class B (over trailer or Class C).
What are the reasons?

[avanti]

Some B-vans are used as campers, others are used as touring coaches, and yet others are everyday transit with benefits.

We are touring coach people. We rarely spend more than a day or three in the same location. We go out to see the sights almost every day. We often go out to dinner. We explore country villages and city centers and NPS properties. We seek out obscure dispersed campsites in national forests.

Given this pattern, the advantages are obvious. I will let representatives of the other categories speak for themselves.

[GeorgeRa]

We have experience with camper vans – VW Westfalias (early with young family of 5), trailers and truck camper. During retirement we decided to go back to early experience of simplicity with camper vans, this was 2013. We were looking for similar layouts to our early Westfalias, full of windows, maximum 20’ long but couldn’t find one so we built one based on 2013 Sprinter Van 144” WB. Layout is copied from previously had Westfalias.

For our, a few days long, camping trips simplicity is important, no hooking and unhooking, no towing, no loading a truck-camper on a truck increased the frequency of our camping trips which was low on previous RVs except camper vans.

[Punkinhead]

Different people have different reasons but some common ones are:

• Size: Easy to drive and park.
• Less likely to leak. I restored a Class C and got to see the rot and mold inside the walls first hand.
• Can be HOA friendly. Some HOAs that ban RV's will let you get away with a van. But it's very HOA specific.
• Stealth. The only clue that ours is an RV is the Smartplug outlet. We can overnight almost anywhere without raising eyebrows.
• Fuel efficiency. Our Transit based class B gets 17 MPG.
• Mobility. The only thing we need to do when arriving or departing a campground is hook/unhook the shore power cord. And with over 900 aH of lithium a lot of times we don't even bother with that. We rarely spend more than 2 nights in the same spot. No unhooking a trailer or TOAD vehicle, setting up an awning, stringing 100 yards of lights, pulling out a grill, unloading a golf cart, and pounding a "Jack and Jill from Bumpus, Iowa" sign into the ground. We don't have room to carry all that stuff so there's no inclination to try.

Some people full time in a class B but I wouldn't. My wife and I use the van as a place to sleep after spending all day doing things outside. And the next day we're heading somewhere else. If we were full timers that spent a lot of time inside we'd be in a class A.

[phantomjock]

We are relative newbies to the Class B. We did "do" a trip around the USA in a Class C, but that was 20 years ago, when we took a short break from sailing/cruising.
With nearly 30 years living of aboard, we are comfortable with living in small spaces - together.

We have made a few trips in our Class B [a 2008 Chevy 170P]. Our "delivery trip" was a stop, overnight, get up and go trip. On the move, and no relaxing. Other trips have been more of the move, stay a while, explore, and move on.

Our primary motivation for a Class B; tow capacity and a place to stay (home-cooked meals included!) while at the race track. No more crappy, overpriced hotels, mediocre meals out, early rise to drive to the track, etc.. With those metrics, the only other ones; it had to fit in the driveway, be easy to drive (it is better than my wife's Nissan SUV), she drives the RT, and finally it is unobtrusive in our neighborhood (even though no HOA).

When other chores at home and mods are done, we expect to venture as avanti described, between track sessions.

I think you'll find a lot of folks here with very positive reasons!

Cheers - Jim

[mlts22]

In my case, I've used a travel trailer for years, and not having to worry about storage, parking the TT before visiting another town, hitching, unhitching, and so on make a class "B" worth it. They are not for everyone, but they are nice for just being able to hop in the vehicle, and hit the road.

[Punkinhead]

Another knock I have about travel trailers is the abysmal quality. I'm sure there are high end trailers out there but the ones I've been in have spongy floors, cabinet doors that feel like they're made of cardboard, poor (or no) insulation, and the cheapest hardware available. They feel like they're one good rain storm away from melting into a muddy pile.

[JonMN]

We chose a Class B initially as a really comfortable way to drive a couple thousand miles. We had taken long drives in our truck and SUV, and really did not enjoy it. The Class B allows one of us to take a break from the drive. Being able to make a really nice lunch at rest stops along the way is a huge bonus. We wanted a size that was not too hard to park and use as our daily driver when we arrived. At 22ft our Beyond is pushing the size a little, but with a little planning it has not been a problem.

More recently we have had our first overnight experiences, and they were fun too. We are planning more for the winter.

[Bangorbob]

Toilet and frig. We have traveled in A's and C's. And traveled in cars and trucks. As we age we found out that traveling sometimes there aren't facilities when you need them. Also, I can't stand hotels and as someone else stated, overpriced not so good food.

[Urlauber]

They are compact, with all the related pro's and con's. Being able to park in front of the garage was one of our wants.

[Pam G]

I got my first Class B (a 1998 Coach House) because I wanted something better for traveling and lodging at dog shows. When I first started traveling to dog shows, I stayed in Motel 6's for 2 years, then used a tent for 2 years, then camped in a minivan for 6 years (at some show sites, people would camp in their SUV's or minivans). When I saw Class B's on ebay, I decided that would be perfect. It doesn't take up much more space than a minivan so it's easy to park, especially at dog shows where you're just parking on grass, gas mileage is better than a bigger RV, and I don't have to worry about trying to hook up or unhook a travel trailer. Plus I would have had to buy another vehicle to pull a trailer. It's so much nicer traveling and camping in a Class B than in my minivan! Really nice to have a fridge, a furnace, and a bathroom. While I did sleep in my minivan at a few rest areas, I feel safer in my Class B. I've owned Class B's for 18 years now. I've had my current one, a 1999 Roadtrek 190 Popular, for 12 years and am planning on living in it full time starting next summer (I have to have back surgery first).

[Detroit80]

After having been through a string of truck campers and class C motorhomes, my primary reason was being tired of fixing rotted out wood frames because few people maintain campers correctly and I don't have the financial means to buy a new camper of any sort beyond a pop up trailer.

I also need to tow a large car hauler trailer with my camper, which rules out many class C units in my price range due to lack of proper frame at the back. I take 4x4 rock crawlers with me, that are not safe to be on the road, the tires I run would be destroyed on the pavement quick, and there is a good chance I may break something on a catastrophic level that would make towing 4 down impossible.

My B is on a Ford E350 chassis with the 460 motor. So plenty of "beef" for handling the trailer.

As someone who camps most often solo, I don't need tons of room inside anyways, so a B works. It also has a handy bonus benefit of a much more easily transported bed and morning coffee maker for those times I go to have a few too many adult beverages at a buddies house without having to deal with his lumpy couch and screaming ankle biters in the morning ��

This is also something that occasionally goes off road with me. Dragging a steel body and fiberglass cap through the Arizona brush holds up much better than paper thin aluminum siding or even the FRP panels.

[MsNomer]

Where do I begin? To us, Class C's are ponderous obscenities and trailers are an abomination. This 18’ van drives like a car, parks even in compact car slots, yet has bed, toilet, shower, heater, fridge, freezer, microwave, 56” counter, more than 75cf storage (all below belt line), a 4’ x 4.5’ open area, enough battery power and water for 4 days of boondocking. There is nothing a trailer or Class C has that would cause me to even consider them.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by MsNomer

Where do I begin? To us, Class C's are ponderous obscenities and trailers are an abomination. This 18’ van drives like a car, parks even in compact car slots, yet has bed, toilet, shower, heater, fridge, freezer, microwave, 56” counter, more than 75cf storage (all below belt line), a 4’ x 4.5’ open area, enough battery power and water for 4 days of boondocking. There is nothing a trailer or Class C has that would cause me to even consider them.

Abomination, strong word for trailers which I share to a degree. My dislike to some trailers is directly proportional to their size, but small fiberglass 16’ and below we like. I envision big trailers with stoned fireplaces and grandfather clocks. We were considering a small trailer during the decision to move away from our 22’ overweight Bigfoot. 10 years passed since, and there were situations when we would have preferred a small trailer. But we are in the campers’ group not in the touring coaches group or every day transit folks as Avanti described them earlier.

[Punkinhead]

One reason we have a class B rather than a trailer (other than the horrible quality of most trailers) is the occasional need to tow. Most times we don't, but occasionally I like to take along a motorcycle, side by side, kayaks, or deliver furniture to one of our kids. When we're fully loaded for camping we only have about 3500 lbs of towing capacity left to keep us below GCWR but that's always been enough.

[JonMN]

One extra thought--when we bought our Class B a little over a year ago one factor was having a small dog. Made travel with him a lot easier. [Sadly, he is not still around, but we still like the van!]

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Well, of course you're going to get affirmative answers on a Class B forum for why people chose Class Bs.

Couple of points:

Class B's are advantageous for many reasons,

- Touring
- Mobility
- Fuel efficiency
-Spontaniety
- Ease of driving
- Quality - the vehicle is built to automotive standards, the only modifications are the inside cabinets and components. Most all Class B's are hand made on the extra modifications to exacting specs.
Safety - Class B's are known for being the safest RV

Now, there are some limitations,

You have to be all right with limited indoor space, not everyone is and these vehicles really don't work that well if it's raining and you're at a campground because it's a very small space.

These vehicles are NOT BUILT for living in no matter how nice it is. And, they are designed for two people, that's it. Despite what you see advertised with the pop up beds or front cushions, these are all just marketing gimmicks for selling the RV, they won't work long term. WHY?

Limited space and one small bathroom.

Choose wisely based on your needs. A Class C is better for a family. It all depends on your particular situation.

[engnrsrule]

I will echo many reasons already voiced. But as an engineer, in have appreciation for the idea of a complete, steel vehicle as the platform. I have not been disappointed. I will add that this comes at a premium in terms of price. We do tow a jeep in some trips, and have done a cross country. The turbo diesel sprinter (with Jeep Cherokee in tow) was getting 19+ mpg on the flats and 16+ in the mountains.

It is also very comfortable driving. I dont feel like I am hogging the road and fit most places a large truck, van or SUV can go.

[Bobow]

My 1998 Roadtrek 190 Popular is all class. Nice lines, ease of driving, well built, can park on city streets, gas mileage, and has all the comforts I need. Bob

[RossWilliams]

We bought a class B because we wanted to travel. Someone told us you live OUT of a class B rather than living IN it. We just spent a week at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and were rarely in the RV except to sleep. A couple mornings it was cool enough that we had our morning coffee inside, but most mornings we were sitting in the sun outside.

As others have mentioned, they are great for people on the move because they require very little setup or take down. You can park almost anywhere. We started out hesitant to drive into large cities so we parked at park and rides and used transit. But we do that a lot less as we have found it easy to find parking nearer to places we want to go. That said, we walk, bike and use transit to get around in cities anyway.