Community Forums

islandbum561 · 08-02-2016, 02:45 PM

I am new to this for him and just had a curiosity question. Do any of you out there use your B camper as a luxury touring van as well as a camper? I'll explain. My wife and I currently have a 33 foot diesel pusher and we tow a Ford Edge. I have been thinking about downsizing to a B for the ease of driving. We both prefer to travel more on the back roads as opposed to the interstate. My thoughts would be to use the RV as a camper for maybe half of the nights on the road mixed in with hotel stays and short-term vacation rentals. Am I a little crazy or does anybody else do this. I'm not sure I could spend five or six weeks at a stretch in that small of a space and be comfortable. Thanks in advance for any insight any of you all might provide.

Rick

DavePCP · 08-02-2016, 04:56 PM

That is exactly what we do, spend 4 or 5 nights "camping", ie. boondocking, and then a night in a motel. That way we get a nice shower and a chance to do some laundry. It also lets us sleep in if we want instead of having to put up with early morning traffic. We might stay at a Costco or Cracker Barrel or a state or federal campground on the other nights. We also usually eat our midday meal somewhere along the road with breakfast and a light supper in our Roadtrek. If we stay someplace for more than a single night it can become a little awkward leaving the camping spot in a park without leaving more than just the reservation slip on the post or on the registration board. I made up a little sign with a photo of our rig and the words "We Will Be Back".

wanderso · 08-02-2016, 10:48 PM

I think that touring like you mention is quite common actually. A local couple was on a news show here a few years back. They did exactly what you describe in a Class B - alternating between staying in it or hotels for over a year on the road, renting out their home while they were gone.

It seems like a good and flexible option.

TdogKing · 08-03-2016, 12:39 PM

We decided to buy a Class B and keep our Class A for Camping with our Jeep etc. We retired in 2012 and now have 50 States and over 60,000 miles under our belt we love it. We have got to see so much more because I can park anywhere a car can. Our Pleasure Way is 20'- 4" bumper to bumper. When you can park anywhere it makes such a huge difference in what you get to see and do. It gets twice the mileage and we stay on the road 2-3 months at a time and never stay in hotels, but that's just our way. Once you both learn the Class B way it's not hard at all. We found a used unit that was 1 owner, low miles and stored under a cover and saved a ton of money. It's been a great decision ! Name: ImageUploadedByiRV2 - RV Forum1470249109.196013.jpg
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Name: ImageUploadedByiRV2 - RV Forum1470249109.196013.jpg
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Size: 133.6 KB

FlyFishinRVr · 08-05-2016, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by islandbum561

I am new to this for him and just had a curiosity question. Do any of you out there use your B camper as a luxury touring van as well as a camper?

Rick

The whole reason I just bought a class B over something larger is so we can use it 52 weeks a year as our "other car" for exactly what you describe: a luxury touring van. Daughter's dance competitions, hauling doggies to their favorite play spots, hauling kids to/from school functions (no school busing in our town), you name it, that's what the van will be used for. Will we ever camp in it? Oh heck yes! But it will be used a lot more as a utility vehicle than a camper.

As to whether you are crazy or not, well, I'm afraid I can't answer that.

All the best in your search, and safe travels.

talaskim · 08-06-2016, 06:04 AM

We pretty much do just that we have a house in northern Michigan that we travel out from in the summer for short week long trips and a house in Texas we travel out from in the winter. Works just fine for us.

cjscotty · 09-27-2016, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by islandbum561

I am new to this for him and just had a curiosity question. Do any of you out there use your B camper as a luxury touring van as well as a camper? I'll explain. My wife and I currently have a 33 foot diesel pusher and we tow a Ford Edge. I have been thinking about downsizing to a B for the ease of driving. We both prefer to travel more on the back roads as opposed to the interstate. My thoughts would be to use the RV as a camper for maybe half of the nights on the road mixed in with hotel stays and short-term vacation rentals. Am I a little crazy or does anybody else do this. I'm not sure I could spend five or six weeks at a stretch in that small of a space and be comfortable. Thanks in advance for any insight any of you all might provide.

Rick

One of the reasons we love our B. We do just plain camping which we do the most, recently did two weeks in Disney, but also mix it up with hotel stays which we are planning to do in two weeks. A smaller B or B+ can be used for anything, and love the day trips which we do a lot of also. Love the versatility.

TJFogelberg · 09-27-2016, 01:39 PM

A Class C (27' or less) works the same as a B but more space inside. Can back into parking spaces at the curb and fit into almost anyplace. We like the posts we read here. Quality hotels and lodges offer their own travel experience which can be very positive and unique. ( We don't go that route just out of personal preference with 2 dogs it is easier to just stay in the MH. )

jrcorvette · 09-27-2016, 08:36 PM

That's what we want to do. We are not much into camping for long periods of time. Three or four days max.

cjscotty · 09-29-2016, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJFogelberg

A Class C (27' or less) works the same as a B but more space inside. Can back into parking spaces at the curb and fit into almost anyplace. We like the posts we read here. Quality hotels and lodges offer their own travel experience which can be very positive and unique. ( We don't go that route just out of personal preference with 2 dogs it is easier to just stay in the MH. )

If I were going to do a Class C (having a B now and having had a slightly wider B+ which is not as wide or long as a C), I would keep it as short as possible, maybe 23 ft, with 21 foot better. The ONLY thing we like about a C is the larger outdoor storage. If Hymer starts doing their models here like the new Roadtrek Hymer Aktiv, we may see large outdoor storage in smaller units like they do in Europe, which also has tighter roads. They also get HORRIBLE gas mileage. A 27 ft C especially where I live in the Northeast would seriously struggle in a lot of our area. We live where there are tight roads, small older towns and low bridges, also tight parking. We recently struggled with our 24 ft B in Mystic CT which is a great place to visit and has very beautiful tiny towns not only in Mystic but all around the area, but at least the B is narrow, which really makes the driving experience a lot nicer. Then again, we rarely camp for more than a week or 2 at a time. I would probably go the route of the B+ if I were someone that camps for longer periods and also wants to do hotels, they are doing so many cool ones now. I particularly am a fan of the twin bed mid vehicle model like the Ford Fusion 23A which can turn into a larger bed, which looked more open inside with larger windows, than most C's I have seen. Those models have so much space inside, same length as my B, but we're personally waiting for Ford to make it so that both front seats spin, not just passenger.