Community Forums

outdoorpeak · 05-10-2017, 05:36 AM

Hi everyone. I'm looking to get into the RV lifestyle, and will be starting with a rental this summer to help us decide what we want. We love to explore, hike, and generally do lots of active outdoor stuff. My question will probably seem like a silly one to you, but I'm perplexed. With a Class B vs TT with a TV, how do you explore the surrounding area?

As an example, we want to run a half marathon in Maine this summer in Boothbsy Harbor. I am considering renting a Class B and staying at a KOA about 25 miles outside of Boothbay. How would I get to the race? How would I get to downtown Boothbay if we want to explore the town on one of our days? What about getting to trailheads for hiking? Basically, do people with Class B motor homes generally just find nice campgrounds and stay in them for the duration of their trips or is there a way to venture out that I'm missing? TIA.

David

Kiawah · 05-10-2017, 05:51 AM

With a van you could potentially break camp, and drive in to find parking like an auto.

WIth a class a or c, most people tow a small car. Just drive to wherever you want to go. Some campgrounds near tourist places, have scheduled shuttle services, would have to call them to find out. Some people taxi/uber, some people rent cars, some people carry bikes with them.

Winemaker2 · 05-10-2017, 06:00 AM

That's the negative of B & Cs...unhook and drive it. Sometimes easy to find parking but can be a challenge in others. The smaller therig the easier but you give up some creature comforts.
TT you obviously have the tow vehicle to get around. How big & expensive depends on the size of the TT.
CL-As can easily flat tow a sm vehicle and can provide a reasonable compromise.
RVing as life is just a bunch of compromises.
We started w a van and "camped" a lot travelled frequently and didn't stay long at each stop....while still working
Have moved to CL A and TOAD and like to stay for longer...wk to month...now retired
You need to figure out for yourself what works best

reflex439 · 05-10-2017, 06:23 AM

Thats the benefit of a Class B over larger MHs! It fits anywhere a car can, so you use as a car for exploring and daily transportation and still have your ‘home’ with you. No need to leave your home and possession back at a campground and find alternation transportation or tow a second vehicle.

Class B traveling lifestyle is a different mindset from camping per se, where you pick a destination and setup a base camp. Instead, you always keep your ‘base camp’ with you, which works great if you tend to travel more than camp.

Having our ‘home’ with us for a day at the beach, while hiking, exploring a new city, etc. is great. We can use it for a quick break, change of clothes, shower after swimming in the ocean or a hot sweaty walk or hike, bathroom, or just relaxing before going out for ‘phase 2’

.

I’ve have A’s, C’s, TT, pop-ups, etc, and now own a B. For this time in our life, and the lifestyle we now choose, the B works so perfectly for us for traveling. We don’t really camp for the campground experience anymore, but travel for the destinations and use the B all day long in the process.

I believe this is one of the main draws to a Class B for those that are active outdoors and travel more than camp. They don’t use it like a traditional RV parking it at a campground, setting up a camp, and leaving it for their entire stay. They tend to use it like a car that they can comfortably live out of 24x7 and take it with them wherever they go, be spontaneous about their next destination, s rolling stone with no moss so to speak.

outdoorpeak · 05-10-2017, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reflex439

Thats the benefit of a Class B over larger MHs! It fits anywhere a car can, so you use as a car for exploring and daily transportation and still have your ‘home’ with you. No need to leave your home and possession back at a campground and find alternation transportation or tow a second vehicle.

Class B traveling lifestyle is a different mindset from camping per se, where you pick a destination and setup a base camp. Instead, you always keep your ‘base camp’ with you, which works great if you tend to travel more than camp.

Having our ‘home’ with us for a day at the beach, while hiking, exploring a new city, etc. is great. We can use it for a quick break, change of clothes, shower after swimming in the ocean or a hot sweaty walk or hike, bathroom, or just relaxing before going out for ‘phase 2’

.

I’ve have A’s, C’s, TT, pop-ups, etc, and now own a B. For this time in our life, and the lifestyle we now choose, the B works so perfectly for us for traveling. We don’t really camp for the campground experience anymore, but travel for the destinations and use the B all day long in the process.

I believe this is one of the main draws to a Class B for those that are active outdoors and travel more than camp. They don’t use it like a traditional RV parking it at a campground, setting up a camp, and leaving it for their entire stay. They tend to use it like a car that they can comfortably live out of 24x7 and take it with them wherever they go, be spontaneous about their next destination, s rolling stone with no moss so to speak.

How large is your B? Do you have trouble parking in congested areas? Very helpful info, BTW!!

Russ Taylor · 05-10-2017, 07:10 AM

Parking in Boothbay is very tight. I think it would be very hard to park a B during the summer in town.

reflex439 · 05-10-2017, 09:27 AM

Its a 20' standard size van, Roadtrek 190 Popular. No more difficult than parking a pickup, van, or SUV. Ive always been able to street park in cities (Boston, NYC, etc) when I find a spot. I am excluded from underground parking since most are <8'.

I've been to Boothbay multiple times and always found street parking. It can be done if you look around. It's a small town with limited parking and narrow streets. Use Google street view to explore downtown and see what the streets look like beforehand.

The commercial parking lots will generally allow you in even though they restrict RVs, because the class B will fit their normal spots. Ive found this to be the case in here, and in similar places like Rockport MA, Provincetown MA, Bar Harbor ME, and small narrow street tourist towns and beach communities. Most attendants just see it as a van, and I don't correct them

n-e-d · 05-10-2017, 12:19 PM

I have a 2016 Transit EL HR cargo van we use as a DIY daytripper to carry our bikes and to have facilities as we travel. Loved the convenience of our 28' C just not the mpg so bought the Transit diesel for the mpg(20-22mpg). The Transit is the same size as W's Passeo(22 feet) and smaller than a Winnebago ERA or Touring. While the same length as the largest of the Ford crewcab PUs its 2-4 feet longer than a standard 18-20 foot long parking space so you have to be selective about parking in a normal back to back parking your going to stick out a bit, best bet is to find a spot where your front or rear overhang can be over a curb. So while the van parks fairly easy its not a car.
Just outside of Boothbay downtown there are two shopping centers and a school that might provide parking for your marathon and I recommend Shore Hills CG just outside Boothbay

outdoorpeak · 05-10-2017, 06:36 PM

Thank you all SO much for the input. Very helpful. We're ok with walking a mile or more to our destination so we will just park a bit outside of the most congested area. I'm excited to give this a shot!

GuidoLyons · 05-12-2017, 11:50 AM

Exactly what Reflex439 said. The advantages of a class B is you take it with you. It is your base camp and it is your in and around vehicle.

jfran304 · 05-12-2017, 01:23 PM

I've seen folks with Class B campers leave their chairs and other items at the campground in their camping site while they take the coach out sightseeing or whatever to make sure nobody else took the site. I'm sure they let the office at the campground know they will be back and probably their neighbors. You can also get a bicycle rack for the receiver hitch if you are into bicycling.

We used to travel stateside in a Ford E150 Customized raised roof Econoline van and we didn't have any problems getting around in the cities aside from not being able to use parking garages due to the height.

When we were in Europe we had a black Ford Econoline E150 van that I customized the inside. It was fun to travel in because most of the other black ones belonged to either the Police or the Morgues. People would give us plenty of room.

We did have some problems with low bridges and narrow streets in the French Riviera.

reflex439 · 05-12-2017, 03:01 PM

In the rare cases where I felt I needed something to reserve our campsite, I have a small 2 person tent that was given to me. It takes 5 minutes to setup. I put a couple rocks inside the corners so it wont blow away.I leave it and the cheaper of my folding chairs. Definately looks occupied. For extra measure, hang a towel over a nearby tree branch

TimSullivan · 05-22-2017, 09:16 AM

To answer your question: With my class B.

nehog · 05-31-2017, 05:34 PM

Generally when using the Era, we unplug, disconnect the water (and TV if connected) and drive it like it was our car. Maybe once or twice a year we'll not find parking where we want, but that is rare. We basically only need two parking spaces, but I've (more than once) squeezed it into a single disabled space.