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Callmesharkdanc's avatar
Callmesharkdanc
Explorer
Jun 04, 2014

20 or 25? (or 22, 23 or 24)

Hello Folks!

I'm looking to make the jump into the world of the class C's!
You'd be surprised at how much time you can spend online researching these things. addicting, almost. (like motorcycles on Craigslist....)

Anywho, I have a couple quick questions for all you uber knowledgeable people who've gone before me.

Originally, I was looking for a 20' class C (Or B+) but I'm starting to wonder, how different are the 24' or 25ft'ers?

It would just be me, a skinny, mid 20's dude, for weekend trips, so I'm not worried too much about the size, comfort-wise. What I'm more concerned about is the usability/maneuverability of the longer ones.

On one hand, I can see the extra 3-5 feet being a hair more comfortable, but what are the tradeoffs? Heavier, and longer, obviously.

So my question is this; How much of a difference does the extra 4-5 feet make? There will likely be a a lot of boondocking. Trips down to the coast/beach. (I live in Dallas, only 4-5 hours from Galveston)

Would I be shooting myself in the foot by going with just a 20'er? or would it be that much more comfortable to drive? Driving into town for supplies, through Houston traffic, down scenic 2 lane roads, Etc.?

I sure do appreciate all opinions.

I'll likely be getting a '90-'03 model. hoping for a truck chassis (as opposed to the van chassis. I hear the doghouses are a pain in the arse.) Likely Ford or Chevy (I love the look of the Little Toyota's, but fear the horribly underpowered 4 cyl engines.)
Or perhaps a Chinook.

Thanks again.

_Ryan
Class C

19 Replies

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  • winnietrey's avatar
    winnietrey
    Explorer
    Jun 05, 2014
    Have you considered where you are going to park it at home?

    As for which lenght, my opinion none of the above, 15 year old rv's can be a real pia. And can cost big to fix and maintain. Plus they don't like off road or beaches very much.

    20 years old, single, in my opinion, small camper, suv with a tent that hooks on the back, or just a plain tent. Keep it simple. Lot's of time to make it complicated when you get a family
  • toedtoes's avatar
    toedtoes
    Explorer III
    Jun 05, 2014
    Handbasket wrote:
    If, rpt IF, you could find something on a truck chassis, that'd add about 3' to your overall length.


    That's what I was thinking as I read through the replies. A 21 ft on a truck chassis will end up about the same total length as a 24 ft on a van chassis. The difference is that you lose house space with the truck chassis vs. cab space with the van chassis.

    I have a 21ft van chassis (75 American Clipper). I have been able to take it everywhere I've wanted so far. So far, I have been able to park it everywhere I've gone. Due to the width, I may park further out in the parking lot, but lengthwise, I've never had a problem.
  • Handbasket's avatar
    Handbasket
    Explorer
    Jun 05, 2014
    If, rpt IF, you could find something on a truck chassis, that'd add about 3' to your overall length. I _love_ my Tiger's truck cab, with its great seats, excellent driving manners, and lack of engine heat & noise, but I also understand that it comes with that drawback. It costs you living space in a given length, and I haven't seen one with front seats that swivel; the transmission tunnel interferes.

    Jim, "It's bad luck to be superstitious."
  • pnichols's avatar
    pnichols
    Explorer II
    Jun 04, 2014
    For a lot of boondocking width is also important.

    For example, we would really scrape up the sides of our 101 inch wide 24 foot Class C if we were to go down some of the off-roads that we would like to in order to get to some camping spots that we consequently have to pass up. Bummer!

    But .... the extra width sure does eliminate any regrets over not having any slides.

    I'd suggest staying as short and narrow and slide-less as you can tolerate.

    Also for boondocking, large as possible tanks and generous ground clearance are also very important. we have over-stock diameter tires on our Class C for improved ground clearance.
  • path1's avatar
    path1
    Explorer
    Jun 04, 2014
    I'll likely be getting a '90-'03 model. hoping for a truck chassis (as opposed to the van chassis.


    Good luck with that. There some around but not many.
  • RvBill3's avatar
    RvBill3
    Explorer
    Jun 04, 2014
    We have a Sunseeker 2300, which is actually 25 ft. in length. We have found it to be very easy to drive in all kinds of situations, including heavy city traffic. Parking in a parking lot requires a couple of spaces, but is no problem. I have not encountered any campsite that was too small. Even the smallest is usually rated at 25 feet. I doubt if there is any difference in driving between something around 20 feet and 25 feet. Pick the floor plan that works for you and good for it.
  • MobileBasset's avatar
    MobileBasset
    Explorer
    Jun 04, 2014
    Only you can select your priorities, but I will mention that the listed length of a vehicle, the model name/length and the true (maneuvering) length are 3 different things. My model is 25B, the listed length is 26.6 ft and my storage facility says it is 28ft. (I haven't measured it myself, I keep forgetting to bring the tape). So when you compare candidates, be sure you have the correct info to address your priorities. Also width varies quite a bit, with some small C's being over 100 inches wide. The itasca Navion, made to be maneuverable, is 90 inches wide. It has a slide to make up for the narrow profile. And height also becomes an issue in out of the way places where the tree branches are low.
    The longer, wider isn't much of an effect for me in driving through traffic but it is an effect when deciding if I can pull into some restaurant or other business. Are the parking spaces large enough, will I be able to get out etc.? Like you I travel alone and have no one to provide special parking and backing guidance.
    Happy hunting.
  • PghBob's avatar
    PghBob
    Explorer
    Jun 04, 2014
    Ryan: As always, it depends. My first question to you is, do you plan on towing a car or other vehicle? If you have a tow, then you do not need to worry so much about driving in traffic to buy groceries or other errands, so a short length RV is not an advantage in this case. If you don't tow, then a shorter unit may be helpful in traffic and parking. Another question is, do you plan on boondocking in national forests or the like? RV sites in some federal and state lands may place limits on the size of RV that can park there. If planning on boondocking a bit, a shorter RV will likely be beneficial. Given these two issues, let me say that we have a 27 foot Class C and we have not encountered any problems with the two things I mentioned above. I think you should just compare the floor plans of a couple of different sized RVs, and see which you like best.

    Bob

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