Class B Owners

We've done 2 months in ours and as you know you are outside of the unit most of the time. These B's tend to fill up very quickly if you don't have a system worked out. As far as a car you can either pack up and use your B when you need to go somewhere, rent a car, or tow a car, that is up to you. We have tried all 3 and preferred the towing. We had a 35' A for a couple years and towing with a B is much easier than with an A especially when you get fuel, you don't need an escape route to get away from the pumps.

Nick

Nick

The sprinter would make a nice motorhome. You might consider a slightly larger dual rear wheel with a sprinter front end, they get wonderful mileage, and are tiny to park in a grocery store parking lot.

I found that when I had a truck camper or a 27' class C, I did not need a car to go sightseeing. Though I take along my Ford Edge or Manx dune buggy all the time now.

I just think that a Sprinter Van would not be nearly large enough to full time in for a couple of weeks. No place to store a week's worth of clothes, and not much space for food, the water capacity is limited to about 12 gallons, hardly enough to drink, let alone take a shower daily for a weekend. Refrigerator is limited to about 5 cubic feet.

Sure it is possible to rent a car in a larger town. But say you will be in Yosemite area for a week. You would need to rent the car in Fresno, and then drive back to the campground. Small towns just don't have a lot of rental cars.

Most National Parks do not have rental cars, I have never seen one. I tried to rent a car in Mesquite NV when my truck broke down there. One casino had 2 cars, both had been rented out that day. I ended up hitching a ride to Las Vegas and renting a car there (the company tow truck was going there).

Good luck!

Fred.

look at eisure travel van. there just what your talking about, we,ve spent two months in ours. and had no problems. leisurevans.com

With a B or a truck camper one quickly adapts to being economical with showers, clothes and extras. We tend to stop at a motel once or twice a week to do laundry and showers. The last several years we left our 30' class C and toad stored and traveled using motels and restaurants. Finally this year traded in our MH for a Sprinter B. Plan to use the Sprinter for local travel instead of renting or towing.

Steve,

Depending on what kind of traveling you want to do, a B can be a great way to go. The Sprinter is a bigger van than the Promaster (Travato). If you plan to go to places where you want to park in a normal car parking spot, then the smaller van would be easier to deal with.

Minimalism is the key to being happy with a van. You really have to consider what you carry and where it goes. There are lots of options out there for compact items. Winnebago is coming out with a new floor plan - the 59K. It may be something to your liking, as it has 2 full time twin beds and lots of storage, and a sizeable bathroom.

Of course, the Promaster based vans are ALOT cheaper than anything on a Sprinter chassis. So consider carefully the kind of traveling you want to do, as well as the kind of money you are comfortable spending and start looking at vans.

Win chaser, how long have been out in your rig during a long trip?

Steve

We've made several 2+ month trips in our B Sprinter. Usually we are sightseeing and touring for 5,000+ miles, but sometimes we stay somewhere for a week or longer just to relax.

You can be very nimble and light on your feet in a B van. It's tailor-made for exploring back roads or small villages (such as coastal Maine) without worrying about getting stuck and unable to maneuver out.

No problems with campsite size, and you aren't limited to full hookups or 50 amp. Very fast setup at a campsite or departure. You sightsee as you travel from location to location, with all your clothes, shoes, jackets, bathing suits, towels, snacks, medications, foods and comforts right at hand. Easy to park at attractions and grocery stores.

After the first year, we started removing all the "essentials" we thought we needed to haul around, and soon had more than enough space. There's plenty of room for clothes, and we do laundry at campgrounds once a week. We also use campground showers most of the time, and buy groceries about every four days. We mostly prepare meals, but eat out about once a week, often at lunchtime.

I thought the small size of the holding tanks would be an issue but it's not for us. We take on fresh water as needed and dump the tanks about every four days.

We have a propane generator, and have never had trouble finding refill stations. Comes in handy if you are dry camping. Our fridge is three-way. Operate it plugged in to campground power, run it on propane, or power it via 12-volt as you drive the highway.

We use the van as our car and do not tow anything. Once when we used a relative's extra car, it was more trouble than it was worth to pick it up and get it back.

A B van is ideal for long haul trips for the fuel economy and other savings. For example, if you want to visit Newfoundland, a B might cost $500 round trip on the ferry versus double or more for a big RV and separate vehicle.

I just spent 6 months in my minivan. I suppose that is about as much space for one person as B would be for two.

I had NO trouble finding space for lots of clothes, food, water, books, tools, etc. Weight was the limit, not space. I had way more stuff than I needed -- two or three weeks worth of clothes and food.

I did not hang out in my van during the day. I hung out outside -- sightseeing, or in a lawn chair at camp. I put up an awning on rainy days. I did go to bed early, and lie in bed surfing the net or reading or watching tv.

I stayed at motels a couple of times. I think this is probably much easier in a van than in a MH. The rest of the time I camped. I liked having both options.

I used my bicycle as a toad :). You might consider ones with electric assist, or a moped...

I used campground showers, bathrooms, and laundry almost exclusively, although I had backup systems in the van for when I needed them.

Yosemite has free, hybrid buses. I think Zion does, too. The parks try to discourage people from driving around in private vehicles.

We've been out in our Winnebago ERA for 32 days a couple times now. No "closed in" feeling issues at all because you don't spend a lot of time in a B. Rainy days we find somewhere to go as a side trip if we have to.
Another + in a B is the quick campsite disconnect. We only hook up our electric, never water or sewer, that's what the tanks and pump are for, just fill & dump when needed.
We almost always use the campground showers & restrooms if available....

We've been out in our B for 6-week trips several times and many times for 3-4 weeks. None of the problems projected by the non-B owner earlier in this thread have come up.

We have put 125K miles on ours and have never considered towing a vehicle. It's too easy to get around in the B to justify the hassle.

The limited space in a B might not be tolerable by everyone, but our B has met our touring needs perfectly. The lack of space is a good trade-off for the increased maneuverability, go anywhere capability, and better fuel mileage. At least for us.