Class B RVing. What to Expect..

The two problems that I encountered when camping with my Class B is un level campsites and using a "site occupied sign" in NF campgrounds that were first come first served CGs that did not have a campground host. Twice someone camped in my site that I paid for but removed the sign or sign blew away. After that I set up a small tent in CG's with not hosts.

Thanks again for all the advice, folks. :)

I use e-bags (medium) for clothing organization. Makes it easy to find things in the long storage compartments at the rear on either side.

I travel with the sofa reclined (better visibility out the rear doors) and sleep twin bed mode using a sleeping bag. It's easy enough to raise the sofa if I want to relax at night and watch TV.

I swivel the front passenger captain chair and use the slide out table (one "leaf" only). The slide out table also is handy for food prep giving me extra "counter" surface. Opening both leaves of the slide out table blocks access to the front chairs and is just badly designed. I may remove the fold out leaf at some time in the future.

AllStays app is invaluable. I haven't looked at a hardcopy campground guide in years. I drive to SE Alaska every other summer or so and have never gone wrong with AllStays.

I'm still trying to figure out the best utilization of space for storage but I agree with other posters who recommend getting things down to the bare necessities. For my trip to Alaska this summer I'm going to get a Stowaway2 hitch storage box to carry extras for a month and a half on the road.

obgraham was right on with the "Multi-use" statement. A "B" requires some re-thinking and anything and everything should be multi-use if it is to be taken. Space is king so give thought as to what you need, what you want, and what you'd like to take. This is what make camping camping a "trip" so to speak. Enjoy the trip!

10 years ago when we started RVing in our Bs I didn't even have a concept of an on board GPS and how they worked, cell phones were practically useless outside of cities and the Internet was not rich in information that you could get at easily let alone find a wifi connection. And, of course, the smartphone concept with a high def readable screen and custom apps didn't exist yet. How quickly we get dependent. :)

Ran wrote:

Should we have a 'Campsite Occupied' sign so our site will be there when we return?

Will we struggle with storage?

How about sleeping in our Roadtrek? Comfortable?

Is the shower practical enough to use, or will we likely seek out campground facilities?

Are we likely to swivel the cockpit seats around, or is that one of those things that's possible, but rarely done

Site occupied sign may be useful. We came back to a National Park campground to find a tenter set up in our site; sites are assigned at this park but they arrived after hours and failed to check the office. They were unhappy when we made them pull up the tent and haul off there firewood.

We have a Sportsmobile Sprinter with a platform bed. Adds a lot of storage space and for me a more comfortable bed. To save space try things like quick dry camping towels; full size towel is smaller than a normal wash cloth. LLBean has some great rain coats and winter coats that collapse to the size of a rolled up tshirt.

Our table is portable and we spin the seats around to use it. We also use them spun around to relax and watch TV.

Shower is used when we stay in National Parks or overnight on the road (Cabelas, Walmart, Rest Areas, road side pullouts). We have enough water and tank capacity to go 3 days with daily navy showers. If we are in a campground with nice showers we use them, but on more than one occasion my wife has walked back to the van and turned on the hot water heater.

If you like Yellowstone, a B adds many more campgrounds besides the ones with reservations. We arrived July 4th last year and grabbed a spot in the park the first night.

Street side parking, I saw a comment above about trouble finding it. Even with 23 foot Sprinter, with a little look we have found it, even tourist spots like Bar Harbor, Maine. Look for end spots or side streets with less traffic than the main drag.

i can't answer questions specific to Road Treks because we have had a Sporstmobile Sprinter model.

Campsite occupied sign - Worthwhile - we use to have one but it was either stolen or misplaced. Most campgrounds assign sites and many have a little tag that you leave on a post to show occupancy.

Showers and bathrooms - We use campground facilities whenever possible. We have never used the shower in 10 years and 110,000 miles.

Storage - What we have is fine for us. Models vary in forms and amount of storage. People vary in needs. Human nature being what it is, you will probably fill however much you have.

Drivers - my wife does 40-50% of the driving and is comfortable with that.

General advice, all free - Get the Good Sam travel/campground guide. it is invaluable for finding places to stop.

Get a Garmin or other GPS even if you have a built-in GPS system. You can find nearby grocery stores, medical facilities, restaurants, etc. etc. when you are in strange places - invaluable.

Not only a co-diver, but I'm pretty happy that Shan is confident enough to do solo trips to the California Beaches with her pals.

She doesn;t have to stay home just because I'm tied up

Mike

Gosh, thanks for all the replies, folks! Like many of you, Sue and I have rarely been what I'd call 'campers.' We tend to keep moving, seeing sights, stopping at parks, pulling over to hike, etc. That's one of the reasons we've chosen to go with a 'B.' Another reason is because we recently moved into an HOA neighborhood that won't allow us to park our former Class A. I'm also looking forward to my wife doing some of the driving. Although she was capable of driving the big DP, she was extremely uncomfortable doing so (which made me extremely uncomfortable sitting in the passenger seat!).

We use the (medium) ebag packing cubes because they are a great fit for the rear cabinets in the Roadtrek. If you make good use of your nooks & crannies, there's enough storage.

Don't much use the aisle shower - usually the campground facilities are OK and easier to use. The macerator makes dumping pretty easy. No reason to avoid using your own facilities.

I have a traffic cone, but haven't needed it. Same for leveling blocks, although the need for both may depend on where you stay.