I have a 35 Foot National DP with three slides. Had it for almost 15 years now. It's been a good motorhome over the years. But, I was thinking about down sizing. Not because of money, but just because of convenience. We are not the type of RVers that set up in one spot for a week or weeks at a time. We just did a Southern Utah through Northern AZ two week trip and never stayed more than 3 days in one spot. That is how we often RV. One thing I noticed on this last RV trip was a lot, and I mean a lot, of Class C motorhomes on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. And not just in RV parks. As we were driving through the national parks in our Jeep, the people with the Sprinters were in their motorhome. They really don't take up a lot more room than a large pickup so they got into parking lots and parking spaces and every place they needed to go. The 35 foot DP is great when set up in a campsite, but when driving down the road with the Jeep in tow, not so easy to navigate all the time, and you can't just park anyplace or make a U-Turn to go back to see something you just passed. Not to mention the 7 MPG!! I think these Sprinters are getting 12 to 15. Would be nice to take complete cross country trips in a smaller motorhome like that. Anybody done it, or thought about it?

I've had a camper and a 5th wheel.Now I just bought a 32 foot class C.The camper could be taken just about anywhere but no matter how you look at it you're camping in the bed of a pickup.The 5th wheel was very comfortable but had limited off road and tight space utility.So far the class C is a nice compromise.Some of the newer class Cs are getting more luxurious (and pricey).

nope. we like the room. first MH was 26’ class A with no slides; second MH was a 35’ class A with 2-slides; this MF is a (nearly) 39’ class A with 3-slides. while towing we’re ~56’ long so everything the OP mentioned is true but we’ve adjusted.

I went from a 39ft DP to a 36ft DP and sometimes I think we lost 1/2 our space.

Went from a 34 ft to 36 to 42 foot FORETRAVEL’s. Always had a small born free but sold the 24 foot and the 42 foot and got a 29 foot class c on a f500. I get 11-12 mpg am 19500 gvw and not overloaded. The sprinters are tough that way. We sometimes tow but mst if the times do not. So went from 2 slide 42 foot to 20 foot c with no slides and lived it. I covered 370k miles in my FORETRAVEL’s over 17 years of ownership. It is slight less comfortable but so much better. I have owned 6 RVs now and thus one is perfect.

We just embarked on an 8K mile trip across the US and Canada on our Sprinter based motorhome.We downsized a few yeas ago and got a gasoline 24' C class and ditched the toad. We just acquired the Sprinter based moho and love it. We have been averaging over 13 MPG doing 75MPH on the highways. As you already noticed, many of us use the small RVs for sightseeing in the national parks and have no problems finding parking in most cases.

Have you thought about downsizing? | Good Sam Community

ppine
Explorer II
May 08, 2019
After owning 5 RVs I have never thought about upsizing.
tragusa3
Explorer
May 08, 2019
We just changed from a 25' trailer to a 34' Class A. We're about to embark on our first long trip, so I can't speak to the question for a few months yet. However, we would not be willing to give up towing a Jeep, as one of our favorite activities is exploring back country. Sounds like a Sprinter would be a compromise in that respect too.
Gjac
Explorer III
May 08, 2019
Joatha wrote:
My wife is always making noise about down-sizing. She doesn't feel comfortable even attempting to drive a 40 foot 20+ ton Wanderlodge.

The issue is that to get to something she WILL drive, we have to move down to like a class B or super B. And, she is 5' 6" tall. She will fit in those. I'm 6' 4". I don't fit in the showers of those things at all and the beds are usually shorter.

She doesn't drive anywhere we go on vacation anyhow (even when we don't take the motorhome) so I sure don't get why it is an issue.
My wife feels the same way and never felt comfortable out west on winding mountain roads. She used to drive the Class A when we first got it back east and on highways, but after two front end failures due to the wrong ball joints being installed she does not want to travel in a large Class A anymore. Started looking at smaller MH's and lack of storage and small FW tanks are the two main drawbacks for me. A short 24ft Class C with a full wall slide and Queen bed provides a lot of interior room. I don't know what the ride quality is like. I started looking into truck campers also but to get any equivalent space you need something like a Mammoth camper with several slides and a DRW truck to haul it and the truck alone will cost as much as the small C or more. Looked at several sprinters and without some slides they are very cramped inside. Every option has trade offs to consider based on how you plan to use it.
D_E_Bishop
Explorer
May 06, 2019
We are in the process of downsizing due to lack of parking at home and due to high cost of fuel. We are looking closest at the Winnie VIA 25T class A. It is on the sprinter H chassis, not the cutaway chassis like a class C. It will be a little over two feet shorter than the Bounder we started with and 8 feet shorter than the Adventurer. I can't wait to reap the benefits.
TropicalRV
Explorer
May 06, 2019
We had a 36 foot National Tropical and after 15 years decided to trade for a new one. Downsizing was/is the popular thing because folks are brainwashed to think a smaller RV is more energy efficient and we are doing our thing for the environment. To that I say baloney. We looked at those 24 foot (maximum length) Sprinters and they are cute in the showroom. On one of our trips, an owner took us on a tour of theirs. They had stuff piled up to the ceiling inside. There's so little storage in these, that I feel they are highly impractical. Consider that you are going to store a couple of folding chairs, a grill, maybe some tools and the usual cargo. Those teeny-tiny basement compartments are useless. Inside isn't much better. Room for maybe a frying pan and a couple of cans of beans. Further, they cost as much as a larger rig and fuel consumption isn't different enough to make my wallet change thickness. But, you are the RVer. Buy what you want/like and have fun. Oh, did I say where will the dogs sleep?
Joatha
Explorer
May 06, 2019
My wife is always making noise about down-sizing. She doesn't feel comfortable even attempting to drive a 40 foot 20+ ton Wanderlodge.

The issue is that to get to something she WILL drive, we have to move down to like a class B or super B. And, she is 5' 6" tall. She will fit in those. I'm 6' 4". I don't fit in the showers of those things at all and the beds are usually shorter.

She doesn't drive anywhere we go on vacation anyhow (even when we don't take the motorhome) so I sure don't get why it is an issue.
Busskipper
Explorer
May 06, 2019
msmith1199 wrote:
I have a 35 Foot National DP with three slides. Had it for almost 15 years now. It's been a good motorhome over the years. But, I was thinking about down sizing. Not because of money, but just because of convenience. We are not the type of RVers that set up in one spot for a week or weeks at a time. We just did a Southern Utah through Northern AZ two week trip and never stayed more than 3 days in one spot. That is how we often RV.

One thing I noticed on this last RV trip was a lot, and I mean a lot, of Class C motorhomes on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. And not just in RV parks. As we were driving through the national parks in our Jeep, the people with the Sprinters were in their motorhome. They really don't take up a lot more room than a large pickup so they got into parking lots and parking spaces and every place they needed to go.

The 35 foot DP is great when set up in a campsite, but when driving down the road with the Jeep in tow, not so easy to navigate all the time, and you can't just park anyplace or make a U-Turn to go back to see something you just passed. Not to mention the 7 MPG!! I think these Sprinters are getting 12 to 15. Would be nice to take complete cross country trips in a smaller motorhome like that. Anybody done it, or thought about it?

Think you figured it out - they would be a Great Toad. .:)

Really just not enough space for me - started small and have always gotten larger - those things are great..... for Kids,

JMHO
ncrowley
Explorer II
May 05, 2019
gemsworld wrote:
From the Winnebago Navion 24V spec sheet:

GCWR(lbs.) 15,250

GVWR(lbs.) 11,030

4,220 difference

2-Door Jeep Wrangler 3,970 lbs

200 lbs below the max GCWR

I have a 4 door Rubicon and it is 4500 pounds. But also those numbers are better then the model we were looking at a year ago. We were getting around 3700 pounds difference.
jag73e
Explorer
May 05, 2019
Two years ago we went from a luxurious 40’ Country Coach to a 34’ Super C with 2 slides on a Freightliner M2 chassis. Must haves for us were a queen bed accessible with slides closed, a full size couch and a dinette, large refer, lots of closet and bay storage, 2 A/Cs, and quality solid wood cabinets and furnishings. 34 ft was the minimum size we could find with these features. As a benefit we gained more RV park access, better maneuverability, much better mechanical serviceability with M2 chassis, easier to drive, far better safety in event of collision, etc. and lots of admiringly looks from other RVers. Very happy with the change.
Cloud_Dancer
Explorer II
May 04, 2019
Nope, we're used to the comfort and convenience of our 40 footer (special-ordered floorplan). And, I enjoy driving it on the highway, AND we prefer our GMC 4x4 mid-size Envoy for running around.

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