Looking to downsize

I think one needs to consider why they are downsizing. One of our criteria was to be narrow enough to fit where cars and SUV's can fit so we could do more spur-of-the-moment things and also so we would not be tempted to take a toad.

The true Class B's tend to be on the order of 76" wide, but the B+/(C) units run ~93 inches. Compare that to a Chevy Suburban at 80" that takes up a good bit of a standard parking space. We may be longer, but we can park safely along any curb or double pull-thru slot in a parking lot. That was important to us, but different strokes for different folks. Once we realized we wanted a true class B we went floor-plan shopping.

Dave

Thanks Steve, I think I'm going to go with the Winnebago Via. They make a 25-foot chassis and it's based on the Sprinter platform. Winnebago has some really innovative creative storage and seating solutions. they call it a mini class A it's really about the same size as a class B+ or like a C or something in that range but it looks very cool being streamlined like a bullet. I'll keep looking and researching it and if I can find one local I'll go see it otherwise I'll wait for the Hershey show and look at them there.

magicbus wrote:
I think one needs to consider why they are downsizing. One of our criteria was to be narrow enough to fit where cars and SUV's can fit so we could do more spur-of-the-moment things and also so we would not be tempted to take a toad.

The true Class B's tend to be on the order of 76" wide, but the B+/(C) units run ~93 inches. Compare that to a Chevy Suburban at 80" that takes up a good bit of a standard parking space. We may be longer, but we can park safely along any curb or double pull-thru slot in a parking lot. That was important to us, but different strokes for different folks. Once we realized we wanted a true class B we went floor-plan shopping.

Dave

I agree - after we bought a snowbird condo in FL, we realized we would be "sightseers" for future trips; so nimbleness and park-ability were foremost in our mind (also length - we drove our Transit over Beartooth Pass and on the Going-To-The-Sun Road in Glacier last week with no problems) Being able to fit in small RV sites is a bonus, too

pequeajim, Winnebago stopped making the Via after the 2017 model year, but there are a number of used units available. They still make the class C View, which has the same floor plans as the Via, but a different cab area. Both are great rvs, and you can probably compare specs and pictures online at RV Trader or other websites. A good source of information on the Via and View is the Yahoo Users Group for those models. RV dealers that will give you good pricing are Lewis in Ohio and Lichtsinn in Iowa. Lichtsinn has a ton of information and videos on their website, in fact they have a few used Vias and Views available.

No basement in Class B's or camping vans. Largest vans are 24 feet long, less than 80 inches wide, probably a half foot less interior after insulation and trim. Queen size beds are easy in that space, take up less than 1/3 of the area available. But if you are coming down from 200-400 sq ft of space in a Class A, to 120-140 sq ft inside a 24-foot van, all spaces become dual purpose, convertible, except that doesn't work for cooking and bathroom facilities, which detract from the space.

Look at the living space options in the Winnebago ERA models, and some of the Airstream cruisers, for the best interpretations of using this small space for a variety of different needs (party van to full-time living). Downsizing this much in a RV is about downsizing your lifestyle. A 400 sq ft lifestyle does not usually fit into a 120 sq ft living space.

Rather than a B van conversion, you might find better alternatives in small Class C (or B+) or even smaller A's built on the 24-25 foot Sprinter chassis, with 7 to 8 foot house width. That gets you closer to 200 sq ft living space, rather than the 120-140 inside a van body.