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elderberries's avatar
elderberries
Explorer
Mar 25, 2015

Need advice on motorhome for touring band

Hello, everybody! I know this gets asked a lot, but I'm having a hard time making decisions, and I'd love to get some input from RV-educated people!

I'm looking at buying something for a touring band. Our budget says travel trailer, our gear says toy hauler, and our 7.5 hour drives between back-to-back gigs say Class C motorhome. I'm leaning towards the motorhome. Much love in advance to anyone who gives any input on where I should focus my searches. <3

Budget:
We're musicians. Need I say more? We have about $6K down, and need to stay around $400/month on payments. Assuming used is my only option...?

Uses:
Traveling comfortably between gigs, sleeping at rest stops. No long-term living situations expected.

Size:
We'll need to be able to get to bars on city streets, and hopefully park *somewhere* within a mile of the venue, so the smaller, the better. I feel like we could squeeze into a 25-26' if we find the right floorpan that emphasizes sleeping space. Width is important too, as you never know when city streets will get narrow.

Sleeping needs:
8 people minimum! That can include throwing a roll-up foam mattress on the floor, or sleeping in a reclined captains chair, so it doesn't have to be all beds, but space *somewhere* for 8 minimum. Bunk beds a BIG plus.

Kitchen needs:
Honestly, would prefer no oven if there are models without it. Seems like wasted space given that we'd be subsisting on cold cuts and microwaved food.

Bathroom needs:
Smaller is better. Again, would trade a separate shower for an extra bunk bed.

Driving needs:
I'm an avid seatbelt user, and I really don't think I'd be comfortable without them. I've seen newer Winnebagos offering seat belts on dinette and couch seats, but not the older ones. Is this an option in many older MHs? I would hate to see my bass player fly through a window. :/

Storage needs:
This one's a big deal! We need to carry amps, an upright bass, two 5' lighting trusses, a drum set, guitars, etc - and still have storage for 8 peoples' suitcases for a cross country trip. This is why I lean towards toy hauler, since that ramp would be amazing, but that seems to really take away sleeping space.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or comments on where I should be focusing my research on Class C motorhomes!
Class C

18 Replies

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  • Jiggy_85's avatar
    Jiggy_85
    Explorer
    Mar 25, 2015
    Older moving truck would work best. You can find them cheaper and build out the inside to your liking. Just as Consumeratlagre said. Easy to build out and so you would have half for gear and have for living. Then the cheapest would really be a old dodge 21 passengers van. You could keep some benchs in for seating and remove the other for slipping area. Put a roof rack on it the van for all your personal gear. Then the trailer would carry all your gear.
  • tatest's avatar
    tatest
    Explorer II
    Mar 25, 2015
    Carrying and sleeping eight people, you are not likely to have room for what you say you need to carry, in a C. But a C could haul a small cargo trailer, though long rear overhang and big turning circle can make backing a problem. There have been some C toyhaulers made in the 30-38 foot range, on medium duty trucks, but seating is sparse and sleeping depends on using bunks in the cargo hold (you may have to build them to get enough).

    Anything with the space you want will be close to max legal width, 8 to 8 1/2 feet. 10 to 11 mirror to mirror. Even at 26 foot length you will be looking for big rig parking, which most theaters can handle (ours will take a couple of 45 foot coaches even when we have two 53 foot trailers at the dock), but playing bars in urban settings, parking is not always nearby.

    Except for budget and need for commercial driver, band and crew coaches fit the need, but will not serve alternate use as RV. Even well used, these million dollar coaches don't come down to $400 a month payments.

    Have you thought about a schoolie, converting it yourself? Seating, some bunks, storage space can all be worked into an empty schoolbus, when the interior is not cluttered with RV fittings like kitchens, bathrooms, closets and cupboards, plumbing and heating systems. Lengths 24-45 feet, weights 10,000 to 36,000 pounds available, most limited to eight foot width or less for urban use. This is a fairly common starting point for a low budget band bus. Look at the film "Honeysuckle Rose" (though you can be sure that band is in commercial entertainer coaches today).
  • consumeratlarge's avatar
    consumeratlarge
    Explorer
    Mar 25, 2015
    I've done what you're talking about for many years. We used a 35' bus, which would do everything you're talking about, but be harder to park in town. Also, we privately rented a class A, about 34 feet, and it needed a trailer for the equipment, but very nice inside. And we went the most miles with a converted truck. It was a 24' straight truck (plus cab length) with a hard wall 7 feet back, sort of like a toy hauler. The front half was accessed by crawling through the former back window opening of the cab. We had 6 bunks, the middle ones folded down during the day to make the back rests of two opposing couches. A relief tube, air conditioner, lights, and an escape hatch out the roof. Would cost about the same as an old rv, and be very heavy duty. The entire compartment was also insulated. You could make more bunks and a small lav/toilet by using more space of the truck, since you don't have a large equipment setup.

    It's VERY hard for bands to travel with overnight drives if they can't afford a tour bus with a dedicated driver. Passenger van pulling a 4x6 trailer is the cheapest solution. Thick pads on the floor, one sleeping on each bench seat, each floor space, and 2 in captain's chairs in front. Good luck.

    One other option is having a travel day, or later load in, after having your most stressed out member drive all night (won't fall asleep at the wheel). That's also what we did for years, with me being the stressed out all nighter. I would sleep while they set up and sound checked without me sometimes.
  • westernrvparkow's avatar
    westernrvparkow
    Explorer
    Mar 25, 2015
    I guess I will be the dream crusher. Unless you have a full time job and excellent credit, you won't be getting any financing. Do you really want to put your credit on the line for a RV that everyone in the band is going to use? Very few financing institutions will finance any RV more than 10 years old, and often even less. Finding one that will meet your payment requirements is going to be tough and I doubt you really want to take out a long term loan since bands tend to fall apart even faster than RVs. Good Luck
  • elderberries's avatar
    elderberries
    Explorer
    Mar 25, 2015
    Ron - I've thought of renting, but we'll be using it anywhere from 3-14 days at a time, and renting would be super expensive for longer trips. I'd use it for family camping too, without the band, and I live on an acre, so storage isn't a problem.

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