New "Arriva" - Sprinter Class B from Coach House

That fresh water tank photo I posted has no steps or ledges. It is shown in the upright position as it goes under the B. I haven't examined the grey and black tanks but I doubt they would have steps or ledges either.

But getting back to tank capacities, there is more than just size and figuring out how to maximize. The other factors are the space available no matter how you maximize the size and the overall load capacity of your B. Those last two factors are why Travatos, Agiles and Ascents have smaller tank capacities.

wincrasher65 wrote:
Custom tanks would work fine for fresh water and gray water. A black tank needs to be designed without nooks and crannys. Not to say it couldn't be an odd shape or be stepped.

I can just see "sediment" collecting on the steps of a black water tank. Back to the drawing board.

Custom tanks would work fine for fresh water and gray water. A black tank needs to be designed without nooks and crannys. Not to say it couldn't be an odd shape or be stepped.

A B-Van could be fine for full-timing as long as you have a minimalist lifestyle. Personally, I can't stand a campsite that has clutter about - looks more like a refuge camp than people on a fun vacation.

I'm constantly editing what I carry around. I've gone so far as to prepare totes for specific type trips - beach, mountains, tailgate, fishing, etc. - so not everything has to be carried every trip.

When I said every nook and cranny, here is a 40 gallon fresh water tank that fits under an Advanced RV Sprinter. Otherwise, 26-30 gallons seemed to be the upper limit.



I don't think it will be a problem. About the only way you clean fresh water tanks is with bleach and filtering before filling in the first place.

With the two Sprinters I owned the black tank basically was above the floor elevating the bathroom floor. There is a practical limit of about 10 gallons that way in a B. First thing I noticed about the Advanced RV was the bathroom floor was not elevated the usual 4" or so yet they are putting in an 18 gallon black tank. That means they have utilized space under the chassis. It doesn't have the nooks and crannies of the fresh water tank.

The Coach House Arriva could be a fulltime B, IMO. It is zoned right to not be too stifling and does have the decent bathroom. But seriously, I've met and read about fulltimers in Class Bs to know it can be done. We've been out as much as 3 months at a time and it was all kind of bittersweet when returning home.

When you think about it, most Class Bs are better equipped and are about the size of the many tiny houses that are the current rage right now in the media. Mostly young people are building tiny houses anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 and living in them. They probably aren't able to buy Class Bs from $50,000 and up or afford the travel if they are in the work force.

Davydd wrote:
To get more tank capacity, B converters are going to more custom designed tanks to fit in every nook and cranny rather than a stock box that will fit in an available space.

My radar just went off about this idea. A tank with lots of nooks and crannies to fit odd nooks and crannies is going to be more difficult to clean. After awhile the build up in those crannies is going to be S-5 ( Stink to the 5th power).

Davydd made a good point about an rv model can't "b" all things to all people. Clearly the vans weren't meant to function as full time RVs. Something's got to give. The basics are good for short trips: kitchenette/refrigerator/head/bed/clothes storage and that's about the limit of a van. Bathing can be done in the shower house at cgs. We've gotten by without having a shower in the camper but a head is a good idea to avoid middle of the night trips and possibly stepping on or something outside.

I like the layout with twins, but not the rear bath in this - it would be better with a side bath and the twin couches in the rear and a longer kitchen counter.

Also, the interior looks dated. The cabinetry is definitely and old design when all the major makers are going with a contemporary look.

Lots of, if not all manufacturers claim they are top quality. I mean, what does that really mean these days. They aren't making the van itself, only the interior appointments. What does it really take to screw cabinets together. These claims are largely BS in my view.

At that length there are other options out there.

stan909 wrote:
I didn't think about overloading. Maybe Mercedes is cracking down.

Or converters are wising up. :)

We may never know the full story but as I remember every major converter but Pleasure-way with its Plateau initially tried converting the V6 Sprinter 2500 model when it first came out. Pleasure-way came out the gate with a 3500 and I figured something was afoot. No one does that and remain competitive. They knew something right away or did their homework. Thor and Winnebago were the only two that actually tried doing it with the new extended body.

A feature I do like in this bathroom layout is that entry/exit for the coach can be made through the back doors, looks like fairly easily.

I didn't think about overloading. Maybe Mercedes is cracking down.