I'd appreciate any comments. Which would be best to purchase, a class B rig, or, a new P/U and slide in camper rig? If a person needed to purchase a new P/U to properly support a larger slide in camper, wouldn't it be just as good, if not better, to just get a class B rig? Thanks in advance....oh.....if you need more information to answer this, please post them as well!!

It depends on what you want to do with the RV.Class B camper vans are usually 2wd, with low ground clearance. If you like to go off road, a 4wd pickup with a camper in the bed is a better choice. Sure, there are some 4wd vans out there. They are rare and very expensive, compared to the myriad of 4wd pickups available.A pickup and camper is a multi-use vehicle. Drop off the camper and you can use your pickup for all sorts of things that you can't do with a camper conversion van. This is important particularly if your pickup is your only vehicle.If you are looking for a dedicated RV-only vehicle, for mostly on-road use, the class B camper conversion van may be your better choice, or a small class C van-based motorhome.

I don't own either but, I think SoCalDesertRider gave you the best answer.How will you use the RV and how often? Will it be your daily driver?The B's are nice. But so is Four Wheel Drive if you need it.There is a lot to think about. Take your time to decide which is best for you and your situation.

The 2 posts above are pretty accurate but I want to expand on what they wrote. When we decided to get an RV more than 10 years ago I researched small Class C's, pickup campers, and Class B's. Pickup campers range from lightweight popups with minimal facilities to large models that approach the liveability of a B. A 1/2 ton PU can easily carry the popups and is your best bet for off-roading. The larger, more comfortable campers require at least a 1 ton truck and most require dual rear wheels. They are not so great for off-roading because of their height, width, and high center of gravity. Overall, truck campers are great for people who already have a pickup truck or need one for other purposes. I decided against a pickup camper because I didn't need a pickup and because I didn't like the cabover sleeping arrangement.I didn't see any small Class C's that had a floor plan that I liked. That, plus the generally poor construction quality of C's, nixed them for us. That led us to a class B.

In some states, VA being one of them, truck campers are not vehicles. Thus, they have no tags, no inspection, and no registration. Therefore there is no personal property tax on a truck camper. This could be a substantial savings over the tax on a class B.When we stay at a campground for a while I will sometimes remove the camper from the truck and drive just the truck. When going to some place like an amusement park or a zoo this means I save on parking because they often charge extra to park a motorhome. When at the lake I can use the truck to launch and retrieve my boat while leaving the truck camper at the campsite.My truck has seating for 6 passengers and I have had that many in there for a short trip. With just the family we have our two boys in the back seat in their car seats. I don't know that the seating and seat belt arrangements would be as favorable in a Class B.

The biggest advantage of a Class B or C is the pass-through from the cab to the living area. This is great for traveling. I would be reluctant to own a pick-up camper because of this.One alternative is a Tiger RV - http://www.tigervehicles.com/tiger-models/cx/It is a 4 WD truck based RV with a pass-through. I rented one in Colorado last fall for a few days just to try it. It was well built and the living space was very well designed. The one I rented was built on a Ford F350 with 4WD. I took it on many beat up mountain roads in Colorado.The only thing I didn't like about it was that it requires a heavy duty truck to handle the weight of the RV (similar to a truck camper). It was the worst driving vehicle I have ever driven. On rough roads, it was miserable. Maybe it could have been modified with a better suspension but to support the weight of the RV it just needs to be a big, heavy, stiff vehicle. I decided I would prefer the more car-like ride of a van and give up a little off-road capability since the majority of my miles are on blacktop anyway. Again it all depends on your use.

Pros/cons of class B and P/U slide in? | Good Sam Community

Shearwater
Explorer
Jun 27, 2016
The 2 posts above are pretty accurate but I want to expand on what they wrote. When we decided to get an RV more than 10 years ago I researched small Class C's, pickup campers, and Class B's.

Pickup campers range from lightweight popups with minimal facilities to large models that approach the liveability of a B. A 1/2 ton PU can easily carry the popups and is your best bet for off-roading. The larger, more comfortable campers require at least a 1 ton truck and most require dual rear wheels. They are not so great for off-roading because of their height, width, and high center of gravity. Overall, truck campers are great for people who already have a pickup truck or need one for other purposes. I decided against a pickup camper because I didn't need a pickup and because I didn't like the cabover sleeping arrangement.

I didn't see any small Class C's that had a floor plan that I liked. That, plus the generally poor construction quality of C's, nixed them for us.

That led us to a class B.
gbopp
Explorer
Jun 27, 2016
I don't own either but, I think SoCalDesertRider gave you the best answer.

How will you use the RV and how often?
Will it be your daily driver?

The B's are nice. But so is Four Wheel Drive if you need it.

There is a lot to think about. Take your time to decide which is best for you and your situation.
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Jun 27, 2016
It depends on what you want to do with the RV.

Class B camper vans are usually 2wd, with low ground clearance. If you like to go off road, a 4wd pickup with a camper in the bed is a better choice. Sure, there are some 4wd vans out there. They are rare and very expensive, compared to the myriad of 4wd pickups available.

A pickup and camper is a multi-use vehicle. Drop off the camper and you can use your pickup for all sorts of things that you can't do with a camper conversion van. This is important particularly if your pickup is your only vehicle.

If you are looking for a dedicated RV-only vehicle, for mostly on-road use, the class B camper conversion van may be your better choice, or a small class C van-based motorhome.

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