Hello all:I’m looking for a used Class B. The primary use will be for camping – mostly on BLM and National Forest lands, but occasionally in a National Park, State Park or Walmart Park. It will be used as a “tent with metal sides” for the most part – certainly not a luxury travel vehicle. I don’t particularly want a shower/toilet/blackwater tank (portapotty or cassette toilet are preferable) but it looks like everyone but Sportsmobile takes up valuable B room with a dedicated bathroom. I don’t want (nor can I afford) a Sportsmobile. I will only consider a Ford or a Chevy gas chassis. No Sprinters and no diesels. No old Dodge gas vans. I had a 2WD E350 Ford van for several years on which I put 160K miles, and the factory ground clearance was perfect for the sorts of roads I often end up on. Q1. My inclination is to look for a 2006-2014 PleasureWay or Leisure Travel, as I understand that the RoadTrek drops the floor, significantly decreasing ground clearance. Is this correct?Q2. Is there any difference in the insulation or 4-season capability between the PW and the LT? Or will I have to winterize pipes in both if camping in sub-freezing temperatures?Q3. It looks like the skirting on both the PW and the LT lower the effective ground clearance, and my reading leads me to believe the skirting cannot be removed. Is this correct?I apologize for these questions; if there were any used PW or LT within a couple of hundred miles of me, I’d go make measurements. As it is, it looks like I will need to travel several hundred miles to make a purchase. And it seems these units are scarcer than hen’s teeth!BTW, my budget is <$50,000 all in, and preferably <$40,000. Thanks for the help,GreyDawgcurrently camping in the back of a Toyota 4Runner ... a tad snug!

It would be educational to go to some dealer lots or RV shows and crawl under a few Class B's. The limiting factor on rough roads isn't only the ground clearance of the van and the skirting, it is also all the other things that are usually stuffed underneath Class B's because there is no other place to put them (tanks, generators, batteries, water lines, etc.). I like some of the Fit RV videos because he crawls under the van to take pictures. Here is a good one for the Travato. Watch this video starting at about 17 minutes. I have been on lots of National Forest Service Roads where I would be pretty nervous dodging boulders, ruts and mud with a van that looked like this on the bottom.http://www.thefitrv.com/rv-reviews/the-59k-a-new-travato-our-new-review/

It sounds like you are more closely describing something like a popup 4 wheel drive pickup camper. Bare essentials and made to go where you want to go.

I think you'd do better to build or as abve get a pop up truck camper, lightweight and good clearance and you can size the vehicle to your needs.a B will be way heavy...like 9000 pounds and a rough road will literally knock the cabinets off the walls- in time.a major part of the B's cost is the cabinetry and the plumbing lay out and systems which you do not want.My neighbor did a 4x4 conversion on a 99 PW Excel- it was a major operation and he is unsure of the ride on teh highway ( high center of gravity) nor is it really holding up in BajaMike

Have you considered building your own, if you don't want a truck camper?There are a lot of used conversion vans on the market, if you want a factory bench seat, with a motor that converts it to bed, interior trim stuff, etc. Or just start with a stock van.

Thanks for the replies. I had not thought about the weight factor and "cabinets coming off the walls." Good point.I built a bare bones camping van on an E350 -- but didn't have the skills for either a propane system or 12V electrical work. And -- as I fully embrace middle age -- I would like to have both. On the Sportsmobile forum there are scads of fabulous DIY rigs -- made by people with much better skills than mine.Yes, I know the FitRV reviews -- and yes, it is not only a matter of ground clearance but of what is dangling low, too. Thanks all!

Used PW or LT for rough-road 4-season camping? | Good Sam Community

chloe_s_ranch
Explorer
Aug 16, 2016
I agree with several others that a full size 4x4 truck with a pop up camper would do what you want really well and would fit in your budget if you bought used. We had that combo for two years and loved it, although for the two of us and two dogs it was a little tight space wise. We ended up trading for a small used class C on the Ford E 450 chassis and getting it converted to four wheel drive. That option would also fit your budget.
greydawg
Explorer
Aug 16, 2016
Thanks for the replies.

I had not thought about the weight factor and "cabinets coming off the walls." Good point.

I built a bare bones camping van on an E350 -- but didn't have the skills for either a propane system or 12V electrical work. And -- as I fully embrace middle age -- I would like to have both. On the Sportsmobile forum there are scads of fabulous DIY rigs -- made by people with much better skills than mine.

Yes, I know the FitRV reviews -- and yes, it is not only a matter of ground clearance but of what is dangling low, too.

Thanks all!
Naio
Explorer II
Aug 16, 2016
Have you considered building your own, if you don't want a truck camper?

There are a lot of used conversion vans on the market, if you want a factory bench seat, with a motor that converts it to bed, interior trim stuff, etc. Or just start with a stock van.
mkguitar
Explorer
Aug 16, 2016
I think you'd do better to build or as abve get a pop up truck camper, lightweight and good clearance and you can size the vehicle to your needs.

a B will be way heavy...like 9000 pounds and a rough road will literally knock the cabinets off the walls- in time.

a major part of the B's cost is the cabinetry and the plumbing lay out and systems which you do not want.

My neighbor did a 4x4 conversion on a 99 PW Excel- it was a major operation and he is unsure of the ride on teh highway ( high center of gravity) nor is it really holding up in Baja

Mike
booster
Explorer
Aug 16, 2016
It sounds like you are more closely describing something like a popup 4 wheel drive pickup camper. Bare essentials and made to go where you want to go.
jrobe
Explorer
Aug 16, 2016
It would be educational to go to some dealer lots or RV shows and crawl under a few Class B's. The limiting factor on rough roads isn't only the ground clearance of the van and the skirting, it is also all the other things that are usually stuffed underneath Class B's because there is no other place to put them (tanks, generators, batteries, water lines, etc.).

I like some of the Fit RV videos because he crawls under the van to take pictures. Here is a good one for the Travato. Watch this video starting at about 17 minutes. I have been on lots of National Forest Service Roads where I would be pretty nervous dodging boulders, ruts and mud with a van that looked like this on the bottom.

http://www.thefitrv.com/rv-reviews/the-59k-a-new-travato-our-new-review/

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Used PW or LT for rough-road 4-season camping?

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