Why a small class C ?

We've had our 31 since 2008 and still miss our 24. The handy maneuvering, the power, ability to get onto small sites... We slept in the cabover which I glamorized as "The Loft." Problem with that was of course the ladder, but the 24 was also a 1984 non-basement coach. That meant a flat floor into the cockpit, a plus! BUT... One "drawer" for outside storage. We got around that. A High Climb to the Loft. Remember, the low house means having to climb the whole cutaway cab plus the foundation of the Loft, a full Five Feet. Then, because of the low house ceiling and roof the Loft had very low "headroom". Couldn't even sit up in there, and making the queen bed was awful.
Then a nurse friend said. "Get out of that climb in the coach. One fall and you can ruin your whole retirement." So we did, and overall we're pleased. Wife has developed back and joint issues (fortunately not a fall in an RV...) so the island queen bed has been a lifesaver. I understand how some will say that big bedroom is a waste of weight and space, but for us it's been wonderful.

If you have arthritis or other problems climbing a ladder and climbing over someone in the dark sleeping, without waking them, sleeping in the overhead gets old. Sleeping on dinette cushions or a jacknife couch is not for light sleepers. Youngsters can sleep nearly anywhere. A rear bedroom and RV Queen bed is essential for most "mature" RV'ers which pretty much requires a rig over 27 feet in length. Not a lot different than driving a 24 footer. Plus!! you get more interior and exterior storage space.No need for bags, boxes and clutter in the aisle, in shower stall, or in the overhead.

Been there!

After having Class Bs for years we changed to a 23 foot Phoenix Cruiser last fall. We miss the greater driveability of our Roadtrek 210 but love the room of the PC. Over the years, we find ourselves camping more and for longer periods of time. We very seldom stay in commercial campgrounds, preferring the NF, National Parks and state parks, BLM, etc.

For the first time in our thirty years of RVing we are pulling a toad. We love having that Cherokee to run around in and find that we tend to stay in the same camping location for much longer than we did a few years ago. Like the old song says "Time changes everything".

PSW

My 38' Class A fits me perfectly. I have large tanks for water and holding so with a daily shower I can go 1.5 weeks before needing to dump or refill anything. My MH is my motel when I travel and the Saturn is my sightseeing vehicle. I can't climb up in the bunks in small Cs.

This info from the Winnie Trend thread is VERY encouraging w/r Ducato rear wheele.

RobertRyan wrote:

Wincrasher65 wrote:
The ride is VERY smooth. Those Sprinter vans with the dual rear wheels get a lot of complaints on the boards about how stiff the ride is - unacceptable is a word I've seen more than once

Pretty well sums up the ride of the Ducato over anything else.

Bill.Lynch wrote:
I was shopping for a new 27ft Airstream trailer and big truck a few years back when the "recession" pretty much killed my consulting business and it's probably not coming back.

So, tired of waiting and anxious to get out camping, I jumped on a used (1991) small class-c 22' that was for sale in the neighborhood.

Thinking it would be temporary until we got the trailer I started enjoying the compact and convenient class-c.

Ours has solar so we can camp off grid and rarely start the generator.

And now I'm rethinking my long term path and seriously wanting a new smaller class-c instead of the Airstream. The new Winnebago Trend is very interesting. The only thing for me is I feel I need to tow a car. I hate being stuck in the campground with no way to get out and about without packing everything up. Even for a trip to the store. But a little car or even an old dune buggy would be just fine.

I love this thread.

Lightweight camping and easy toadless road handling is what we wanted almost 10 years back when we got our B+, which is the whole concept behind the small streamlined C. We get bored in one place pretty quick, and the dogs need new things to smell!

WAY too many think that only a van-based Class B fit this 'touring-camper' style, but we saw right away that cg comfort necessitates a nornal kitchen, dry bath, and a nice big bed - our makedown king from the dinette+jack-knife sofa gives us a full C class rig in a 22 ft length. With just 2 humans, no cabover bed was needed.

Our B+ was a dollar-value comprimise that was cheaper than more streamlined B+s like Chinooks and Born Frees of the 2005 era. The front drive Rialta was sweet, but serviceability concerns scared us away.

I have waited w/ great anticipation for the arrival of Ducato in US, knowing that a modern FWD Rialta-like low-profile B+ was gonna blur the boundaries between small C and class B rigs taking the best from both.

I do not think the Winnie Trend form factor is at all optimal as that of the road-hugging Rialta when it comes to a Ducato B+.Winnie probably got spooked by low sales of Rialta, emboldened by Sprinter C sales, and so the Trend.

I'll be looking at what the B+ creative genius of folks at Leisure Travel Vans do in a Rialta-like Ducato. If anyone can get it spot on, they can, as they have shown w/ Libero and Unity.

A shocker return of the Born Free Bed and Breakfast on Ducato would be yummy, too.

Bill.Lynch wrote:
And now I'm rethinking my long term path and seriously wanting a new smaller class-c instead of the Airstream. The new Winnebago Trend is very interesting. The only thing for me is I feel I need to tow a car. I hate being stuck in the campground with no way to get out and about without packing everything up. Even for a trip to the store. But a little car or even an old dune buggy would be just fine.

That's what I love about my RV. Because I have a place for everything and don't need to move things around to make it liveable, I can easily just hop in and take a drive. What I leave outdoors is minimal - chairs, cheap sun screen, leveling blocks.

Over the years our needs changed. We were discussing how much fun we had in our 24 foot motorhomes. Could go anywhere, had tons of HP, decent fuel burn and not restricted by size. This while we were cruising down the highway on a multi month trip from Florida to Kalifornia (natives) then East again to discover this great nation. It is nice to have the big screen tv, fireplace, microwave, tons of storage, a toad, washer and drier, and the ability to sit outside and visit with new friends. We don't sit around the fire pits much anymore. Having air conditioning and a very quiet place to sleep is nice. We began our marriage honeymooning in a tent. It is now rving. It was nice to drive into Yosemite today in our toad and park wherever we wanted to. It would have been fun to camp in the park of course.

I was shopping for a new 27ft Airstream trailer and big truck a few years back when the "recession" pretty much killed my consulting business and it's probably not coming back.

So, tired of waiting and anxious to get out camping, I jumped on a used (1991) small class-c 22' that was for sale in the neighborhood.

Thinking it would be temporary until we got the trailer I started enjoying the compact and convenient class-c.

Ours has solar so we can camp off grid and rarely start the generator.

And now I'm rethinking my long term path and seriously wanting a new smaller class-c instead of the Airstream. The new Winnebago Trend is very interesting. The only thing for me is I feel I need to tow a car. I hate being stuck in the campground with no way to get out and about without packing everything up. Even for a trip to the store. But a little car or even an old dune buggy would be just fine.

We also like our under 25’ Class C with queen corner bed, but wanted more comfort since it is just the two of us. So since purchasing it we have removed and replaced the following: The small swivel chair by entry door under TV cabinet taken out and replaced with a small oak storage cabinet with a wall mounted 29” LED HDTV. DVD/VCR and added shelves in the old TV cabinet. Large dinette removed and replaced with two La-z-boy rocker recliners and some new paneling to cover the holes on the wall from removing the dinette. We made a small table that we set up in front of our chairs for eating, card playing and when I get on my laptop. The up front area is a normal class C cab-over bed. We removed the mattress installed plastic storage containers and moved the privacy curtain forward so it covers things we have stored up there. This remodel has really worked for us, our longest trip was 42 days this past March and April and we were very comfortable. Dick