Ground clearance/choosing the right set up.

wa8yxm wrote:


Now, Ground clearance.. I see DP's with like 2 inches (it seems) of clearance, look like a pot hole and they'd be scraping the road.

Like mine. My Foretravel DP looks extremely low. And it is. I can't crawl under it anywhere but under the engine or in the front. But I do not scrap pavement like I did with my old class c Toyota Sunrader or my old 28 foot class A Allegro that appeared to have all kinds of clearance. Both of them had rear overhang problems. But no way am I going off roading with the Foretravel.

OP needs to look for a Class C without a major rear overhang. Some Born Free models might fit.

If you can find one (I think the total number produced is in the low single digit range) there used to be a rig called the ALL SEASONS. 4 wheel drive, 44" Cerpex tires (military type) Most of the production run was Military in fact.

Apolo motor homes made it.

That thing goes places that give Jeeps pause.

westend wrote:
Another tactic might be to tow a small truck with cap behind the Class A. Use the coach as base camp and explore with the truck or use it for day trips. Anyway you go with a Class A is probably not going to be cheap. If you buy very used, you'll chew up dollars doing repair and maintenance.

If you're set on the room and amenities of the Class C, that is probably the way to go. It may limit you, somewhat, on exploring rugged back country but there are a lot of good wilderness roads out there. In my area, width of trail and overhangs are more the limits than condition of the road surface. Where are you located and where do you plan to go? There may be some members that could narrow your choices because they have intimate knowledge of the camping areas you plan to visit.

Going to west coast, mainly California and Colorado, and am going to live in it for maybe 6+ months (maybe semi permanently), mainly boondocking/dry camping.

I have been researching free/dry campsites here freecampsites.net/#!Colorado&query=region

...in Colorado, and it seems that most of the really good/scenic places say that the roads are not very rig friendly.

I can do my day job from the road, and I love the vagabond lifestyle, so that is basically my goal; to just live for free in an RV out in the wilderness. I will observe the 14 day max limit of most sites, and I like to explore, so the more off road capable a rig is, the more options available to me.

I will also have a dual sport motorcycle with me, on a hitch carrier (another reason I opted out of slide-ins, as you have to remove bike to access camper).

I just need a rig, under 20K, that is roomy enough to live in full time but will be somewhat off road worthy.





The height of the roof - that's another big question. The pull behind trailer or pop up is a great idea, but I really, really want to avoid pulling anything. I just love the idea of everything being contained in one unit. I have had a deep fascination with motor homes my entire life.

I would almost think that the ground clearance on a C is less than that of Class A's.

Here's my Class C

Another tactic might be to tow a small truck with cap behind the Class A. Use the coach as base camp and explore with the truck or use it for day trips. Anyway you go with a Class A is probably not going to be cheap. If you buy very used, you'll chew up dollars doing repair and maintenance.

If you're set on the room and amenities of the Class C, that is probably the way to go. It may limit you, somewhat, on exploring rugged back country but there are a lot of good wilderness roads out there. In my area, width of trail and overhangs are more the limits than condition of the road surface. Where are you located and where do you plan to go? There may be some members that could narrow your choices because they have intimate knowledge of the camping areas you plan to visit.

I don't think C's, as a category, have any better ground clearance than A's. Smaller tire/wheel sizes bring OEM chassis closer to ground than A chassis, but it gets equalized, more or less, by RV manufacturers building the body close tonthe ground for utilities and basement storage.

For groundclearance, off-road, Inwould be looking for a slide-in camper that doesn't compromise the good clearances of a lifted 4x4 truck.

How gnarly a terrain are you wanting to go through? Hot tubs in Moab, are Jeep territory, but there are people who know their stuff that can bounce a Sportsmobile 4x4 van through them.

Tiger Motorhomes makes some excellent class "C" rigs... but you will pay for that excellence.

A 4x4 pickup and a TC can go places.

Phoenix Cruiser has the 4x4 option on all their rigs. This won't get you in the backwoods as far as a Sportsmobile or pickup truck/TC combo, but it will get you well away from the riffraff.

As for under $20,000? They are very small as the OP mentioned, but 4x4 pickups and truck campers are pretty much the only thing going at this price range, next to buying a used Jeep and a tent trailer.

4 x 4 Class C :C

You could consider a used 4x4 pickup and a used Jayco truck bed camper.

A 4 x 4 van might work for you but they're hard to find and expensive. You've ruled out a TC on a 4 x 4 truck. Most of the big ones aren't really off road capable anyway. I'll second the Earthromer or Tiger but I know these are way beyond a $10,000 budget.
Basically, you can have cheap, big, or off road capable. 2 of those is a stretch. All 3 of them is impossible.