Downsized and Regretted it?

[ncrowley]

I am considering downsizing from a 39 foot pusher with three slides to a 24 foot diesel class C (Navion/View). Have any of your downsized and regretted it? If I go this route, I cannot afford to go back so it is a BIG decision.

The reasons are the usual ones: better mileage, easier driving, can fit into lots more RV sites, new systems, lower maintenance costs.

[koda55]

we went the other way. We had a 35 ft with 3 slides and decided we wanted bigger. We went to a 41 ft with 4 slides. We still camp in the same places plus many others in our travels. So far we have been lucky and not found any place we could not get into.

[bjw1]

The smaller rig is very nice until you get caught in a storm where you have to spend a few days inside.

Spent 6 weeks in the truck camper traveling to the east coast. Rain storms forced us inside for a few days. Sure missed the 36ft motorhome. Decided to keep both.

[RedJeep]

In February we downsized from a 41' fifth wheel and dually to a 36' has class A. The 36 footer feels so much smaller and maneuverable than the truck/trailer combo. So, we seem to have ended up with the perfect size for our family.

[MrLugs]

My brother in-law has a 25' View and it works for Him and his Wife for short local bird watching trips. But they spent 6 weeks in Texas last winter and just about divorced. So the common tread is that it really depends on your needs.

[TropicalRV]

After 15 years with a 36 footer, we were in the market for a new motorhome and thought that downsizing to one of those nifty class B+ rigs would be the way to go. We've looked at all of them from the little 24 ft diesel Mercedes based motorhomes and the gassers like the Phoenix cruisers. They really look beautiful in the showrooms.

One day, while camping in one of the Florida state parks, we saw a Winnebago Views in a campsite. I stopped to chat with the owner and he invited us in to see what it's like in the real world with the things you normally carry with you. I was flabbergasted! They had stuff piled up everywhere. The shower was filled with laundry and there available space was pretty limited. At that point we decided that there just isn't enough room in these things. They are ok for a single person or for just going on weekend trips. The basement compartments can't even store a couple of lawn chairs. Further, the holding tanks are tiny. One good morning BM and they're full. BTW, the cost of these little things isn't much less than a moderate sized class A. Doesn't make sense.

Finally, we did decide to downsize and bought a 34 foot Allegro. Beauty is only skin deep.

[MrLugs]

We just moved up to a 31' A-class from a 27' C-class, which we had for 16 years, and we love it. We are now planning annual 3-4 week excursions.It has every thing on "our list" Basement storage , leveler jacks, couch, comfy seats, queen walk around bed and it has better fuel economy than our 1988 C-class. For the extra 4+ feet over our C-class in length it is vastly more comfortable and space efficient.

[cbigham]

If you want a small c the can tow a jeep the view isn't it. Look for something with the powerstroke setup or go gas. Nothing wrong with gas powerplant. Easier to get fixed, usually breaks less early in its career and the cost difference vs the diesel will pay for a lot of gas.

I've seen those Views out on the 70 getting blown around pretty good. I like em, but they can't do what you need doing.

I went a different route. I have a 40 ft diesel funmover. Pain for short trips. For weekend or such, I bought a class b tm18 based on the gmc van. Had 30k miles, I had to at the price. It has enough water capacity for a bath every night for 5 days. For a couple, 3 days. I've spent as many as 7 days at a time in it. Dave bug trips for the motorhome. (We're riders)

[Skid_Row_Joe]

Mr.Mark wrote:
I certainly enjoy our 45 ft. and will for many years.

I can see downsizing in the 'older' years.

Mark,
As can I. There's many particular brand models that I could see downsizing into. They're upper-class brand, fiberglass DPs, in 36' and 38' lengths.:)

[bagman]

We used to have a 37'6" Allegro Bay 37DB. Had it for (8) years and sold it due to financial difficulties. However, we got past that and are doing better than ever and I see our next MH being somewhere between 29 & 33' long and narrower than our previous Tiffin and not quite as tall. And we plan on buying our next MH by Nov. of 2016. Already have two tickets to the Detroit Camper & RV Show at the Suburban Collection Showplace on Oct. 4th. We're lucky that we have a RV storage area behind my commercial building in Wyandotte, Mi. with 30 & 50 AMP electric, cable TV connection, City Water (New), and I'm going to have my son in law install WiFi. For us the most important factor is to purchase a MH is one my wife doesn't mind driving! Therefore, I'm thinking along the lines of a (3) slide B+ or the Tiffin Breeze (2) slides with the Cummins 5.0 275 HP/560 ft. lbs. torque. In conclusion, I hope next Nov. I can make up a new thread "Back behind the wheel!" Bags. BTW, we will be attending this RV show with another rv.net couple.

[ncrowley]

I have decided not to change what we have. The issue was I am planning to do some big upgrades to the coach and was doing the math to figure out if it was worth putting the money into the one I have or upgrading. We are both engineers so we study things to death with spreadsheets and getting as much information as we can. We decided it was not worth putting in a lot more money to compromise so many things we really love. We did a payback period and it ended up it would take about 8 years to payback the extra money we would have to come up with (this takes into account the money to upgrade the existing coach, the fuel savings, maintenance savings and money to fix things that may break in the older coach).

We wanted a diesel and were looking at the Mercedes engine but it just does not have enough GCWR. We were looking at the Winnebago Navion or View. We pull either a Honda Fit or a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. The Fit was fine but the curb weight of the Jeep is 4500 pounds. The GCWR of the Sprinter/Mercedes chassis is 15,250 pounds. The GCW of the 24M were looking at is 9800 pounds. 15250 - 9800 - 4500 = 950 pounds. That means you cannot put more than 950 pounds in the RV and Jeep - including us and the dog. When pulling the Jeep, we will definitely go over the GCWR.

Of course, all the sales people told me I could pull the Jeep just fine. I called Winnebago and the first person said the Jeep was too heavy. They sent me to someone else, and interestingly, he said, yea, we would be over the GCWR but as long as we just exceeded it by 500 pounds or less, we would be fine(!). I thought that response was interesting.

My other choice was a small gas C but we did not want to go that route. So this is a long explanation of how we decided that upgrading what we have will work best for us.

[timmac]

Yep I always thought those big 38 plus footers were just to big to travel in, that's why I settled with a 33 foot Bounder with 2 slides and a king bed, not to big and not to small, bigger is not always better..

For the OPer maybe coming from a 39 foot class A to a 24 foot class C was just to much down sizing, should have went middle of the road on the size..

[Mr_Mark1]

Skid Row Joe wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
I certainly enjoy our 45 ft. and will for many years. I've been toying with the idea of getting a class B. I like the Mercedes Sprinter diesel chassis by Roadtrek as they manufacturer an all electric (house) 'Eco' version Etrek that looks interesting.

I'm thinking I could tow it behind the Liberty and take out-trips from a central location. We have a 20K lb. towing capacity.

I can see downsizing in the 'older' years.

There's a guy with a 42' Foretravel that pulls a 24' Born Free Class C.

A fellow RV.net member had done the exact thing that I was thinking of doing and contacted me. A real world experience can speak volume's.

The thought of towing a class B sounds better than actually doing it. It was brought to my attention that the class B is not that small, it can make a fairly difficult tow vehicle compared to the small advantages of taking it on short excursions.

I'm thinking it might be best to have it as the only RV in the twilight years. 😄

MM.

[Skid_Row_Joe]

Mr.Mark wrote:
I certainly enjoy our 45 ft. and will for many years. I've been toying with the idea of getting a class B. I like the Mercedes Sprinter diesel chassis by Roadtrek as they manufacturer an all electric (house) 'Eco' version Etrek that looks interesting.

I'm thinking I could tow it behind the Liberty and take out-trips from a central location. We have a 20K lb. towing capacity.

I can see downsizing in the 'older' years.

There's a guy with a 42' Foretravel that pulls a 24' Born Free Class C.

[RckyMtnVia]

We downsized from a 39' diesel pusher towing a Jeep Patriot, and have never regretted the decision, and we do not tow now. Just my DW, a small dog and me. We decided on the Via 25T for the huge outside storage, the twin beds/king beds, the view and extra room in the front cab, and the location of the tv. We love it. In the large full width storage area in the back, we have folding chairs, small folding table, bbq, cleaning supplies, tools, extra shoes and a bag with extra clothes. Also good storage under the couch and in the front cabinets. Before we bought it, I had my wife stand in the front and back and tell me where she was going to put all the "stuff" we needed to live. We like the separate beds in the back and use them as a twin, with the dog sleeping on the cushion in the middle at the top of the bed. Since we both get up and go to bed at different times, the separation was important, and with the bathroom door and the closet door open, it does give some privacy and separation. We carry canned goods, paper goods, wine, beer, dog food, a small vacuum and iron in the compartment to the left of the steps when facing the outside door. 5 Gallons of water go in the compartment behind the front wheel on the passenger side. All the sewer stuff, DEF, oil and lube sprays, and leveling blocks go in the compartment under the couch and next to the sewer line. I have only used the leveling blocks three times since we have had the Via. When travelling we get off the highway ASAP and take the many scenic back roads, getting 15-16mpg in Colorado and 17-18mpg on flatland. Real easy to set up and breakdown for travel, and we tend to camp 2 or 3 days in one spot, and then use the Via for sightseeing or shopping between campsites. We have only dry camped a few days in state parks, but there is enough water in the tank for quick showers and space for gray and black. We spent a month in AZ this past winter, and our front window had sun on it most of the day, so I used Reflectix to keep the sun out and keep it cool. Worked very well. If we had a different space, then we would not have needed the Reflectix. I think there are more Views/Navions on the road and messages on their forum, could be cost or just preference. The Infotainment center is fine, but the reflection on the screen makes the GPS useless, so I placed a Garmin Nuvi on the small ledge to the left of the instrument cluster and it works fine. We also replaced the huge, heavy Winnebago table with a small plastic oval table I found at a marine/boat website, but most of the time we use the small fold up tables. Hope this is not too much information. Let us know if you have more questions.