Winnebago View 24

[Gsturner]

Went to the "Free" RV show in Phoenix last Saturday. Ended up buying a new 2016 Winnebago View 24M on the Mercedes/Sprinter chassis. Prolly should have asked this question before signing on the bottom line, but Pros? Cons? It's just me on most trips. 12yo GS on some and his parents on a few (total 4). Capacities are obviously smaller than the Rockwood where I can go for several days before worrying about filling/dumping. One concern-single 13 gal onboard propane--I'm used to emptying one 30 pound, then having plenty of time on second 30 pound before refilling. Any input welcome.

[Gsturner]

Dakzuki wrote:
We never have an issue with LP capacity with the small tank. The first thing we run out of is fresh water. I carry a collapsible water container and reload the tank from it using the winterizing system.

See! That's exactly the sort of input I'm seeking! I have run short on water before, Trying to use gravity fill from a 7.5 gal blue jug using a long siphon tube is not fun. Sticking a hose in that jug and using the winterizing suction feature--genius!

[tbirdman]

I agree on the propane usage estimation being two high. I just got back form a 3 month trip. most of the time fridge was on propane, furnace used at night and cooked most meal inside RV. Typical usage was 8 gals over 2 weeks which meant I easily could had gone 3 weeks. Hardest thing to get was potable water. Beats me why states rest areas have a sewer dump but no potable water. makes sense if you are dumping, you would need to take on wate

[pnichols]

jimbo98 wrote:
Running the fridge and heater at night, it will last about a week.

Hmmmm .... that doesn't sound right. On our three long 7000+ mile cross-country RV trips we of course had to run our refrigerator almost constantly and the furnace nights, as needed, from our Itasca's 18 gallon (about 14.4 actual gallons of propane when filled to 80%) propane tank. Our furnace cycles all night, coming on maybe three times per hour and only for a few minutes each cycle.

The soonest we have had to refill our propane tank was in about 3 weeks of use like the above, and even then it accepted only around 8 gallons of propane.

One week from an 18 gallon tank must be what's necessary when camping without hookups in freezing temperatures for most of each day. :h

[Dakzuki]

jimbo98 wrote:
We have a 2008 24J diesel with a diesel generator too. Our 18 gallon propane tank will usually last about a month just running the fridge. Running the fridge and heater at night, it will last about a week. An option to driving to refill the main tank, would be to install a T fitting adapter at the propane tank. This way you could connect a spare 20 lb. propane tank if you main goes empty or if you just want to use the spare 20 lb. tank before you use the main tank. There are options...
Regards,
Jim

The later model (2011+) View/Navions have the LP tank mounted inboard of the chassis rails. There is no off the shelf "extend a stay" type device available for them. One must get creative to hook up external LP.

[jimbo98]

We have a 2008 24J diesel with a diesel generator too. Our 18 gallon propane tank will usually last about a month just running the fridge. Running the fridge and heater at night, it will last about a week. An option to driving to refill the main tank, would be to install a T fitting adapter at the propane tank. This way you could connect a spare 20 lb. propane tank if you main goes empty or if you just want to use the spare 20 lb. tank before you use the main tank. There are options...
Regards,
Jim

[pnichols]

Our Itasca Class C has an 18 gallon propane tank ... and I wish that it had come with a 23 gallon tank instead.

We prefer as large a built-in propane tank as possible in a Class C, for two reasons:

- Gasoline fuel is the easiest to find, diesel fuel is harder to find than gasoline fuel, finding potable water is harder than diesel fuel, and the capability for refilling of a built-in RV propane tank is hardest to find. Even though the little 5 gallon propane tanks can be exchanged for full "everywhere" ... even a couple of these is not nearly enough to be ready for dry camping anywhere anytime in a Class C, and of course Class C motorhomes use only built-in propane tanks.

- We don't care for a cold motorhome, so we use our propane furnace for maximum comfort as desired.

[rjstractor]

Gsturner wrote:
One concern-single 13 gal onboard propane--I'm used to emptying one 30 pound, then having plenty of time on second 30 pound before refilling

That is the nature of the beast with any motorhome, although many have bigger tanks. Propane tanks that supply an installed system in a motor vehicle must be permanently installed. Removable portable cylinders are allowed in a trailer but not a vehicle that carries passengers.

[Dakzuki]

We never have an issue with LP capacity with the small tank. The first thing we run out of is fresh water. I carry a collapsible water container and reload the tank from it using the winterizing system.

[answerswillvary]

Moved to Class C forum

[Gsturner]

avan wrote:
I'm confused. You went to a RV show and bought before you asked questions. So now you ask questions about your Class C and post in RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions section? Just sayin...

I noticed that the post was misplaced, and asked the moderator to move it to Class C--obviously hasn't happened.

I have considered the smaller Class C for a while, but the $125-130k price for the Mercedes consistently pushed me away. At $40k off list, it suddenly became much more attractive. I have been looking to get away from the 34' travel trailer for a while now. Small Class A, maybe, New bigger truck and toy hauler to carry Harley? Maybe. For the same dollar, I have a small, agile motorhome, 16mpg, get a small trailer for the Harley and voila! The perfect solution. And at about the same cost as a replacemnt truck and trailer. I'm not questioning my purchase--just trying to fine tune my camping experience to the new configuration, and asking input from my fellow campers who have been there and done that, rather than rely on a salesmans claims.

[DrewE]

Gsturner wrote:
One concern-single 13 gal onboard propane--I'm used to emptying one 30 pound, then having plenty of time on second 30 pound before refilling. Any input welcome.

A 13 gallon (water capacity) propane tank has a usable capacity of about 45 pounds of propane. I don't think you'll need to change your habits regarding filling it up very much. The biggest change, of course, is needing to drive the motorhome to the fill station rather than having the option of carrying the tank there separately.

A possible exception: if you have and use a propane powered generator, ignore everything I said after the first sentence. 😉

[Gonzo42]

We like our View and have camped in snowy Yosemite where there was plenty of propane for heating and cooking over the 4 days we were there. Not even close to running out.

In other times we had a total of 4 adults and 2 urchins aboard at the beach with no problems.

Storage is minimum so I have a cargo carrier at the rear for the BBQ, fuel & etc.

Now with also a toad its very convenient. Parking is very easy anywhere. I use the lego blocks for leveling. I have a satellite antenna carried on the ladder.

I can substitute a bike & trike rack for the cargo carrier and hold 2 kids' bikes on a ladder rack.

Do a check on your batteries before each trip. I find the house batteries almost always need a tad of water. The chassis battery is under the pilot's feet and hasn't needed water but I check each trip. I keep the batteries on trickle chargers.

We never use the tiny shower and use that space for cargo. We prefer campground showers which have much more room.

I keep a sleeping bag and about 4 or more blankets under the convertible couch, and my fishing equipment under the dinette seat.

I have a largish plastic box in the storage (outside door but under the closet) for all my electrical spares and tools.

Happy Trails!!

[avan]

I'm confused. You went to a RV show and bought before you asked questions. So now you ask questions about your Class C and post in RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions section? Just sayin...

[Gsturner]

Snowman--that is encouraging. Being new to Class C, is was wondering if there is some sort of gauge/indicator. As long as there is a relatively accurate gauge, if I run out of propane, shame on me. This 24M comes equipped with a 36kw generator. Unfortunately, it runs on propane rather than diesel, so no propane savings there.