Class B camper Van

[somertime]

We are wanting to downsize to a used van camper/ nearly new. What are some things to watch out for or advice you have for us. Thanks for your time.

[hoosiermark]

Go to the sites on page one I listed and you can learn all about lithium battery issues and benefits. Things like having volt start that will run the AC of the lithium and when they get low it will automatically start the van to recharge the battery. Pretty nice feature if you have a pet and want to leave it in the RV for most of the day. Also that you can use the sun to quickly charge the batteries to power the fridge, etc. I have one in my RV and run my fridge on it for a couple of days. Also check out Etreks/Ecotreks. I think it is the future of RV comfort, but like the old bag cell phones there are some growing pains to get thru. On the two sites I listed there are often RVs for sale that might fit your needs.

[somertime]

We definitely want a Used 19 foot class B camper van and we find some with lithium batteries. What do you think of them? They are $7,000.00 to replace. What campers have regular batteries. Should we get a diesel or regular gas engine? We want to travel in mountains. We have always had a pull behind so we aren’t to smart about all this. Thanks for your help.

[happycamper1942]

A1ARealtorRick wrote:

LadyRVer wrote:
Had a Pleasure Way Excel...loved it. 20/20 hindsight is great. Wish I had it now.

The only thing I had to deal with was a 10 gal black tank and pull-valve was very close to the ground. Other than that one issue, it was fantastic. Traded that and a Class A on one Class C to cut costs and maintenance. Wrong!

My wife and I also had a Pleasure-Way Excel. Very well-built, and very nicely finished. We used it as a day traveler and it never gave us a moment's problem. Consistent 15-16 mpg as well, which was nice.

Prior to purchasing it, we looked extensively at other B's, and found the PW to be our best choice. Surprisingly enough, the one that seemed the poorest quality build was the Airstream Interstate.

What engine did your Pleasure-Way have?

[bsinmich]

Definitely check the bed and your height. That s how I got my RT 190V, My cleaning lady and er husband had gotten this one fro Louisville, KY and it was in great shape. Their first night out lasted half a night. He is 6'3" and the bed is 5'11". I bought it wen they got home and this is my 5th. year with it. It is my 7th. motorhome.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

There are also customizable Class B's - the one that pops into my head is Sportsmobile, who will build exactly what you want as far as layout and amenities goes. Ed and I have a converted Transit-250 cargo van that's more of a "steel tent with a huge comfy bed" - but for our sightseeing wanderlust, it's perfect because it can go on restricted-length roads like the Going-To-The-Sun Road in Glacier NP.

[somertime]

Thank you for all the information. It’s appreciated.

[Kayteg1]

You have lot of variables to compare.
My Sprinter ClassB feels bigger than the first ClassC I used 30 years ago and feels more comfortable than Truck Camper we still have.
But feel is relative aspect and B has smaller holding tanks and can't beat storage on basement model of TC.
Sprinters also come in extended versions, where 18" adds a lot and I have seen B with slide.
So long way from converted Chevy van to extended Sprinter with slide.
My main reason for going from TC to B is more desire for fast travel since our sons spread in 2500 mile radius.
Compare 10 mpg on TC to 22 mpg on Sprinter.
600-800 miles between fuel stops.

[hoosiermark]

You might want to join these two facebook groups Carrado & Sunlight Owners and Hymer Aktiv Owners and wannabees. They have a world of good information. group members repeatedly state they find it a very helpful and truthful information source. I think there is also one for Winnebago B owners but I am not a member of that. We bought a Hymer Sunlight Van one last August and love it. 7,000 miles already and would have lots more accept for the flu issue. We bought a cheap unit but it has lithium battery and underhood generator. We wanted a unit to determine if we were "B" people and then plan to move to a deluxe model when we know what features we really want. But so far this one is great. We have two single beds or a large bed. We like the singles for the nightly bathroom trips. No crawling over each other. We had an A and a C before but we find we are more scamper people rather then stay and camp people. Good luck in your research.

[fullmoonoversal]

We did downsize from A to B and love it. My advice would be to decide what you want to do and then look at what is out there. For instance, do you want to overland, winter camp, type of battery, solar, heating system, generator, etc.

Seeing that you are in WI, you might like to have one that is good for winter camping. I do wish we have been able to get a 4 season like the Winnebago Revel, but the layout is not that good for someone with disabilities. We ended up with a Galleria from Coachmen and love it. We went cross country and back, towing a 16 foot trailer (AK to NY and back) and it worked really well.

I had been thinking of converting to Lithium batteries, but after last winter decided not to do so. Too cold up here in Alaska. If we had a place to plug in and run a heater yes.

There are smaller C RVs out there that are excellent too. Good luck with your search.

[DougE]

One crucial item is the length of the bed. I'm 5'9" and have to sleep diagonally. Not good if you're not a solo camper! Most Class B's have both the head and the foot against a vertical surface.

[Trekkar]

Lwiddis wrote:
Wanting to downsize? Rent a B and camp for a week. Camp in your favorite places. Hopefully two or three days will have rain. Then you’ll know if your wanting is realistic.

x2. We truly enjoy our class b, but it isn't for everyone. Try one first! It's a lot of money if it doesn't fit your needs.

[RetiredRealtorR]

LadyRVer wrote:
Had a Pleasure Way Excel...loved it. 20/20 hindsight is great. Wish I had it now.

The only thing I had to deal with was a 10 gal black tank and pull-valve was very close to the ground. Other than that one issue, it was fantastic. Traded that and a Class A on one Class C to cut costs and maintenance. Wrong!

My wife and I also had a Pleasure-Way Excel. Very well-built, and very nicely finished. We used it as a day traveler and it never gave us a moment's problem. Consistent 15-16 mpg as well, which was nice.

Prior to purchasing it, we looked extensively at other B's, and found the PW to be our best choice. Surprisingly enough, the one that seemed the poorest quality build was the Airstream Interstate.

[magicbus]

We downsized to a B. There are a lot of nice ones to choose from with different features. We ended up with the Winnebago Era because of the layout, a larger fridge (DW has celiac disease so must be GF), good storage (relatively speaking :W), Truma Combi heat/hot water system and probably others. We are much happier in the small unit than our previous DP just because of the flexibility it provides when traveling. I find our black tank only lasts 2 people 3 days but it isn't a huge issue. Our chassis is the Sprinter 3500 so weight is not a big issue for us.

Dave

[LadyRVer]

Had a Pleasure Way Excel...loved it. 20/20 hindsight is great. Wish I had it now.

The only thing I had to deal with was a 10 gal black tank and pull-valve was very close to the ground. Other than that one issue, it was fantastic. Traded that and a Class A on one Class C to cut costs and maintenance. Wrong!