Anybody travel in a van/small RV????

[RP]

No, not live in one down by the river, so let's get that out of the way. It's time to start checking off some of the items on my bucket list, one of which is to travel around this great country (and Canada) in a van/small RV. John Steinbeck planted the seed when I read Travels with Charlie a long time ago. Has anybody done this, planning to do this, or currently doing this? Thoughts, ideas, lessons learned???

[HHP]

Been thinking the same thing. The ones that appealed to me were the Road Trek line built on the largest Chevy van chassis. Small enough to use as a daily driver but enough amenities to be comfortable on a trip.

[Captain Jim]

We have had a bunch of different RVs over the years, including several campervans. My wife's favorite was the Leisure Travel Van we had for about 6 years... we took it a lot of places our bigger coaches couldn't fit. It would fit in most normal parking spaces, yet had most of the amenities of a larger motorhome (on a smaller scale).

I found it very comfortable to drive - a fine traveling vehicle, but a bit too compact for me if we were in one place for more than a couple days.

https://leisurevans.com/

We are currently into month 3 of traveling the US in our "downsize" Class C (B+?) Winnebago Aspect for the summer. This was a compromise for us... I wanted bigger, my wife wanted smaller. We have been very comfortable in our travels with this.

Back in the mid-70s, I converted a Dodge van to be our travel machine; built a platform bed in back, installed cabinets, power, and a pump-water system. You couldn't stand fully upright in it, but we were a lot younger and it met our wanderlust needs.

[fazool]

My wife and I went on a travel league with our athlete daughter this summer and were thinking that a tiny RV would be perfect for those 1-2 day trips.

I really think it would be a great thing to have.

[HHP]

Here's tour of a 210 Popular.

[Jim Owen]

Hi RP,
It's on my list, too. Has been ever since the ads of the VW bus. That van Harry found looks about my size.

[RP]

I keep thinking about a Winnebago Travato, Sportsmobile, or outfitting a barebones Ram Promaster...

[AX17609]

My sister and her husband live in an RV and constantly travel around the country. They've upgraded and upgraded and upgraded to the point that their vehicle is more like a house with wheels and an RV. They love it.

[00Buck]

I have a 25 ft B+ on a Chevy 3500 Express chassis. It's small enough to use without having to tow a car behind it. You have to look for parking spaces, and be careful about them, but it's doable. I use it for local camping and have taken it on trips to Utah, South Dakota, Michigan and Tennessee. Our longest trip was 17 days. I'd go longer but the spouse had already exceeded her limit.

Quality Issues. A major issue with any RV or camper is quality. I've owned a very expensive RV and two more moderately priced ones. Quality is an issue throughout the industry. Worse, the dealerships have lousy service departments with long lead times. If you don't have good handy man skills (plumbing, electrical, minor carpentry, and minor mechanical), get out your wallet, prepare to wait weeks, and return multiple times for the same issue.

Buy Used. Whatever you buy will have issues. It's inevitable. If you buy used from a reputable dealer (admittedly hard to find), any major issues will likely have been worked out. If you are a rookie, don't go by yourself. Get a knowledgeable person to check out whatever you are buying. A lot of RVs have water damage that might not be noticeable to the uninitiated. If you buy one of these, you've thrown your money out the window.

Storage. Storage in a B or B+ is pretty spare. Many people buy a storage box that attaches to the receiver in the rear. You need to pack like someone who works for UPS or FedEx.

Sleeping Arrangements. Plan on sleeping on the couch. To get a bed you will generally have to find a RV that's at least 27 ft long. The extra 2 feet over my 25 doesn't seem like much but it makes a pretty big difference. The extra 2 feet doesn't come with a longer chassis so the butt end swings out a lot in parking lots and at corners. It's also harder to find parking spaces.

Guitars. I take my GS Mini or Martin 00X1 whenever I travel. It rides on the couch during the day and gets stored on the driver's seat during the night. I wouldn't try this with a hard case as it would be likely to slide off. Gig bags provide a little friction. I can't recall either guitar every falling off.

TV. Most RV's set the TV up high toward the ceiling. You'll have a sore neck half way through a movie. Look for one that's mounted lower or has a place to move it from it's perch up on the catwalk.

Ford vs Chevy. I've owned one of each and test driven several of each. I much prefer the Chevy because the steering is much tighter. The Fords wander all over the place and require constant correction. No big deal if you're going to a campground an hour from home. Very tiring and annoying if you're driving across the country. (However, you can buy kits to attenuate the Ford wander problem.) My RV has a 6 litre engine that consistently delivers 11-13 miles per gallon. That's like a Prius in the world of RVs.

Water and sewerage. When the RV companies tell you that you have 31 gallons of fresh water, subtract six for the water in the hot water tank. Check to see what goes in the black tank (usually just the toilet) and the grey water tank (usually the shower and everything else). A huge black tank is worthless unless you get dysentery on your trip. large grey tanks and fresh water tanks are what to look for.

Tires. Most used RV's have fairly low mileage. Often the tires will have ample tread on them. Tires on an RV are safe for five to seven years depending on exposure. Check the DOT date on the side of the tire. If the RV doesn't have a TPMS, plan on forking out another $300-400 for a system (TireTraker, Tire Minder). A good one will have an alarm than can be set for pressure and temperature. You don't want to have a blow out at 70 mph in your 6 ton hay wagon.

Salesmen. I've bought several RV's and campers. If you've bought one you probably know more about them than the salesman in an RV dealership. Take whatever they say with a grain of salt. They will pull out the NADA blue book and show you how much the RV is worth. It's pure BS. NADA does straight line depreciation on RV's. The numbers you get from them have little relationship to market value. If you see something you like, check a website like RV trader to see what's being asked for similar units.

Dealerships. Camping World or any other big dealership may be the worst place to buy one. I'd definitely advise staying away from Camping World. An important point to understand is that the dealerships (at least those that I've dealt with) only wash and vacuum a trade in. If you have an expectation, like I did as a rookie, that it has been checked out before the sale you'll be screwed like I was.

Moreover, don't take a unit until everything has been fix and set up to your satisfaction. After you buy it, it's your problem. If you get an IOU, you'll be shuffled off to the service department and into their waiting cue. Service Departments and Sales Departments are on separate planets with no lines of communication.

Weight. Take the unit to a CAT Scale and weigh it before you buy. Many RV have very limited cargo capacities. Some are at, or near, GWVR as soon as you fill up the tank with water and put two butts in them. I travel pretty light and still carry 800 to 1000 lbs. The dry weight on my current RV (07 Lexington B-235s) is close to 2000 lbs under GVWR. The more the better.

You should also give some regard to weight distribution. It's a pita to weigh each side of the axle, but you should at least check the tanks, generator and other stuff to see how the load has been balanced. Check at least the front and rear weights. They have independent weight ratings.

It's not all doom and gloom. It's great to have a bathroom and a fridge in your "car." You can travel without the hassle of dragging multiple bags in and out of motels. You can eat your own food. You can go places that don't have motels and stay for a while. For all the trouble, I can't imagine living without an RV or camper.

PS: I know Ford vs. Chevy is like Martin vs Taylor. Not trying to start a brand war, just sharing my experience having owned both types of RVs.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by RP

No, not live in one down by the river, so let's get that out of the way. It's time to start checking off some of the items on my bucket list, one of which is to travel around this great country (and Canada) in a van/small RV. John Steinbeck planted the seed when I read Travels with Charlie a long time ago. Has anybody done this, planning to do this, or currently doing this? Thoughts, ideas, lessons learned???

No, but I've read the book - wonderful.

[Acousticado]

My wife and I have never RVed. Leading up to retirement in 2012, we were toying with three new winter lifestyle options...buying a catamaran and sailing the Caribbean (to prepare, we had taken up sailing locally five years earlier having bought a Catalina 22 cabin boat); buying an RV with motorcycle in-tow and touring North America (I bought a Harley Road King two years earlier to get back my riding skills); or buy a vacation home in Florida. Since the $Cdn was at-par with the $US in '12, we decided to buy a vacation home in a 55+ community in SW Florida as a 'southern base of operations' during the winter. We knew we'd want to revisit sailing and/or RVing at some point, and the time is approaching...the RVing option is again on our minds.

When I had done the research a few years ago, our minds were pretty-much made-up that we would buy a late model Coachmen Prism M220 which are based on the Mercedes 'Sprinter' chassis/drivetrain either in 6 cyl. gas or diesel (very good fuel economy rating). There are many other RV manufacturers such as Winnebago, also using the Sprinter platform to build their versions. They are a maximum of 25', have slide-outs and are very nicely appointed with great use of space. One paridular reason we like these Sprinters is because the Ford and Chevy cab space is quite cramped in foot space for the passenger due to the engine cowling. The Sprinters don't have that.





I sold the Harley a while ago. Somewhat reluctantly, this time we may go with a CanAm Spyder in-tow so my wife can also drive it. There's a towing accessory that raises and securely brackets the back wheel of the CanAm off the ground. Not exactly sure when we'll actually do it...we'll likely buy one when we're in Florida, so we're hoping for our $Cdn to sufficiently rise.

[Acousticado]

I have a question about RVing while rolling down the highways and biways from a personal safety perspective. I realize that everything gets/is well-secured and that the driver and passenger are buckled in when sitting in the cab. BUT...in consideration of any potential laws of which I may not be aware, how freely do passengers move around? Do they go about things as they would when parked or back at home...sitting on the sofa unsecured, lay down on the bed/nap, take a shower, prepare a meal? Despite any potential restrictive laws, I would think that human nature being as it is, passengers likely do whatever they want, whenever they want.

Comments appreciated.

[00Buck]

There are seat belts in the cabin area. We generally stay buckled up except for spouse's trips to the fridge, bathroom, and sometimes the microwave. I say generally because sometimes she sacks out on the couch. I can't imagine trying to cook something or take a shower while driving. It would be a mess. So yes, there is some freedom to move around, but not like at home.

Re foot space in your other post. Fords are pretty tight. Chevy's have more room, but indeed the sprinters have great leg room. Early models however were way under powered and overweight. The Prism is a nice unit, but I don't care much for sleeping arrangements. Somebody has to crawl over someone else.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by 00Buck

There are seat belts in the cabin area. We generally stay buckled up except for spouse's trips to the fridge, bathroom, and sometimes the microwave. I say generally because sometimes she sacks out on the couch. I can't imagine trying to cook something or take a shower while driving. It would be a mess. So yes, there is some freedom to move around, but not like at home.

Re foot space in your other post. Fords are pretty tight. Chevy's have more room, but indeed the sprinters have great leg room. Early models however were way under powered and overweight. The Prism is a nice unit, but I don't care much for sleeping arrangements. Somebody has to crawl over someone else.

True about the layout in the pic I posted, but there are a few more, where I think a couple of bed arrangements don't cause this. Of course, one can always sleep in the bed, the other in the bunk-over-cab.

[Ozzy the dog]

The idea is great but for me the reality would have to include one of these...