General B questions

Just looking for some general information for a B for me, wife, and Yellow Lab.

What's the MPG on Chevy and Ford based B's, VS Sprinter based B's.

I know the Chevy based B's are slightly lower in cost, but how do they compare overall to the Ford and Sprinter based B's.

Which is easier to drive, and which has more room?

How much storage is actually in a B; where do you put things like a screen room, camp chairs and table?

We were interested in a C, but besides problems getting it up our driveway, I see that even small 24' C's cannot go everywhere to include certain lookouts, smaller tunnels, and certain parts of the Road to the Sun in Glacier, but can the B's go everywhere a car or pick up turck can go?

Have any of you guys gone from a A, C, or TT to a B, and what are your impressions.

Last but not least, how do you like traveling in a B overall?

Your insight will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

We are fairly new to RVs, having purchased a Chinook Premier a month or so ago, after pondering all the options for at least a couple of years.

Now the Chinook is described by some as a B, some as a B+, but Chinook described it as "without question the best built class C motorhome in the world ... period".  In my view the classification is arbitrary.  Whatever the moniker, it is a small RV, just 21 feet long, so our experience & comments are probably relevant to your area of interest

There are plenty of threads in this and other forums discussing gas mileage.  Obviously much has to do with how and where you drive, and what load you are carrying.  Previously we have rented 25' Class C's, and were not enamored by their construction quality or their MPG.  The rental unit we had at Christmas was a 2011 V-10 model, turned in 6.8 MPG, and was a rattlebox.  By way of contrast, our Chinook is solidly built and so far is averaging right at 10 MPG.

Sprinters clearly yield better gas mileage, and we were considering one before we chose the Chinook.  We looked at a combination of features that were important to us along with expected total cost of ownership averaged over time.  Although a comparable sized Sprinter would have lower fuel bills, the initial purchase price was significantly more than what we paid for the Chinook. 

We drove several Sprinters and several different Bs, all in the 21' or so range.  They are all easy to drive.  Overall impression was that the Sprinters felt more European, the Chevy/Ford Bs more American (I have some basis for this comparison having lived half my life in Europe, half my life here in the USA).

We looked at every category of RV before settling on something that was small and agile, specifically for the sort of reasons you mention (ability to go pretty much wherever, potential for use as a '2nd vehicle', etc.).  We favor wilderness over plush resorts, so size was an important factor.

Right now we are using it for weekends but when we retire we expect to make extended trips.  Storage on most of them is somewhere between tight and pitiful.  Another factor in selecting our Chinook was the huge, heavy duty roof carrier which we figure will be beneficial when we start making longer trips. 

We are two fairly slim people, with a 7lb toy poodle.  I would not relish the idea of sharing the space with a bigger dog (or a fatter wife ... LOL).

Several of the Bs/Sprinters have stupid bathrooms.  That was a major factor in choosing the Chinook.

Many of them do not have screen doors; again a reason for picking the Chinook.

My best advice is that you should spell out on paper exactly what you want to accomplish with your RV, then distill from this the criteria that are most important to you.  Establish a scoring mechanism so that you objectively evaluate options against your criteria; and be prepared to consider the trade-offs.

Finally, yes we love our little 21 footer; so far it is living up to expectations, and we are using it every weekend.  You can see how things turn out over time by following us on our blog, 'Chinookers Journey', at http://chinookers.blogspot.com/.

Hope this helps a little, and good luck with your decision.

I have had all and can tell you that going from big to small is not an option. A Class B or B+ as I had are great for weekends as long as you don't need to carry stuff with you. They do lack in storage. We went from a Fifth wheel down to a class B+ and had to get rid of a lot of what I call camping conviences. The showers and restroom facilities are inadequate in a B and B+. The only reason I downsized was my DW wanted smaller so she could drive. Two years she never drove once and I was becoming claustrophobic. Note: I am now in a Class A with room to spare and I can actually turn around in the shower or pick up the soap when I drop it.

It really depends on what you are going to use it for. Weekends, short trips or a day at the beach a B is ok. Full timing or extended trips or a dog mayfind yourself wishing you would have done something different. I live in sunny, flat South Florida where my only limit on size is the width of my narrow street. Your considerations will p;ay an important roll in making the choices. No matter what you choose, just being outdoors is a pleasure for me just as it should be for you.

Good luck in you choice.  It will need to reflect your personal life style.  Our 'B' is on the small size and we have enjoyed trips that have lasted 1-2 months in length.  It does what we want and a larger RV would not make us happy campers.

We have traveled all over the US and Canada and one of the things that would cause me problems in a  "B", besides lack of storage and a place to take a nap, would be a big wet dog.  I can just imagine going for a walk in the rain and then having the dog come into the "B" and shake..... ;D  We have problems with a big wet dog in a 35' Class A.

Marsha~