Where are the Class B owners?

Just took these this afternoon while I was making the bed and getting ready for our next trip. 

Hey guys, I don't own a class B but I am extremely interested in getting one. I'm not positive it's the right choice though. I'm 20 years old and have already taken a trip around the entire country in my car. I slept in my car a couple nights but mostly i stayed at friends places during my travel. I'm interested in full-timing but there is no way i can afford anything except for a used class B. The idea of boondocking and being able to make food on a camp fire while camping on a river really appeals to me. I have researched the idea enough to figure out everything I would need to do such a trip. But i'm thinking of doing it in a van conversion, not a class B. The difference being that a conversion has no bathroom, or sink, stove, etc. You can get a portable sink, u can get a portable shower, everything i need i could get on camping websites that I've found. I just dunno if I should do it. I guess i'm lacking balls, but this isn't just a pointless reply/post, there is a point. The point is that I dunno if I should do it. I would probably get an older model express or something, and i'm wondering if I should do it. I have no experience with class B's, and have never been in one, I've only done my around the country car roadtrip. I wanna know if full-timing in a class b or conversion is something that is possible/a good idea

Most things are achievable if you have enough determination, or are nuts enough to try. 

Could you do it - probably, if it's important to you

Would I do it - no, not without more essential comforts normally found in a B or C or TT or camper or ... well you get the picture

Should you do it - no way to tell, and it would be dumb to encourage you one way or another, not knowing you or your personal situation - talk to your parents / family

Here's a link that tells about one (rather odd) character who full times with a lot less than a van conversion - but it would not be my cup of tea, no way, not never, not no how!!!!!!!  http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/2011/07/meet-real-killer-suffering-curse-of.html

Would be interested to hear what you finally decide.

If I was twenty yrs old, had the money and the time I would do it. At my age(55)
no way, too cold, too hot, gotta have a restroom near me. That was the WOULD I do it, now could I, yes, but I've been on the other side. THE RV SIDE!
J

We are in our mid-60's and vacation (not full time) in "conversion van", that is a DIY class 'B'.  Should you do it?  No one but yourself can answer that question.  The vehicle is one thing, financing your travels also needs a hard look.  If you start w a stripped extended Chev/Ford cargo van there is lots of things you can do with it to make it very livable for one person.  The van + $2k-$3k + some skill + some tools + maybe 4-6 months and you should have a very livable basic 'B'. 

People here do it all the time:
http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/viewforum.php?f=24

You are young.  If you don't like the van conversion, sell it and either get a larger camper or a more traditional abode.  You don't have to commit to living in a van for the rest of your life.

My husband and I are older and like the comfort of a nice bed, electricity and refrigeration (cold beer).  And we don't have the skills nor time to build something ourselves.  Our B is great for touring.  We haven't tried full timing.  Not sure that we will.  We may just take lots of extended trips.

We are driving to yellowstone as I am typing.  Technology rocks...

Hello everyone, new to the site and am a proud owner of a Airstream B190.  My wife and I went to the Smokies last year and just got back from Yellowstone last month. We like to travel and enjoy wildlife viewing. Happy Camping and keep them B's rolling.

Hi and welcome.  Post some pics of your rig and travels sometime!!

Here's a few pics from our Yellowstone trip this spring. www.flickr.com/photos/bvonm  Had a wonderful time living in our Airstream. Mountains and tight spots no problem. We really love our Class B. Hello next trip. 

Nice shots

I love our Roadtrek Adventurous. Haven't taken it off-road to get close to the water because she's heavy and I wouldn't want to have to call a tow truck to get her out. The luxuries of indoor plumbing, a furnace for those really cool nights and a generator to power the coffee maker in the morning are things I wouldn't want to do without. It's small enough to park in our driveway and gets about 12L/100km (diesel).

Len and Jo said:

Longest time in a "B"?????

Two months for us.  I trip to Alaska 2-3 years ago.  Next longest was a 1 month trip to PEI and Nova Scotia.

Ours is a custom made (aka: I made it) camper.  Used a 2000 Extended Chevrolet Express cargo van as the base.  There are several pictures of it and the trips in the photo section.

Click to expand...

That's what I want to hear ... I am planning my first Alaska road trip now and also a Maritime Province/Newfoundland trip ... which will also include the New England states. I imagine each will be 2-3 months. Mind you, in all likelihood I will be travelling alone ... me and my cameras ... so I think I will have plenty of room and be quite comfortable.

I am just waiting for final approval before picking up my new 2012 Winnebago ERA ...

Anxiously waiting ... Karsty

Karsten, did you get your ERA? And if so, have you liked it? In comparing it to the Roadtreks it seems pretty good, but just wonder how it stacks up. My wife and I are leaning towards a Ideal model, as my wife wants to drive it and seemed a bit intimidated by the size of the Adventurous.

We went to an RV show yesterday where they were supposed to have Roadtreks, but none showed up (!). Only ERAs. Which look nice, but...

Anyone have any thoughts on the comparison between the two?

As to the 20 year old, I spent a lot of time in my early 20s hitchhiking across America, and then owned two VW Vans. As a single man, you can do just about anything you want, if you lower your expectations and enjoy whatever comes. There are lots of surfers, hikers, skiers, and many others that started the way you did. The famous ski movie maker Warren Miller started out in Sun Valley in a tear drop trailer where he (and a another ski bum!) camped all winter while he shot his first films! If you have never seen his early work, you ought to check it out. His camper was buried in snow for the whole season. My first wife and I were ski bums and we often camped in marginal areas just below the snow line so we could ski the first powder. One night a storm hit, and our tiny tent was caved in by the weight of the snow, and trees were crashing down in the night around us. That was using a Mazda front wheel drive car, with set of chains. We are so spoiled these days by all the amenities that our campers have for us. It's a better world, but...it comes at a mental cost.

The only advice I might give you is to make sure you have some buffer, in case your used jewel dies in an unexpected place. You want to be able to get it back on the road quickly.

I had some amazingly wonderful experiences back then, and some nightmares to be sure. A good humor and desire to just get through the bad times will lead you to some great memories.

Alf

Hi alf hanna ...

YES ... I now have my ERA. Got it November 2nd. I have taken several small shakedown trips to work out any bugs. I just got back from my first service appointment to correct/repair some issues. Most where directly related to the RV dealer and lack of proper PDI. I wrote up a rather lengthy article somewhere in this FORUM ... under Winnebago ERA thread.  Not the best dealer experience.

As for the ERA ... I am relatively please with the unit so far. I am leaving on a 2 week shakedown trip next week to put it through its' paces. The plumbing system was winterized so I want to checkout everything before next spring ... hence I am heading a little further south. How far depends on the weather I guess. 

As for comparisons between the two units ... I haven't really looked real close at the Roadtrek. Basically the floor plans are similar and it is just a case of personal choice I suppose. I believe they both come on the Mercedes/Sprinter chassis.

I am travelling alone now and although I am far from 20 ... far, far, far away ... I am looking forward to my North American Adventures.

Best of luck on your deliberations ....

Karsty

alf hanna, don't discount the Adventurous, yet.  We first looked at the shorter Ideal, but I just couldn't image getting out in a Florida rain to open the doors to extend the slide.  The longer Adventurous seemed no longer after a few miles.  Heck, that extra length is all behind you, just don't look in the rearview mirror.  ;D  I, who hate to parallel park, have actually done that with my Adventurous several times now as we unhook and drive into town when at an SP and visit a nearby town.

When it comes to selecting a Class B motorhome on the Mercedes/Sprinter chassis there are a number of choices. Winnebago ERA; Pleasure-Way Plateau; Airstream Interstate; Road Trek Adventurous; Great West Vans Legend  and Leisure Vans Free Spirit. There are more of course. But that gives you an idea.

Most offer different floor plans and options but they all seem to have the same basic equipment. In my case I have the Winnebago ERA. It is listed as a 2012 Winnebago yet it comes on the 2011 Mercedes/Sprinter 3500 chassis. The big advantage over the 2500 chassis is the increased carrying capacity.

I can?t speak to any of the other manufacturers but I thought I might list some of the likes and dislikes of my unit that I have discovered during the past two months.

I like the larger propane tank. It comes with a 16 gallon tank compared to Legend with 9.9 and the Free Spirit that offers an 8.3 gallon tank. Not sure about others.

I like the 22? LED TV. I noticed other seem to be smaller and not the LED. It is crystal clear and has the 5 speaker surround sound system.

I also like the optional storage cabinet that replaces the driver side rear seat. I wish they had another one for the passenger side rear seat. In fact, I notice that the 2010 ERA did offer some kind of closet/cabinet for the passenger side. I am looking into whether I can order or get one for mine. I need more storage as opposed to the extra seating while I am travelling.

There is plenty of overhead cabinets for storage. Nice job there.

The sofa at the back is very comfortable for me. Even when I lower it to the bed mode it is quite comfortable. I haven?t had to use any kind of topper yet. Just lay a quilt on top for comfort and then plenty of blankets ? at least during the cold weather. The furnace works very well as well. I have slept during nights when the temperature was into the low 20?s and was nice and cozy. Maybe a little noisy, but you get use to it ? or turn the TV volume up.

The kitchen sink, 2 burner stove and plenty of counter space are nice. I imagine they are similar in all the units. The bathroom is small ? even smaller for a large guy. But it is functional. Since I travel alone it is OK and nice to have your own bathroom while travelling.

I wish they had moved the fridge/freezer and microwave up higher. For a larger person, it is harder to bend down and get stuff from the bottom shelves. I would have gladly sacrificed some window space to have them moved higher and have additional cupboard/drawer space below. On the down side I would have to sacrifice some overhead storage. Have to think about that ? or lose some weight. I do like the fact that the fridge has 3 way power. I just set it to AUTO mode and it selects the best. 120V; propane or 12V.

One area where it lacks ? and that might be the MercedesSprinter problem is not having a built in inverter that allows me to plug into 110V while driving without running the generator. I like to use them to charge phones and camera batteries and my laptop. I have purchased a couple of inverters and plug them into the 12V outlets. They work fine for now.

Speaking of the generator ? very difficult to get to. In fact ,even the dealer?s technician who took me through the DEMO didn?t know where it was. He was an idiot  and that?s another story for another time. He didn?t even know how to start it.

Same thing for the coach battery. They are both under the chassis and very difficult to reach without raising on a hoist or having a pit to reach them for service. Yeah ... I know some of you skinny guys can reach them from a creepy crawly thing ? I can?t.

I do like the ERA service panel. Everything is in one location. Levels checks and generator start/stop. Hot water tank heater ? both gas and electric.

Even though the ERA has the larger propane tank they are hard to reach. Even the gas attendant has a hard time filling them. They are so low and the way they are placed makes it difficult. Having the larger tanks makes it nice because I don?t need to stop as often for refills.

Another area that is hard to reach ? for larger people anyway ? is the service area for sewer and water. It is tight and awkward. They also put the CABLE TV inlet there. Ridiculous place to place it. Not a huge issue for me since I travel instead of camp, and don?t watch much TV unless I can pick up a digital channel ? but still they could have come up with a better location for something so small.

None of the units have much if any outdoor storage. Even though they advertise plenty of under sofa/bed storage, that is not the case with the ERA. Too many electrical wires underneath to be effective for storage.

Overall I am pleased with my ERA. In hind sight I wish I had ordered my unit special instead of purchasing off the lot. Why?  So I could have ordered some options on the Mercedes Sprinter that didn?t come with my unit. I would have liked the heated seats ? yes ? we folks up north like our creature comforts and a warm butt on a cold winter day is one of them. I would have like to have the parking sensors as well. I had them on my last vehicle and they are a great safety feature. Also would like to have had the steering wheel controls as well.

So ? that is the Winnebago ERA. I could go into more detail I suppose but I think you will find that most of the units have similar features when it comes to the actual coach area.

Let?s hear from some of the other Mercedes/Dodge/ Freightliner  Sprinter Class B owners. What do you like? What would you like to see improved.

Regards

Karsty

      New to this group.  I have a 2008 Roadtrek Popular.  The person wondering about long trips should not worry.  My wife and I are on the road 4-6 weeks at a time.  Home base is Hammond ,Louisiana.

Hi mcintyre,

Glad to see you on board and hope to see more posts from you in this area. Roadtreks are nice vans and what I am looking at myself for purchase.

The forum has an introduction area that you can post a little bit about yourself and let campers know your here if you want to.

All my best to you!

Hi everybody - we are here in our 2004 Roadtrek 190P and loving it.  After 50+ years of camping (and many sizes of tents, a pop-up camper, 2 truck campers, 1 Class C, and 1 27' fifth-wheel) we were proud to become the owners of this Roadtrek and have never looked back!  We have made many trips out West, to Florida, and to the Oregon Coast in it.  In the past 50 years, we have visited all the states (including AK and HI) except for about 6 on the Eastern Coast.  This we will do asap and are very excited to be planning it.  We love this camper!

Hi Roadtrekker2,

Glad to have another class B owner on the forum and in the Van Conversions area. I think Roadtrek has a lot to offer and I am sorting through a ton of information on them. I am focused on the Adventurous right now as it seems to have what we want.

Keep us posted on your adventures! Always interested in what people are doing.

I personally like Oregon and like to visit there any chance I get. A lot of interesting things to do in Oregon. Perhaps when I get my unit we will meet at one of the forum rallies. All my best to you folks!