A new rig for G & T: A Class B RV — Coasting Toward Blue

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Back in January, before the pandemic, G and I went to an RV show in Boston. There, among the throngs of like-minded attendees, we stepped inside dozens of RVs—everything from giant Class As to travel trailers to Class Cs and, then, to our favorites: the Class Bs. We saw the Pleasure-Way Ontour and the Pleasure-Way Tofino, which looked like a modern version of our VW van with its pop-top (the brand-new Winnebago Solis, also featuring a pop-top, hadn’t yet made its debut). We checked out Airstreams; damn, do I love Airstreams. We sat inside $300K+ homes on wheels. We saw (and drooled over) the Winnebago Revel and the Winnebago Travato.

We dreamed—and decided we’d do our research and make the jump to a bigger rig in a few years’ time. After all, our van suited us perfectly! Sure, it didn’t have a kitchen or bathroom, but so what? After all, we’re camping! We shouldn’t feel like we’re staying in a hotel room or a tiny house…right?

And then COVID-19 hit.

With our summer travel plans, a mix of air travel and a west coast road trip (not in the van, unfortunately) canceled, we switched to planning a summer spent locally and socially distanced—a summer of weekends spent camping. Not wanting to use shared/public facilities, we made the van as self-contained as we possibly could. We bought the Heliopolis privacy shelter by NEMO Equipment to use as our bathroom and shower. The Heliopolis was an absolute game-changer. We paired that with NEMO’s Helio LX pressure shower and the trusty Luggable Loo for an as-close-to-a-real-toilet-but-still-a-bucket bathroom experience. Then my sister and brother-in-law bought a travel trailer to use with their truck. Never having been camping before, they jumped right into the gig with the trailer. The trailer, perfect for their family of four is fantastic. G was absolutely smitten. And suddenly, our “longterm plan” timeline bumped up a bit. As in, instead of years, we were talking months. G, the more pragmatic of the two of us, was suddenly gung-ho. And because I’m constantly reading and researching for fun (I really missed my calling as a librarian!), I dove into the RV research, searched for vehicles, and made a bunch of calls.

As I’ve written on the blog already, my dream is to one day travel more or less full-time in an RV. (G, on the other hand, isn’t so sure he wants to give up a home base, but we’ll see). So my “for fun” research and reading already involved a lot of RV-related books, articles, and podcasts. We weren’t going in blind. We knew we loved the Eurovan but wanted a bathroom and kitchen. We liked (and wanted) easy set-up and take-down. We looked at the Airstream Basecamp series of travel trailers, we quickly ruled those out. We love the aesthetic, but even as lightweight as they are, travel trailers would be out of the question with our current vehicles. We both drive Jeeps (I have a Renegade, and G has a Grand Cherokee), but neither of us has a large towing capacity—G’s tops out at about 3,500lbs (and mine rates even lower) but would need an after-factory towing package installed. And to be honest, I wasn’t so keen on the idea of everything towing entails (namely, backing up, leveling, hitching/unhitching—yep, all the major things!). We didn’t want a big Class A motorhome, and Class Cs still seemed a little too big for us. As we have absolutely loved the size/form factor of our Eurovan, our choice became a simpler one: we’d be getting a Class B.

Before I go too much further into the weeds, it might help to know that motorized RVs are categorized into three main groups, or “classes,” A, B, and C. There are other RVs (e.g., fifth wheels, pop up campers, travel trailers, toy haulers, etc.), but motorized RVs (vehicle + home all in one) are organized into those three classes, A, B, and C.

Class A motorhomes typically range between 21–43 feet and can sleep 6–8. These behemoths truly are “homes on wheels.” When you see these motoring down the highway, you’ll probably see them towing a car (called a “toad”) behind them. That way, once settled, folks can use their car (and not the large motorhome) to explore the local areas. Sure, Class As provide an incredibly luxurious tiny home (on wheels), but I cannot imagine trying to drive one of these—and who am I kidding? There’s no way I’d be the one driving!

Class C motorhomes are the next largest (don’t ask me why the Bs, the smallest of the three, are in the middle), ranging from 25–35 feet. They, too, can sleep up to 8. Class C RVs feature an over-the-cab portion which often serves as a sleeping area. Class C can also tow vehicles. Class As and Cs both often feature “slide-outs,” areas that can literally “slide out” from the side of the RV to offer extra interior living spaces such as dinettes and additional sleeping areas. Class Cs aren’t necessarily huge, but they’re still bigger than what G and I would like. Based on our time with the Eurovan, we’re prioritizing being able to travel and camp without really worrying about size, maneuverability, etc. So, that’s leaves us with the Class Bs, right in between the As and Cs.

Class Bs, commonly called “campervans,” are built on van chassis and typically range in length from about 16 to 22+/- feet. Most fit within a standard parking spot and drive more like minivans or large SUVs. Class Bs feature bathrooms, living/sleeping areas, and galley kitchens, but everything is a bit more compact to fit into the smaller van body. Unfortunately, Class Bs, although the smallest, are some of the most expensive. Go figure!

The above was super simplistic, and the RV industry is jam-packed with brands and models and nuances among/between them all. For a fantastic website outlining just about everything you’d want to know about RVs, check out GoRVing here.

When you start down the rabbit hole of RVing, expect to become a bit overwhelmed. Luckily, I’ve been more or less researching for a few years, back when I started seriously considering getting a van. While I feel like I know more now than I did then, there’s still so much to learn and know!! Luckily, there’s YouTube and Facebook groups to help! G and I have never “RVed” before, though our VW Eurovan gave us a little taste of what camping out of an RV could be like. Just as the VW felt like the lap of luxury after tent camping (and mind you, we had a big tent!!), the RV is going to take that feeling of luxury to the next level! Still, so much will be new to us: new systems to understand, a new type of vehicle to learn, a whole new set of tasks/worries (um, dumping our waste comes to mind!!). The Eurovan, for all of the comforts it provided us, was still just a van with two beds. It wasn’t a fully furnished home on wheels. The new rig will be…stay tuned to learn what we decided on!