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Depends on your desired travel style and its purpose, and how often you want to move.
I just returned from 35 days exploring New England in my Roadtrek campervan and was on the move daily, with a few exceptions.
Pros:
Mobility - Can drive into any city, park anywhere, eat, walk about, hang out, etc.
Cheaper - One thing to own, register and insure vs two. Can park in your driveway (excepting some HOA neighborhoods).
Setup - Can literally pull over and park, pull the shades, and go to sleep at a rest stop or Walmart. At campgrounds, I mainly just plug in the power. Plenty of onboard water, battery, propane, etc to boondock for 5 days. Plugging in lets me run the A/C though.
Efficient - 15 mpg, lower toll fees than if towing a trailer or in a big RV.
Cons:
Transportation at Destination - If you like to stay put for days or weeks in the same place, you have to drive out of camp to go anywhere. A trailer+truck would be better for this style of travel.
Small Interior - not an issue for solo or couple if unladen with lots of stuff, but the space is definitely smaller than a trailer.
Really those are the only two cons I can think of.
There really is no "best", just what will best support your desired travel adventure seeking style.
You could also look at smaller Class C motorhomes. Some are capable of towing a small car if you want the flexibility. I am a full-time RVer and wouldn't consider a Class B (van). I like having some room for me and my stuff. My dream RV is a classic GMC motorhome ('74-'78) but my wife doesn't agree.
I would still go with a van. Keep in mind that a 16' Scamp is actually closer to 21' when you add the length of the tongue assembly. Add another 17' for the SUV and you are driving 38' of steel down the road. Backing it into a camp space or your driveway is also a challenge for the inexperienced, especially if alone.
Not so. A 16 foot Scamp is 16 feet long overall, including the tongue. The interior is about 13 feet long. I used to own a Scamp 16, and bought another yesterday. My experience is they are very easy to tow. Towing can be a challenge, but it's doable. Backing up is easy once you learn to hold the wheel at the bottom and turn it in the direction you want the back of the trailer to turn. A little bit of steering wheel turn goes a long way. If you don't have a partner to spot your rear when backing, install at backup camera.
We wouldn't consider a one-piece solution like a Class C because it makes to a prisoner in the campsite. My habit is to make camp in the afternoon and light out to an overlook for the sunset in the tow vehicle.
Another problem with camper vans is depreciation. I just bought a two-year old Scamp for about the original purchase price. I didn't even try to dicker the price lower. They usually sell within hours, and I was the first one to bite. Scamps and Casitas have seen recent price increases of $5000+, so I expect mine to actually appreciate. Finding one wasn't easy. The factory waiting period for a new one is 1-2 years. The fiberglass trailers are famed for durability. Our last one was 30 years old, and leak free. Appliances may need servicing, but the basic body shell lasts forever, with proper care. Conversely, a 30-year old motorhome means a 30 year-old engine and transmission to maintain and repair.
For any RV, study an owners' forum such as fiberglasrv.com to see what users like and dislike about their vehicles.
A 16 foot Bambi is the same size as a 16 foot scamp, but three times the price. I've got a 2022 Basecamp 16x and my wife and I love it. It's not hard to tow, easy to set up and take down. We've had no problems with it, other than small items BUT, I've heard that there are a lot of problems with the new Airstreams since COVID.
Depends on your desired travel style and its purpose, and how often you want to move.
I just returned from 35 days exploring New England in my Roadtrek campervan and was on the move daily, with a few exceptions.
Pros:
Mobility - Can drive into any city, park anywhere, eat, walk about, hang out, etc.
Cheaper - One thing to own, register and insure vs two. Can park in your driveway (excepting some HOA neighborhoods).
Setup - Can literally pull over and park, pull the shades, and go to sleep at a rest stop or Walmart. At campgrounds, I mainly just plug in the power. Plenty of onboard water, battery, propane, etc to boondock for 5 days. Plugging in lets me run the A/C though.
Efficient - 15 mpg, lower toll fees than if towing a trailer or in a big RV.
Cons:
Transportation at Destination - If you like to stay put for days or weeks in the same place, you have to drive out of camp to go anywhere. A trailer+truck would be better for this style of travel.
Small Interior - not an issue for solo or couple if unladen with lots of stuff, but the space is definitely smaller than a trailer.
Really those are the only two cons I can think of.
There really is no "best", just what will best support your desired travel adventure seeking style.
Another "con" for me on the small coach/van is that it's a single purpose vehicle. If you're planning to use the RV occasionally for vacations, all the rest of the time it's just sitting there deteriorating. Engine, driveline, all that. On the other hand, your pickup truck or heavy SUV tow vehicle is usable for all kinds of other things. Obviously this depends on your own personal use case. I have a use for a full size truck beyond just pulling the trailer.
We had a campervan. After awhile, the whole "unplug and put everything away so we can drive into town" got old. A few possibilities...
1) Use campervan to tow a car.
2) Have spouse follow you in a car.
3) Get a rack and carry mopeds for short, occasional trips into town.
Before COVID came along, our plan was to buy a 5th wheel trailer, a Ford F250, and travel the country. Then the build quality on 5th wheels went to hell because they couldn't build them fast enough, truck prices shot up because of the chip shortage, and the campgrounds were full. I was telling my wife I'd read that some people were really hurting, since their brand new RV was defective and when they took it back, they were on a two month waiting list for repairs...and that's their HOME.
So consider the fact that a campervan could fail in additional areas. That is, what if there's an engine problem or a steering issue (something related to the chassis, not the coach) tying it up in the shop? If it were a truck towing an RV, you could detach and repair the truck OR the RV, allowing you more options.
I've heard these are good RVs but I think there's a hassle involved because you have to get it in Canada and import it.
Well, any RV these days could fail in one way or another. I've never known anyone who bought one new and didn't find immediate issues with it. Our issues were very minor but I've heard horror stories.
I notched 111,111 miles on the Roadtrek's odometer coming to the Bay Area. Got a picture of it while driving.
We tow a small (a-frame) trailer with a SUV and use it on 4-5 camping trips a year. One of the biggest issues I see with class B vans is the way the doors operate. They are based on cargo vans, and they typically have a huge sliding door on the side and two rear doors that swing open. It’s interesting to see the way various brands try to screen off these big door openings to keep out insects and other critters.
For a few years, my spouse and I owned a 19-foot Airstream and had some wonderful camping experiences. We sold it a little while ago and have missed it ever since. My husband's health is not good and anything we get at this point will have to be something I can handle on my own.
Camper vans look relatively easy. They aren't the cheapest and a drawback would be the inability to go very far without have to unhook everything. Travel trailers have the advantage of being set up and left if you want to drive anywhere.
I'm looking into getting a new vehicle, one which will have a decent tow capacity. One way or another, we need a vehicle.
As a 66 y/o woman who has never actually towed a trailer, which would make more sense? A camper van or a 16-foot Scamp? Or maybe a 16-foot Bambi?
[font="Georgia"] Guess everyones needs are different. As a truck driver I have experience in towing a trailer. Mine is a 30' trailer. But Ill be fixin' to look into a drivable, just not the cabover style, and no slideouts. Agree, theres pros and cons to pulling a trailer but if youre more comfortable with the van or a class C drivable, you can pretty much find them relatively easier to manuever.
We tow a small (a-frame) trailer with a SUV and use it on 4-5 camping trips a year. One of the biggest issues I see with class B vans is the way the doors operate. They are based on cargo vans, and they typically have a huge sliding door on the side and two rear doors that swing open. It’s interesting to see the way various brands try to screen off these big door openings to keep out insects and other critters.
Yeah, funny about that.
When I bought my Roadtrek, I also bought a zip-in insect screen for the back doors. I've never used it. The screen seemed like a good idea but in practice I was not at all comfortable with having any of the doors open overnight. I typically travel alone.
Actually, the biggest threat to my van is my husband the miser. His philosophy is "What's his is his and what belongs to his wife is his." He out-and-out stole one of my power stations and is making noises about claiming the newer and more powerful one as well. I think we're going to have to have a come-to-Jesus moment.
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