Transcription
[Music] Hello everyone and welcome to the RV Inspection and Care podcast and video. I'm Dwayne, and I'm a certified RV inspector. And today, we're going to be talking about Class B camper vans versus Class C RVs.
Now, both of these kinds of RVs are very good for people who don't want the big RV, they don't want the Class A, they want something smaller and more nimble. Well, both of these kinds of RVs will fit that bill, but there are pros and cons for each kind of RV. So let's go ahead and get started on the Class B pros.
And the number one pro of a Class B is that it is so much easier to drive than many other RVs. In fact, if you've ever driven a passenger van of some type, well, then you're probably going to feel pretty much at home in a Class B RV. It's more like driving a car. This is really good for those that are new to rving and those that are a little intimidated about the bigger RVs, so that's a real pro.
The second pro is great fuel mileage, especially when compared to other RVs. Many Class B RV owners report about 18 to 25 miles per gallon, and of course, it depends on how you're driving it and the size of the RV and whether it's the highway or around town. But generally speaking, somewhere between 18 and 25 miles per gallon is so much better than most RVs out there.
Number three on the pro list is you usually don't need any kind of vehicle to take along with you on your RV trips. That's because the Class B then drives around town very easily and can fit in many parking spaces. So, in many cases, you don't need that extra vehicle for running errands around town. That's a big pro.
The next pro is how easy it is to maintain on the outside, especially because if you think about it, it's a passenger van that an RV builder has converted to be an RV. So it has a metal exterior that's what came from the auto manufacturer. So that means that the roof and the outside of the van is so much easier to maintain to prevent any kind of water leaks than say, a regular RV might be.
Next on the pro list is that it fits in almost any RV campsite. You know, if it's an RV campground and they are allowing you to reserve an RV campsite, well then the Class B almost every time is going to be able to fit into it. This is really great too for older campgrounds that don't have really big campsites and for national parks and things along that line.
The last pro for the Class B that I'm going to mention today is the ability to stealth camp in it. Now, what does stealth camping mean anyway? Well, interestingly, let's suppose that you are an rver that doesn't like to make a lot of reservations. You like to be able to maneuver at the last minute and go where you want to go. Well, sometimes the problem with that is that you may not get a reservation. So what the Class B van allows you to do is still park somewhere, perhaps on a well-lighted street or in a parking lot, and spend overnight there, and nobody really even knows that you're rving there because the van looks like a passenger van too. So many people, and that's called stealth camping. A lot of people like to do that that own Class B vans.
All right, now let's move on to the cons of the Class B RV. And the number one con, this is what everybody mentions, is how tight the living area is. Yes, the RV is usually only about 19 to 25 feet in length at the most, and there's no slides usually. So it's a very tight living area, and you need to really go through a Class B and experience that for yourself and decide if that's going to be enough for you or not, but it's usually a con for many people.
The second con is that when you leave your campground site and let's say you're going to be making a trip for errands or a day trip, well, you're going to have to break camp every time. That means you've got to unhook your sewer, your water, your electric, and then when you come back, you have to re-hook it up. And this goes on every single time if you're in a campground. Some people don't find this a big issue, others find it very irritating, so it's something to consider.
The third con: there's very little storage space inside and out. So if you buy a Class B van, you need to get used to the minimalist lifestyle. And actually, for many, it's a pro for them. That's what they want, and that could be the case for you. But if you're going to have to not carry the things you really want to carry with you, it could be a con, so consider that.
The next con is that the toilet and the shower are often combined into what's called a wet bath, and it's very cramped for many people. So this can certainly be a con for many.
The next con: very small holding tanks. Sometimes not even any holding tanks in some Class B RVs. So it shortens the time that you can spend boondocking very often. So if you like to do that, consider that.
The last con for a Class B RV is that it costs more than Class C's usually. In fact, the Class B RV costs more per square foot than any other RV out there. That's because they have to take all this technology and put it in such a small area. Also, it's because the RV builder didn't make the actual RV part of the RV. They had to take what the auto builder made and then convert it into that, and it requires more effort and more expense to be able to do that.
All right, so those are the pros and the cons of the Class B. Now let's move on to the Class C and the pros on the Class C.
Number one: much more living area than the Class B, especially because you get slides with almost every Class C, and the length can be much longer too, up to 35 feet. Also, the interiors are usually taller. So for you taller folks, you'll find it a lot more comfortable in a Class C.
Now, the next pro is that you can accommodate more people in a Class C. It's just made that way. It's kind of made for families, really. It will sleep a lot more people. The Class B is generally going to be comfortable for one to two people. Beyond that, it gets really tight. But the Class C can handle more.
The third pro: much more storage inside and out. So if you like to carry other things with you, this could be very important for you.
The next pro: it's a more normal bathroom. I'm talking about there being an actual sink and toilet and shower that are separate from one another, and also you have a little walk-around space. Now, don't get the impression that the bathroom is very big because it's not in these Class C's in most cases, but it's certainly going to be much bigger than the Class B, usually.
The next pro: larger holding tanks. Yes, now we're getting into where your fresh water tank, your gray water tank, your black water tank is actually of some size and can be really usable for boondocking if you like to do that a lot.
The last pro is it does usually cost less than the Class B. The Class C has been made for years and years. The technology is very established. They know what they're doing with it, so it doesn't cost as much to manufacture.
Now let's move into the cons of the Class C.
Number one: worst fuel mileage than the Class B. Uh, generally speaking, a lot of Class C owners report somewhere between 12 and 18 miles per gallon. Now, that's still better than many Class A's out there, but it's worse than the Class B.
Now, the second con is that you may indeed require that second vehicle to carry with you on your RV travels because Class C's are not as easy to maneuver around, especially if they're longer. They won't fit in parking spaces as easy and so on. So very often, you've got to take that second vehicle to be able to maneuver around, running errands around town and day trips and so forth.
The third con: very often the cabin is going to be more noisy when you're driving in it. The engine generally is more noisy. Also, the ride of a Class C usually is a little rougher than the Class B. Those Class B vans again, they ride like a passenger vehicle in many cases. Class C's are a little bit more rougher than that, so you definitely want to do some test riding of it before you decide.
The next con is that in many cases, the cabin of a Class C is actually down. You go down into it to get into the seats, and that means that those seats on the front are not usable. So the whole cabin area is wasted space for actually living in, whereas the Class B, very often you can just turn those chairs around, you have a seating area there.
The next con is it is not as easy to drive around as the Class B. Yes, it's not as maneuverable, not quite as nimble. Now, it's much better than many Class A's, but the award for being able to maneuver an RV goes to definitely the Class B over the C.
The final con for a Class C is generally more maintenance overall. When I say maintenance, we're talking about more tires, bigger tires, the RV roof that is going to be on it, it's a real RV roof with joints and seams that have to be sealed and inspected from time to time and so on. So generally speaking, there's more maintenance that's going to go on with a Class C, not a ton more, but more.
All right, those are my list of pros and cons for both the Class B and the Class C. If you're torn here on what to do, it's probably a good idea to go back through this video, write down the pros and cons as I presented them, try to find the pros that fit you best, the ones that seem to be in your style of RV travel and camping, and the cons that you really don't want to have to deal with. And if you do that and make the check marks against the ones that are really more important to you, usually you'll begin to see what will work best for you, either the Class B RV or the Class C. And if you do that, I'm sure that you will make the right decision and choose the RV type that works best for you.
Well, that's it for now. Have safe and happy travels, my friends, until next time. [Music]