2nd Smaller Motorhome

[TomC]

While it's nice to have a 40ft motorhome (both my bus and truck are 40ft because of length laws), it would be nice to have a second smaller motorhome in the 25ft range for quick weekend get aways and getting into National Parks that have length restrictions. I do not want to use a stick and staples-although the Lazy Daze class C does not have slide outs (which I like). Also, a small Freightliner M2 with a 16ft rear for an overall of 25ft would be good.

Have any considered a smaller second motorhome, and what interested you? Good Luck, TomC

[Geoff]

Its 40'er or nothing.  If I don't fit I don't go.  Plus I don't want to covert another bus, even if its only 25' long.

[luvrbus]

We have always had a conversion van (class B ) with our Eagle it was kinda nice to make short trips to Vegas and CA overnight  all the comforts of a bus just not as large 


I enjoy the Trek my wife bought it has as much room as a 40 ft just no separate bedroom the bed is in the celing when not in use only takes 7 qts of oil lol

[Lin]

The term "sticks and staples" is not necessarily accurate.  There could be many manufactured RV's that have reasonable construction.  Our first RV was a 1974 Pace Arrow and it had a square tube steel frame.

[rv_safetyman]

Tom, we have often pondered the same thing.

We have mostly thought about van type conversions that we could tow behind the bus.  Have thought about the 4WD van type conversions that look really neat.

The big issue comes down to cost and lack of comfort features.  Most of us are spoiled with good heating/AC, significant water/waste capacity, good self contained features (inverter battery bank, generator).  To step down to something that is about the size of a large doghouse with limited creature comforts just does not appeal to us.

I have thought about some of the Sprinter based vehicles that have more creature comforts but they are terribly expensive.

All academic thinking, as we don't have the money anyway.  Especially when you consider that we would probably not use it that much.

Jim

[Len Silva]

There were a few well made motor homes in the days of yore.  Superior is one that I had a bit of experience with.  Built by Superior School Bus Company on a Grumman chassis, it was very well built and well appointed for it's time.

[luvrbus]

Coach House is the premier builder of class b and c motor homes of today a little pricey but a well built unit I saw a 23 ft in Quartzsite with 2 slides neat rv  

The Safari Trek the wife bought is a well built little unit all steel siding and aluminum boxed uprights and roof bows with 4 inch roof at first I wasn't impressed the price she paid i thought was too much but it has grown on me

Now she doesn't depend on me to find time to take a trip with her if she wants to see the kids ,grandkids or friends in Tx,Id or OK off she goes she never liked doing that in the bus but she would the worst for her in the bus was fuel stops she hated truck stops

I like the unit a lot it was so nice we had a problem with the dash air pulled into a rv repair 150 bucks and 1-1/2 hrs we were back on the road with nice dash air for the 100 degree heat  

[sledhead]

I camped beside a guy with a sprinter diesel motorhome ( 25' with 1 slide ) when in the keys in january and asked how be liked it . He has a rack for 2 bicycles and that is how they get around when they don't drive the rv . 14 -17 mpg on flats 12 mpg in the hills . he said he loves it for the size , he has a buddy with one that tows a small car.His buddy only gets 10 mpg and can't hold 50 mph on any hill with the car in tow. So yes it's a small size but to have to break camp to drive to get a jug of milk, a loaf of bread is not for me . At 40' we can get into most state parks,to have a truck to drive is great .The small units look good but are at their max load before you start .               dave

[kwidd]

We built one out of a handi trans bus. It is 25 foot long built on a Ford E450. It has a bath in the back full sized bed couch and small kitchen. It had 220k miles on it when we got it but it ran great. The powerstroke 7.3 had good power. If driven at 65 or below the mileage is around 14mpg. I sold it to my brother 5 years ago and they use it all the time and love it. When we go in a group we load up in it for around town.

[bobofthenorth]

I've always thought that just a basic tradesman van conversion would be great for short trips.  I had an employee that travelled a lot in the winter in one several years ago.  He said it was great for stealth overnight stops because it fit right in on a parking lot or in streetside parking.  I've got too many places to sleep riight now - don't need another one to look after - but if I did it would be a really basic van conversion - no slides, no raised roof - just a tradesman van with a bed, sink and stove.

[chessie4905]

get one of those GMC motorhomes; Palm Beach or other.

[lvmci]

Hi All, I had a Ultrastar by Champion 29' class A aerodynamic body built with metal studs on a chevy P30 chassis, other having to climb over the engine box to drive, it was a high quality unit, the worst thing about it was the chevy P30 part, lvmci...

[bevans6]

The only one I really considered was a Sprinter based van conversion.  Solid, dependable (I felt at the time), easy to wheel around, big enough for a week or two on the road.  They were too expensive for me, though.

Brian

[Jeremy]

I have a Chevy conversion van which theoretically qualifies as a second, smaller motorhome. Unfortunately it's in as many pieces as the bus, and has been an unfinished project for even longer.

It's kinda funny to hear how sought-after Sprinters are in the States - they're as common as muck here, as are many similar vans from other European manufacturers. But things like my Chevy are rare of course, and bus conversions are even rarer.

Jeremy

[WEC4104]

At the risk of straying off topic, my personal leaning would be to suppliment the bus with a small trailer.  By a large margin, my preference is to travel with all the conveniences of a coach/motorhome. But since I never drag a toad, there are a few instances when dropping a trailer and scooting around in a car would be an advantage. I have thought about something like a full featured pop-up trailer.  My twisted thinking is that by choosing something quite a bit different than the bus, it expands my overall capabilities.

I have also envisioned a trip where both the bus and pop-up trailer (towed by a separate car) were used on the same trip. We could take a larger group of extended family or friends, and grab adjacent campsites.  Having all the ammentities in the bus, plus comfortable sleeping for 6+ more, opens up all sorts of possibilities.