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Hi all! I'm a new member and have an opportunity to purchase a 1999 RoadTrek 190 on a Dodge chassis. I think the salesman said it was a simplicity. He said it only has 14,000 miles -- obviously wasn't used much but was dirty and needed cleaning. They're detailing and cleaning it. I've not owned any RV, let alone a RoadTrek, but I know this is the RV I want. I know nothing yet about what customizations (if any) come with the van -- I haven't seen it yet. Does anyone have any opinions on a 13-year-old RoadTrek? It's gas, not diesel. Asking price is quite reasonable. I'm not opposed to a used RV, but have been looking at a newer (or new) 190 or 210 on a Chevy chassis. Any opinions, comments, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks............. tigerdriver.

We have a 2012 RS Adventurous ... I'm thinking about upgrading the standard gauges that are merely "estimates" even according to Roadtrek, the manufacturer..YES, I called them and they confirmed that the gauges were NOT accurate.... SO, I'm thinking of getting See Level gauges.. that ARE supposed to be ACCURATE... Have any of you had experience with See Level gauges?? Please respond....

For those of you with Class B's.... How many of you selected a front engine diesel for it's durability, efficiency and substance over a gasoline powered engine? According to the National Automobiles Dealer Association.... mileage is NOT a consideration when evaluating "diesel engines" ... mileage is only a factor to be considered on GASOLINE engines.... Diesel engines are known for going 300,000 to 500,000 miles.... and I've been told that the entire coach will likely fall apart well before the diesel engine fails.... Please don't respond about Mercedes Benz Sprinters not being sold in North America..that is simply NOT TRUE...the 2018 Mercedes Benz Sprinter with the 3 litre diesel V6 is already out for 2018.... If you have anything constructive to say.... please share....

If you currently own or have owned a Roadtrek Class B of any particular model in their line, please report how you think the coach quality is and whether it's holding up well over time. I'd really like your candid comments. Don't let the fact that I own one influence you one way or another. If you have had a good or bad experience, I'd like to hear it.

Recently bought a 2002 Roadtrek 200 Popular. So far, we have put 5000 miles on this year -Loving it! Joined FMCA, based on what we heard. This RT has one size 24 coach battery, we are wanting to do a lot of dry camping and are considering switching to a size 31 battery. It is impossible to check battery water in the original location between the bumper and generator from below. I have not had any problems, but have never gone two full days without driving the RT. I am considering installing an AGM battery in the original location. Is that a charging problem if nothing else is changed? I am also considering putting the battery in the left rear compartment which is only about 18" away.

The RV life offers a lot of choices. From travel trailers, to fifth wheels to motorhomes, there is a vehicle to suit every style. And when it comes to motorhomes, there are essentially three choices – a big Type A (as long as 40+ feet, usually with multiple slides), a Type C (less than 30 but tall and wide, sometimes with slides) and a Type B, often called a camper van and anywhere from 20-25-feet or so in length. You may know them as Class A, C and B. The industry thought the term “Class” sounded to elitist so switched to the word Type instead. But either modifier is correct. Type Bs are probably the hottest selling segment of the motorized RV market these days. But is a Type B right for you? After more than two years of Type B travel and over 50,000 miles climbing mountains, visiting seashores, National Parks and wilderness areas all over North America, I have identified 10 reasons a Type B RV may be right for you. 1) A Type B RV can go where pretty much where a car can go - A Type B is meant for getting you easily to wherever you want to go, be it a fast food parking lot off the freeway or a remote boondocking spot in the middle of a national forest or BLM lands far off the commercial grid. It is maneuverable and easy to drive yet has all the comforts of home. Which figures, because it is your home. 2) A Type B RV is for those who like to tour – The bigger motorhomes are just that: Big. Very big. You need to be careful turning corners, changing lanes, going under things and once you get off the interstates, you will get the same looks a slow moving tractor does on a two lane in rural country. A Type B shares the road well with all vehicles, accelerates well, turns easily and doesn’t take up three car lengths of roadway. 3) A Type B RV actually gets good fuel economy – My first Type B got 22 miles to a gallon. The heavier Roadtrek eTrek I’ve been driving this past year still averages 17-18 mpg. At $4 plus per gallon these days, the fuel savings over the bigger motothomes out there are considerable. 4) A Type B RV can run errands as a second vehicle at home – I often use the eTrek as a second vehicle. Jennifer has our car. I drive the Roadtrek. Simple as can be. 5) A Type B RV can stay parked in your driveway in most places – Neighborhood and home owner associations frown on Type A and Type Cs being parked in driveways. There’s not nearly the problem with Type Bs. I don’t have to store my RV in a lot, paying stiff monthly fees. Mine is right in my driveway, ready to take me across town or the country anytime I want. 6) A Type B RV simplifies the traveling life – It is so easy to go in a Type B. You learn very quickly that you do not need nearly the “stuff” you thought you’d need. You take what you need and are surprised to discover that, other than food, a few changes of clothing and some elementary camping gear, you travel light. And that just feels so right. Free and easy down the road you’ll go. Seriously, I think of my RV every time I hear that Dierks Bentley song. “A pair of boots and a sack of clothes, free and easy down the road I go. Hangin’ memories on the high line poles, free and easy down the road I go.” Oops. Sorry about that. 7) A Type B RV is for doers, not sitters – Nothing against Type A or Type C RVers but it’s been my experience that Type B owners are folks who don’t like sitting in one place very long. They are hikers, bikers, explorers and they tend to exemplify the slogan on the T-shirts and sweatshirts sold on the Roadtreking Store: Yeah, we have a small house. But we have a big yard. Type B RVers spend a lot of time outdoors. 8) A Type B RV doesn’t require a lot of set-up and take down – It’s so easy to park in a camping spot. Even if you have to back in. Hooking up takes three minutes, tops. Same with unplugging and leaving. Leveling is seldom a problem. If it is, move a few feet. Try that in a Type A. 9) A Type B RV is great for day trips and special events – Driving to visit relatives, attending a grandkid’s soccer game or parking along a parade route, there’s nothing like having your own bathroom on board, a fridge and microwave for snacks, or a place to charge computers, smartphones, camera batteries and the like. Because it drives so easy, it’s handy and easy to take non-camping outings. 10) A Type B RV can serve as a guest bedroom in your driveway – Plug in an extension cord and your Type B can serve as a spare bedroom for guests, giving them – and you – privacy. I know of some Type B owners who use it as a dressing room while attending weddings or as a place to nap cranky kids. Because most Type Bs also have generators or coach batteries to provide power, the Type B is also a great refuge in a storm when the grid supplying your neighborhood is interrupted. Okay. Those are my top ten reasons why a Type B RV may be right for you. I’m sure we could come up with ten more reasons. In fact, current Type B owners, please feel free to add to this list under comments.

Someone backed into my 2002 Roadtrek and the fiberglass storage compartment has signficant damage. Wondering about replacement vs repair. Anyone have info or advice?

Hello - new owner of a Roadtrek 210 - and after 2 times out to road test it - have various ideas about small modifications to make. Wondered what others had done - as I know people can be very creative! Ideas in the works: - Coffee Space Make replaced with Expresso & Milk Frother (make a custom cabinet to hold it) - Bike rack that opens side-bar to be able to get into Roadtrek without taking off bikes - Clothes storage that is accessible and uses space effectively - Fly Nets on back and side door (done - love them!) Happy Trekking

This could be the first Type B motorhome ever Henry Fords 1937 House Car. They supposedly only build a handful of these each year. This one is on a 1937 Ford Pickup frame and was found in a private garage in Minnesota in the summer of 2001 with only 19,000 miles on it. A collector named Graham Thickins restored it to original and drivable condition. Check out this story by Thickins to see lots of photos and get the details but it had an all wood lined interior with a metal skin wrapped around it. The roof is wood framed with heavy, waterproofed canvas, Door frames are solid oak, as are the window frames. Heres a pdf of an 1993 story on it. Thickins took the photos and has since sold it to another collector. It looks really nice, doesnt it? Source

RV Repair and Maintenance Manual 4th Edition The book that has been an RV industry standard for over 15 years. Find out what you need to know about the maintenance of appliances, accessories and procedures in easy-to-understand-and-apply layman’s terms. Whether you’re a seasoned or shade-tree mechanic or you rely on a professional RV service center, knowing how your rig works and how to keep it in tip-top shape gives you the upper hand and many miles of trouble free RV travel. Get yours for $22.72 That’s a 40% savings! Order Today at TrailerLifeDirectory.com! Best Price: 22.72 USD at Good Sam Club – Discounts, Products & Services For RVers Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road Source

John and Terry O’Brien love old travel trailers. From their Silver Springs, FL home, the New York transplants did one up in the style of the Fifties a couple of years ago. It was so unique that the Travel Channel saw it at an RV show they were covering, did a feature on it and as a result, John received an offer he couldn’t refuse. So when they saw an old beat up old 1987 16-foot Casita travel trailer in a junkyard not long afterwards, they knew it was time for another restoration project. The old trailer they sold was was themed for the fifties. It just made sense – since they were married in 1961 – to make this one Sixties-styled. The result of their spectacular “Lost in the 60s” restoration. I caught up with them at the Florida RV Supershow, where they were showing off their creation as part of a group of restoration and old-RV enthusiasts called the “Tin Can Tourists.” They gave me a nifty little tour of their old trailer. I think you’ll agree when you see the video, this one was over the top. What’s next? They want to do an old trailer up in a Parrothead/Margarita theme honoring Jimmy Buffett’s contribution to the culture. How come they are so good at this? John’s hobby is restoring antique cars. Terry loves decorating. If you attend the big RV shows, look for them and the Tin Can Tourist group. You’ll enjoy the visit. Source

The bitter cold of the north keeps many RVers from using their motorhomes all year round. For many, their coaches sit in driveways, winterized and waiting for the thaw. I plan on taking my Class B to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in mid-February. I’ll probably go alone as my wife doesn’t like the idea of having to forgo showers while using it in the winter. While you can use it in the winter, you have to carry bottled water. And if you use the toilet, you have to”chase” it with antifreeze. No doubt about it. Winter RVing in the frozen north can be quite a hassle. I suspect lots of RVers are like me. They’d like to use their motorhomes if their units weren’t in danger of freezing up one they put water into it. Leisure Travel Vans and Triple E of Canada has an answer for those who want to RV year round. They’ve just introduced the 2013 Regency GT24MB that solves the problem of winter RVing. Fully insulated with thermal break walls, enclosed, insulated and heated tanks and dual thermopane windows the unit has a slide, a queen-sized Murphy bed, a 35K propane furnace and a stand up enclosed shower. It is a gas powered Type C built on a F450 Ford chassis and 24 feet long. Price for the base Regency GT in the U.S. ranges from $119,763 – $130,193. Dean Corrigal, LTV’s spokesman, does a detailed walk around in the video above. If I heard him right, there’s even a solar option. Source

Stroller Dogs: RVers love their dogs Find a group of RVers and you’ll find dogs. And you won’t have to look too hard to find some very pampered pooches. Long after many RVers have raised their own families, many are back pushing strollers. This time, instead of their own babies or grandkids, they’re pushing strollers with their new babies – dogs. RV shows draw huge crowds. From the inside exhibition space to the outdoor displays, it can get very congested at times and if you are accompanied by a creature with little legs…you need some help. Many of the folks I talked to had two dogs. Some three. Several said the main reason they travel in an RV is so they can bring their dogs with them. “Go to an RV show or rally and if there are 100 coaches there, 90 of them have dogs,” said one man I videoed. His wife had a harness around her shoulders and neck that held a dangling dog in a sling like contraption at her waist. For their part, the pups sure looked happy. Some had bows on their heads. A miniature poodle wore a Harley Davidson puppy-size T-shirt. Several had fancy collars with lots of doggie bling. I started taking stills and video after seeing dozens of stroller-pushing RVers at the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa. The video is above…photos below. We RVers sure love our dogs. At the very end of the still photos below is my 70-pound Norwegian Elkhound Tai. We brought him down with us but left him with the grandkids in Georgia while we were visiting the show. No way I’m pushing him in a stroller. He could pull me. Not a bad idea, come to think of it. He is a sort of sled dog, after all. Cats? Didn’t see a one. Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road Source

With the Mercedes Sprinter chassis still driving the big spike in Type B motorhome sales, RV manufacturers are continuing to innovate in design and options as they get ready for the 2013 RV season. At the big Florida RV Supershow in Tampa this January, most of the North America big Type B makers were showing off their new models front and center. We thought it would be helpful to take a look at the interiors of the leading Type B Sprinters. As you’ll see, despite the same space, there are big differences in how the various manufacturers are appointing and laying out their Sprinter models. In this video you’ll see Sprinter models from Pleasure-Way, Leisure Travel Vans, Great West Vans, Roadtrek Motorhomes and Airstream, Which features did you like? What do you wish your did see? Post under comments below … Source

We've been RVing for 12 years on extended trips between 5 and 12 months duration.We travel frugally and save money by boondocking whenever we can. Have been writing guides on the subject for the last five years. My web site is http://www.frugal-rv-travel.com. Also have just launched a second web site, http://www.boondockerswelcome.com, where RVers extend and accept free overnight parking invitations on private property. I hope you'll find something of value in my web sites but I'm also here for another reason: to participate in discussions, and answer questions; and to ask if anyone has (or knows of) a good used Class B camper for sale (prefer Roadtrek or Great West Van). We are in the market for a replacement and are not having much luck with the usual listings.