Type B Premiere Forum

[MichaelCanode]

14 Jan 09 9:30 EST

Hello, type-B members!

I have owned three type-B coaches since first joining the FMCA back in the early 1980's. My current "rig" is a 1997 Airstream 190, given the name "Baby Newell II" by a couple who owned a Newell coach. Since I'm still in the working world, a type-B coach is the optimum choice for me: it fits in my driveway, I can pack it up quickly when I have a chance to get on the road, and I can live in it for up to five days' "dry camping". I've ranged from New Mexico to Prince Edward Island, and from Minnesota to Georgia in the nine years I've owned the coach, and I'll be visiting relatives in central Florida after the Perry Convention.

I was once offered $7000 and a >> HUGE << mid-80's Fleetwood Bounder in trade for my coach, but I declined the offer. One key reason is the way I interact with other FMCA members at our Conventions and Area Rallies. Nice as a larger coach might be to live in, it gets lost in a sea of like-sized coaches. "Baby Newell II" looks different from its neighbors (not just because of the US and New Zealand flags I fly from the awning poles), and attracts visitors who stop by to swap travel stories and ask questions.

By the way, something else came to mind in preparing this. Years ago, a man named Isidore Lapre purchased a large, custom-built motor coach. The outside of the coach led some people to comment of the "converted bus". The coach was built from th wheels up, and not based on a bus shell, so Isidore told them (in a distinct accent), "It'sa No Bus!". And to this day, I tell people who ask about my coach, "It'sa No Van!"

Hopefully, this forum will provide an interesting "virtual Chapter" for all of us who, to paraphrase a movie quote, "...don't need no stinking slide-outs".

"Happy Cybercamping!"

Michael Canode, F13059S

Webmaster - FMCA Ohio Nomads Chapter

[Deryck]

I have a RT 190 Versatile.

Is this forum a work in progress?

[LaineWtman]

Hi,

We live in Las Vegas and have run the spectrum of RV's. We started RVing in 1970s with a used Corsair TT. We moved up to a larger Taurus travel trailer. From there, we bought a used Rexhall 32' MH, decided after a while that we were not using it enough and had no place to park it, so we sold it. Then we decided a truck camper would be just the ticket, so we bought a Lance. I loved that camper, but started having leg problems, and the bed was just too difficult to climb up into. However, that Lance bed was the most comfortable bed we ever had in an RV. Then we went to a 36' Monaco Motor Home which was lovely, but again, we didn't use it enough, and had to pay to store it as we live in a subdivision with restrictions about parking on the street. We then bought a Trail Lite B+ and enjoyed that for a while. Door was in the back and it was hard for me to climb in or to get past the big Ford engine cover inside the coach. So, we thought and thought and looked and looked and then we bought a 2007 Roadtrek 190 Popular. We LOVE It!!! We are so sorry we didn't buy one a lot sooner. It is perfect for our needs at this time. DH has a consulting business so is sometimes travelling for that. We have kids and grandkids back East. This is a wonderful travelling rig............sometimes we just use it as a vehicle and stay in motels, sometimes we camp in it, sometimes we just use it around town. It is so convenient and has almost everything the big rigs had in them, only smaller and a lot closer together!!! We have a king sized bed, or two twins, at our wish, a shower, a bathroom, two seating areas with a table, a small galley, no oven, but a microwave, refrigerator and range, two comfortable chairs, a flat screen tv, a surround sound stereo system, and a couch. Of course, some of these transform into others. We can park it in our driveway and in any regular parking space, and it's perfect!!!! Oh, we have seatbelts for six, too., but sleeping room for only two.

Our longest trip, so far, was a week and a half, and it was very comfortable. We have plenty of room for us, and almost enough room for us and the four dogs!!!

[MichaelCanode]

I have a RT 190 Versatile.

Is this forum a work in progress?

========

9 Mar 09 22:00

Hello, Deryck!

Yes, that's true. I was invited to start the forum during the new Web site's "development" phase, as I have had a fairly long history as an FMCA Chapter Webmaster.

Since you mentioned your Roadtrek rig, please remember that there are the brand-specific Roadtrek Chapter, as well as the regional "Florida Space Orbiters" Chapter. My hope in starting the Forum off is to provide a common Internet voice for those of us who appreciate all of the ways we enjoy our type-B coaches.

Happy Cybercamping!

Michael

[MichaelCanode]

Hi,

We live in Las Vegas and have run the spectrum of RV's. We started RVing in 1970s with a used Corsair TT. We moved up to a larger Taurus travel trailer. From there, we bought a used Rexhall 32' MH, decided after a while that we were not using it enough and had no place to park it, so we sold it. Then we decided a truck camper would be just the ticket, so we bought a Lance. I loved that camper, but started having leg problems, and the bed was just too difficult to climb up into. However, that Lance bed was the most comfortable bed we ever had in an RV. Then we went to a 36' Monaco Motor Home which was lovely, but again, we didn't use it enough, and had to pay to store it as we live in a subdivision with restrictions about parking on the street. We then bought a Trail Lite B+ and enjoyed that for a while. Door was in the back and it was hard for me to climb in or to get past the big Ford engine cover inside the coach. So, we thought and thought and looked and looked and then we bought a 2007 Roadtrek 190 Popular. We LOVE It!!! We are so sorry we didn't buy one a lot sooner. It is perfect for our needs at this time. DH has a consulting business so is sometimes travelling for that. We have kids and grandkids back East. This is a wonderful travelling rig............sometimes we just use it as a vehicle and stay in motels, sometimes we camp in it, sometimes we just use it around town. It is so convenient and has almost everything the big rigs had in them, only smaller and a lot closer together!!! We have a king sized bed, or two twins, at our wish, a shower, a bathroom, two seating areas with a table, a small galley, no oven, but a microwave, refrigerator and range, two comfortable chairs, a flat screen tv, a surround sound stereo system, and a couch. Of course, some of these transform into others. We can park it in our driveway and in any regular parking space, and it's perfect!!!! Oh, we have seatbelts for six, too., but sleeping room for only two.

Our longest trip, so far, was a week and a half, and it was very comfortable. We have plenty of room for us, and almost enough room for us and the four dogs!!!

=====

9 Mar 09 22:10

Hello, Laine!

Your response is one key reason I started the type-B Forum: I know that there are more members out there with our "right-sized coaches" than one sees at the Conventions and Area Rallies -- now, we have a common place in the new FMCA Web site to share our experiences, technical advice and so forth.

Thanks for visiting and sharing, and...

"Happy Cybercamping!"

Michael Canode

[Benfrench]

We are brand new to the "B" world. We bought a 1992 Intervec Falcon and I hope to have it out RVing here shortly.

[Roadtrekker2]

We are also happy Class B owners! After camping in many tents (actually the best kind of camping), we moved on to a pop-up camper, then tried out 2 truck campers, a Class C, and a 5th wheel before finding our 2004 Roadtrek 190P. It is wonderful! We have everything the Class A's do, but it's all compacted into one small vehicle. The only thing we don't have is extra space, so we just think "minimal". No problem since we started out in a tent over 50 years ago! Thanks for starting this place to share our ideas.

[RSchleder]

We have owned 10 RV's since 1970. They range from tent campers, pickup campers, a teardrop, 3 Class A DP'ers, and currently a Winnebago Sprinter based Class B ERA.

I can say we have enjoyed every RV we've owned and know that each type of RV has both advantages and disadvantages. Sure enjoyed the room in the Class A DP'ers but after 20 years, we got tired of herding the 40-foot motorhome plus a toad around through busy large cities and 6-7 mpg. The class B is now just the ticket for us, it's 24-foot long, fully capable of dry camping as it's fully functional and self contained. We find the Sprinter comfortable to drive and camp in for weeks on end. We also like getting three times the fuel milage we got in any of our class A units. We just figured it was time to downsize and IF we decided we didn't like it, what the heck, we can always change to something else. At this point, all is well and we will be living in it all winter as we snowbird in the South. I think if you -- try it, you'll like it!

[Karsty]

This is so much information all over the place regarding CLASS B RV's that it is hard to find things. What needs to happen is for the CLASS B owners to have a separate heading under MOTORHOMES subheading. Right now is is CLASS B, CLASS C and SUPER C ... whatever a SUPER C is.

Michael Canode ... are you still involved with this?? Maybe this can be done to bring all CLASS B discussions under one subheading (thread) under MOTORHOMES and create a separate subheading for the CLASS C's.

Just my 2¢.

[JMGOLDEN]

I have had a reason to look at the CLASS B motorhome recently and could not agree more with Karsty. There is a very distinct difference between B's and C's. With all the manufacturer's offering from "entry level" to "high Lines", "slide outs", "drop down beds", "heated floors", etc. FMCA does need to take another look at this catagory and make a determination if creating subsections for CLASS B's and CLASS C's would be in the best interest of their members. Thank you Karsty for the great suggestion.

[MichaelCanode]

15 April 2014 23:50

Hello, again! Yes, I'm still here in the FMCA, the Type-B community... and still in the "working world". Post-holiday through early spring are the busiest times for technical-support people.

I'll be at the June Great Lakes area rally ("GLAMARAMA") in Indiana, and I'm hosting a Chapter Rally in Lithopolis, Ohio this September.

As to the forum arrangement, the Type B forum was by itself during development and into the first year of the new site's operation. I believe it was simply a matter of space and capacity on the "server" which caused HQ to combine the B,C and Super-C (that's a type-C coach on a heavy truck chassis -- nose looks like a tractor-trailer rig, body looks like a wide type-A) forums.

I saw a note in another part of the Forums, which called type-B coach owners the "trendsetters" in the motor coach world. I could see that being true: when space is at a premium, a lot more thought goes in to where / what / how the coach fits together.

More to come around / after GLAMARAMA.

"Happy Cybercamping!"

Michael Canode, F13059S / NZMCA #19250

[meedgilmore]

I started by tent in 40yrs went up to 43' eagle and now back to 26' 2551 Phoenix cruiser. Very oldman forgiving and comfortable. LOVE IT.

LOVE THE DOWN SIZE OF MY COACH 43'--26' VERY RELAXING

#60168 ED GILMORE & BEV

[JMGOLDEN]

I am enjoying reading these post from travelers who have enjoyed this life style for so many years. While I did not start out in a tent, I did start out in the 70's in a conversion van, moved to a 22 ft. Itasca A, then to a 29 ft. Trek (A), then a 33 ft. Trek (A),(disaster!)... then a 25 ft. C, then another 24ft. C, then a 38 ft. DP. Looking back on all these vehicles, the trade offs were very variable from size to comfort to the inability in the 33 & 38 ft. to travel where we wanted to go. There is no question the B is the perfect vehicle. As Ed Gilmore says "VERY RELAXING". The fuel mileage is almost twice the amount and if you have the ability, (money), you can have every convenience the type A's and DP's offer just in a smaller package. Hope to see some of you at an area rally some time later this year.

[bar20]

A Class B is a van conversion using the body and frame of the existing van, sometimes cutting the top to increase interior height. A class C uses the front end of a van or truck and is mounted on a longer frame. Then the body shell is built around it. Some manufactures use the term B+ but these are really smaller Class C's. Think of it as a Class B built from the outside in and a Class C built from the inside out. Some people wonder why Class B's cost so much. The answer is the amount of labor needed to gut the van, rework the floor and install all the cabinets in a small confined area. Most Class B manufactures use real wood cabinets with quality workmanship techniques. The same can't be said for many Class B manufactures. I own a Roadtrek RS Adventurous which is on the Sprinter van chassis I average between 20-23 mpg. On my last MH a 26 foot Class A gasser I averaged between 9-12 mpg. Now that diesel is less per gallon than gas it was a no brainer to make the switch, plus we can park it anywhere and don't need a toad. Another thing, check the resale value of a Class B compared to other classes of RV's.

[guyinc]

We enjoy our Roadtrek, from a class C.. yes we can park almost anywhere and by that we use it more.

Don't know why larger rig owners tend to look down there nose at class B owners.

I guess I can live with it, I just enjoy RVING..

See you out there...

Guy

[soupydad]

A friend of mine is considering becoming a RVer, seriously looking at 2014 Coach House Arriva and Leisure Travel Vans' Free Spirit SS, mainly because they have full baths. We have a 39' DP and know nothing about Type Bs. Does anyone have experience with either of the above two brands or units?

Thanks,

Tony Campbell

FMCA 288315

[MichaelCanode]

10 November 2014 20:30

Yet More Greetings, Type B "Forumites" ("Foruminians"? "Forumembers"?)

I must apologize once more for leaving the Forum untouched. Again, still being in the working world has placed a bit of a burden on other pursuits.

I've read the recent entries, and "Bar20"'s commentary on the differences in Type B coaches made many valid points. Concerning "SoupyDad"'s enquiry about the two Type B coaches he mentioned, I examined one of the Leisure Travel coaches at an RV Show in January 2014. This one was the model with the slide-out sofa-bed module, cut right along the body seams behind the driver;s door. The workmanship aound the seams was excellent, and the interior storage layout was very clever - and nice-looking to boot. However, it was apparently impossible to make the bed without extending the slide-out. This would run contrary to the FMCA's "Overnight Parking Etiquette" policy for stopovers at the "World Alliance of Locations with Motorhomes At Rest Temporarily"

And, not that I'm being brand-pushy or anything, but I have mentioned in previous postings tha the Airstream 190 coaches (notably 1997 through 2000) do have full rear bathrooms. No, you can't have mine! I need it to go to the Southeast Area Rally in Sarasota next February!

Here's to as much "Happy Cybercamping" as you can get!

Michael Canode, F13059S

[mikes47]

Concerning "SoupyDad"'s enquiry about the two Type B coaches he mentioned,

Tony (SoupyDad) posted that question on my behalf. Thank you for the response. In the meanwhile, in addition to joining FMCA, my wife and I have selected a new motorhome on the Sprinter platform from Advanced RV of Willoughby, Ohio. Ultimately, we did not select a coach with a full (dry) bath. We take delivery 12/29/14.

Mike Stanley

[JMGOLDEN]

Congratulations are in order for you Mike. You and your wife could not have selected a better motor home than and Advanced RV. Taking delivery today...I am very jealous for you. Be sure to say hello to Mike Neundorfer for me. I know Mike quite personally and find him to take personal interest in each and every unit he sells. I would love to see pictures of your unit and its "Name" as I know each and every motor home sold by Advanced-RV has its own personal name. My email address is jgolden.thezld@att.net.

[Aeronie]

I would love to see pictures of your unit and its "Name" as I know each and every motor home sold by Advanced-RV has its own personal name.

Hi Jim, I hope Mike has gotten back to you. A lot of us are hanging around the Advanced RV group on facebook "B-ing in an Advanced RV". Mike's rig is named "Imagine". I am in line for an Advanced RV as well. Mine is named "Beans". As you correctly stated, Mike wants every unit to have a name. Mike certainly knows how to give every person who goes to Advanced RV a first class experience.

[MichaelCanode]

15 January 2015 18:00

I just sent my registration in for "AdvancedFest 2015", so I hope to meet more than a few of you type-B owners this spring. I've also been to the recent RV shows in Cleveland and Columbus, where I noticed that Winnebago Industries has presented a rear-bathroom coach on the Sprinter chassis, similar to the Leisure Travel Vans version -- including the driver's-side slide-out.

For my own part, I'd really like to see a coach layout like my Airstream's, with a four-way sofa bed, but built on a Sprinter, Travato / Ram Master or Nissan chassis. It doesn't need a slide-out, and avoids that "pinch point" in the middle of the coach to squeeze in a center bathroom.

And keep an eye on the Chapter Rallies schedule for my little event in Urbana, Ohio this August!

"Happy Cybercamping!"

Michael Canode

[roadtrekrunner]

Enjoy hearing the responses supporting the Class B. We are newer to RVing having a RT and sometimes are envious of the larger rigs with all the room and slide-outs and feel kind of wimpy next to them. It seems that we are always on the go. So when we do go exploring it is nice to have everything with us such as clothes, food, bikes etc...as we can unhook in minutes and drive off with all our essentials.

[MichaelCanode]

27 Feb 2015 - Yet again, Hello!

I returned last week from the Southeastern Area Rally in Sarasota. WOW! 44 Type B coaches out of 863 "family coaches" in attendance! I also got my first look at the Coach House "Arriva": the closest match yet to the floor plan of my Airstream 190 (still, IMHO, the roomiest and most easy-living Type B interior around).

I'm coming to the Advanced RV Open House Rally, and hosting a Rally of my own, in conjunction with an aviation event at Grimes Field Airport in Urbana, Ohio - your choice of dry-camping next to the airport, or powered sites with the Ohio Nomads at the county fairgrounds.

"Baby Newell II" is now back in winter hibernation, but it's just over two months to wait before the BIG EVENT FOR THE SMALL COACHES!

"Happy Cybercamping!"

Michael Canode, F13059S

[MichaelCanode]

17 April 2015 10:50

One update worth noting... at the Southeast Area Rally in Sarasota, there were (as I remember) 813 "family coaches" in attendance. Along with "Baby Newell II", there were 44 type-B coaches -- quite a large percentage increase over the last several Conventions and Area Rallies I have attended.

I also had a chance to examine the new Coach House "Arriva" type-B coach on display there, as well as peeking at an Arriva being fitted out at the plant in Nokomis. Split rear bathroom (sink and toilet on the street side, shower stall on the curb side) -- split twin / full bed in the middle, galley forward and a very clever modular table / workspace behind the driver's seat. More than somewhat tempting!

Yet again, "Happy Cybercamping!"

Michael Canode, F13059S

[connitaylor]

We are on our third high-end Class B Coach House motor home.. We have made two trips from AL out West for three weeks at a time. Most of our trips are a week or so and we really appreciate that we can use the Coach like a car in 90% of the places we have been. We've been from slide-ins to a 27' Winnebago and the outstanding features and products that Coach House uses just make this the best for us.

But we have good friends who have a 42 footer and pull a 20' trailer. You couldn't get me in that driver sear, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

Yea Class B's.

Conni & JT