This is a loaded topic of course and there is no one solution, but as a general discussion I can only explain the reasons we chose what we did and whether or not it still makes sense for us. Hopefully this will help.

We are starting with the assumption you will be looking for an RV solution and not a trailer. A trailer is something you tow, usually with a heavy-duty pickup truck. This is certainly an arrangement that can work for boondocking but for myself I definitely did not want to tow anything. I have no experience with that and it just adds an additional layer of complexity to an already challenging undertaking!

1)    Size, comfort, fuel efficiency, cost, etc. 
a.    Class A- typical length 26-45 ft, but usually on the higher end of that. Most expensive. Some of the higher end vehicles can cost a few hundred thousand dollars easily. These are the most challenging to drive and in my opinion unless you have a CDL you probably should think twice.

 

It is built on a heavy-duty commercial bus or truck chassis and is recognizable by its flat or nearly flat front end. Think of it as the full-size option; roomy, well-appointed, and built for extended trips or full-time living.

 

In my opinion these are not suitable for boondocking. Yes , you will be able to get into some Harvest Host and Hipcamp sites but to access the true dark sky destinations and many national parks you will be way too big.

b.    Class B-  A Class B RV (also called a camper van) is the smallest motorhome class. It is built on a full-size cargo van chassis (commonly a Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, or Ram ProMaster) and looks almost identical to a standard passenger van from the outside.

 

These are probably the best suited for boondocking and the most nimble in terms of being able to access just about anywhere. Many are all wheel drive. Obviously not as pricey as Class A but some of the newer brands (e.g Winnebago Ekko) are not far off. They have the best fuel efficiency.

 

But they are extremely compact. The bed is convertible and the shower-sink-toilet are all one unit. The length of the Class B is typically 18-24 feet.

c.    Class C (what we have). These are sort of in the middle but more toward the van side. Size range is typically 20-35 feet. Pricing is also closer to the B but even less as they are more traditional constructs in terms of power and design.

 

Fuel efficiency of ours is around 15mpg which is pretty good. These are not bad for driving. It’s very similar to a van but typically taller. If you already drive a pickup or van you should have no trouble. Now these are not specifically designed for boondocking but can be easily adapted for it as discussed below.

2)    The case for the Class C. We ultimately decided to go with the Class C. I am nearly 6’ 4” tall and my wife is 5’9 +. While most of our time is outdoors, we do spend time in the RV. I am using the computer a lot for imaging and of course blogging and my wife is cooking and also online doing whatever. The super-compact class B vans are just a little too compact for our needs. 

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We like having some creature comforts such as a separate shower and toilet and a separate sink. It’s great having the ability to stand inside the vehicle without having to duck.

 

We like having a stable platform bed that isn’t a bumpout or a convertible couch, murphy bed or similar. The kitchen is big enough to cook comfortably and we have a propane cooktop. The RV has plenty of storage. We like the fact that it has a reliable diesel generator.

 

The current Class B designs get rid of the generator in favor of huge capacity lithium batteries. That’s great until it fails. Then you have no backup. 

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Overall we have found that we can, at 26 feet length, get into most national parks and many boondocking and BLM sites. Sure, 24 feet would be better, but we didn’t think the trade-off was worth it. We made a couple modifications to make it even more suitable for boondocking and discuss a couple of those later. 

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3)    What chassis? This is basically the vehicle motor or drive train. For us the decision came down to the fact that the all-wheel-drive models were just too small for us comfort-wise, so we opted for the diesel chassis, as those motors are tried and true in terms of reliability and power.

 

We have tested it extensively with mountain driving and it has performed very well.

There is one unfortunate caveat that we learned about the hard way! As of around 2016/17 the EPA mandated an add-in emissions control system which involves having to add a cleaning fluid called DEF to a separate compartment every 1700 miles or so.

 

This emissions system can have a tendency to malfunction for a number of different reasons and if it does you basically cannot operate the vehicle for an extended period until the system is repaired. We had personal experience with this when we had to divert on 2 separate occasions to the nearest service department on this one trip.

4)    What brand? A lot of this is personal taste. My wife had the largest input on this as she concluded from her research that the Winnebago seemed to have one of the best quality interior designs and construction. To her credit we have not had any significant structural or finish problems.

 

From my perspective I like the fact that it has a robust solar charging system with 2 100 watt panels on the roof. This is a must for off grid operations, but of course it’s weather dependent. The refrigerator is electric only and requires 600 watts of power.

 

This might be considered by some to be a show stopper, but with a couple of simple modifications we have made it extremely reliable operating off grid.

 

A portable 400 watt solar panel connected directly to the coach batteries with a Renogy regulator pretty much solves the power problem in addition to upgrading the standard deep cycle lead-acid batteries to a more heavy-duty variety. 

We have also invested in 3 portable solar rechargeable batteries we use for mobile internet, my computer and telescope gear and various other off grid charging functions. This replaces the dedicated massive lithium batteries on some of the contemporary class B vehicles. So you are paying maybe 7k instead of an additional 70k.

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One thing to remember is that the refrigerators that run on propane as well often have a convection system that renders it unable to operate if the vehicle is parked on uneven ground. This happens at campsites 95% of the time!

Finally these Winnebagos have a surprising amount of storage capacity. We carry a lot of stuff including fold up kayaks, camera equipment and telescope gear, a guitar, lithium batteries.

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5)    New or used? Well if you really want that new vehicle smell go for it, but it’s basically the same consideration as for buying new cars. Is it really worth the huge devaluation that happens when that new car is driven off the lot?

 

In the case of RV’s especially nowadays with all the resources you have to check these things, it doesn’t really make sense to buy new. You can save quite a bit with a vehicle that has low mileage and time-tested performance. We were able to find a 2019 vehicle, diesel chassis with only 40+000 miles on it and maintained in superb condition.

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6)    Extra vehicle considerations. This kind of goes back to toeing something. You can toe a small car behind a class C vehicle but then why not go with a trailer? We have bikes instead and accept that we will have to miss out on a few things because we don’t have a vehicle to get there. This is happening less as we are better able to navigate the specific campsites that will work best for location.

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Bottom line: for comfort and flexibility after 3 years of use and our most recent 6 week adventure we think we made a good choice.

 

News flash: you put a house on wheels and you’re guaranteed to have problems of some kind. You just hope to have fewer problems than some.

 

Sure, we have had issues with the diesel DEF system but many folks we know have not had any problems, so we of course hope that the major issues have been resolved! Only time will tell. 

Is there anything else we don’t like? Nothing is a perfect solution. Sure, we wish we had a vehicle on occasion to get to certain things but this is very infrequent now.

 

We plan to add gravel bikes to our vehicle capabilities and this will definitely help at some of the more remote sites! The other issue that is a problem for me is that 75% of the storage on these is in the bottom compartments and being my size is not optimal for getting into those.

 
Anyway I hope that gives you some things to think about as you go forward. Remember, you WILL have issues that come up but these can be minimized with proper research on your potential purchase.
Good luck! Don’t hesitate to ask any questions that come up.

Thanks for reading!
DrDave