Broader Horizons

In previous posts, I've looked at several options for my retirement motorhome. Some have been too small, some too closed in, some too expensive, but nothing has been just right - I'm beginning to feel a bit like Goldilocks. So far, I've only discussed models from Leisure Travel Vans, but my search has ranged more widely than that. In this post, I look at a couple models from more mainstream RV manufacturers.

The LTV Serenity and Unity models seemed like a step in the right direction, so what do other manufacturers offer along those lines? The Winnebago Via caught my eye. Like the Serenity and Unity, it's based on a Sprinter chassis, but instead of simply adding a fiberglass box from the cab on back, the Via has an entirely custom body which, I think, looks much nicer.

It's actually like a very compact Class A motorhome. For readers not familiar with the terminology, Class A's include the big, usually boxy, RVs with custom bodies and chassis, Class B's are converted vans, usually Ford, Chevy, or Dodge/Sprinter, and Class C's are what you might call campers, characterized by a body that extends over the top of the cab to make room for another bed. Two of the three floorplans for the the Via suffer from the same lack of a decent window on the passenger side of the living area that turned me away from the Serenity. I'm really rather surprised that visibility out of their RVs isn't a bigger issue with manufacturers. One Via floorplan, however does have a nice sized window:

Again, there is a slide-out, but both the couch and the wardrobe are quite usable without extending it. I'm sure a slide-out is a "must-have" feature for many purchasers, but I can't say I understand it. If for no other reason than the better-looking exterior styling, I have to say I prefer the Via to either the Serenity or the Unity. The features and the pricing are about the same.

The Via has one big disadvantage, though, that is completely idiosyncratic to me. My absolute favorite place to camp (in my limited experience so far) is the Chisos Basin in Big Bend National Park. It's high desert, completely ringed by mountains except for a narrow notch at one end where a river rushes out. The Park Service limits the size of vehicles visiting the Chisos Basin to 24 feet due to the twisty road leading in. The Via is 25 feet 5 inches. Now maybe they wouldn't quibble over an extra foot and a half, but maybe they would; it probably depends on the ranger on duty and the time of the year. But I wouldn't want to arrive at the entrance to my favorite camping spot and find that I was permanently locked out of it because of the RV I'd chosen. I've seen 24 feet as the limit for a few other off-the-beaten-path camps, too.  For comparison, the Serentiy is 24'6" and the Unity is 24'7". With either of those lengths, I feel that I could persuade my way past the ranger, but I'm not willing to risk it with an additional foot.

There's another issue that had been nagging at me, as well. In all the models I looked at so far, the showers are really tiny - not much better than a stand-up coffin. The fiberglass-body vans usually have a bubble skylight in the shower, which adds some height, but side-to-side, there's barely room to turn around for a big guy like me. The Via brought the issue home to me, because it is actually a larger RV than I'm willing to own, yet still has a too-small shower. The Free Spirit SS has a slightly larger shower, but makes other tradeoffs that are unacceptable to me. For weekend or vacation campers, the size of the shower probably doesn't matter much, but for long-duration traveling, I consider it an important aspect of my quality of life on the road. Surprisingly, Sportsmobile, even within the confines of a regular Sprinter body, offers one of the largest showers, up to 48" by 27", though that's shared by the sink and the toilet.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the price of any of the big box vans intimidated me, too. At 50% more than a well-equipped Sportsmobile, they were hard to justify. Surprisingly, there are plenty of very spacious, brand-new Class A motorhomes that can be had for considerably less than a Via or a Unity. See, for example, the Winnebago Vista. So I was surprised when I ran across the Coachmen Prism:

One of the Prism floorplans fits into the now-familiar pattern:

Having personally squeezed into many varieties, the Prism shower feels just a scosche larger than the others. As you can see, though, we're back to a tiny passenger-side window, which should disqualify this van, but - get ready for this - a new Coachmen Prism can be had for less than $80K. That's the lowest I've found for any fully-converted Sprinter-based RV. A price like that makes you think twice about making some compromises. The interior has a couple interesting features, too:

There's a nice skylight, and a front window that would almost pass for a sunroof. But the piece-d'resistance is...

That's right, an exterior entertainment center - on a budget van! Now, far be it from me to make an important life decision based on a... ummmm... ooooo, shiny!! Uh, where was I? Entertainment center notwithstanding, a Sprinter conversion at such a low price almost has to come with some compromises in quality and reliability; some dealers have hinted as much to me. That's a perfectly reasonable trade-off to consider for weekend campers, but probably not for me. To complete the picture, the Prism length is 24'10" - definitely in pressing-my-luck territory. 

Up until now, I've stuck exclusively with Sprinter-based conversions because nothing else comes close to their fuel efficiency. In the next post, I'll make a major departure and consider the tradeoffs.