Serenity Now

In my quest for an RV that would be just right for me, I had passed over the Free Spirit SS because I couldn't use the bed without extending the slide-out, and the Free Spirit (no SS) felt cramped to me. Maybe it was time to take a look at a couple of the larger models from Leisure Travel Vans.

The LTV Serenity is based on the Sprinter chassis, but uses a roomier fiberglass body. There's no denying this gives it a boxier look, but it's still fairly small and sleek as RVs go. 

The advantages of more space are evident in the floorplan. There's a dry bath, lots of closet space, and a dining/living area up front. 

I realized having the bath beside the bed was a really efficient use of space, and it influenced the Sportsmobile designs I was sketching at that time. I also liked the idea of having additional seating near the driver and passenger seats to entertain several people at once. Not only that, the table pushes down and a cushion slides over to form a bed that can sleep two (snugly). Wow, the option of being able to bring friends or relatives along on short trips was something I hadn't expected in a compact vehicle. Another advantage is that the expanded body has substantial storage space in bins along the bottom, which you can see in the exterior picture above. A couple of those storage spaces are used for a really convenient utility center.

Hook-up to campground water, LP gas fill, waste tank dumping, and even an outside shower are all in easy reach.

The Serenity seemed so great I had to stop and ask myself what its disadvantages are. Well, it's expensive; about as expensive as Sprinter-based RVs come (The price on the webpage is about $20K less than what a well-equipped Serenity sells for). Then there's the boxy shape, and a reduction in gas mileage by about 25% from a conventional Sprinter. There's also a weakness that all LTV designs seem to share: the inverter, which converts 12V battery power into 120VAC, is only rated at 600W. This means you can't run the microwave without turning on the generator or plugging into shore power. This is a puzzling design choice in what's supposed to be a high-end product, but one that could probably be remedied easily with some retrofitting. But the real disadvantage of the Serenity wasn't apparent to me until I sat in one. Here it is:

Do you see the problem? Seems like a perfectly nice door - with a sliding screen, no less! The problem is, if you're sitting at the dinette - which is where I'd spend most of my indoor time - this is all the view you get out the passenger side of the van, and you've got to have the door open to get this much. If you refer back to the floor plan, you'll see there are no windows on the passenger side between the cab and the bed area. Yes, there's a nice big window on the driver's side, but I'd usually have my back to it, and the passenger side is where camp is and usually set up to have the most scenic view. There's a real "closed in" feeling to the living area of the Serenity - at least to me. One of the biggest attractions of life on the road is feeling immersed in the beauty of nature, which you can't do without a lot of windows.

Well, there's another expanded body Sprinter option from LTV named the Unity.

The Unity is even boxier than the Serenity, but it comes in several floorplans, one of which suits me quite well:

Now, this design has a slide-out and I'd previously rejected the LTV Free Spirit SS because of its slide-out, but this one is different. Really, it is. Most importantly, the slide-out doesn't have to be extended to sleep in the van. Also, the couch is quite usable with the slide in, it just reduces the floor space. Most of the time, I wouldn't extend the slide, which alleviates concerns about it breaking, or even having to bother with it. The one time I would extend it is if I wanted the maximum sleeping capacity of four. The couch turns into a bed, but too narrow to comfortably accommodate two. But with the slide extended, there's plenty of room for a twin-size air mattress on the floor. Just as important, the Unity has a window on the passenger side of the living area. It's not huge, but it's enough. Barely. You can see it in this shot of the interior:

Though this shot shows the two-bench dinette rather than the u-lounge couch option, you still get a sense of the spaciousness and high-end fit and finish of the Unity interior.

I have to say, even to this day, there are times when I wonder if the Unity would be a better choice for full-time traveling than a Sportsmobile. But a well-equipped Unity would cost me about 50% more than the Sportsmobile, get poorer gas mileage, and yes, I'll admit it, not satisfy my urge to be a bit unconventional.

Once the Serenity and Unity had opened me up to the possibility of larger vehicles, my search didn't end with them. Maybe there'd be an option with the spaciousness of those designs but at a lower cost. I'll look at some of the other, plus-size options in my next post.