Here at Healthy RV Living, all things health and fitness factor into most of our decisions. Today we’re exploring Class B camper vans, how they may support a healthy RV lifestyle, and why you should buy a Class B RV.
Is a Class B RV the Best Choice for Your Healthy Lifestyle?
Let’s take a look at the overall RV size, its indoor workout capacity, tank sizes, kitchen, and ease of operation. These are the main health and fitness considerations to see if it’s the best choice for you!
Class B RV Size
Class B RVs are small, nimble motorhomes that sometimes don’t even feel like an RV at all! If you want to fit in a normal parking space, the Class B RV might be your only choice.
But what’s the difference between a Class B and a Class C RV? A Class B RV is built on a van chassis and entirely built within the dimensions of the van. A Class C RV is built on a truck chassis with an attached cab-over section. And to confuse the matter further, there’s now what is called the “Class B Plus”. The B Plus RV is a hybrid between a B and C. The B+ is more compact than a C but bigger than a B.
Most Class B RV campervans are about seven feet wide and twenty to twenty-three feet long. Therefore, the average interior space is about 150 square feet. Keep in mind that much of that space may be occupied by the build-out of the van.
This size may be a “con” on your checklist when it comes to space to store your RV fitness equipment. Additionally, a con to having space to workout inside the RV. But why would you want to workout inside the RV?
Indoor RV Workout Capacity
Wind, rain, insects, heat, cold, sun, and snow may drive you indoors for your fitness on the road. And a Class B RV doesn’t provide much interior floor space for doing effective workouts. We recommend resistance training, yoga, and cardio as good travel workouts. Even these basics are going to be limited in a Class B RV.
In addition to lacking the floor space for stretching out and really getting your body moving, there’s also the issue of just overall limited space. Your RV workout equipment may be limited by the amount of space you have available to store and carry it. In our experience, we could perform effective strength training workouts inside of our van. We used a loop-style set of resistance bands to get the job done.
Class B Tank Sizes
A healthy RV lifestyle is certainly easier with more water for cooking and showering. After a sweaty workout, you’ll probably want to at least rinse off. Most Class B RVs only come with 20-40 gallons of fresh water tank space and only 10-30 gallons of grey tank space. That’s not very many showers.
The freshwater tank also needs to provide water for drinking and cooking (including cleaning the dishes). Cooking fresh meals at home is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle on the road, and having enough water to cook and clean is important.
Drinking plenty of water is also an essential part of your healthy lifestyle, and that leads us to the black tank. Most Class B RVs have a black tank size of about 10-25 gallons (if it has a black tank at all). So if you’re trying to boondock, that may mean you’re peeing outside.
But if you’re not interested in camping off-grid and you intend to stay at parks with hookups, none of the tank size considerations will really apply. Your Class B RV will connect to city water and sewer just like any other RV, and you can run endless water and flush as many times as you need to!
Class B RV Kitchen
The Class B RV kitchen is typically very multi-purpose. Your sink is also your counter space and your cutting board when you drop those custom pieces into place. It’s pretty neat, but also somewhat limiting.
A Class B RV kitchen is likely to have a very small fridge (think: college dorm fridge) and may not have a freezer section. The ability to store fresh ingredients and even leftovers is a key part of a healthy RV lifestyle.
If the space is too constrained, you are less likely to feel inspired to cook healthy meals at home in your RV. Therefore, a small kitchen is a “con” on the list for a Class B supporting your health goals.
Easiest Class B RV to drive
There are many Class B RV manufacturers, and plenty of self-built campervans, out there in the marketplace. Compared to other RV types, the Class B RV is hands-down the easiest to drive. It drives like a van or large vehicle and fits in a normal parking space, just mind your height clearance especially when you think about going through a drive-through.
The shorter the wheelbase, the easier a van will be to drive around town and on paved roads. The 136” wheelbase Ram Promaster is a good example of a short van with a great turning radius.
If you want to take your campervan deeper into the wilderness though, the easiest one to drive will be something that is four-wheel drive. We’ve heard great things about the Storyteller Overland 4×4, though we haven’t driven one ourselves (yet).
Class B RV Pros and Cons
Campervans are so popular because of their small size, but that size is also a limiting factor when it comes to supporting a healthy lifestyle on the road. If you want to get an idea of the size and amenities of a built-out Class B RV, consider looking online or touring some in person.
The most popular Class B RVs are the Airstream Interstate, Leisure Travel Vans, Winnebago Revel, Pleasure-way Tofino, and Roadtrek Zion. If you’d rather consider building your own, or purchasing something that was a home-build by someone else, the most common bodies are the Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, and Ram Promaster.
Once you can see some different models and layouts, you’ll be able to weigh your personal pros and cons. Can you live without a permanent bed in order to have a bigger pantry space to store your food? Or would you rather have a bigger fridge, but less storage space?
So is a Class B worth it?
When it comes to supporting a healthy RV lifestyle, the Class B RV is definitely lacking in some key amenities (floor space, tank space, kitchen area). But what it lacks in space, it makes up for in its ability to get you right to your favorite trailhead, and it definitely supports your active lifestyle by getting you out in nature and going anywhere with you.
We love having our own kitchen and bathroom in the parking lot after a long hike. It definitely inspires you to whip up a quick snack from the healthy ingredients you have on board, rather than hitting a fast food chain on your way home.
The Best Class B RV we’ve seen is the Airstream Interstate. If you think the Class B size can work for your RV lifestyle, perhaps consider this one. We hope you get out there and enjoy life on the open road!
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