Is an SMB too much for me?

[daveb]

One thing about you owning the RV of your choice is you still have to pay for insurance and maintenance on top of build price so being able to use it for other hobbies or day to day activities makes it easier to swallow the overall cost. Just depends on how often you use it vs how far would a 100K go in renting a vehicle. As mentioned at least a couple of trips in a rented vehicle might give you an idea what you want to build.



Not sure how many of these companies are still in business, but here are a few rental places if you're interested.
http://www.tontotrails.com/index.html
adventurerigs.com Is For Sale
http://adventuretravelsportrentals.com/ or http://www.atsmb.com/
http://www.campervannorthamerica.com/
http://www.apollorv.com/rv-rentals-euro-tourer.aspx
http://www.escapecampervans.com/
RV Rentals, Long Term Rental of Motorhomes in the USA | TransAtlantic RV
http://www.adventuretouring.com/
Sprinter RV: Renting a Sprinter
http://www.rvsanfrancisco.com/
http://roadtrekrentals.com/
http://blissrv.com/campervan/
https://www.trekkervans.com/
https://www.outdoorsy.co/rv-rental/f...0_7505-listing

[BCam]

Personally, I wouldn't spend $100k on any SMB, RV, etc. unless I had some experience and knew what exactly what I wanted. Although renting might be Ok for some, I don't plan ahead enough and enjoy owning, even if it's a $5,000 van that I fit out with some simple furnishings.

If you buy carefully and get one with enough towing capacity (used E350?) you have the option of adding a small to medium travel trailer in the future.

Check out some of the self-builds, like the one in post #9 here:

https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/fo...rms-26258.html

I think your title "Is an SMB too much for me" tells me that you're not convinced and that the answer is probably "yes". From your comments, despite much fun it might be to imagine gnarly 4x4 adventures in the boonies, that's not what you're going to be doing. You, your wife and kids are going to be making road trips with some camping in between.

[86Scotty]

"Is an SMB too much for me?" The answer is yes. An SMB is too much for anyone. We pay as much for these luxuries as we do for actual homes in some cases.

Does that mean you shouldn't? Not at all, but I do agree with above. Rent, borrow, experiment, etc. first. If your wife and especially your girls don't get out camping soon then they will likely never take to it. Here's our history:

$1500 pop up
$3k pop up
Cheap moto van to sleep in (camping trips or enduro/hare scramble/other moto racing)
bigger hard side trailer
30' class C motorhome
1973 Airstream restoration project with big pick up
Then vans.......5 or 6 including a couple SMB's, class B, yada yada.

Now, here's the important part of all of that. Keep in mind YMMV. My kids camped and travelled with us extensively during summers for the last 10+ years. Now they are teenagers with cars, jobs, relationships and don't want to go........but it's in their blood. They'll be campers and explorers all their lives, they're just busy being teenagers. My wife and I just had two blissful weeks in CO and Utah totally off grid with a Toyota pickup and RTT. It's all we need to get to the trailheads and quiet places.

We have no regrets about jamming them in camper vans and getting them out in the wild when they were young. Sure, my wife loves a nice hotel but not as much as she loves a quiet meadow in the Aspens or by a mountain lake. No comparison.

Pay attention to the part above more than anything. No matter how you do it get out in the wild with your family and see if they take to it and then see how you want to upgrade the lodging and transportation part. If they hate it then put together a one man setup and go with your buddies.

[dixoncj]

Originally Posted by smithie

My wife and I have two 7 year old daughters. We bought an SMB when they were four and did a ton of travel and multi-day camping. We loved it, even if it got cozy at times. We just sold the rig, and are getting a Solis. I despise the look of the promaster chassis and loved our SMB, but we needed a different layout, SMB wouldn't do what we wanted, and the Solis matched it pretty spot on, so we made the jump. A few things from my experience:


-You want a toilet. Midnight potty runs with your kids get real tiresome, real fast - especially in bad weather - but it's a constant issue no matter what. Toilets take up a ton of space in a class B. You still want to have it.

-Child Booster seats with 5-point harnesses will let your kids ride safe, but in a Class B, you will likely need to move these seats around constantly. Especially if the kids' travel seats are on your foldout bed as in an RB50 or similar. It gets really annoying. Dedicated seats for the kids is a big ask and another big space taker, but worth it, I think.

-Entertainment is easy. We have a tablet with some content on a gooseneck clamp. Couldn't imagine needing anything more than that.
-Storage is really a lesser issue too, IMHO. You can learn to use the space you have wisely, buy special containers and camping gear, etc., to make organizing easier, buy luggage racks, etc. Even traveling for multi-weeks with four, we never had any real storage issue.



Well - that's my 2 cents anyway.

That Solis is intriguing. Especially the one with the sofabed in back - giving it six total shoulder belts. That makes it possible to haul kids and friends around when not camping. Wondering if you got the sofabed or the murphy bed model - and how you're digging it!

[daveb]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

. Now they are teenagers with cars, jobs, relationships and don't want to go........

It's a small window isn't it.

[marret]

It is indeed a small and short window.

[BCam]

Originally Posted by marret

It is indeed a small and short window.

We didn't have an RV at the time but we had a sailboat and once my daughter turned 12, she was done.

[pjtpj]

Originally Posted by Bake.Bike.Brew

• Seating/sleeping for 4
• Pop-top
• Lots of organized storage
• Hauls bicycles
• Awning
• Outdoor tables/storage for cooking
• Entertainment during drive time
• 4x4 (for getting off-road, on the beach, etc., not necessarily for rock crawling)

Not sure what the budget will be, probably around $100K.

Check out ModVans! We can hit all your requirements, including your budget, in a brand new 2020 AWD Transit with available RV Financing.

[4x4Ken]

I’ve met quite a few people that found out they hated camping (or the wife did) after they bought a nice rig on their maiden voyage just to sell it. My suggestion is rent a RV and see how it goes. Write down everything you like and hate about it then take that experience and look at a van. If your not going 4 wheeling I would look at a ford transit just for the space but you’ll know what you want after you rent a RV.

[BCam]

It's been five days since we've heard back from the original poster. Justin, are you out there? What's your take on our advice?