Ultimate Guide To What A Class B RV Is?
A class b rv is also known as a campervan. It is a small van that has enough space to accommodate a living room, bathroom, and a kitchen. These usually look extra small from the outside but usually look spacious once you are inside. Camper vans or class b rvs are ranked as the smallest of all three types of rvs. You don't need a special license to drive camper vans or class b rvs as long as you already have a regular driver's license. Camper vans are great if you want to travel the country with your family but you are limited on money. A camper van will cost you less than traveling using another type of camper vehicle.
What are the benefits of owning a camper van?
The biggest pro to owning a camper van is the fact that camper vans are known to be the cheapest camper vehicle you can purchase. Camper vans cost less than an a class a rv and a Class C by thousands of dollars. If you don't really have that kind of money to spend on an expensive rv, then buying a camper van is your best bet. Another benefit of owning a camper van is the size.
These types of rvs are small and allow you to travel freely without the hassle of any traffic laws and/or camper restrictions. You can drive your campervan over almost any type of terrain. With a campervan, you are free from the eyes of the law and there is no camper restriction sign that will stop your camper vehicle in its track.
Last but not least, these types of rvs offer great gas mileage over their counterparts. Seeing that they are just regular vans that were converted into an rv , camper van owners save at the pump. These types of rvs are great for those who do not want to spend a lot of money, or have the time to put into building an campervan from scratch.
Now that we've talked about all the benefits camper vans offer, let's discuss some aspects of camper vans that might make you think twice about buying one.Disadvantages of owning a campervan
Some people might not like the campervan's small size and therefore will not feel comfortable owning one. Although camper vans provide enough room for sleeping, you are still going to feel close to the person next to you or people that are sitting in the front seat or back of the camper van.
Class B RVs have all the power
When you purchase or build your own class b rv, you have the choice of using whatever type of extra power you need. These vans can be equipped with solar power, lithium-ion batteries, and other types of power generating features.
The two main ones are usually lithium-ion battery power or solar power.
Lithium-ion Batteries for class b rvs
When added to your class b rv, lithium-ion batteries can help you save a lot of money since they are more efficient than the one's your camper van normally has included.
Lithium-ion batteries can usually be recharged using solar power, your camper van's converter or other smaller designs that don't use as much energy. This could mean less times out of your campervan for you. Lithium-ion batteries have came a long way and can provide your van with plenty of power to power all the devices you want depending on the size of the lithium-ion pack you decide to build.
Lithium-ion batteries costThese batteries cost around $110/Kwh. This means that if your camper is equipped with one of these 1Kwh systems, you would be able too power a 1000 watt device for one hour before needing to be recharged.
There are many camper van companies that offer these batteries in their camper vans but it is usually built into an electrical system and sold as ""a package deal"". Some camper van manufacturers that do integrate lithium-ion batteries in their vehicles are ford and mercedes.
Appliance/Electronic | Average amount of watts used |
---|---|
Amazon Echo | 3 Watts |
55 Inch TV | 116 Watts |
82 Inch TV | 295 Watts |
80W Light Bulb | 80 Watts |
Chromebook | 45 Watts |
Desktop Computer | 500 Watts |
DVD Player | 65 Watts |
Electric Pressure Cooker | 1000 Watts |
Electric Water Heater | 8800 Watts |
Freezer/Fridge | 400 Watts |
Humidifier | 40 Watts |
Iron | 1000 Watts |
LED Light Bulb | 10 Watts |
Playstation 5 | 200 Watts |
Refrigerator | 200 Watts |
Slow Cooker | 180 Watts |
Tablet Charger | 15 Watts |
Wall Fan | 60 Watts |
Wifi Router | 10 Watts |
Solar Power
Solar panels are now relatively cheap to have installed on camper vans, and they can also be purchased and used separately. The solar kit will set you back just under $1000 depending on the size you want.
If you take this route you should aim to charge your camper van's batteries from the solar panels as well. Solar panels can make camper van living more affordable. If your camper is parked in the sun for a couple hours it would generate enough power to run the camper for roughly 5- 6 hours. Older camper vans will cost more to charge via solar panels, so if you are after a older camper that won't be used daily this could juice up your van for a certain amount of time.
Conclusion
Class b rvs are very popular. They can be costly to setup but they are it in the long run. These class b rvs will get you to your destination in style and comfort. Clamper vans have come a long way from the early camper van days. They are more comfortable and reliable than their older counterparts.
If your looking into buying one of these class b rvs, be sure to shop around for camper van insurance first. It might end up being out of your budget depending on what your budget is. If you plan on living in your van, insurance might end up being your biggest expense.