The number of alternatives for RVing seem to be almost endless. Some folks like the simple approach and go for tents or perhaps a tent trailer. While they have fewer creature comforts, they are closer to nature and can set up in spots those with fancy rigs can only drool over. Those that want to travel in style (the word "camp" really doesn't apply to this group) can choose between trailers, fifth wheels, or motorhomes. They have the advantage of a home away from home - many of which are more luxurious if not as spacious as the foundation homes they left behind - but they are more limited in where they can park. They also have the headaches of driving their larger rigs in places where a smaller vehicle would be much more relaxing; they are even prohibited from some areas where only short vehicles are allowed.

A compromise that some find attractive is the "B-van" or the van conversion. These are self-contained rigs that allow the driver to move from the pilot's seat to the bedroom without ever leaving the vehicle and that provide all or most of the features of the largest RVs - kitchen facilities, a separate bedroom, toilet and shower, and a comfortable living area. Obviously their quarters are going to be more cramped, since most are 19-22 feet in length, and few have enough storage space to make full-timing desirable, and most are designed only for two people (though they can carry more), but they have the great advantage of being small enough to serve as a family's RVC_MEMBERS vehicle.

Wouldn't it be great to drive to the movies and be able to take a nap if you got there before the show started? You could run out to the parking lot during your lunch break and prepare a full-course meal, eating in your private dining room. You would never have to worry about towing a car behind your large rig or having to hook up your trailer or fifth wheel. When you saw the signs prohibiting RVs from mountain back roads, you could keep on going, knowing that you could maneuver as easily as someone in a regular van.

Many owners do exactly that. In an unscientific survey of the members of the RV Club, most who had B-vans indicated that they used them for either their RVC_MEMBERS vehicle or a backup vehicle. And the comments below show how much they enjoy the smaller rig on the road - and how well these vehicles work even for fairly long trips:

One member wrote, "The B-Van was great for weekend trips and general exploring the local area for up to four people. It gave us complete freedom to go anywhere and stay anywhere. It also served well as a second vehicle. We replaced it with a 24' C, but we gave up a lot of convenience for shorter trips and the gas milage sure took a hit. For just my wife and me, for occasional long trips and lots of weekenders, the B-van was perfect."

Another wrote, "We have taken trips up to three weeks in length; we have had it as far as Brownsville, Texas, and Puerto Penasco in Mexico. We usually take two 2 or 3-week holidays down south each year. The van, while not a RVC_MEMBERS vehicle, has come in handy when we have had problems with one of the other vehicles. We find that there is sufficient storage space to meet our needs. There is space over the cab like in a class C that was intended to extend out to be another bed. We just used the space over the cab for storage in plastic tubs. We spend much of our time outside but have no trouble playing cards inside for a day or so. Would be too small a space if we had to spend more than a few days cooped up inside in bad weather; we would find something else to do instead."

Several folks who had not had much experience driving the larger RVs indicated they also felt more comfortable driving the smaller rigs. One person indicated that backing up in a van was much less stressful than trying to handle one of the larger beasts.

Of course there is a trade-off: space! Even though the vans often have the same facilities, they have less of them. The refrigerator is usually large enough for a weekend trip, so you would need to stock up quite often on a longer jaunt. The closet is usually not floor to ceiling and would hold only a few items, and drawer space is quite limited. Often the driving chairs turn around and serve as the living room chairs as well, though many floor plans do provide for a third, slightly larger chair.

The bathroom is the real tradeoff. Several folks indicated that their rigs had either no facilities or only a porta-potty. Some said that this was no problem; they just stayed in campgrounds where facilities were available, but one man expressed a common nuisance: "My wife just can't make it through the night and I often find it necessary to get relief between beddy byes and wake up time." Most of us are going to want at least a potty, but almost all of the new rigs and most of the older ones will offer that.

What about showers? There are two major arrangements: Some vans have a small side shower/commode arrangement that might be acceptable for shorter folks, but anyone approaching six feet is going to learn some contortion routines in order to bathe. Other rigs have some sort of aisle shower; the van has a drop floor in the shower area with a drain. In some vans, there is a cover for this area; in others, the drop is just part of the floor. There is a shower curtain that goes around, and the doors of both the toilet compartment and a nearby wardrobe swing out and lock to provide privacy. You have to dry off the shower curtain before storing it, and the use of the shower obviously restricts movement from the front to the back when it is in use. That's probably the reason that many B-van owners use campground showers where they are available!

As far as cost is concerned, the range is extensive. If you look around, you can probably find a used van for less than $20,000 (one person said his was only $9,000), while new B-vans often run $50,000 - 60,000. The cost per square foot is usually larger than other rigs, simply because it's more expensive to squeeze so much stuff in the smaller space.

Thus the advantage for the B-van is maneuverability; the drawback is space. If your plans include fairly short trips where you want to do a lot of touring inside cities or on the backroads, then you might be in the market. If you go for longer trips, stay in one location for most of the time, or want the comforts of home, then this is probably not what you want to explore.

There is one compromise you might want to consider. Some folks (mainly small families) town a small travel trailer behind their B- Van. At night, they split up, so everyone has his or her own privacy. This also means that the shower in the trailer can be used, so the van need not have one at all (or the limitations are not as important). This compromise obviously means you will have to pull a trailer - a small one - but you still have the option of parking the trailer and using the van for less accessible areas.

One strong suggestion: If you do want to explore this option, look at a number of different manufactures. The different layouts offer a lot of choices, and you will want to investigate them all.