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01-20-2018, 11:09 AM
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#1
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4 Rivet Member
2015 25' FB Flying Cloud
Eugene
, Oregon
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 446
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What you like about your Class B
Hi Folks,
We currently own a 25' Airstream trailer. My wife and I, along with our adult children and high school sophomore son who sometimes join us, enjoy it immensely.
But.........my wife and I are day dreaming of a Class B when our son flies the coop! We live in Oregon and frequent State and National Parks as well as Forest Service and BLM campgrounds. We predominately dry camp (we have solar panels and lithium batteries which are fabulous) and will boondock in the future.
Currently with our trailer, we feel hindered by our overall rig length and the added complexity of towing when wanting to stop at pull-outs, etc. Campground sites, especially last minute, are more limited with greater length. So...we dream.
I know that this is, of course, a personal decision for each of us to make and that there is no one perfect RV for all the stages of our lives. But I am curious as to your experiences so that I might be more informed.
My question to all of you is what do you like about your Class B? What works so well for you about this type of RV?
I am also going to post another thread at the same time that asks what you don't like about your Class B.
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions!
Chris
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01-20-2018, 11:47 AM
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#2
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Rivet Master
2017 Interstate Lounge Ext
Northern
, California
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,299
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- Can go anywhere. So many more opportunities to visit/camp with a small rig. #1 reason to own one.
- Rides and drives better than my SUV
- Very quiet! No squeaks/rattles
- Seats are more comfortable than anything I have in my house
- Fuel economy is excellent at over 20mpg
- Power of the diesel is excellent, no problem keeping up with (or passing) traffic up/over hills, etc.
- General convenience of having everything "right there". Daughter wants a drink? Get up and get one out of the fridge.
- Easily hauls/camps 3 of us plus 2 big dogs
- MB Sprinter chassis just looks really nice IMO....
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01-20-2018, 12:04 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Bellevue
, Washington
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 689
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FlyFishin stated a lot of positives. I will add a few more for someone who lives in Washington State but spend a ton of RV time in beautifuls state of Oregon:
1. We love to see things. For that, we can get up in the morning, have breakfast and in 3 minutes be ready to go sightseeing. Disconnect power and go. Sometimes we don't even return to the same campground if we find something better elsewhere!
2. Great to always have the bathroom right in the back. Or ability to take a quick nap in a rest stop.
3. Ability to go anywhere including the roads that say "no trailers."
4. The van looks like a van and not an RV, or trailer. We can therefore park anywhere and not stand out. We have nicely slept in shopping centers without having to go and get permissions and such. Or worry about being an eyesore for shop.
5. Ability to fit in any spot. We went to mount Adams last year with signs everywhere saying they are full. After driving, we found one spot though, pulled in and we were done. Ability to instantly claim the spot was important.
5. We have a boat that we trailer. I hate, hate, absolutely hate pulling the darn thing anywhere. I constantly worry about safety of that thing back there and the fact that it tosses me around.
6. The Interstate is just a few inches narrower than equiv. Airstream trailer. Otherwise our dual bunk version was identical. Giving up those few inches but getting 1000 times more convenience was well worth it.
It is by far the best "expensive purchase" we have ever made. Zero regret. Zero buyer's remorse. Will keep this until the wheels fall off.
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01-20-2018, 02:05 PM
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#4
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4 Rivet Member
2015 25' FB Flying Cloud
Eugene
, Oregon
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 446
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Wow, great replies! Thank you for such thoughtful responses listing so many positives.
How do you fit three people in the Interstate?
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01-20-2018, 03:11 PM
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#5
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Rivet Master
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Bellevue
, Washington
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 689
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There are only two of us and we have two seats. There is an option of course for third seat but we wanted the larger galley which has been great.
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01-20-2018, 03:33 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
2006 22' Interstate
League City
, Texas
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 698
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Here is my response to a trailer owner scoffing at class Bs on another thread that summarizes what I like about class Bs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LB_3
It really depends on what kind of travel you like to do. If you only travel 200 miles up to the lake and stay there a week or 10 days, a trailer is your answer. If on the other hand you like to travel thousands of miles and only stay a day or two in any one place before moving on, the Interstate may be a better fit.
The Grand Tour, is called that for a reason; it excels at touring. A 30' trailer is difficult to park in urban areas making any stops along your route more difficult. But with the Interstate's ability to park most anywhere a car can park, dropping in and out of anyplace is a breeze. You simply make your bed in the morning, then pull on to the road. No need to hook up a trailer and the load distributing hitch, no need to stop for lunch or to let your passengers make potty breaks. Hell, if I had to pull over after eating a burrito, we're going to lose 45 miles. Instead, we just hit a rest stop long enough to switch drivers and I take care of my buisness while we're on the road.
If you outfit an Interstate with solar, you have a very versatile vehicle. It can boondock for a week in the wilderness, tailgate before the big game, take your friends to the riverboat casino in comfort, travel thousands of miles while getting over 20 mpg, parallel park in town, and gives you the flexibility to change plans at a moment's notice. That last part is what we find most fun. When we don't have to make reservations at a campsite and have the ability to stealth camp literally anywhere, we can make deeper connections with the new friends we meet along our route.
If we were in an F250 looking at a lighthouse while our trailer was parked in a campground 25 miles away the curator of the lighthouse might not have come out to talk to us. And if he did he never would have invited us to stay the night in that single parking spot at the end of a little dirt road.
The Interstate is expensive but you get a lot more than just a trailer. Not to mention you don't need to buy that big F-250 to pull it.
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01-20-2018, 03:57 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
2006 22' Interstate
Port Angeles
, Washington
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 936
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Lots of great points.
Some friends have a class ‘C’ (sprinter based). I like to say ours is better to travel in, theirs better to camp in. It has quite a bit more room. But larger, takes more time to setup/takedown and gets worse mileage.
I like:
24-26mpg
Super easy to drive, just like a regular van
Just pull in/back in- hook up power/water if available and you are done. Minutes. (I have auto levers that make it even easier if not particularly level).
I use it all the time for day trips, great having your bathroom right there, along with a nice place to hang out.
For our particular model, I really like the back is completely open, so we can back up to some great view- open it up and have a really nice place to hang out, but almost like outside.
I’ve never had a trailer, although when I was a kid we had a couple and they were great fun for me. But I didn’t have to deal with parking, hooking/unhooking, driving etc.
Of course, like mentioned, if staying someplace for days, a trailer is great. Leave it there and setup and take your tow rig wherever you want.
For our long trip this spring I’m going to bring one of my small motorcycles, the plan is to use it for little short jaunts, plus up roads or even trails I dont’ want or can’t take the AI. (We will see how well that works out).
I’m very, very happy with it. I also learned a LOT about what layout I wanted by reading here and what others posted about what they liked and why.
Mark
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01-20-2018, 04:09 PM
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#8
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3 Rivet Member
2011 Interstate Coach
Evansville
, Indiana
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 239
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LB3's comment regarding type of travel is spot on. We are road trippers and tailgaters so long periods of driving with a few overnight stays are the norm. We'll stop for a night at a motel for a break from the tight quarters if it's longer. Although there are plenty of Class B RVers that stay in one spot for a week or more and stay happily married, it is not for everyone. Mike Wendland has an excellent video on rules to live by when camping together in a Class B.
We love the flexibility of our 22' Sprinter. We can carry 4 comfortably and another 4 uncomfortably in the back. Several folks have modified theirs to sleep more than two (which would be a crowd in my opinion).
With the non-ext van you have to use discretion and plan ahead if venturing into large cities or coastal towns with limited parking. I use Google maps satellite to scout potential locations. I seldom parallel park it (curbs are the enemy due to poor clearance) it but it is narrow as a pickup truck and just a little longer than a crew cab. I usually take two spots if available. All the newer AIs are 24 ft long so that's potentially even more of an issue.
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01-20-2018, 04:29 PM
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#9
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4 Rivet Member
2014 Interstate Ext. Coach
Camas
, Washington
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 288
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We love the fact that with a push of a button on the rear lounge, after rolling up the bed padding and pillows, it’s a 8 passenger classy party boat with a cold fridge and microwave, it’s just about the only RV that can pull it off beautifully! We’ve done that so many times due to popular requests.
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01-20-2018, 04:54 PM
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#10
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4 Rivet Member
2015 25' FB Flying Cloud
Eugene
, Oregon
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 446
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It is so great to hear how you each experience the use of your Interstate. It really helps me visualize possibilities hearing from you all.
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01-20-2018, 05:11 PM
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#11
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Rivet Master
2017 Interstate Lounge Ext
Northern
, California
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,299
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Meeks
Wow, great replies! Thank you for such thoughtful responses listing so many positives.
How do you fit three people in the Interstate?
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I have the Lounge model. It seats 9: 4 up front, 5 in the back.
As for sleeping, wife and I (ok, fine, I'll admit it...and the two dogs!) sleep in the king size bed in the back and daughter sleeps across the 2 front seats on a Twin size air mattress. Perfect fit!
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01-20-2018, 08:21 PM
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#12
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Contributing Member
2018 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Austin (Hays County)
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,164
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After 25 years of trailering, 16 of that in Airstream trailers, I decided at age 84 to go class B. I haven't regretted it, even one minute.
Granted, it takes some getting used to ... the aisle dance, the wet bath (tho I have had wet baths before), and the limited storage space. I stepped down from a Classic 28.
At the one-year mark, to the day, I getting it ready for a 1100+ mile caravan to Big Bend. I figure I still have a few years of using it.
__________________
John W. Irwin
2018 Interstate GT, "Sabre-Dog V"
WBCCI #9632
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01-21-2018, 07:29 AM
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#13
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Figment of My Imagination
2012 Interstate Coach
From All Over
, More Than Anywhere Else
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,868
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A Sprinter-based Class B is comfortable for one, cozy for two, and cramped for three.
My 2012 Interstate is non-EXT purchased in December 2011; they didn't start making the EXT until 2012 for the 2012˝/2013 model year. It only has 3 front seats because I bought a van with a full-height wardrobe closet that replaced one front seat (it's opposite the wet bath, and caused the whole galley to be moved forward to make room). But that created a convenient storage cubbyhole right behind the driver's seat.
I normally travel solo (plus a cat), and my Interstate is perfect for that. How much room does one person need anyway, especially when the focus of camping is the great outdoors? On those occasions when I travel with a lady friend, we have to do the front-to-back shuffle, using the rear sofa to store stuff in transit, and using the front seats, dashboard, and footwells to store that same stuff while camped.
Once the driver's seat was properly adjusted for my frame, it has been the most comfortable vehicle I've ever owned for driving long distances. Even 14 hours behind the wheel in a 24-hour period did not leave me with any aches or pains. And sitting high is great for night driving, since I'm well above the elevation of oncoming headlights, so I deal with less glare. That was particularly important before I had my cataracts removed.
The overall length and wheelbase are identical to a long-bed crew cab Chevy Silverado pickup, and except for the 9'8" height it can go almost anywhere that the pickup can (not including off-road or multi-level parking garages, or course).
Even on the older Interstates, with a rear-view camera and four outside mirrors, you have no blind spots at all. By the time a vehicle disappears from the camera, you can see it in the outside mirrors, and by the time it disappears from the outside mirrors you can see it through the side window. Anything the size of a motorcycle or larger never completely disappears from your field of view the whole time it's passing (or the whole time you're passing). Newer models with additional cameras are even better in that regard.
__________________
I thought getting old would take longer!
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01-21-2018, 09:47 AM
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#14
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3 Rivet Member
2014 Interstate Ext. Coach
fairfax station
, va
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 187
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Diesel
I'm not an experienced RV'er but I had no idea how much I would appreciate the diesel engine and wouldn't consider moving into anything that had a gasoline engine
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01-21-2018, 12:40 PM
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#15
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4 Rivet Member
2014 25' Flying Cloud
1987 29' Sovereign
1978 31' Sovereign
Tampa Bay
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 412
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amirm
FlyFishin stated a lot of positives. I will add a few more for someone who lives in Washington State but spend a ton of RV time in beautifuls state of Oregon:
1. We love to see things. For that, we can get up in the morning, have breakfast and in 3 minutes be ready to go sightseeing. Disconnect power and go. Sometimes we don't even return to the same campground if we find something better elsewhere!
2. Great to always have the bathroom right in the back. Or ability to take a quick nap in a rest stop.
3. Ability to go anywhere including the roads that say "no trailers."
4. The van looks like a van and not an RV, or trailer. We can therefore park anywhere and not stand out. We have nicely slept in shopping centers without having to go and get permissions and such. Or worry about being an eyesore for shop.
5. Ability to fit in any spot. We went to mount Adams last year with signs everywhere saying they are full. After driving, we found one spot though, pulled in and we were done. Ability to instantly claim the spot was important.
5. We have a boat that we trailer. I hate, hate, absolutely hate pulling the darn thing anywhere. I constantly worry about safety of that thing back there and the fact that it tosses me around.
6. The Interstate is just a few inches narrower than equiv. Airstream trailer. Otherwise our dual bunk version was identical. Giving up those few inches but getting 1000 times more convenience was well worth it.
It is by far the best "expensive purchase" we have ever made. Zero regret. Zero buyer's remorse. Will keep this until the wheels fall off.
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Hi Amirm, regarding #3 might you elaborate as to where you’ve come across roads that post “no trailers?” In >30 years on the road we haven’t come across that (yet), fortunate I guess. Might you remember why a trailer would be prohibited yet a “van” could navigate? Thanks.
__________________
☘ 369goose
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
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01-21-2018, 01:23 PM
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#16
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Prof. of Pending Projects
2018 Tommy Bahama Interstate
Orlando
, Florida
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 2,658
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A lot have been said already... I like the fact that my wife fell for it right away. I was afraid she would not want to do this with me... turns out she is now the one planning all the escapes.
I don't get 20 mpg in mine... because of how I drive. Most that I have seen is 18 mpg which is great in my book... maybe with break in and more moderate driving I will see higher mpg numbers.
I like the luxury feel of it. Several that we looked at the steering wheels were standard units, or the seats were cloth... The leather wrapped steering wheel and the feel of the material used to cover the seats is very nice and gives it an additional edge over the competition.
We love the color combination of the Tommy Bahama option. The color of the seats and the matte finish of the cabinets.
Like how it drives.
Like all the safety features it comes with. Not aftermarket add-on, but from the factory (Mercedes)
Like the rear view mirror with the cameras. Always on. Separate from the navigation screen... Between the rear view mirror and the side cameras coming on when switch the turn signal and the large side mirrors, you see everything.
Comfortable seats for long drives...
humm, starting to repeat what others have said...
We really like ours... I know I talk about missing out on the 4WD option now that the offer them with both options (air suspension and 4wd), but looks like, health permitting, we will have this for a long, long time.
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01-21-2018, 10:07 PM
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#17
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3 Rivet Member
Currently Looking...
Currently Looking...
Madison
, Alabama
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 172
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Type B can be excellent tow vehicle
I like to use my B (van based motor coach) to tow my 34' Featherlite all riveted aluminium SURV toyhauler. While in route, have all RV amenities w/o using trailer for overnight stops. When camped...power Featherlite w/ MC's genset.
Let's Roll !
Wolf
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01-22-2018, 12:32 AM
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#18
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Rivet Master
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Bellevue
, Washington
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 689
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 369goose
Hi Amirm, regarding #3 might you elaborate as to where you’ve come across roads that post “no trailers?” In >30 years on the road we haven’t come across that (yet), fortunate I guess. Might you remember why a trailer would be prohibited yet a “van” could navigate? Thanks.
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Oh, we see the often in parks and other pull-offs. A recent one was a beautiful drive to a lake. It was a steep dirt road which I assume was the reason they thought a normal trailer would get stuck. It also had a sharp bend at the end.
I also see them in places where there is a dead-end and no way could you turn around a car+trailer.
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01-23-2018, 05:19 PM
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#19
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4 Rivet Member
2015 25' FB Flying Cloud
Eugene
, Oregon
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 446
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Thank you all again for your replies. Really great to learn from you all!
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01-27-2018, 08:54 AM
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#20
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2 Rivet Member
2018 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Franklin County
, Missouri
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 86
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Not a lot to add to the other posters but I have a couple of items:
- We like the maneuverability and having a refrigerator and bathroom with so much we "down sized" from a sprinter based class C. Our Interstate handles much better and the noise level is greatly reduced from our class C. Also we don't have to hassle with leveling the unit closely since we don't have a gas refrigerator. Also no hassle with slides or stabilizer jacks.
- I did notice you stated you like to camp without shore power. Please be aware that a GT version with a separate compressor for the refrigerator and freezer might not be the best choice due to the power draw.
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