Park It: Why We Bought a Class B Van

I’m a confessed national park geek who dreams of visiting every NPS site. But unfortunately, I’m also a wimp when it comes to tent camping. When my husband and I started looking into RV life, we discussed many different options from adorable mini teardrop trailers to fifth wheels, massive class A rigs, class C motorhomes, the class B van, and everything else we could find. To help us in our search, we made a list of our top priorities:

1. A bathroom. I know many people are content with portapotties or (shudder) digging cat holes, but I like to have my own toilet and shower.
2. A bed. Getting good sleep is important. In many smaller RVs, the table converts to a bed and vice versa, but we thought that sounded like a hassle.
3. A comfortable place to work. (See the previous point!) I’m an author who writes novels set in national parks, and I plan to take my work with me so I don’t miss any deadlines.
4. Easy to drive
5. Easy to park
6. Can camp anywhere–whether or not RV hookups are available.
7. Bonus: Space for a guest or two to join us.

We found everything we needed in the Class B vans. They’re simple to drive and take up about the same space as a large pickup truck. We wouldn’t have to tow anything, and could still park in most regular parking spaces. But when we got serious about shopping, sticker shock gave us pause. These vans rivaled the price of our first home! Trailers were so much cheaper. Seriously. So. much. cheaper. Were we crazy to do this?

It took many months to get ourselves past this hurdle. Eventually, the allure of the open road and family trips won out. A trailer would tick some of our boxes, but not all. Plus, we’d have to buy a vehicle capable of towing one, an additional expense.

After touring multiple vans and comparing prices, options, and features, we settled on a Winnebago Solis 59PX. It has a murphy bed with storage above and below, a separate dining/seating area, a wet bath (albeit TINY), a galley kitchen, a generator, and AC (for the dogs, of course). One thing that drew us to the Solis was the pop top. Our kids are in their twenties and might like to join us on the occasional trip, so we liked the idea of having a guest room (or tree house as I’ve started calling it). I’ve also found that opening the top when we’re parked gives us additional light and ventilation–always a plus! We’ve named her Jiffy Pop.

So far, my husband and I have taken Jiffy on several weekend camping trips around the Northwest, my daughter and I traveled down to the Redwoods for a mother/daughter research trip, and this fall Steve & I packed up the dogs and drove to Utah to visit three more national parks. I love that we can fit in small NPS campsites and road turnouts for trailheads. You just can’t beat that.

I’ve also found the van incredibly convenient for visiting my mom in her memory care facility. I was regularly spending over $200 a night for a hotel, but now I’ve gotten permission to camp in their parking lot. Steve’s also been able to participate in various tribal events that require an overnight stay. And this week, I sneaked away for a writing retreat at Belknap Hot Springs. *Sigh!* So quiet!

Next week, I’m trying it out at a writing conference, instead of staying in the conference center lodge. Since I have unusual dietary needs, it’ll be handy to have a kitchen where I can throw together quick meals if needed.

We’re looking forward to exploring more with Jiffy this summer. If you have suggestions for places we should visit, feel free to leave them in the comments. I’d love to hear your recommendations.

Also, if you love seeing van photos, check out our gallery below or check out @JiffyPopVan on Instagram. Happy travels!