How to sightsee while my RV is parked?

I'm and RV noob who will possibly buy a 2006 Winnebago View this week as there is a well-priced one available nearby. However, an alternate setup that I like is a new (2nd-hand) RPod pulled by a new truck.

With the RPod, I see how I can park it - in Yellowstone, for example, and then head up to the Lamar Valley to watch the bison and wolves in the evening.

With the View, it strikes me that it would be considerably more awkward to drive it around at night and find a pull out on the side of the road once one spies wildlife here and there.

In addition, when I am in mountainous country, heading off to remote trailheads that have limited access or limited parking might also be an issue with an RV, even a relatively compact one like the View.

So, aside from pulling a toad behind me for long distances, or bicycles for short distances, what is the generally understood solution to mobility and flexibility when one has an RV (and not a truck that can be unhitched and driven off easily.)

Thanks in advance to all you experienced folk out there!

I purchased a cab over camper with the idea that I could easily drop it off and go somewhere. But I found out that NO place wants you to drop off a wheel-less box, ever. So that never happened.
My current dream setup would be a van with trailer. But deciding which parts of living I'd want in each is still in the air. Mostly, I'd do kitchen and bath in the trailer.
My favorite one I saw was a couple with a Class A and trailer. In the trailer was a Mini Cooper. When stopped the trailer became his office. Swap the Cooper for something trail-able and you could have lots of fun.

The really small Sprinters that cost $100K+ look very mobile and flexible, but that's a lot of money to spend on a unit that in the end is quite cramped size-wise. The 4x4 versions of same are even more expensive, but all in all allow you to travel pretty much anywhere.

It is also the case that a truck + RPod combo is overall less complicated than a true RV, in terms of the onboard systems, weight, tires, storage, etc.

OTOH, a single solution like a View is also attractive, as it is a polished unit and they have a good history of reliability.

Mobility at the destination is still an unknown for me, however. In the past, car-camping solved the mobility problem without my having to think much about it. For an RV, I feel, it's a different matter.

ECU, thanks for the feedback!

My sprinter has been up some pretty steep dirt roads, the extra weight in camper set up does help traction. For me anywhere a 2wheel drive pick up can go, I would have a fair shot at with my 140 HR 2500. However my sprinter is not a heavyweight, when I “rv” with it is in light conversion mode. I have no idea how a Winnebago conversion handles/wallows.

molloy said:

...With the View, it strikes me that it would be considerably more awkward to drive it around at night and find a pull out on the side of the road once one spies wildlife here and there.

....So, aside from pulling a toad behind me for long distances, or bicycles for short distances, what is the generally understood solution to mobility and flexibility when one has an RV (and not a truck that can be unhitched and driven off easily.)

Thanks in advance to all you experienced folk out there!

Click to expand...

We have a 2005, 158” Pleasure Way. We routinely have a site/camp for several days and if we want to go sight seeing or what ever, we do. With 2-100 watt solar panels so we rarely plug in. We’ll cable lock our chairs to a tree and take off. It takes us maybe 5-10 minutes.

Bottom clearance could be a problem but we’re not 4 wheel drive but can drive pretty much anywhere a car can go.

We like the sprinter vs pulling a trailer when it comes time to go into town or when we’re moving from location to location. 22’ is easy to park plus the mileage is good. What would be the total length of the view and tow vehicle when everything is hooked up?

It’s all compromise and what’s important to you. Both sure beat staying at home.

This is my setup. A 2004 158wb 22' Sprinter and a 13' Scamp. Inside the Sprinter are usually some bicycles or a couple of Vespa scooters.
If I were going to go on back roads with the bikes, I'd probably take my Honda 110 Trail bike instead of the scooter.

Scooters in the van:

Inside the van, there's a murphy bed that pulls down on the left side in case there's too much snoring in the Scamp trailer

Patrick of M said:

... However my sprinter is not a heavyweight, when I “rv” with it is in light conversion mode. I have no idea how a Winnebago conversion handles/wallows.

Click to expand...

I would compare a light T1N 2500 Sprinter to a van more than to a light truck; a View OTOH I would compare to a light truck, and it handles accordingly.

"handles/wallows" is a good term; when I first drove the View a couple of weeks ago and drove over some uneven ground the word "waddle" came to mind... and has not left.

I drive a 4x4 pickup on steep and narrow logging roads in Northern CA, and I would not take the view anywhere close to most of these.

Larry M said:

We have a 2005, 158” Pleasure Way. We routinely have a site/camp for several days and if we want to go sight seeing or what ever, we do. With 2-100 watt solar panels so we rarely plug in. We’ll cable lock our chairs to a tree and take off. It takes us maybe 5-10 minutes.

Click to expand...

Tear-down time of 10 to 15 minutes is fine with me, with the realization that some setup time is needed again, later.

Bottom clearance could be a problem but we’re not 4 wheel drive but can drive pretty much anywhere a car can go.

Click to expand...

Going mainly where a car can go is what I'm after for now. I didn't wish to imply that mountain top access or BLM access (for example) all had to be off-road or difficult to get to in the first place. The issue for me is dealing with the size of the View (24') and the trailhead access points, etc.

We like the sprinter vs pulling a trailer when it comes time to go into town or when we’re moving from location to location. 22’ is easy to park plus the mileage is good.

Click to expand...

Right. Your PW looks much more like a van to me than does the View, but I'm going only from appearances and looking at a video online.

What would be the total length of the view and tow vehicle when everything is hooked up?

Click to expand...

24' (View) + 3' (tongue) + 15' (toad) = 42'

HelloPitty said:

This is my setup. A 2004 158wb 22' Sprinter and a 13' Scamp. Inside the Sprinter are usually some bicycles or a couple of Vespa scooters.
If I were going to go on back roads with the bikes, I'd probably take my Honda 110 Trail bike instead of the scooter.

Click to expand...

OK, so your toad might carry Vespas, and you use these for local sightseeing, or use a dirt bike in the boondocks. That's handy.

Inside the van, there's a murphy bed that pulls down on the left side in case there's too much snoring in the Scamp trailer

Click to expand...

Hehe. Murphy beds are great things, inside or outside of RVs, for reuse of space.

Since my wife and I are 6' and 6'2" respectively, size and location of the various beds are important. I would consider taking out the couch in the View and replacing it with a murphy bed of some kind. That's one reason I like the more recent RPods: they have a queen bed at the end, and that would suit us better than the 3 different bed arrangements in 2005 View.

... all of which considerations are asides with respect to the issue of mobility and flexibility when parked at the campsite. Your Sprinter is the leaner model, and you could drive around in that were you ever to let the Scamp at home.

Instead of the View perhaps a Travato would better suit your needs.

WinnieView1 said:

Instead of the View perhaps a Travato would better suit your needs.

Click to expand...

I didn’t realize what a View was until I looked. Not something you use as a daily driver. Thanks.

WinnieView1 said:

Instead of the View perhaps a Travato would better suit your needs.

Click to expand...

Yes, I've looked at a couple of new Travatos just to understand other choices. Like the 2500 Sprinters (and unlike the 3500 Sprinters, which is what the View is), the Travato is a more compact vehicle.

However, the local View available to me is $50K less in cost that a more recent Travato, but then again, a new truck + used RPod will cost me more also. And as some have said here, having a single vehicle instead of two provides certain flexibilities, but of course, that can be turned on its head in terms of lack of flexibility.

... still mulling it over. Thanks.

Larry M said:

I didn’t realize what a View was until I looked. Not something you use as a daily driver. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Well, there's the rub. When you are on the road, at a single location for a few days and you want to do a new hike each day, then there is the issue of needing to get around. In the bigger national parks that have limited or no shuttle service, there is the issue of getting to the different sights in an efficient way.

I'm basing my expectations on what I have done thus far with car camping, and driving around the country in our old 96 Dodge Caravan when the kids were young - we're retired now, and the kids have flown the coop.

From what I have read on RV forums over the last few weeks, folks with the bigger rigs who are without toads or bikes must stay in one place for a number of days before moving on and repeating the process.

That is, the size of the RV affects the mobility of the travelers once they arrive at their destination.

I believe the following question does not require a new thread, so I'm throwing it in as an addendum to my OP:

Would a Winnebago View forum be a more appropriate place in which to post View questions?

That is, even though the View is technically a T1N Sprinter van, it is not what one thinks of when mentioning the term "Sprinter van"?

I suspect you'd be OK with most of your desired locations. Many national park trailheads have a fair bit of parking. We have a straight van body unit, so a bit less restrictive, but have wallowed through many less than optimal situations and made it out the other side.

tinman said:

I suspect you'd be OK with most of your desired locations. Many national park trailheads have a fair bit of parking. We have a straight van body unit, so a bit less restrictive, but have wallowed through many less than optimal situations and made it out the other side.

Click to expand...

So you don't have any alternate form of transportation with you, is what you are saying. The van gets you to where you are going.

Thanks.

molloy said:

So you don't have any alternate form of transportation with you, is what you are saying. The van gets you to where you are going.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

That's right. Once in a while if we're going someplace that we know we'll want to do some cycling I'll throw on a hitch mounted bike rack, but for hiking, sight seeing and shopping the van gets us where we need to go.

We could, but don't usually relocate or take our View beyond the campsite. Probably because we've had the 36', 40', and 35' MHs before our View over the past 15 years and it's just what we are used to, plus we've always had a towed setup although we don't always bring it along.
What we do know is that if we decide to take the View, in most all cases we wouldn't have a problem for places we often visit.
We do like pulling into most parking lots for supplies and such knowing that we can park in two back-to-back spots without a problem.

When comes to flexibility - it is hard to beat Truck Camper mounted on 4WD pickup.
TC come in several sizes - starting with "Mansion on wheels" with triple slides to short camper with pop-up roof that will fit anywhere where 4WD pickup will.

tinman said:

That's right. Once in a while if we're going someplace that we know we'll want to do some cycling I'll throw on a hitch mounted bike rack, but for hiking, sight seeing and shopping the van gets us where we need to go.

Click to expand...

Right. A bike rack on the hitch (350lb limit in this case) is a good way to go.

However, as you say, for hiking and sight-seeing, the van gets you there. Confirmation is appreciated.