The Michigan lockdown had been lifted. Eager to travel, I drove with my wife to explore nearby state park and recreation areas. I soon realized our exploration would be cut short if we did not want to use public restroom facilities.
The next realization was we would need a self contained traveling unit in order to travel most safely more than a few tens of miles.
The ideal travel unit is small on the outside, yet big on the inside. The real world requires compromise. A class B RV, also known as a camper van, looks like the best compromise for the two of us. The dealer has a 22-foot Coachmen in stock that looks perfect after many hours of research. We meet our salesperson outside the building, use masks, and practice social distancing.
We soon see the RV. The outside is attractive. The inside feels smaller than shown in advertising pictures. The front seats are comfortable, but there is not enough room between my seat and the center console for me to get my legs around it to get to the rest of the van. The main point of getting a camper van for us is being self contained and being able to freely move about. The RV will not work for us. Disappointing.
Our salesperson asks if we would consider a used RV. Yes. She drives a 2016 Airstream Interstate Grand Tour to us. It is built with a Mercedes Sprinter chassis. The outside is attractive. The inside is attractive. There is much more space inside. It has nice features. It is relatively easy to get from the front seats to the rest of the coach. This one could work.
We check out other class Bs. The selection is limited during this part of 2020, so it only takes a few minutes. We take literature home and study our options for a few days.
Ultimately we trade in my Sierra 1500 and our 2015 Coachmen Freedom Express 246RKS for the Airstream. It is easier to drive than the two older vehicles together. It is much easier to back into camping spaces. Setting up camp can be as simple as plugging into electrical power. It looks good for us.