I began my RV journeys in 2017 when I purchased a 20 foot travel trailer and enjoyed taking trips from Gettysburg PA to Savannah GA. I had it for a year and it gave me many lessons in RV life, from towing to leveling to black tanks to planning trips. But as I considered taking my first coast-to-coast trip I knew that it just wasn’t going to be big enough for a six month period of time on the road.
I found a used 35 foot gas Class A motorhome in 2018, traded-in my truck for a towable
Honda CRV and set out for the West Coast. I quickly found that the gas engine, located between the driver and passenger seats, was loud and generated quite a bit of heat making for long weary travels on some days. So 6 months after getting that motorhome, I traded it in for a new 2018 Newmar Ventana Class A 35 foot diesel pusher when I was in Arizona. The difference in ride was amazing: with the engine located in the rear of the RV there was a very enjoyable quiet drivers cabin to drive comfortably for longer travel days. I made several cross country trips, and trips to the South in it and was quite comfortable in a very well-laid out floor plan.
But gradually the unending series of mechanical failures leading to an endless amount of service work, and parts taking months to arrive, made me ponder selling the Newmar in 2025 and shifting to other modes of travel (i.e. driving and using airbnbs, train trips, cruises). It came to a head in late November when I was stranded in a snow storm in the mountains of Nevada and had to spend an afternoon on the snowy, icy roof brushing off the tops of the slide-outs in order for them to close. I had the ‘I’m done with this’ feeling for the first time at that particular moment.
And then by a twist of fate I was passing by an RV dealer in the Central California Coast one December morning and decided to stop and check out some Class B conversion vans. I knew that after the travel trailer and larger Motorhomes I wanted something more compact, with no slide-outs and one that would be easier to maneuver. A salesperson opened up a few for walk-throughs, but after the third one I just felt they were all a bit tight, the roofs giving a closing all around feeling, so I thanked him and was going to leave.
He asked if I had ever heard of the Pleasure Way brand, of the Class B+ van. I said no to both questions, and he told me that a customer had just turned in their 2019 Pleasure Way that week and it was in a service bay getting a new refrigerator installed. We walked into service and there it was. Unlike the typical conversion van, this RV was built upon a Mercedes Benz Sprinter cab chassis, with dual rear wheels for superior structural support, and had a much larger living space design. I stepped up and immediately felt the open welcome space and interior of this 2019 Plateau XLTD model The light entering the cabin from 3 large windows at the rear of the RV, even in a service garage, was great. A very nicely designed kitchen, a large bathroom and line of closets beneath the ceiling really felt quite livable to me - even though, at 23 feet, the Pleasure Way was a full third less in total size than the Newmar motorhome I owned.
After a test drive a few days later, I made a deal for this RV and traded-in my old motorhome. While it may have happened fast, it was actually the answer to the questioning feelings that had been percolating over the past few months. I now owned an RV the optimum space for the way I travel at this stage of my life.
The downsizing/right-sizing process has been underway since taking ownership, but I’m making my way thoughtfully through it. You realize that instead of having extra items, you need to determine what is essential, what you actually use because every bit of storage has to count. I said a teary goodbye to my charcoal BBQ, and hello to a compact propane grill that can connect directly to the RV’s propane tank. There are only 3 compact outside storage compartments, so goodbye bulky large chairs and hello to outdoor chairs and tables that can fold into small bags as part of my campground set-up.
Driving the new RV is a joy: it is so much more agile, manageable, can fit into regular parking spots for random stops and can fuel up at any gas station offering diesel. An engine with a turbo keeps the momentum going on inclines; where I used to move behind a long line of slow trucks with the emergency blinkers flashing, now I am able to maintain a respectable 60mph while I tow my Honda. A new realm of potential National Parks now opens up to me, since there will be campgrounds that can accommodate a 23 foot Class B+ van.
So in my 8th year of RV life, operating my 4th RV and rapidly approaching 50,000 RV miles I am genuinely excited by what the Pleasure Way offers to future trips. I see taking more trips closer to home on the East Coast where I can leave my Honda behind at home and have the flexibility to get up and go wherever I go. I will maintain the Pleasure Way so it provides a reliable and safe mode of transportation to all the places I still want to see on my ongoing RV journeys.
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