Small RVs with Big Features
These Weekend-Warrior Rigs Have What it Takes to Make Short Getaways and Cross-Country Touring Even More Enjoyable
Image Caption: Photo: Courtesy of Winnebago
Greek storyteller Aesop said, “Good things come in small packages.” He was right. Just take a look at today’s RVs: You don’t have to buy the biggest, most expensive one on the lot to have one with the right stuff to make short escapes from the daily grind enjoyable. There’s a wide variety of smaller motorhomes, camper vans, trailers, and toy haulers well suited to making even off-grid getaways comfortable.
That’s good news for RVers who want to escape from the stresses of daily life to recharge body and mind on a road trip while enjoying the company of family and friends. For others, it might mean soaking in the peace and quiet of nature while having the freedom to pursue recreational passions like mountain biking, kayaking, fishing, hiking, or any of a dozen other forms of outdoor fun.
We’ve highlighted a sampling of smaller RVs that make it easy to leave the grind of daily life behind. Prices and configurations range widely, but each RV here has the right stuff to make your outdoor adventures even more enjoyable for years to come. Good things do come in small packages!
Leisure Travel Vans Wonder
Photo: Courtesy of Leisure Travel Vans Wonder
The Wonder from renowned motorhome manufacturer, Leisure Travel Vans, brings all the upscale comforts of a larger motorhome into the smaller 24-foot, 9-inch footprint of the 2022 Ford Transit Cab Chassis powered by the gutsy 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. The Wonder has a ton of windows and offers three floorplans (rear lounge, rear twin bed, and front twin bed) to accommodate different lifestyles and likes. We favor the Euro Sport model with the front twin bed because it has the wet bath in the rear, leaving the rest of the interior for socializing, entertaining, and cooking.
Photo: Courtesy of Leisure Travel Vans Wonder
Standard features in the Wonder include Truma’s AquaGo comfort plus water heating system for instant hot water, Winegard ConnecT 2.0 WiFi Extender to keep you in touch with the rest of the world, an auto-start 4kW Onan generator so there’s instant power wherever you camp, and high-quality fixtures, a nice galley, comfortable seating, and Euro-style cabinetry so everyone feels pampered. The dual-rear-wheel Wonder can be ordered in either 2WD or AWD (a $6,500 upgrade), with solar power, lithium batteries, and various interior and exterior color schemes as options.
Base MSRP: $141,726
Forest River Rockwood Geo Pro G19FBTH
Photo: Courtesy of Forest River Inc
Want to bring some of your toys on the trip? Forest River’s little Rockwood Geo Pro G19 FBTH is a great 21-foot toy hauler to hitch behind a midsize pickup or SUV. This travel trailer weighs less than 3,500 pounds unloaded and has a 1,500-pound cargo capacity, so it should accommodate a small ATV, a pair of motorcycles, a snowmobile, kayak or canoe, or other adventure toys in its garage area. Up-front is a 54-by-74-inch bed and a wet bath with flush toilet is just a step away on the driver’s side of this RV. Overhead cabinets are on each side in the living/garage area, while the 70-inch flip-up seat provides additional seating between outdoor forays.
Photo: Courtesy of Forest River Inc
The cooktop, 12-volt refrigerator, and microwave handle the needs required to replenish calories. Summer or winter, the 13,500-Btu A/C and 20,000-Btu furnace will keep the interior comfy. And if you are dry camping and want more electrical power, Rockwood offers a Power Package option that includes such things as triple 190-watt solar panels, 3,000-watt inverter/charger, a 400Ah lithium battery, and an 11,000-Btu Coleman Soft-Start A/C. The Geo Pros also come with a high-clearance axle setup and 15-inch Mud Rover Radial tires well suited for backcountry RVing. This is a small, yet nicely equipped toy hauler.
Base MSRP: $32,405
Winnebago Revel 44E
Photo: Courtesy of Winnebago
Winnebago is well-known for staying on the leading edge of mainstream RV design, and the company has fully embraced adventure-bound RVers with the on-demand 4×4 Revel camper van. On-road or off-pavement, the 2022 Revel 44E is engineered to get a couple of adventurers to their destination and provide a stylish base camp. The 44E is built on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van platform matched with the fuel-sipping 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6. It packs the comforts of home, downsized into an easy-to-drive van that can also be a nice daily driver.
Photo: Courtesy of Winnebago
The new model has a number of changes from the previous year to make camp life fun and efficient. The power lift bed provides 49-by-79-inch cross-coach sleeping and this area has more storage features. Amidships is the galley with a portable single-burner induction cooktop, larger 12-volt refrigerator accessible from outside, and a new table and counter extension. The all-in-one wet bath and gear closet boasts a 5-gallon cassette toilet that eliminates the need for a separate black-water holding tank, and Winnebago has upgraded to a new 21-gallon internal freshwater tank and simplified water center panel. Hydronic heating, dual lithium batteries, larger inverter/charger, updated exterior table, and other features make this a fine couple’s camper van.
Base MSRP: $207,250
Jayco Redhawk 24B
Photo: Courtesy of Jayco
The Redhawk 24B Class C motorhome is consistently among the most popular motorhomes in its class. For 2022, Jayco took the new V-8 gas-powered Ford E-450 cab chassis, turned it into a 26-foot coach, and loaded it with the most popular slideout floorplans and features to get a big value for the price and size. The budget-friendly Redhawk includes upgrades to solar, 30-amp 120-volt AC and 12-volt battery systems, 4,000-watt MicroQuiet Onan generator, along with both rear- and side-view cameras for the most technologically advanced Redhawk yet.
Photo: Courtesy of Jayco
Inside, a queen bed in the rear of the slide and over-cab bunk easily sleeps four, while a 15,000-Btu A/C and 31,000-Btu furnace keep the interior just right in all seasons. A Furrion all-in-one cooktop oven, 8-cubic-foot double-door fridge, and residential-size microwave fill out the spacious galley. There’s ample room to rest and relax, and store clothing, gear, and provisions in the cabinets for a multiday road trip. Want to bring along a boat, ATVs, or another vehicle? No problem. The 7,500-pound Class IV hitch is up to the task. The Redhawk even comes with Jayco’s JRIDE suspension package that includes larger sway bars and Hellwig Helper Springs to make the ride and driving on twisting roads more enjoyable.
Base MSRP: $128,543
Off-Grid Adventure Vans
Photo: Courtesy of OGA Vans
Don’t see any camper van that you really like? Have Off Grid Adventure Vans build it. You supply the van or have them source it for you, and they’ll deliver a truly custom handcrafted, turn-key touring van. OGA offers four standard floorplans with a starting price of $42,500 built in a RAM ProMaster High-Roof 159-inch wheelbase model. OGA has also developed similar layouts for the Ford Transit 148 wheelbase (WB) and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 144 WB and 170 WB. Or, work with the company’s design team to build a truly custom interior of your dreams, which can add $5,000–$10,000 to the price of the Standard conversion.
Photo: Courtesy of OGA Vans
The differences between Off Grid’s designs are minimal, and mostly have to do with the integration of the bed, which can be a fold-out Murphy-style unit or fixed, and the location of the galley and cabinetry. Standard conversions include 115 watts of solar power on the roof so you can live comfortably with minimal use of fossil fuels, and a Nature’s Head composting toilet. OGA is committed to promoting sustainable building and living practices. For example: All of the wood used in the vans is harvested from stable local forests and processed by a Mennonite mill near the Frederick, Maryland, facility.
Base MSRP: $42,500, plus the cost of the van.
