Van conversion Vs Large teardrop with Bath

[wanderlous]

For those of you who have done both a van conversion and a large teardrop with bath, which one do you prefer and why?

I am new to the RV world and am thinking of going on the road full-time for about a year. I hope to do a fair amount of boon-docking on federal lands and National parks. I want to keep it small enough for maneuverability, but large enough for an indoor shower, when needed. I have narrowed my search down to either a conversion van or large teardrop with bath.

If I go with the teardrop, I plan to buy a 4x4 Jeep Grand Cherokee as the tow vehicle.

If I go with the conversion, a Ram hightop Promaster sounds promising. I could do the insulation and flooring myself, but would have to hire someone for the rest of the conversion.

Any suggestions to get me on the right path would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[skychs]

Some of the large Teardrops like the Tab 400 are very modern and impressive. It will also give you the advantage of unhooking and exploring the area in a nice Jeep Grand Cherokee.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Wow! If you are going to go with a Promaster and convert with outside labor, why not build a custom trailer? I think your are talking retro trailers like @skychs references. The T@b is a quality RV. Others may come close but I have seen some really shabby ones.

If you go with the Van conversion You can only go as large as the Van you purchase. You can tow a towd if you want behind it for a daily driver, maybe a Smart or something like that.

If you go with the Retro trailer you will need to use the tow vehicle as your daily driver. You will not have any other options.

Personally I know what it is like to go too small. I fixed that a couple years ago and am much happier. I feel that towing a trailer is a higher value option than a small MH and that is what the van conversion is. A trailer smaller than 15' I have deemed to small. All things convert to compromise, You will have to determine what is the compromise you can live with. Hopefully You can come up with that number on the first try.

 

[skychs]

My brother- in-Law has the Tab 400. They love it. Has a shower. Easy tow with his Jeep Grand Cherokee.

 

[wanderlous]

Some of the large Teardrops like the Tab 400 are very modern and impressive. It will also give you the advantage of unhooking and exploring the area in a nice Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Thanks. If I go with a teardrop, I was thinking of the T@b or the aliner ascape.

 

[wanderlous]

Wow! If you are going to go with a Promaster and convert with outside labor, why not build a custom trailer? I think your are talking retro trailers like @skychs references. The T@b is a quality RV. Others may come close but I have seen some really shabby ones.

If you go with the Van conversion You can only go as large as the Van you purchase. You can tow a towd if you want behind it for a daily driver, maybe a Smart or something like that.

If you go with the Retro trailer you will need to use the tow vehicle as your daily driver. You will not have any other options.

Personally I know what it is like to go too small. I fixed that a couple years ago and am much happier. I feel that towing a trailer is a higher value option than a small MH and that is what the van conversion is. A trailer smaller than 15' I have deemed to small. All things convert to compromise, You will have to determine what is the compromise you can live with. Hopefully You can come up with that number on the first try.

Kevin, Thank-you for your input. It gives me a lot to think about.

 

[wanderlous]

My brother- in-Law has the Tab 400. They love it. Has a shower. Easy tow with his Jeep Grand Cherokee.

I've seen a lot of people on line that rave about the quality of the Nucamp T@G and T@B. Are they really that much better than their competition? What kind of gas milage does your brother-in-law get with the T@B in tow?

 

[skychs]

I've seen a lot of people on line that rave about the quality of the Nucamp T@G and T@B. Are they really that much better than their competition? What kind of gas milage does your brother-in-law get with the T@B in tow?

I have not seen the competition but I can tell you the Tab is very impressive. Its so modern inside its almost futuristic. I was really impressed when they told me it had heated floors. In the first photo you can see the form fitting tent/canopy that attaches to the side of the TAB. The room can be closed off completely which more than doubles the size of the Teardrop. We spent a lot of time in the shelter. It gets crowded inside the trailer with more than 2 people. Outside under the canopy it can easily accommodate 4 or more comfortably.

In regards to gas milage .... Im not sure which engine he has but I think it was around 9-10 mpg.

The TAB 400 is not cheap. It sells for more than $30K new but in this case you get what you pay for .... quality.

 

[wanderlous]

My budget is more in line with the T@B 320. Or, I could go used. They do seem to hold their value quite well. Even the used ones are almost the same price as new.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Many years ago I stopped next to a tab owner and started talking to him in a rest area. Was the first one I had seen. He told me how they fitted it in Germany and then shipped it to the US and re-assembled it to avoid tariffs. So It was made in Germany. The rest of the story was he had converted a screen door spring by putting hooks on it. the Idea was to hold up the safety chains so they would not drag on the ground. I have used that Idea ever sense. I stopped and talked to him because it was the best build I had seen to date.