Storage on Coachmen Beyond

[Coachmen beyond 34217]

Greeting group, I recently purchased a new 2023 beyond 22rb. I am new to camping but have boated for many years and very used to storage space concerns. My question is, what do most people do to store e-bikes, golf clubs and "stuff" on this class b van. Is it a small tow behind trailer? door mounted storage box and hitch mounted bike rack? Roof rack? I am trying not to learn by mistakes and use the wisdom of seasoned class b travelers. Thanks for your help to sort this out.

[Punkinhead]

We're currently on a 3 month trip and are towing a trailer so we can bring along our ebikes and kayaks. It's a pain in the butt. The main benefit of a class B is nimbleness and the ability to drive and park anywhere and a trailer severely restricts it. We might as well enjoy the spaciousness of a class A if we're giving up the main advantage of a B. So if at all possible, avoid towing. If you're only bringing along 1 bike and 1 set of clubs try to carry them inside the van. If needed, use a hitch mounted bike rack. A trailer is a last resort.

[Coachmen beyond 34217]

Thanks for that!! Kinda thought that would be a pain. Thinking maybe a hitch mounted storage box might be best.

[jrobe]

I have no idea how we would manage without our 2 rear Aluminess storage boxes. We can carry our portable chairs, tools, water jug, grill, firewood, leveling blocks, electric cord, etc. etc. They can even hold one of our inflatable kayaks. We also have 2 bike racks mounted on top of them for our bikes including my wife ebike. They swing away so we can access the rear door even with the bikes on top. They also don't extend the length of our van which would defeat the whole purpose of an RV that can fit in a single parking space. I can also still use my hitch on the rare occasion that I tow something. They weren't cheap but we would never own a Class B without them.

[JonMN]

Congrats! I have a 2022 Beyond RB. We were sold on the open feeling of the RB layout. Regarding storage, it depends on the use we have in mind.

Class B as travel vehicle: Right now we are renting a house for a few weeks in Florida. The Beyond is by far our favorite long-distance traveler for this. We can pull off at a rest area, make a nice lunch and a cup of coffee for the road. We can bring enough food for the travel days and for the first couple days at the rental. When used for this purpose, we put a Yoga mat on one of the seats to prevent slippage, and carry a lot of things on the one sofa. (We keep the other open in case one of us wants a break from the front seats). We also put heavy things on the floor for the trip.

We took the shelves out of the rear closet and use hangers. Just putting clothes in at an angle allows a lot of hanging storage.

Class B as camper: Here we need to be more careful on what we take. We might have a few things on the seat while we drive, but we move them to the front floor and front seat once we set up camp. Just a little thing, but that gap between the rear doors and the bathroom floor is just the right size for leveling blocks.

Here is a link to a bike rack I really like. The capacity would handle some but not all E bikes. It has a built-in swing away feature that allows access to the back doors. By the way, this rack does not work with fenders. LINK

[Punkinhead]

I don't have a picture because we're traveling with a trailer right now but for a rack we use the Hollywood RV Rider because it works with fenders. We use a Kuat Pivot to swing it out of the way of the doors. We chose the drivers side swing because it gives easier access to the passenger rear door which is the one we use most often. The downside of separate pivot and rack is that it extends the rack out about 9-10" farther than the rack alone would be.

[JonMN]

Just another thought: When picking a bike rack for these vans make sure you have enough clearance so the handlebars don't hit the rear window! I found I could find good size diagrams for most of them. You can always buy an extender, but those can lower your weight capacity too.

[An unrelated note regarding your flip-up sink: If it's the same one I have, there is a drain in the back to get rid of residual water in the sink when you flip it up. In my case, however, the water flowed around the curve of the sink back and came out on the rear wall. If you notice this, I came up with a quick and easy fix for it.

PS: See you are from Florida! We are enjoying a break right now in Pensacola Beach]