Class B searching

[44palmer]

Hi All,
Thanks for the add… I am most specifically here to find out do any of these Class B’s come with a regular toilet and not a cassette toilet? I would prefer a Mercedes Class B. Any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[mumkin]

Very few have cassettes as they are not that popular in the US. Nearly all have the traditional black tanks.

 

[44palmer]

Untrue, I have contacted numerous RV dealers and all have cassette toilets. They found 1 for me in MI that has a regular toilet but it is not the type of class b I am looking for. Thank you tho

 

[GeorgeRad]

This Cassettes popularity must be a recent trend, in most of discussions in this forum since I got my camper van in 2013 with cassette majority of folks view cassettes very critically, with most critical opinions coming from folks who never had one.

 

[Roadfossil]

I also like a cassette for camping in campgrounds with outhouses and toilets but no dump station. Often I take my spare cassette container (from my Snoozy TT) along when camping in primitive campgrounds with my Chevy Roadtrek. Simple matter to "offload" few gallons from Roadtrek to cassette container using macerator pump. Then carry secure cassette to toilet for disposal. Gets you a few extra days at a time. Have a storage container in rear hitch of Van that carries cassette and misc. other items.

 

[avanti]

I also like a cassette for camping in campgrounds with outhouses and toilets but no dump station. Often I take my spare cassette container (from my Snoozy TT) along when camping in primitive campgrounds with my Chevy Roadtrek. Simple matter to "offload" few gallons from Roadtrek to cassette container using macerator pump. Then carry secure cassette to toilet for disposal. Gets you a few extra days at a time. Have a storage container in rear hitch of Van that carries cassette and misc. other items.

...or, you could carry a 5-gallon transfer container to be filled with a macerator, and have the best of both worlds.

 

[44palmer]

Thank you for the info about the cassette toilets. I’m not interested in cassettes at all. No one is going to convince me to change my mind. Thanks for the info. I am just interested in knowing if anyone knows where to get a Mercedes Class b with a reg flush toilet. Thank you.

 

[mumkin]

Untrue, I have contacted numerous RV dealers and all have cassette toilets. They found 1 for me in MI that has a regular toilet but it is not the type of class b I am looking for. Thank you tho

Roadtrek only has one cassette model and their other 8 models have a black tank. Pleasureway has none with cassettes (for a short time, their small Tofino had a portipotty). I think Winnebago has 1 or 2 with cassettes or more with portpotties... the rest have black tanks. If you are looking used, Great West or Leisure Travel never had any. I don't see any cassettes on the Coachman models on various websites.

Most rigs sold as "Adventure vans" have a cassette toilet system or mostly a portipotty.

What type are you looking for? Size? platform?

 

[GeorgeRad]

Thank you for the info about the cassette toilets. I’m not interested in cassettes at all. No one is going to convince me to change my mind. Thanks for the info. I am just interested in knowing if anyone knows where to get a Mercedes Class b with a reg flush toilet. Thank you.

I suggest to find a list of manufacturers and research which one have black tank base toilet system. Don’t look for flush toilets as both black tanks and cassettes and porta potty toilets have flush toilets. Do a little of homeworlk, the previous post could give you a good start.

 

[44palmer]

I have found that even if it’s a cassette toilet there still seems to be a black tank. Usually a 4gal tank. That’s how I get confused cause at first I thought if it had a black tank than it wasn’t a cassette toilet. But I was wrong.

 

[44palmer]

I was looking for a Mercedes Sprinter type. I’m looking for the smallest I can find. 19’-24’ is perfect. We only want it for our hiking trips. Not looking to camp ever. Just like the convenience of a bathroom and small cooking. And the easy of parking and driving. We love the look of the sprinter.

 

[GeorgeRad]

It seems you are not necessarily looking for a B-class Camper Van. A company like the Sportsmobile can outfit your van to your needs. If you need sitting for more than 2 you could start with 144” WB (20’) passenger Sprinter and have Sportsmobile add a bathroom (a Cassette toilet would be almost as simple as a porta potty but far for more convenient) and small bottle LPG stove. It would be easy to add a bathroom and small galley behind seats for a driver plus four. There are many other small conversions shops which can do the same.
https://sportsmobile.com/models/mercedes-sprinter/

 

[44palmer]

Thank you…not interested in porta potty at all. Hoping to find a sprinter van that has a regular flush toilet that you take to a dumping station. Not a toilet that I have to to pull out and empty myself. ��. I’m not sure why a cassette option keeps coming up. It’s basically the only thing I have said I don’t want. Thank you for your suggestions. I’ll keep looking. I have reached out to a Sprinter van conversion company and they seem to not do the regular toilets much either but have said it could be an option. Not sure why this is so hard to find. I’d think most ppl wouldn’t want to drank some tank out by hand to clean out �� but apparently we are the few who don’t think that would be enjoyable. We don’t camp and have no desire to camp so that also may be us and that we are expecting too much. Again thank you for the advice. ��

 

[Snowy-ClassB]

Coachman Galleria, Pleasureway Plateau, Pleasureway Ascent, Airstream Interstate, are some examples. Google "class B manufacturers" and go through each manufacturers lineup to find more.

I totally understand why you'd prefer a black tank. I don't understand why you are restricting yourself to Sprinters with their awful implementation of diesel emissions technology and the difficulty of finding a dealer to get it fixed. Go to sprinter forums and other places to find out about the dreaded "limp mode." Maybe you know all about the problems with sprinters and still prefer them - i am mentioning this in case you don't.

 

[44palmer]

We prefer a “van” type look. We go on vacation and stay at Air b and b’s, regular “looking” rvs are not permitted to park in those type of homes. But a van looking rv would be allowed. I think for the mere reason that people don’t want people staying in rv’s in the driveways. I’m assuming. But with that said, we are comfortable in the van type and the van look. Thank you.

 

[MsNomer]

So you want a vehicle that doesn’t look like an RV but has the one feature that pretty much defines top-of-the-line RV versus more casual conversions which are less likely to look like an RV. Plus, you want the vehicle most likely to be an RV to look like it's not an RV. And you wonder why it isn’t readily available?

 

[LostInWoods]

Take a look at Midwest Automotive Designs Day/Luxe/Patriot Cruiser family. Seems like it's more or less what you're asking for. It has no galley, but there is a sink in the bathroom and you can tuck a Blackstone grill somewhere to cook on.

 

[GeorgeRad]

So you want a vehicle that doesn’t look like an RV but has the one feature that pretty much defines top-of-the-line RV versus more casual conversions which are less likely to look like an RV. Plus, you want the vehicle most likely to be an RV to look like it's not an RV. And you wonder why it isn’t readily available?

Well stated. Stealthy look is for a few van owners a must attribute. I have seen it on the Sprinter Forum DIY threads, many ended up with windowless cages on wheels hoping for invisibility.

 

[mumkin]

I have found that even if it’s a cassette toilet there still seems to be a black tank. Usually a 4gal tank. That’s how I get confused cause at first I thought if it had a black tank than it wasn’t a cassette toilet. But I was wrong.

I think you (and/or perhaps the dealers who are notorious for inaccuracy) are confused with the terminology. There are three systems these days. There is the standard flush toilet with a black tank. The tank is not removable... has to be dumped with a macerator or traditional slinky.

Then there is the European style cassette toilet. It has an interior flush toilet, the drains into a good sized cassette that is removed through a door on the side of the van. The cassette is pulled out and emptied into a sewer system. You can see this on the Winnebago Revel:

https://www.winnebago.com/models/product/motorhomes/camper-van/revel

Then there is the more basic camping style portipotty which has been showing up more in the last couple years. Commonly used by small conversion companies.

As to the platform, all three are your basic big Euro style box van whether Promaster, Ford, or Sprinter. My preferred has been the Promaster as it has the widest interior... and I had their smallest (16') converted into a basic camper. Plus it has front wheel drive. I have avoided the Sprinter because it is diesel, many issues with great difficulty finding extremely overpriced service, and it is the most expensive as you have to pay about 10K extra just for having the prestige of that star. (but they will provide you with a free latte while you get that $300 oil change... lol)

I looked at the Midwest Automotive recommended and there is no info on their website about whether there is a black tank... and no photos. It seems to be only the 24' size. Worth giving them a call. One of the models does have a galley. They used to be quite flexible with tweaks, but not sure if they will do this since REV purchased the company.

Roadtrek has a small Sprinter conversion with a black tank...

Also remember that all these vans have low ground clearance... not sure where you are driving to hike.

 

[LostInWoods]

I have found that even if it’s a cassette toilet there still seems to be a black tank. Usually a 4gal tank. That’s how I get confused cause at first I thought if it had a black tank than it wasn’t a cassette toilet. But I was wrong.

A cassette can be considered a black tank. That's probably what you are seeing for a 4 gal black tank. Either one stores human waste.

You said "I am just interested in knowing if anyone knows where to get a Mercedes Class b with a reg flush toilet." If you expect that dumping a black tank will be as pristine as flushing a toilet at home, I think you'll be disappointed. Dumping a cassette need not be much different than a black tank, and I suspect newbies will make mistakes with either. Mistakes are messy; be prepared.

You have said: "We only want it for our hiking trips. Not looking to camp ever. Just like the convenience of a bathroom and small cooking. And the easy of parking and driving.", "We don’t camp and have no desire to camp", and "We go on vacation and stay at Air b and b’s, regular 'looking' rvs are not permitted to park in those type of homes." You don't want an RV - you want something akin to a small executive coach with toilet. The Midwest models I pointed you toward are in line with what you say you want.