When it comes to buying an RV, especially one with a price tag north of $100,000, you’d hope you’re getting the rig of your dreams. But as many seasoned travelers will tell you, the reality can be full of surprises—some of them not so pleasant.
From cramped bathrooms to running out of storage space for your coffee machine, the lessons often come after you’ve already signed on the dotted line. If you’re considering life on the road or just curious about what can go wrong, you’re in the right place.
The video below from The Vancaskeys dives deep into the biggest regrets after dropping a small fortune on a Thor Tellaro 20a Class B RV.
1. Not Testing Out The Layout Before Buying
One of the biggest regrets? Not spending enough time inside different RV layouts before choosing one. As they put it, “I spent a lot of time looking online… but I didn’t really get inside a lot of them and test them out and see how I actually fit in it.”
Turns out, what looks spacious on paper can feel like a phone booth in reality. Their advice: “Get inside of them, lay in the beds, look at them, you know, test things out.”
If you’re over six feet tall, you might not want to discover your feet hang off the bed only after you’re miles from the dealership. Remember, you’re always giving up something to gain something—kind of like trading your king-size bed at home for a glorified bunk bed… with a view.
2. Underestimating Storage Space
“Storage is everything in a Class B RV,” they warn—and they’re not kidding. After realizing their kitchen storage was basically Tetris for adults, they had to buy an external storage box just to keep their outdoor gear.
“We have two cabinets each for our bedroom… over 7 days that does not feel like a lot of storage.”
If you thought packing for a weekend trip was tough, try figuring out where to store your coffee maker, trash bags, AND your dignity after digging through every drawer for a clean pair of socks. Size matters, folks—especially when it comes to cabinets.
3. Not Paying Enough Attention to Water & Propane Systems
Water and propane are the lifeblood of RV boondocking, but they admit, “One of the things that we wish we would have done differently is make sure we have enough water capacity.” With only 24 gallons onboard, showers became a luxury and not a right. “If you’re showering while you’re boondocking you are using a lot more water,” they explain.
And as for propane, it’s great—until you have to hunt it down in the middle of nowhere just to make coffee. Their new philosophy? “I would rather go electric with an indu cooktop and… some sort of external gas or diesel heater.”
Because nothing says adventure like rationing water and Googling “nearest propane refill” at midnight.
4. Not Considering Bathroom Options
The bathroom situation went from “we don’t need one” to “how did we ever live without it?”—but not without regrets. “Our first van did not come with a bathroom… now I have realized at 45 years old, I’m not willing to not have a bathroom in my RV.”
Even with a bathroom, space was still a major issue: “I have to sit on the toilet if I’m being honest with you… our bathroom is teeny, it’s almost unusable at times.”
If you’re over six feet tall, you might want to practice your yoga poses before attempting to shower. And the cassette toilet? Let’s just say, if you’re squeamish, you might want to upgrade. Or just develop a strong sense of humor.
5. Buying a Class B That’s Too Long or Too Short
Finding the Goldilocks of RV sizes is trickier than it sounds. Their first van was “very tiny… you just had no space whatever inside the van for your bed, your bathroom, the kitchen, none of that stuff.” But going too big has its own problems: “If you’re not comfortable driving it you won’t use it and then it’s a waste.”