If you’re looking to travel the country in style but also with limited space, consider purchasing or renting a small RV for the journey. There are many tiny RVs that are small enough to fit into tight spaces and campgrounds with size limitations while still being comfortable and spacious enough to live in.
What Qualifies as a Small RV?
If you’re a new RVer, you probably aren’t sure what qualifies as a small RV.
Additionally, someone who is used to camping in a 50′ motorhome and downsizes to a 40′ fifth wheel might think their new RV is small. On the other hand, if you’re used to camping in a 20′ pop-up camper and upgrade to that same 40′ fifth wheel, you’ll feel like you’re camping in a mansion!
Although size is somewhat objective when it comes to RVs, RV enthusiasts generally consider any RV less than 25′ or 26′ long as “small.”
Small RVs can include tow-behind travel trailers, Class C motorhomes, or Class B camper vans.
While travel trailers (like teardrop campers) and Class B camper vans are the most common small RVs, some Class C RVs are also considered small. We’ll explore a few of these later in this article!
The Best Small RVs (Class B and Class C) of 2024
With a better idea of what constitutes a small RV, it’s time to examine a few of the best options on the market.
Top Class B Motorhomes (“Camper Vans”)
We’ll start with Class B motorhomes, also known as camper vans. Camper vans can be 15 to 26 feet long and are typically the smallest type of motorhome on the market.
#1: The Winnebago Solis
- Average Price: $150,000
- Sleeping Capacity: 2-4
- Length: 19′ 9″
- Dry Weight: 8,900 pounds
The Winnebago Solis is the quintessential Class B RV and is considered by many to be the best small RV available. It’s surprisingly luxurious and comfortable despite being one of the smaller RVs on our list. What makes it feel bigger and more comfortable than it actually is is the pop-up roof sleeping area on top of the RV.
At less than 20′ long, it will meet all National and State Park minimum length requirements with room to spare. In addition to the pop-up top sleeping area, there’s a Murphy bed if you need extra sleeping space.
The Winnebago Solis is also boondock-ready, as it features solar panels, a cassette toilet, and an eco-friendly water heater. It’s also built with premium insulation, ensuring you stay comfortable on chilly nights or hot days.
#2: Airstream Interstate 19
- Average Price: $200,000
- Sleeping Capacity: 2
- Length: 19′
- Dry Weight: 9,000 pounds
If you want the most luxurious camper van on the market, consider the Airstream Interstate 19. While it only sleeps two people, it does so with a comfortable queen-size bed that spans the entire rear of the coach.
It also includes more features than any other RV in its class, including a widescreen smart TV, tankless water heater, power awning, full wet bath, and more. While it comes at a steep price tag, it’s easily one of the most comfortable and spacious Class B RVs on the market.
#3: Winnebago Revel
- Average Price: $210,000
- Sleeping Capacity: 2
- Length: 19′
- Dry Weight: 9,000 pounds
If you like the Solis but want even more luxury, comfort, and off-roading capabilities, consider the Winnebago Revel. While it doesn’t have the Solis’s pop-top, the Winnebago Revel includes features like a hydronic heating system, air conditioning, a full bath and kitchen, and a power lift bed. (As a bonus, the power lift queen bed allows for extra storage when the bed isn’t in use).
The Revel’s combination of comfort, features, and off-roading capabilities easily makes it one of the best small RVs on the market. While this rig is in a small class, it’s tiny living at its finest.
#4: Pleasure-Way Tofino
- Average Price:$94,250
- Sleeping Capacity: 2-4
- Length: 17′ 9″
- Dry Weight: 8,550 pounds
Despite being two feet shorter than the Winnebago Solis and the Airstream Interstate, the Pleasure-Way Tofino feels just as spacious.
Like the Solis, it features a pop-up top for extra sleeping, along with a comfy sleeper sofa. If you’re feeling cramped, the Tofino includes rear and side door drop-down screens allowing you to keep the door open.
With the option of adding solar panels, a roof bike rack, lithium batteries, and off-road wheels, the Tofino is ready for anything and everything. However, because it’s a smaller RV, you’ll have to get by without a full bathroom and make do with a wet bath and portable toilet.
Small Yet Spacious Class C RVs
If you’re looking for a bit more interior storage, living space, and exterior storage, Class C RVs are the way to go. Class C RVs are a happy medium between Class B camper vans and Class A motorhomes and combine the best of both worlds.
#1: Thor Gemini AWD
- Average Price: $161,850
- Sleeping Capacity: 2
- Length: 23′ 7″
- Dry Weight: 11,000 pounds
Thor is a name in the RV industry that’s synonymous with comfort, luxury, and class. While the Thor Gemini AWD isn’t as big and gaudy as some of their larger models, it’s every bit as comfortable, classy, and elegant.
The Thor Gemini AWD features a convertible dinette sleeping area, a full bathroom and kitchen, and a slide-out for extra space. It features a powerful 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost turbo gas engine, allowing you to go wherever you want while maintaining impressive fuel economy.
Additionally, because it’s AWD, solar-ready, and built on a powerful Ford Transit chassis, you can use this small but comfortable RV for boondocking.
#2: Thor Compass RUV
- Average Price: $164,850+
- Sleeping Capacity: 3
- Length: 25′ 10″
- Dry Weight: 11,000 pounds
The Thor Compass RUV is similar but slightly larger than its sister RV, the Gemini. It includes all the features of the Gemini, plus two rear twin bunks that convert into a king-size bed.
This slightly larger but still compact RV also has a full bath and micro kitchen, along with a jack-knife sofa.
Like the Gemini, this Class C RV is all-wheel drive and off-road ready and includes a generator, air conditioner, tankless water heater, optional solar panels, and more! It also includes a powerful propane furnace and large holding tanks so that you can live off-grid for days at a time.
#3: Coachmen Freelander
- Average Price: $135,000
- Sleeping Capacity: 4
- Length: 24′
- Dry Weight: 14,500 pounds
If you’re traveling with more than two people and want a larger RV with more storage, living, and sleeping space, consider the Coachman Freelander 22XG. While this RV is larger than most of the ones we’ve looked at thus far, it still meets the maximum length requirements of some national parks of 25′.
This Class C RV features a queen-sized bed in the front and a Murphy bed in the rear, along with a separate shower and bathroom and a micro kitchen. With a starting price of right around $125,000, the Coachman Freelander is one of the more affordable small RVs on the market.
#4: Thor Eddie Bauer 22EB
- Average Price: $120,000
- Sleeping Capacity: Up to 4
- Length: 24′ 1″
- Dry Weight: 12,500 lb.
The Thor Eddie Bauer 22EB is one of the newer Class C RVs on the market. As with all Thor products, the Eddie Bauer is luxurious and has all the amenities and features you need to have a comfortable camping experience. Although the Thor Eddie Bauer is definitely on the compact side, it has a surprising amount of storage space.
However, this rig is also one of the only Thor Class C motorhomes without slideouts. While this means you can easily access all parts of the RV while you’re traveling, it also means you won’t have additional space when you set up your rig at a campsite.
Luckily, if the Eddie Bauer 22EB feels too cramped, you can always upgrade to the slightly larger version, the EB 26. Either way, you’re getting a luxurious, comfortable, and compact Class C motorhome that can take you wherever you want to go.
Final Thoughts
Once you decide which small RV is right for you, it’s important to protect your new purchase and investment. While regularly cleaning and maintaining your rig are important steps, it’s equally as important to have a safe place to store your RV. Even if own the smallest RV on the market, you still might not have enough storage space on your property.
If you don’t have somewhere safe and secure to store your RV on your own property, consider using Neighbor for your RV storage needs. Neighbor is a peer-to-peer storage marketplace offering safe and affordable RV storage options. With hundreds of storage locations throughout the country, Neighbor may even have RV storage near you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Best RV for a Small Family?
If you have a small family, the best RV of 2024 for you may be a Class C motorhome, as they can typically sleep between three and six people.
What Is the Smallest Size RV Available?
The smallest RV class available is Class B, which usually ranges from 18 to 24 feet long and can sleep two to four people. Class B motorhomes are also known as camper vans.
What Is the Smallest RV Size With a Bathroom?
If you want to live the RV life with a small RV that has a bathroom, many Class B camper vans offer this option. However, be sure to check RV reviews for your model because some Class B RVs have a wet bath and cassette toilet, but not a shower.
What Are the Benefits of Small RVs?
Small RVs typically have many of the amenities and comforts of a larger rig but are easier to navigate and park. Small RVs also have better fuel efficiency than larger ones.
