Our travel trailer sold, thus freeing us up to seriously look for a Class B+ or C. We did a lot of research – Chris made a spreadsheet to compare models, and we went to see several. We thought we had it nailed down to a couple models, but then a different unit came available at our price, with low mileage, only a couple years old, a good size, with a lot of the must-haves we wanted. We had to take a look.
Why the change? We decided after a year with the trailer that we are better suited to a smaller unit – our truck & trailer came to 41′ or so. We want to do more dry camping and a unit half that length will get us into places we dared not go before. It is another reason that you should never buy new until you really know what you want. We thought by including certain options off the get go for camping off grid (dual 6V deep cycle- lead acid batteries, portable solar panel, a generator) we would be self sufficient. What we didn’t truly appreciate prior was the effect of the noise of the generator interfering with the peacefulness of the surroundings or the fact the trailer struggled with weight load restrictions with a full tank of fresh water. We also did not like the towing experience and a smaller unit will be way cheaper on the ferries so crossing onto the mainland will be more appealing.
After weighing all the pros/cons, we decided this is the best option for us at this time, so we bought our new home on wheels – A 2017 Pleasure-Way Plateau XLTD built on a 2016 Mercedes Benz diesel chassis. Pleasure-Way is a Canadian company and highly regarded in the North American RV community for producing consistent quality builds. Pleasure-Way build their units with a focus to dry camping with a built in generator, dual lithium batteries, an instant hot water system and a fridge that can run on electrical, propane or battery. Our unit also came with 180 watts of solar on the roof and a 2000w inverter. Once it was mechanically checked over and ready, we picked it up, and took a quick trip to Strathcona Provincial Park for a night of camping. A real bonus – Miko was quiet the entire time we drove which was so nice. She had meowed for most of our maiden 25 thousand km journey exploring in the truck!
One important ceremony was undertaken at this time, the naming of the RV. We can’t keep saying the RV or Pleasure-Way in conversation as it is far too impersonal. We named the new “unit” Portage. The portage sign was a present given to us from friends when we left Ottawa to move west. It serves as a reminder of all our friends back east and suits our new wanderlust life. Thanks F & G, it looks great.
Strathcona Park, Buttle Lake Campground, Site #2
Our new (used) Pleasure- Way Plateau XL
