Jen and Gordon show off their Sportsmobile Sprinter

My friend Jen and her husband Gordon were nice enough to show me their new Sportsmobile Sprinter after they learned Denise and I are preparing to sell everything to live full-time in an RV. We didn't think a camper van would have enough space to live in. We might be wrong.

This self-contained 4x4 camper van is rugged enough to go just about anywhere with room to sleep 4, a kitchen, and wet bath.

I know Jen and Gordon from when I was operations director of Keep Austin Fed, a food rescue nonprofit. Jen took over my old position and has been doing an amazing job keeping things running smoothly. Gordon has been working on the KAF board of directors.

Joseph and Jen volunteered together at food rescue nonprofit Keep Austin Fed.

Denise and I have been leaning toward a Class C motor home because of its smaller size compared to Class A recreational vehicles. Class Bs, also called camper vans, are the smallest of motor homes. Differences between Class A, Class B, and Class C motor homes.

If we buy a Class C motor home, it's likely we'd need to pull our Nissan Versa behind for trips to the grocery store or to see nearby sights -- you generally don't want to have to undo all the hookups and batten down the hatches every time you need to run an errand. Plus, it can be hard to find parking because they are tall, long, and wide. With a van, we could park it anywhere and it would be way more fuel efficient. Of course, the trade off is we'd be tight on space.

Jen and Gordon bought a 4x4 diesel Mercedes Sprinter base, which they took to Sportmobile to have converted into a recreational vehicle. While they'll use it mostly for vacation trips, Denise and I could see us living in a space like this.

It has a 2-burner stove, sink, fridge, dinette, sit-down shower, cassette toilet, room to sleep 4, and a pop-up top that increases the ceiling height and provides room for an overhead bunk. It's even got an awning, outdoor shower, and winch. It's a boondocker's dream and we are now seriously considering vanlife over the Class C option we thought we were sold on.

Jen and her family do a lot of camping in the southwest and gave us some great tips for places to visit, including some hot springs and camp sites off the beaten path. Who knows, maybe we'll see each other on the road some day.