Hi everyone. Neat community you have here!

A little about me... My name is Nick, I'm 31 and from RI, USA. I'm an avid camper and enjoy tinkering/fixing things in general. I currently have a late 90's Coleman pop up camper and I love the tent feeling, but I've been interested in Class A and C RVs for as long as I can remember, and I know someday I will have one when breaking camp in the rain becomes unbearable (it's not too far off).

The GMC Motorhome and Wanderlodge have always struck my fancy and I've collected and perused dozens of owners/service manuals for them, for fun. (Yeah, I'm that kind of guy) I've heard about Barth a while ago but dismissed them as yet another thrown-together P30 box. After doing just a little bit of research I can see that I was sorely mistaken, and the company did everything they could to hold true to their principle of quality first, which really resonates with me.

What I really like most about the Barth is the availability of smaller units. I have traveled enough in 40'+ Monaco's and similar Class A's to know that kind of length is not for me. I don't camp in "grassy parking lots" as I like to call them, but rather, I like to be shoehorned into a quiet spot at a state campground, with no hookups. A smaller Barth (~25-27') would definitely fit that bill, wouldn't take up any more room than my fully-opened pop-up, and would align with my penchant for tinkering and keeping older, unique vehicles on the road.

If you got this far, thanks for listening, and I look forward to soaking up as much info as I can here.

-Nick

Welcome to the site!

This is the place to research Barths and meet good people. We have an extensive archive of tech articles and projects documented here. Use the search feature, lots of good stuff here.

The Barth coaches were better than average for their day. Sadly the last ones were made 25 years ago. The coaches, like their owners, are becoming dinosaurs in this modern age of plastic. Both coaches and owners are seeing some attrition due to age. That said, there are still quite a few left in good shape and they can be kept operational by an interested owner. Good luck with your search for a coach!

In my time with my Barth coaches, the coaches have been lots of fun the last 12 years. One thing I also learned about Barth owners is that they are a very interesting group of folks with many talents and I have made many friends through this site. Keep in touch, don't be afraid to ask for help here.

Have Barth, will travel

If you are interested in smaller Barths, the 73-75 Class Cs are only 19ft long while the 76-78 were 22ft. Easy to drive, easy to park, but hard to find though.

Welcome and enjoy your search

Welcome indeed! We enjoy a 25' Regal and find it to be the right size for our uses right now.
I'll admit I sorta have a craving for a Breakaway, but my finances and use time disagree- for now. One thing's for sure- while the older units require some tinkering, Barth quality makes it worth it. ( I say that, while internally grumbling about both my a/c unit and the fill valve on my propane tank, LOL)

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome. Small or big each one is unique. Find what you like. There are a number out there for sale right now. You are the only one who knows what fits for you!

Enjoy the hunt!

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome.

My initial (realistic, non-Wanderlodge) sights were on an 80s-90s run-of-the-mill Class C but the quality there appeared to be quite lacking across the board, especially in the wood-framed walls, ceilings, and seamed roofs, which, in the units I've looked at, have invariably caused floor and wall rot. That's partly why I'm drawn to these better quality units. Being able to actually camp in them and figure out what can stay, what's got to change or be modified, and what just has to go... without requiring a 2-year gut job as soon as you buy it.

While I'm not opposed to a full gut, I quite like the idea of keeping an older retro rig as original as I can, with the exception of maybe the shag, twin beds, and the addition of a few modern conveniences, upgraded 12v fixtures and appliances, newer monitors and plumbing, addition of solar, etc.

I'm quite handy in this sense, as well as dealing with older carbureted/TBI motors, vacuum controls, older R12 refrigeration systems, and the chassis mechanical side of things. I'm not opposed to an older unit, and I think as long as I can find a decent layout, even one that would allow for some alteration if needed, I'll be good to go.

I'll keep my eyes open and modify my search alerts on the various classified sites. In the meantime I'll brush up on the Barth specifics on the forum. There's certainly a wealth of knowledge here.

Thanks again,
Nick