It’s been more than a year since we purchased our first Class B camper van, a Panoramic RV Classic model. In that time, we have taken several trips with it, including a six-week summer trip through the Southeast, to Upstate New York and back home through Kentucky. We also did a two-week winter road trip out to West Texas and Arizona.
In that time, we have put 15,000 miles on the camper, spent a lot of nights in different conditions, including full hookups, partial hookups, dry camping and boondocking. We have camped in hot weather in Kansas and sub-freezing temperatures in New Mexico and Colorado.
In short, we have tested this camper and its capabilities over the past year and we love it. The camper is very thoughtfully put together, with excellent fit and finish, and we wholeheartedly recommend this camper van to anyone in the market for a Class B.
So, let’s go through the various features of the Panoramic RV Classic and take a look at the things we love, things we like, and the few things we aren’t fans of.
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Panoramic RV Classic Layout Features
The Panoramic camper van features a dinette/table, a kitchen with a sink and refrigerator, a bathroom with a toilet, and a bed with under-bed storage.
Up Front
The cockpit of the Panoramic RV Classic replaces the standard Ram seats with two leather-covered chairs that rotate 180 degrees, allowing both of them to become seating for the small dinette.
The dinette features a leather-covered bench seat behind an adjustable table that has an attached, rotating leaf with three different positions, making for a very flexible work/cooking/eating space. With the rotating table leaf, you can angle it so that the person in the passenger seat has a space to eat, allowing for four people to eat at the dinette. It can also be angled to provide a counter space for the person cooking. Lastly, the table and bench cushions can be worked into a bunk for an additional person to sleep on.
Note: The bench has seatbelts, providing space for two additional passengers. We have only used the passenger seating during our test drive. It is comfortable enough for one person but would be cramped for two.
Above the cockpit, there is an overhead storage area enclosed by a cabinet door. The storage area, which is often called the “pizza oven,” provides easy access to stored essentials, like paper towels, cleaning supplies, packable bags and the like.
Above the dinette area is a moonroof that opens up to let in fresh air. Smartly, the moonroof has both a sliding shade and a sliding insect screen. By the table is a large window that has two sections which crank open to allow more ventilation, even when it is raining.
On the floor below the dinette table, there is a pop-up door with storage for things you need to access quickly and often. We store our rechargeable hand vacuum and our manuals in that space, though we may move those out and put a Starlink Mini in there when not in use.
Beneath the bench are two storage areas. The one in the back is a bit more difficult to get to, so we use it to store things we don’t need that often, like our jump start battery, our rechargeable tire inflater and tire jack.
The one in the front of the bench has a door on the side and a shelf dividing the space. This is perfect for shoe storage.
Above the table, there are two storage cabinets with locking latches. We use these cabinets to store various miscellaneous personal items, like a laptop, medication and hats.
Above the bench seat is a small 20” LG Smart TV on a sliding mount to allow it to be viewed from the front or flipped around and viewed from the bed. It is connected to a Winegard Connect 2.0 4G which is mounted on the roof. That device serves three purposes: an HD TV antenna, a WiFi extender and a cellular data hotspot (with a data plan and SIM card).
Galley
The galley area (kitchen) has plenty of storage for all of your cooking essentials. There are three latching drawers for storing pots, pans, plates, and cups. On the side of the galley are three more latching drawers for silverware, miscellaneous gear and a small thrash can, along with a small hand broom and dust pan.
The counter has a two-burner propane stove with a glass cover, a stainless steel sink, and a microwave above. On the cabinet wall on the rear end of the galley, there is an 8×10” picture frame on hinges. The frame swings out to reveal a mirror on the backside of the picture.
There is a 12V fridge and freezer. The fridge is tall and slim, so storing a lot of food can be a bit of a pain, but it does a great job keeping everything cold.
Adjacent to the fridge is a “closet” which has a rod for hanging clothes. It has an adjustable shelf in it, so you can store larger things below. We use it to hang clothes and store camera gear.
There is a second storage drawer underneath the fridge that has a bit of an odd shape to it but we are able to fit a small toaster and coffee maker in it.
Towards the back of the galley area is a slide-out pantry, which allows you to store a good amount of dry food in a very clever space.
Above the galley is a storage cabinet with a locking latch. We use this cabinet to store various miscellaneous items, like remote controllers, a Bluetooth speaker, and maps.
Across from the pantry, nestled between the fridge and bed, is another of the really clever features of the Panoramic RV Classic: a wine rack! We use it for both wine and whiskey. The rack has four slots, but the top slot doesn’t really fit a full bottle, so we store a FireAde fire extinguisher. While there is a fire extinguisher by the passenger seat in the cockpit, having one by the bed just makes sense.
Wet Bath
The Panoramic RV Classic wet bath includes a shower and a toilet with a sliding door for privacy. One thing we love about the bath is that I (Grant) can fit in the bathroom and comfortably close the door. On other Class Bs we have looked at (and even some travel trailers and Class Cs), I could not close the door while standing in the bath.
The shower has a European-style temperature control, which allows you to set the temperature once, then just turn on the shower without adjusting. There is also a shower curtain that is designed to wrap around the entirety of the bath and Velcro into various points on the walls. That keeps everything in the bath dry, so you don’t have to put away the toilet paper before the shower or dry everything off after the shower. Like everything else in this camper, the bath is well thought-out.
That said, despite all of the engineering that went into making the bathroom great for a Class B, it is still cramped, and we rarely use the shower. That’s not a failing of the Panoramic RV but just the nature of a Class B.
There is also a small storage cabinet in the shower, making it easy to store some of the toiletry essentials. Since we often make use of campground showers, we typically store other stuff in there, leaving our toiletry kits with our bags that we use for the bathhouse.
The toilet is a Dometic model with a porcelain bowl (an upgrade over our old travel trailer) that has a 16-gallon (61-liter) black tank.
Bedroom
The bed of the Panoramic RV Classic is oriented east-west and is almost a full-size. The provided mattress is actually quite comfortable. It is also sectional, so the mattress and bed can be folded up, east to west, to allow storage of larger items. The head portion of the mattress can be flipped up to access the top of the freshwater tank so you can add tank treatments as needed.
The bedroom area has large windows on either side, plus on the doors. Three of the four side windows crank open, allowing for ventilation even when raining. (The fourth window does not open due to the main sliding door.)
There are also two “bookshelves” and two recessed nooks for storing things like charging devices or other bedside essentials. There are 12V charging ports on the near side of the bed and a 12V cigarette lighter-style outlet on the far side of the bed. I plugged in a two-port Anker charger to charge devices on that side of the bed.
There are two storage cabinets with locking latches up high on each side, making for four total storage cabinets. We use these storage cabinets for clothes, two for each of us. We can typically store 10 days’ worth of clothes in the Panoramic RV.
Lastly, there is a clever step that pulls out at the base of the floor to make getting up and down from the bed easier. The top of the step actually flips up, revealing a small storage compartment. Just one more clever addition that the folks at Panoramic RV added to this camper van.
Under-Bed Storage and Rear Storage Drawers
Underneath the bed, there is a large storage area that is accessible from inside the van or through the back doors. At the back, there are also two long storage drawers with locking latches. These storage drawers are perfect for storing outdoor gear you want to access easily. We use these drawers to store propane cylinders for the grill, hammocks and straps, grill tools, and other miscellaneous tools.
In the storage area, we store the Thule levelers that came included with the Panoramic RV, two camp chairs, a small camp table, hiking daypacks, our laundry bag, a pop-up decoy tent (we use this to indicate the campsite is taken when we aren’t there) and six stackable bins.
We have those stackable bins divided up to store additional gear. One bin stores our propane grill. One stores our fresh water hose, filters, and pressure regulator. One stores our power cable and the electricity management system. The last three bins are for storing personal gear that we don’t need all that often, like heavier layers or water shoes.
The best part about the under-bed storage in the Panoramic RV is that there is a hatch for accessing it from inside the van. That makes it easy to store dirty clothes and items we need to access without walking outside.
Lighting, Power Outlets, and Charging
The Panoramic RV Classic camper van has plenty of lights and they are adjustable for brightness. The best are the LED strips which provide ambient light. We really like them late at night while we are winding down for bed.
The lights are controllable from both the bed and the galley, making it really easy to manage at bedtime.
In addition, the dinette and the bed each have movable, adjustable reading lights.
The Panoramic RV camper van also has charging ports that run off the 12V system. That will allow you to charge devices, like phones and tablets, at the dinette and in the bedroom. If you need to charge more than a phone or tablet, you will need to turn on the inverter to get power to the 120V outlets. There are 120V outlets at the dinette, the kitchen counter, the bedroom and the underbed storage. There is also an outdoor outlet on the passenger side of the van, towards the rear.
Power, Heat and Cooling
Power
The 2025 Panoramic RV Classic model comes with the Supreme Autonomy package, meaning that the camper van has a lot of great features that allow you to camp pretty much anywhere you can find a spot.
The Supreme Autonomy package includes 600 amp hours worth of batteries, 400 watts of solar, a 120V inverter and a beefy alternator that charges the house battery while driving.
Here’s what that means: you can run the fridge pretty much indefinitely if your solar panels have access to a clear sky. In fact, you can run every electrical system on the camper without plugging in, including the TV, microwave and air conditioner, at least for a little while.
The main controls for the power and gas system are located above the sliding door. There are easy-to-use switches for the electrical system and propane system. The propane switch also acts as the propane cutoff for when you need to travel through a tunnel that requires it.
Next to that, you will find the Victron charge monitor. It will give you a basic percentage of how much battery you have left. It also has an app with a Bluetooth connection that will tell you how much time you have left on the battery at your current rate of consumption. There is a second charge monitor to the right, which tells you how much juice you are getting from your solar panels.
Then you have a controller for turning on the inverter so you can run things like the TV, microwave, and power outlets, which run off 120V power instead of the 12V system.
Lastly, you have a monitor which will tell you the levels of your tanks, including the fresh water, gray water, black water and propane.
In the bedroom, you will find the Truma control panel, which controls the hot water heater, the furnace and the air conditioner. You will also find a remote for the MaxAir fan in a plastic holster mounted to the wall.
Cooling
Between the massive screens of the sliding door and rear doors, the moonroof, the various windows with screens, the MaxxAir fan and the air conditioner, you have a lot of ways to keep things cool in your camper.
You can pretty much run the MaxxAir fan as long as you want and it does a remarkable job of cooling down the inside of the camper when combined with an open window or two. That is especially true in the bedroom, where the three windows plus the MaxxAir fan provide a lot of ventilation. With the remote, you can even set the temperature you want to cool to.
If you are facing the sun on the passenger side, you can extend the awning, which does a great job of reflecting afternoon heat. The entrance screen has a magnetic side, allowing for easy in-and-out while also keeping bugs out.
When that simply isn’t enough, the Truma air conditioner will do a good job of cooling down the camper, especially the bedroom area. If you turn on the inverter, you can run the air conditioner off the house battery. You can’t run it forever but it is perfect for cooling down the camper late in the afternoon. Once the sun goes down, open everything up and watch the temperature drop quickly.
Cooling Scenarios
Here are some cooling scenarios we have encountered with the camper:
When we camped at Bonnie’s dad’s property in the spring and early summer, we were able to boon dock for Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday, running any system we wanted other than the air conditioner and did not drop the battery below 70%. The site had decent shade, so while the solar panels kept the batteries going, the shade limited their ability to charge. We were able to keep the Panoramic RV cool by using the MaxxAir ceiling fan to draw air through the windows.
When I dry camped in Kansas this summer, it was pretty hot, so I had to run the air conditioner to cool things off. I was able to run the AC for 2-3 hours in the late afternoon, cool down the camper, then open the windows and run the MaxxAir fan. I got the battery down to 45% after running the AC and then watching TV that evening.
In both cases, I was able to charge the van back up to 100% within two to three hours of driving.
Long story short, if the weather is not terribly warm, you can open the windows, turn on the MaxxAir fan and keep the Panoramic RV Classic reasonably cool. If you want even more breeze, you can open the sliding door and the rear doors, open the moonroof, close the screens (yes, there is a screen on the rear doors) and you will have plenty of ventilation.
If you have hookups, you can run the air conditioner as much as you want but just know the fan runs all the time and is a bit noisy. We much prefer running the MaxxAir fan with the windows open, unless the humidity is too high… then it is just plain uncomfortable.
Heating
We have not boondocked in the winter, yet, but we have camped with electrical hookups. You can run the furnace off an electrical hookup without using up propane. We found the furnace does a good job keeping the camper warm just using electricity but is not as effective as running propane. In terms of temperature, we found it keeps up very well down to about 30 degrees. Any colder than that, it struggles to keep up running off just electricity.
When we ran the heat while dry camping on a cool spring night, it did a great job of keeping things warm. We also picked up an electric blanket to use in very cold weather. It does a great job even without plugging it in.
The Awning, the Outdoor Shower, and the Retractable Step
The Panoramic RV has a Thule power awning with a couple of extendable arms. It is especially useful when camping with the passenger side facing west, as it does a good job of helping to keep things shaded. That said, it does require a bit of work to set it up and is better done with a partner. There is also an LED light strip so you can illuminate the outside area after dark.
There is an outdoor shower on the passenger side of the van, pretty similar to the outdoor showers we have seen on other RVs. We have not used it yet, but it will definitely come in handy when we boondock in some remote dispersed camping.
Lastly, the van has a power retractable step by the main sliding door. This particular accessory is both great and a bit of a trap.
The step is hooked up to the chassis electrical system, so if the van is turned on while the step is out, it will retract automatically. The problem is that if there is any weight on the step or a rock that prevents the step from retracting easily, it will blow a five-amp fuse. Blowing that fuse will cause all sorts of error messages with the van until you replace the fuse. Fortunately, that is both easy and cheap to do.
Issues with the Panoramic RV Classic
We have a few issues with the Panoramic RV, but most of them are relatively minor.
The biggest issue I have with the floor plan is that the bed is just slightly too short for me to fully stretch out on my stomach while sleeping unless I use a camp pillow, rather than a full-size pillow. Since I am 5’11”, I can see taller folks struggling with the bed.
In terms of the build of the van, it is top-notch, except that the push-button latches for the drawers and cabinets can be a bit finicky. We have had to replace a few. That said, Panoramic customer service is quite responsive and the latches are easy to replace.
The flooring is great but it is really light and shows dirt and grease easily. We are still looking for a good way to fit the odd shape with some sort of rug. In the under-bed storage area, I put down a rug to protect the floor from our gear.
Adding a Spare Tire Carrier
The one expensive issue with Panoramic RV is the lack of a spare tire. The spare tire had to be removed to make room for the propane tank and the plumbing for dumping the tanks. That means we needed to add an external spare tire carrier to the rear of the camper. We found one from Aluminess that integrated with the door fairly easily, but it was not cheap.
Many folks would argue that you don’t have to have a spare if you have roadside assistance. Indeed, with a vehicle as weighty as the Panoramic RV, you need a special jack to even get the axle up to change a tire. That said, we have been to some really remote places and have needed to change a tire in the middle of nowhere. We were glad to have a full-size spare when we were in Dinosaur National Monument, for example.
Since we want to be able to go to some remote places, like driving the Alaska Highway, we know we want to have a spare tire, so we added the carrier and a full-size spare.
Issues with the Ram Promaster 3500 Chassis
Aside from the VERY minor issues we have with the build of the van by Panoramic RV, we are not particularly fans of the Ram Promaster 3500 chassis. While it is relatively easy to drive, easy to park due to the 360 camera, and gets decent gas mileage (15 MPG), the engine is anemic and the electronics, like the infotainment system and vehicle safety sensors, are finicky.
For example, the front camera for the lane assist can be easily blinded by bright sunlight. The Front Collision Warning system will often disengage and turn itself off in the settings.
Additionally, the Ram is not well sealed against road noise and can be a bit noisy to drive above 65 MPH.
Lastly, the Ram Promaster only comes in two-wheel drive. While Panoramic equips the van with all-terrain tires, they are really only to give you a little extra traction, not so you can drive down rough dirt roads. The tires contribute to the road noise so some owners replace them with all-season tires.
Final Thoughts on the Panoramic Classic RV
The long and short of the Panoramic RV Classic Class B is that we love it and highly recommend it. The build quality of the Panoramic RV (a small, independent Canadian RV manufacturer) is amazing. It far exceeds anything made by the main US manufacturers. Note: In the US, Panoramic camper vans are sold exclusively by National Indoor RV Centers.
We have no regrets spending the money for a much more expensive RV than our old travel trailer. While we grouse about the issues of the Ram chassis, both of the other options (Ford and Mercedes) have their own issues.
To say switching from a travel trailer to a camper van has changed how we travel is an understatement. The capabilities of this rig for camping without hookups are incredible. We can easily camp just about anywhere we want, weather depending, and be comfortable without connections.
Adding in the fact that we can easily park just about anywhere we want means we are so much more agile than we were when camping with our travel trailer. We can also cover ground a lot faster than we could towing the trailer as well, meaning we can use it easily on winter road trips.
We highly recommend the Panoramic Classic for anyone looking for a solid Class B camper van.
Travel Resources
What do you use to find a flight?
We use Skyscanner to find deals on flights. Skyscanner has a great interface and compares tons of airlines for the best pricing and routing. That said, it does not always have every airline and some airlines will have better deals on their website. Still, Skyscanner is a great place to start.
Click here to search for a flight.
What do you use to find a hotel?
We typically stay at Hilton properties, so we use the Hilton website. You can find good Hilton Honors discounts or AAA discounts for a hotel there. We make great use of our free night certificates from our Hilton Honors American Express.
Click here to book a Hilton property.
If there are no Hilton properties available, we use TripAdvisor to read reviews and book the hotel. We find we can get the best price that way.
Click here to search for a hotel.
We recently partnered with Stay22 to add interactive maps to each of our destination posts. This will allow you to see a plethora of hotels and vacation rentals all in one responsive map of the area.
Click here to search an interactive map.
What if I need more space than I can get at a hotel?
We use Vrbo for the times when we have rented a cabin for a weekend getaway, like this cabin in Townsend, TN, or needed to rent a house for a large family vacation. We had a great experience with them in terms of refunding deposits when COVID hit and will continue to use them.
Click here to search for a vacation rental.
Who do you use for rental cars?
As a general rule, we book with Hertz for rental cars. We have had nothing but good experiences with them. Plus, we really like unlimited mileage and not worrying about crossing state lines. We have even rented from Hertz overseas in both Slovenia and Croatia.
Click here to book a rental car.
How about booking a cruise?
We have found some amazing prices for booking a cruise through Cruise Direct. We have saved a lot of money on our cruises compared to what we found elsewhere, making a last-minute Bahamas cruise even cheaper.
Click here to book a cruise.
What if I want to rent an RV?
We highly recommend Outdoorsy for RV rentals. We rented a camper van for a week to visit Rocky Mountain National Park for the elk rut and Custer State Park for the Buffalo Round-Up and had a blast. The program was easy to use and we really enjoyed the freedom of having a camper van for that trip.
Click here to rent an RV.
What do you use for booking tours?
We don’t often book tours. Typically, we like to do stuff on our own. That said, there are some experiences you can’t have any other way. So, when we do want to book a tour, we always check Viator first.
Click here to book a tour.
Do you use anything to get discounts on the road?
We make extensive use of both Good Sam and AAA on the road. Good Sam is normally regarded as a discount card for RVers at campgrounds and Camping World but anyone can use the 5 cents off a gallon at the pump at both Pilot and Flying J.
Click here to get a Good Sam membership.
We have had AAA as long as we have been married and it has more than paid for itself in discounts at hotels, aside from the peace of mind of having roadside assistance. Add in paper maps and the ability to get an international driver’s license and it is more than worth it for any traveler out there.
Click here to get a AAA membership.
Where can I get Travel Insurance?
We have partnered with Global Rescue for travel and evacuation insurance. This provider will put you out of the worst situations and get you to medical care promptly. You can even purchase “cancel for any reason” insurance from Global Rescue. This is our go-to provider of travel insurance. Traveling somewhere dangerous? They will even extract you if war were to break out on your trip.
Click here to get Global Rescue for your upcoming trip.
Have you had repair issues or break downs on RV portion or Ram issues?
I followed previous Pano owners on Pano FB Page. How many hours can you use AC on battery power? Can you idle Ram motor to recharge?
Thanks, love Pano RV. Wish I could see an actual one in Wisconsin!
Thanks for the questions, John!
We have not had any mechanical issues on the RV systems.
We have had a few issues on the Ram side of things… Namely, we had to have a side mirror replaced due to it being hit while we were parallel parked. When the mirror was replaced, it knocked out the left speaker. That took a lot of effort and the Ram deealership ended up replacing the whole head unit. It works now.
We have had one of the blind’s tensioner strings break and had to have that replaced. We have had to replace a couple of the push-button latches.
Right now, we are in the process of figuring out why our digital rearview camera (an addon done by Panoramic) is not displaying a good picture… looks faded.
I have run the AC for about three hours at a time. You cannot idle the Ram motor to recharge the chassis batteries… it has to be moving.
In terms of finding one to look at, you might have better luck crossing into Canada to see one at a Woody’s RV.