I am unfamiliar with the vast stretches of vacant land that folks out west camp on. I've traveled up and down the western seaboard, spending most of my time in cities and small towns. But my opinion is mostly based on experience east of the Mississippi River, with extended periods of time in IL, NY, GA and FL.
I own a Class A and camper van (it is self built so not a true Class B). The former has accumulated 15,000 miles in 2.5 years, the latter 30,000 miles in less than a year (and I have zero commute). This is a direct reflection of their utility.
I have no experience with the Class C (or fictional B+). But my thought is that it is similar to the Class A, perhaps to a slightly smaller/modified degree, but not to an extent that it would change my opinion.
My Class A is unquestionably more comfortable to "live out of" than my van. This is a function of space- having a bed room, a full and proper bathroom, kitchen countertops sufficient to really cook, a distinct area for dining, a separate living area, etc. The ability to move from one room to another makes a Class A infinitely easier to spend time in. Comfort is also a function of the quality and robustness of the systems. Ducted heating and air conditioning sufficient to overcome the outside environment, plumbing with enough water to perform daily activities with a high degree of normalcy. Ditto with electrical power, with the assistance of a generator.
My camper van is rudimentary, but it has a kitchenette with running water and enough power to run a microwave and induction cooktop, a toilet, a sofa and a dedicated bed. It lacks hot water capability and an engine independent HVAC system. Even though it's the largest van on the market and tall enough to stand up in, the living space is essentially one room.
I guess this is a long winded way of saying I understand where you're coming from. If I'm driving cross country (which I've done 4 times in the past 2.5 years) the Class A is an absolute pleasure. A personal bubble, with no required need to step out for anything except refueling. Roadtrips minimize a Class A's Achilles heel- where to park it. On roadtrips in the Class A, my preferred places to park are rest areas, truck stops, and Harvest Host locations. In cities, industrial areas or businesses where semi trucks are parked are safe bets. At night, shopping malls have worked well also. Walmart and big box store parking lots, are only used in a pinch. I am not into camping, so I avoid campgrounds, even for dumping. What all these areas have in common is that they're only good for a max of 1 or 2 day stay.
Both of my vehicles are pretty new and well kept, no one would think a homeless/threatening/undesirable person lived in it. Little do they know... I don't spend anytime thinking about stealth, my guiding principle is not to be a nuisance. Nobody (except admirers) pays any attention to my van and I can park it almost anywhere. In the van, my favorite place to park overnight are apartment complexes, my second favorite are downtown streets, my third favorite are residential streets. When I wake up I drive away, blending in with the folks driving off to work. My favorite place to park during the day are parking spaces at the beach, my second favorite are city parks, my third favorite are shopping centers.
There is no way that a Class A can fly under the radar. It will be noticed. That doesn't necessarily translate into a knock on the door, but it increases the chance of overstaying your welcome. This is problematic because there are many fewer places a Class A can be parked. Notice there is almost no overlap between the places I park when in the van and the places I park when in the Class A. In the van, I drive around and look for a quiet area, which is often impromptu and usually takes only a few minutes. In the Class A, accessibility is the overriding consideration and the location is always premeditated, sometimes hours in advance.
Usually when I am in one city for weeks or months, I have a reason for being there and parking is available. On the occasions where I have been in a location for an extended period of time without arranged parking, I rotated among several sites, never staying more frequently than once every 7-10 days. This is easy to do in the van. Using this system in a Class A requires casting a much larger geographic net. The longest I've stayed in one area with the Class A was two weeks. The nights were spent rotating between rest areas, truck stops, and shopping centers within a 60 mile range.
The Class A has two Achilles heels. The first is parking, as discussed. The second is drivability. Driving them in cities requires an inordinate amount of planning, and that's assuming you're familiar with the city. I use trucker GPS to navigate around a city I've spent half my life in. You never notice the number of bridges, narrow roads, underpass height constraints, etc. until you drive an oversize vehicle. A Class A can be driven most places (even Chicago and Manhattan), but the amount of work required to do so is exhausting. Owning a Class A means owning two vehicles. So the real question when living out of one while staying in one area for an extended period of time: where will it be parked, while you're driving around doing your daily activities in your toad?
I'll end with some advice. If you are doing "van life" in a rudimentary vehicle, consider getting a factory built, bona fide Class B. As new as you can afford. One of the reasons they are so expensive is because they have the latest and greatest systems, which minimize the sacrifices associated with living in a vehicle, especially when urban boondocking/street camping. You will not get this in a Class A, customers expect and manufacturers prioritize creating a house on wheels. The Class B can have a lithium power bank large enough to support an all electric build including running the rooftop AC. With the alternator rapidly charging the batteries, driving a couple of hours per day will keep everything running indefinitely. A cassette toilet has a removable tank that can be emptied in any toilet you're bold enough to carry it into. The Class A with its residential size fridge, dual or triple AC units, requires parking someplace where it is acceptable to run a generator. When searching to refill the propane needed to power the stove, oven, furnace, and hot water heater, you will learn many places that sell it don't have the space to service a large vehicle. Emptying the massive grey and black tanks will require driving to specialized facilities. There is a reason why most Class As are driven from full hookup campground to full hookup campground.
If you cannot afford a late model Class B, you may want to consider doing a DIY buildout on a box truck. It has more space than a van. It will blend in better than a Class A. They also seem easier to build out than a van, which is important because amenities = comfort. Make the systems as capable as your skill and bank account will allow.
