Bunkhouse 5th wheels...suggestions

Brutus Buckeye wrote:

Lantley wrote:
I currently have a 39' Bunkhouse with dual opposing rear slides that creates a great bunk room. However I am intrigued by the mid bunk units that allow for a rear living room area. Avoid models with the additional 1/2 bath. The 2nd black tank is more trouble than its worth unless you are full timing.
Also be sure the bunk room is large enough for the kids to do more than just sleep. Give them a place to call their own and hang out.
Lastly the kids are going to grow be sure the beds are big enough to accommodate them getting bigger. They won't be toddlers forever
As my kids have gotten older my bunkhouse days are winding down.
I look forward to buying a rig that won't be a bunkhouse....LOL

Can you please explain why it is not a good idea to have a second bathroom? It sounds like there is a separate black water tank, which will I was not aware of. I have decided on a fifth wheel of the second bathroom because I have a wife and two daughters and thought it would be a great idea.

You hit the nail on the head. I am adamantly opposed to the 2nd black tank. Maintaining the tank becomes more trouble than it's worth. Instead of having one relatively full tank I end up with 2 relatively empty tanks. There is really no upside. The line to the bathroom is shorter but really there is no line.
If I really have to go I am 1st in line over the kids every time.
As in a stick house having a 2nd bath is convenient. However there is no black tank in a stick house to infringe on that convenience.
The black tank is the deal breaker. Not only is there a 2nd tank there is also a 2nd discharge pipe which mean manipulating the sewer hoses in some fashion. Either using a wye to connect the pipes or moving the sewer hose between connections.
Eliminate the 2nd bath and all the additional work goes away. The space used by the 2nd bath can be put to better use.
My family of 4 can easily survive a week on a 40 gallon black tank. It's the grey tank that fills having additional black tank capacity is generally not beneficial.
I imagine if you have a family of 6 or larger or full time the 2nd bath may be beneficial. If someone else is maintaining/dumping the tanks maybe there is no issue.
However I am the tank dumper/flusher of my crew I get zero additional benefit from having a 2nd black tank except the opportunity to dump it and rinse it.
While we all know tank dumping is one of the necessary evils of the RV life. Why double the duty with a 2nd black tank unless you absolutely have to? Dumping the additional tank quickly eliminates
any advantages/conveniences of having the 2nd 1/2 bath.
Face it the 1/2 bath is a amenity not a necessity. However it is an amenity that can be eliminated without changing the function of the RV at all. I see it as a convenience for the kids not the adults.
I have removed the toilet from my 1/2 bath and created a nice outdoor accessible closet.
In hindsight there are plenty of single bathroom bunkhouse floorplans unless you have a specific need for 2 black tanks do yourself a favor and only purchase 1 ;)

Lantley wrote:
I currently have a 39' Bunkhouse with dual opposing rear slides that creates a great bunk room. However I am intrigued by the mid bunk units that allow for a rear living room area. Avoid models with the additional 1/2 bath. The 2nd black tank is more trouble than its worth unless you are full timing.
Also be sure the bunk room is large enough for the kids to do more than just sleep. Give them a place to call their own and hang out.
Lastly the kids are going to grow be sure the beds are big enough to accommodate them getting bigger. They won't be toddlers forever
As my kids have gotten older my bunkhouse days are winding down.
I look forward to buying a rig that won't be a bunkhouse....LOL

Can you please explain why it is not a good idea to have a second bathroom? It sounds like there is a separate black water tank, which will I was not aware of. I have decided on a fifth wheel of the second bathroom because I have a wife and two daughters and thought it would be a great idea.

Sorry, I was too quick to jump on and ask this question for realizing it had been answered a couple of times. Please disregard, I could not find out how to delete this

Fineline1 wrote:
We just got a Cougar 320QBS last fall. We only got one weekend trip in but it seems good so far. It has quad bunks in the back and the two on the drivers side are bigger.
I would check the Cougar 32BHS. It looks like a good floorplan with 4 bunks and has the extra crapper/sink only in front for Ma and Pa. KZ has a similar floorplan but it only has three bunks.
I would check out Jayco as well.
What do you currently have for a truck? It would be nice not to have to trade.

I have a 2006 GMC 2500 with the LBZ Duramax/Allison 6 speed. I’m not really too worried about my truck. I plan on putting airbags and maybe a stock tune with a turbo break tune added to it.

We just got a Cougar 320QBS last fall. We only got one weekend trip in but it seems good so far. It has quad bunks in the back and the two on the drivers side are bigger.
I would check the Cougar 32BHS. It looks like a good floorplan with 4 bunks and has the extra crapper/sink only in front for Ma and Pa. KZ has a similar floorplan but it only has three bunks.
I would check out Jayco as well.
What do you currently have for a truck? It would be nice not to have to trade.

We just purchased the 2012 a few weeks ago, so far we are in love with it. It tows like a dream with my F350, and the family cant wait for this white **** to be gone so we can use her.

zell66 wrote:
Sandpiper 365saq!!!

This is the first one I have seen that is now in direct competition with the Montana 345DBQ. Thanks for the suggestion, it’s exactly what I have in mind

The 1/2 bath w/2nd dump is a hassle, for sure. But the good far outweighs the bad. Not having to hear my wife complain about my kids' practices in the bathroom is worth it. For some reason the whole bathroom thing and RVs freaks my wife out. I guess I messed up in telling her we sometimes carry our waste with us in tanks. My wife is a college educated, very smart women but for some reason I guess she just thought RV poo "vaporized" :) :)

Anyway, finding a way to dump at home has REALLY made life easier and I highly recommend it to anyone even considering it. Not having to mess with tanks before packing up and having a functional bathroom while rolling home is glorious compared to dumping at camp.

Sandpiper 365saq!!!

mekkerl wrote:
We are a family of six...four kids ages 5-10 right now. We are about to start our third season with a 2012 Cedar Creek Silverback 35QB4...dual slide bunk-house in the back, with a TON of storage in the kids room for their clothes, toys, books, etc. Each has their own large drawer and closet. And there are a few spare drawers and closets in that same space.
We have the 1/2 bath...and LOVE it. My rig has five holding tanks, but has only one drain outlet...which is by far the best way to go. No need for multiple sewer hoses, or 'y's and 't's.
I went to an RV show over the weekend in Syracuse...and there are no fifth wheels that can match up to ours with the amenities that we currently have. That's unfortunate, but at the same time, makes us feel really good about what we have!
When looking for our rig, one rule was that each kid had to have their own bed...no folding out sofas or tables, etc.
Hope this helps!

That’s exactly what we want, with 4 kids I want each to have their own bed and I don’t want to make it up everyday into a couch. I like them to have dedicated beds. I also really like the idea of a second bath. I feel like it will be worth the hassle to keep them at their own end of the trailer. I really like the dual rear slides giving a large area in the back. Storage is a huge factor with six people always campus. I can’t believe we made it this long in a 29 foot TT with no slides. Last years spring break trip to the TX hill country sealed the deal, we all agreed we officially outgrew it.

We are a family of six...four kids ages 5-10 right now. We are about to start our third season with a 2012 Cedar Creek Silverback 35QB4...dual slide bunk-house in the back, with a TON of storage in the kids room for their clothes, toys, books, etc. Each has their own large drawer and closet. And there are a few spare drawers and closets in that same space.
We have the 1/2 bath...and LOVE it. My rig has five holding tanks, but has only one drain outlet...which is by far the best way to go. No need for multiple sewer hoses, or 'y's and 't's.
I went to an RV show over the weekend in Syracuse...and there are no fifth wheels that can match up to ours with the amenities that we currently have. That's unfortunate, but at the same time, makes us feel really good about what we have!
When looking for our rig, one rule was that each kid had to have their own bed...no folding out sofas or tables, etc.
Hope this helps!