Biggyniner,
Glad to hear you're going to include gas rigs in your search. For many of us, they are the better solution.
I'd like to address the question of bunkbeds. Our Class A gasser does not have bunk beds as they were all but non-existent in A's back in 2004 when we bought it new. Dual sofa layouts were common in DPs, but those were WAY out of our budget. Our two sofa layout (rare in gas Class A's) has been a fantastic fit for our family of 6, plus a dog or two over the years. I know many people despise changing the living quarters to sleeping quarters at night and morning, but to be perfectly honest. I don't see what the big deal is. You stow the sleeping gear (pillows, sheets, blankets, etc.) in one overhead cabinet over each sofa & the dinette. When the kids were young, wifey and I working together did the conversion in about 5 minutes. If it was just one of us, then maybe 10 minutes. But as the kids got older, they just did it themselves.
What I dislike about the majority of units with bunks is that the bunks are on the other side of a paper-thin wall to the master bedroom. There are times when wifey and I were either watching DVDs with adult language and themes we didn't want them to hear, or we were doing a bit of our own "adult show" if you get my drift! :) With all the kids up front, the ducted air/heaters running, TV or stereo on up front, we didn't have to worry about them hearing anything from the back of the rig. After 14 years, we STILL have yet to see a floorplan that would work better for our family.
Now, as to your "dude trips", not sure how many of you there will be, but there is a fair amount of floorspace in a 2 or 3 slide unit and sleeping bags work great, too. So, those shorter of stature can use the dinette or sofas, taller folks can use either a sleeping bag or an air mattress on the floor.
Anyway, when we were doing our research, we valued dedicated living space over dedicated sleeping space, and for our family, that worked very well. By the time the end of the day comes around, kids are pretty tired and they can sleep just about anywhere.
Keep looking....there are lots of similar floorplans out there, but every once in a while you stumble upon something a bit different. Look at those closely with an open mind and you just might find your gem.
Good Luck in your search,
~Rick
