Non-Cramped Bed in 24 Feet?

We love our 'non' slideout rig also. After the previous motorhome with 2 slideouts that leaked, malfunctioned at inopportune moments, and needed several repairs, I vowed....never again.
It is just the two of us, so don't care about having the dance floor.
More than enough room, and we easily make it work.
As stated above, our non slideout unit is also easy to heat, easy to cool.

Jack Spratt wrote:
We special ordered our rig in 2017 specifically with 2 slide outs and we LOVE it.

Didn’t realize the depth of the anti-slide movement

Leprechaun 260 DSF

Ha ha. No, surely not a movement, not at all.

We who love slideless, are a rare few.....very rare.

We special ordered our rig in 2017 specifically with 2 slide outs and we LOVE it.

Didn’t realize the depth of the anti-slide movement

Leprechaun 260 DSF

JayMartin wrote:
I am now curious to learn the 10 reasons for not having a slide out. I was just assuming I was going to want the extra space but would like to understand the tradeoffs with those too.
Ron, what is the thing on your console and on top of the back up camera screen? (I know I'm wondering off topic; but it is my thread.:D )
Thanks again,
Jay

Hi Jay,

Here are the pros and cons to having a slide out (from my perspective)

Pros to having one or more slide outs
- a more open floor plan
- when it's time, the rig is easier to resell because people want slide outs

Cons to having one or more slide outs
- Each slide out costs $5600 MSRP more if buying a new special-order rig.
- Each slide out adds roughly 500 pounds to an already heavy load.
- The extra large hole in the wall reduces the overall structural integrity of the house.
- There is no significant header across the top of the opening. You run the risk of roof-sag, especially if a heavy a/c unit straddles the area.
- A slide out leaks in cold in cold climates, and heat in hot climates.
- A slide out lets in more noise in noise-ridden camping conditions.
- Spiders and other bugs are brought in when the slide out is brought in.
- Even with a topper, wind-driven rain will puddle on top of the slide out. Pull in a slide out with water on it and drive away, then watch the water fall in your house, maybe even on you.
- Slide outs rattle when driving your rig
- Slide outs can fail at the most inopportune times, when you are nowhere near a service center. You can't drive with a slide out sticking out.
- Slide outs take away from the travel experience by having a huge box inside the house.
- A slide out requires 3 or more inches on each sides and top, and have a slight step-up on the floor. This takes away linear wall space, interior over-head cabinet space, and head room.
- A couch inside a slide out is like sitting in a cavity. Pending the unit, it blocks viewing the TV.
- A dinette inside a slide out versus a no-slide dinette, will be significant tighter by the loss of that 3" x2 and the headroom. In our rig's case the sacrifice is worse yet due to the inability to utilize the transition wall as our no-slide dinette does as shown HERE.
- When a slide out is extended, it makes accessing the outdoor storage underneath it very difficult.
- Slide outs require more maintenance to assure they work and seal as best as possible year after year.
- An appliance inside a slide out introduces the need for flexible plumbing lines, gas lines, or electrical lines (pending the appliance) further reducing reliability.
- A fridge inside a slide out has a less effective side-discharge chimney.
- With age and weathering, the seals will need replacing.
- Slide outs can get out of alignment to the house, causing progressive wear leading to worse problems to come.

Okay that was 20, not 10.

We special ordered our rig in 2007 specifically without a slide out and we LOVE it. We plan to own our rig for a minimum of 30 years so long term reliability was a very high priority for us. We also wanted a dinette and so we got a comfortable one that on occasion we turn into a bed for a guest. The larger dinette makes for a longer bed. We typically travel just the two of us and so we do extremely well without the optional dance floor that comes provided with a slide out.

The thing sitting on our center console, left side, is our Unified Brake Controller.
The thing sitting on top of our top-center rear view monitor is a ScanGauge-II.

I had 11 rvs in my time with 1/2 being non slide units and 1/2 with slides.
It's pretty simple. If you NEED more room then get a slide unit. Many people just like the extra amount of room and don't care about anything else.

The general rule . LOL
If one person goes shopping for an rv, they end up with a non slide unit. If two people shop, they end up with a slideout in order to save the marriage.

Availability and rv selection:
The rv industry revolves their floorplans around slideout models because they offer more room and people like that 'being at home ' feeling. The market is flooded with slide models and they have gotten better over time. But basic design flaws are still present because it's the nature of the beast.

Keep in mind if you talk to 25 rv owners to form an opinion that opinion might be a lot different if you talk to 250 owners.
With that being said , I prefer no slides. (Remember the Lance sagging slide problems they had ? ) Especially after having two friends that owned rv dealerships. I spent countless days over the years hanging out chatting with lots of rv owners and seeing the problems MANY OWNERS have had fighting with the rv manufacturer who were trying wiggle out offering warranty help. The manufacturer matters and having a good dealer that might have to dig into his own pocket to help a customer is what makes rv life go round. Some manufacturers tried to push the blame onto the owner. (I know that didn't happen with Northstar TC's, S&S or Snow Rivers ) So that plus my personal experience is what I based my decision on.

Using the rv:
My slide experience made it colder inside the rv on those cold days/nights, making it more difficult to heat.Propane use increased. I used a lot less propane with my non slide rvs. Many times I had to close the slide at night to keep it warmer inside.
I also had to climb onto the roof in a light snow to clear off the slide roof before I could pull it back in. The very thin hardly insulated roof of a slide caused the snow to defrost then freeze. I had to chip the ice off in order to close it. That got old real fast.
Slideout toppers didn't help. Wind would blow the snow under the topper and trap it, making it even more difficult to remove.
I was able to heat my rvs using an electric heater but not with slideout models.

Slides are weight and some rvs run at max GVWR as it is. You might have to be very careful to not overload the rv when packing. It might mean NOT carrying water.

I never liked the idea of cutting a huge hole in an rv sidewall. It weakens the wall, can cause the framework to flex where the slide could bind, go out of alignment and not be able to slide back in. I have seen the exterior filon crack when the framework is stressed.

A motor is involved and inexpensive 12v motors have been know to fail. I have seen a lot of replaced motors.
Slide motors can be stressed by slides rubbing on carpets or being off alignment. That's a contributing factor, having motor overheat due to increased friction.
I have also seen wires cramped under slides causing electrical issues due to the slide movement.
A fridge in a slide has to be vented out the side which would need a 12v fan that's going to use 12v battery power. Slides with kitchens also had many issues due to movement and flex gas lines.

Many people that want a slide try to protect themselves from costly repair problems by looking into extended warranties.
If you are thinking about an extended warranty it might be more costly if you have a slide model, but that would depend on the company offering the service contract that includes very specific language that's usually not in the buyers favor.
I do not like aftermarket warranty companies. I think that's a bad idea, too many gray areas and the possibility of them going out of business.

Good luck with your decision. I hope my experiences offer some insight. These are big investments . At the end of the day, you have buy what floorplan offers you what you need.
* Make sure that floorpan can be used with the slide 'IN' ...just in case you have to operate that way until a repair is made.

Thank you all for the good feedback. I like the layout of everything else in the corner bedroom units: the floor plan I posted and the one in ron.dittmer’s georgious Phoenix Cruiser. Obviously, as has been pointed out, bed configuration is a matter of both personal preference and tradeoffs. Thank you for pointing out I have options.
I am now curious to learn the 10 reasons for not having a slide out. I was just assuming I was going to want the extra space but would like to understand the tradeoffs with those too.
Ron, what is the thing on your console and on top of the back up camera screen? (I know I'm wondering off topic; but it is my thread.:D )
Thanks again,
Jay

cbigham wrote:
....we didn't want any slides, troubles that go with it.

The same here with our rig.

We appreciate the 10 reasons to avoid having a slide out rather than just the one to have one. We special ordered ours without a slide out, and would not have it any other way.

I have that floor plan in a thor 24u.
Works gooe, we didn't want any slides, troubles that go with it. I've had a few rv's in my time, and wanted smaller, simpler. We don't have a problem making that bed, we use a travasak set up, suggest you do as well. We didn't want a short motorhome with only the dinette as a place to sit, so my back has an option of a different place if needed.I've seen some stuff done right on the thor, other, a head scratcher. Same as the forest river.

The shorter length makes it friendly for such places. So we deal with the hassle of the tight rear corner bed

x2 , exactly :)

Hi Jay,

People like us who deal with a rear corner bed floorplan like you have shown, can relate to your concern. Our rig is not easy to set the bed. I am the official bed-setter and cheat to make it look nice at a glance. Changing the bedding is a real pain.

Everything has it's trade-offs. In our case, we needed something that fits in our garage. CLICK HERE to see many pictures of our rig, near the end it shows the rig inside our garage.

Everything has it's trade-offs. Not just to fit in our garage, but we like to travel our national parks, monuments, forests and such. The shorter length makes it friendly for such places. So we deal with the hassle of the tight rear corner bed. At least everything else is perfect.