RV Mfg's Missing a new market segment

fulltimedaniel wrote:

mgirardo wrote:

fulltimedaniel wrote:
To all of those that responded with bunkhouse model suggestions and pointed out that I obviously was not looking. I think I stated in my original post that the bunkhouse was not a real option as they are mostly designed for kids and would require fairly extensive modifications. That is not something you really want to do with a brand new trailer. Most bunkhouse models have nothing more than a curtain between it and the rest of the floorplan.

Your exact words were: "..need two bedrooms or at least two separate and private sleeping areas." A bunkhouse qualifies as a private sleeping area.

There are bunkhouses that are just beds in the living area with a curtain, but there are some with actual doors separating them.

-Michael

Yes there certainly are and that is what I sleep in now. However the vast majority of Bunkhouse models are designed for children with small beds, low to the ground or up a ladder. As an older adult why is it so surprising that I would want a trailer with a real adult sized bed, closet space and maybe (gasp) even a nightstand? All of this without having to renovate a brand new trailer to make it happen. Further many bunkhouse models are just a bed up against a mere curtain... I really would like a place to stand up and put my pants on without being in the middle of the living area.

I know that's a lot's to ask but far less has been done by the RV Mfg's for far smaller buying segments.

I think that your wishes are a bit unrealistic. You want all the comforts of a regular home in the compact package of a TT. To simply have a bed that can be accessed from both sides is all that most people ask (and don't always get), but you want enough space for a nightstand? A headboard cabinet/storage is not uncommon, but I've never seen a layout where a useful nightstand would be convenient. I realize that this is just picking at nits, but if such a thing is a deal breaker for you, then you are going to be extremely limited in your options.

I read somewhere about someone whose TT desires include having a clock and a radio at his bedside, something else which 90%+ of RVers don't have any need for (I wear a watch, even in bed, and most of my camps are not in radio range, and that is likely the thought behind most of the small to medium sized TT's). Manufacturers don't plan for the less than 10%, they plan for the more than 90%. My impressions may be skewed because I don't full time and I almost never use RV parks - I use campgrounds, so that's what I'm most familiar with.

Most full timers have big rigs, and those rigs have a lot more space and options. Smaller TT's cater more the people like me who don't "RV", we camp. When I was in high school, our family of 5 (and sometimes 6 when my grandmother was along) did up to 2 week trips in a 15 foot TT and never felt that we needed more. After all we were camping, and that's supposed to mean that you "rough it", get along with less. I don't see your issues as being any different. Living together platonically in close quarters is necessarily going to require some compromises, or it's going to require spending significant money to get what you want.

About that 18 million that you mention... not all of those are going to be as platonic as you seem to imply. Unmarried couples can share a residence for various reasons without making their relationship "official". Shared households can mean a lot of things beyond a platonic relationship between friends, and in most cases they are good sized homes, sometimes even with separate complete living quarters for a parent or other relative or even a renter. You can't expect the same sort of living arrangements on the road.