Strictly personal opinion....we have a Rockwood 2604 with steps at the rear and also in the bedroom about 6' from the front. Our awning is about 19' x ?' width. We use our RVQ, which attaches under the kitchen window + an aluminum camping table about 4' long for work area and to hold the ice maker. By the time we set up a couple of zero gravity chairs and 2 small side tables, our awning space is mostly used up. The onsite picnic table is never under the awning. We don't care for the outside kitchen and would not want a slide taking up awning space. That said, if you were looking at maybe a 35' trailer, you might not sacrifice much usable space, but for us we're set up just fine with the deep slide with the sofa bed and dinette on the street side. Even then, our slide is deeper than the one on our HTT and we have to shift the TT in the site to clear utilities pretty often. Guess the real answer is how you use your outdoor space and if the inside space/outdoor kitchen is that important for your family.
