Update: On my RV Building Plans....

Gdetrailer wrote:
Keep in mind, I am not "defending" what Beemerphile wrote but I do feel there is some very valid points in what was written.

You HAVE been given a lot of extremely useful VALID information from VERY SEASONED and avid RVrs. YOU SHOULD LISTEN UP when someone who has experience tells you something instead of putting your fingers in your ears ..

myrvplans1 writes "You state that I left “out many items that make an RV what it is.” What exactly makes an RV what it is? If I leave out a stove and burners because I don’t cook inside does that make the RV non-functional? Some would say the more you can leave out of an RV the more efficient it becomes (more space, less maintenance, less cost, less weight, etc.) So I don’t think your point on this holds up."

Even though I do not use my stove (which by the way HAS an oven), it IS there none the less just in case the weather outside is way too bad to cook out side. There is no way I would ever want to be forced to cook outside in driving rain, thunderstorm, high winds or even snow.. If that is your cup of tea then that is fine by me..

There ARE some very small trailers which do not have an INSIDE stove/kitchen but those that are like that have it OUTSIDE and it appeal to a small audience, not mainstream RVrs.

To many the whole idea of a RV is to have an all in one "home on wheels", perhaps you care to cite some examples of houses which are built and sold with no kitchen inside or if it has a kitchen it has no stove.

I don't see removing the stove as reducing "maintenance" in fact I don't see anything in your design which has less maintenance than a standard RV.. Doesn't seem to be a valid argument.

More space.. Where? No cabinets = more "space"? I don't see it that way.. Unless you are planning to take one change of clothes, no food, no other earthly goods you will want or need cabinets and or drawers to put those away..

Leaving out the stove does not add space, our stove top has a flip up cover so when not in use we can use it like a counter top or even a desktop workspace..

"Actually... compost, dry toilets, incinerator toilets and a host of other new toilet innovations are a growing segment of the RV industry. Do your homework before you speak. (I did). Even people in high end motor homes are swapping out their black water tank toilets for these other options. A non-black water tank toilet sure has a lot of advantages. Since when does a “portable toilet” make an RV unsaleable? "

I myself have no care or wants to deal with composting, dry toilets or even incinerating toilets. I don't use any of those at my home or even work, why in the world would I want to do that while traveling? I suspect pretty much nearly all RVrs would be in agreement there.

If you like dealing with those types of toilets then go ahead, after all it is your build, but don't expect very much enthusiasm to be present if you want to sell your trailer..

As far as seeing any info about "people in high end motor homes are swapping out their black water tank toilets for these other options." goes, I read a LOT of RV forums besides this one and YOU are the first one I have ever seen mentioning this.. I have my doubts about the validity of that statement. There is very little "advantage" to most RVrs by getting rid of the blackwater tank.

From your statements you don't seem to understand that black water tanks are not any more hassle than the grey water.. In fact black water tnaks tend to fill VERY slowly. A 40 gallon black water tank can take a week or two to fill enough to need dumping, a grey tank can be filled as quick as one day..

Composting, dry and incinerating toilets have a lot of drawbacks and hassles, they have more maintenance and care if you want them to work correctly. The ONLY good thing to them is lack of water usage but RV toilets do not use all that much water, perhaps a quart of water per flush.. The big user of water is SHOWERING/BATHS, not a RV toilet.

Pretty much your design is like tenting but in a hard sided trailer..

Have you actually "camped" in a RV? The things you don't hold dear in your design effort pretty much shows that you never have..

I like my windows, full kitchen (with stove), full operational bathroom including the black tank, pressurized running hot and cold water, cabinets (lots of storage makes for a very neat place), furnace and A/C. It IS my small home on wheels.