Moved From a Bunkhouse to a Rear Living - Thoughts

[scotjima]

I've got another thread going about specific trailers, but I wanted to get input from those who have moved from a bunkhouse to a rear living design - while you still have kids at home.

We have four kids ranging from married down to first grade.

The trailer will be used for numerous weekend trips, and probably one longer (week or two) trip per year. The rest of the time it sits on some land and it is just me going out there.

We have asked the younger kids and they say that they are OK making out the couch each night and storing their belongings during the day. I'm sure they are OK with it, but as is, they fill the bunkhouse with their stuff and I'm just afraid we will regret them not having a place of their own. (for our benefit as well as theirs). We do have a larger family and it is common for us to have 10+ people all inside together eating, playing games, etc.

We are leaning towards a rear living floorplan, but are also considering some of the new mid-ship bunk floorplans as options. My main concern is the overall size of the new bunk floorplan trailers. We enjoy state parks and a 45' trailer is going to be much harder to get into allot of them.

I don't think we would upgrade to another traditional bunkhouse design. We would just keep what we have.

Thoughts?

[ddschuman]

Get a rear living with a queen fold out bed (our couch folds completely out using all cushions to make queen size bed and it's not too bad according to my son and daughter-in-law) and then opt for booth dinette vs table/chairs. Put the 6 year old on the booth dinette and the 2 teenagers on the couch bed. Or if you prefer the table chair setup, get the theater seating in place of regular recliners (this is what we have). It leans back nearly flat and is very comfortable. My 21 year old has slept on it a few times with no complaint so I'm sure your 6 year old would be ok there for short trips as well. Also, if you prefer using a blowup mattress vs the sofa bed, a triple slide unit offers ample floor space.

We bought ours after the kids had grown and left home so we basically got what we wanted but they are welcome anytime to go with us. Had they still been at home, our purchase may have been different as we may have opted for a bunkhouse. It sounds like you would prefer the added living space since the entire family is not with you all the time so I say get what you want. They will always manage. Ours has storage in the living area that is completely empty most of the time so there is lots of places to put the kids stuff to keep out of the way.

I look at it this way, my sister has a 27' travel trailer with one slide and a set of bunk beds in back by bath. They take many family trips together and they have a 16 year old daughter, 22 year old son, 25 year old son and 25 year old daughter-in-law. They have a blast camping together! If you can fit that many grown people in 27' using 2 bunks, dinette and couch then I can for sure enjoy my 37' three slide unit and make it work when needed. That's why I say get what you want. It will all work out ??

[glazier]

We love our floorplan, if I was looking to change it would be to a Toyhauler. I had bunkhouses before (nothing wrong with them), I just love my couch and entertainment center in this 337. My kids are the reason we bought what we have now, they like the big living room.

[scotjima]

We've spent allot of time thinking about the various options. We have looked at the front living and do agree they have some definate advantages. With that said, we are about 95% set on a rear living at this point. We will have another 5th wheel out at our land available for guests/older kids to use. With the trips we take... if the kids want to come, great. They can sleep in a tent or deal with keeping things picked up. We will make the best of it going forward. I want this to last for a long time thus I don't want to purchase another rear bunkhouse. The mid bunkhouse trailers and the front living are all too long and heavy for my comfort level in with this truck. I'm also thinking "less is more" with the number of slides and the problems that come with them.

We will be at the Dallas RV show next week and will hopefully make a decision after that. Right now, it will very likely be a Solitude 369RL, custom ordered to get the dual pane windows and a few other things.

[Poppy_s_5th_Whe]

I know you are discussing the rear living versus the bunkhouse but have you considered a front living floor plan? OMG, some of those have huge spaces for kids to sleep when often 2 couches open up. Add a dinette instead of a free standing table and you have even more. A downside, which may be too big with your length desires, are they are usually more in the 40 foot range I think.

[goukcats]

Our Columbus 320 floor plan works great for us. It is a rear living with a moveable kit island. We have adult family that go with us occasionally & sometimes we will have 5-6 grand kids, ages 7-15. The rear sofa makes a king bed & it sleeps great with 1.5 inch memory foam topper (stored under sofa). We can also move the island & add a queen air bed. We attempted to use the air mattress once & found all 5 grand kids in the same king bed the next morning. It's no hassle to fold up the sofa each day when we have company; & the spaciousness is very nice when it's just the 2 of us. Other brands also offer this floor plan.

[Lantley]

I guess its all about timing. The way I understand it is generally you have 2- 14 year olds and a 6 year old. In theory the 14 year olds will be around another 4 years minimum and the 6 year old will be around forever!(10 years+).
For me that means a bunk house will be the preferred floorplan for at least 4 more years. After 4 years a non bunk house plan becomes ideal.
Since you appear to have the itch to buy upgrade (which I totally understand) I would recommend the midship bunkhouse plans which maybe the best of both worlds.
However if the mid ship bunk house doesn't agree with you then I say hold off on a non bunkhouse plan. Hang on to what you have until your kids are closer to sailing off into the sunset. 3 kids = bunk house no matter how I slice it.
If they were all teenagers maybe you could go rear lounger, but at this point the great view and open space are overshadowed by the additional work and storage concerns. You have 4 years minimum of 3 kids, your current rig is only six years old. Your circumstances really aren't changing anytime soon. Kids still = bunkhouse. Not opposed at all to upgrading. But the upgrade should be a bunkhouse
I upgraded from a bunkhouse bumper pull unit similar to your Cougar to a 5 slide bunkhouse fiver.
While I still went from a bunkhouse to a bunkhouse the additional space made a huge difference for everyone. Your kids are at the age and size that they could be getting too big for their bunk room. My kids outgrew their original bunk room and it had a slide in it.
Good luck with your decision at the end of it all only you know what is best for your family.

[davosfam]

Knowing the ages of your kids changes my opinion. 😉 Get a rear livingroom model, put the two 14 year olds in a tent and the 6 year old on the couch.

[Mountain_Mama]

I think I would go with the rear living area. To me they have so much more living area. With the bunkhouse models there seems to be only a couch & dinette booth for seating. I know I'm older but sometimes, especially at night before bedtime we all need a place to sit & relax. Bunkhouses just don't offer that in my opinion. Plus the don't have much kitchen counter space which wouldn't like. And I agree, clutter, with others being with you, does happen. Just something you have to decide for you, but I'd go with rear living!

[scotjima]

Thanks again for all the replies. Let me clarify with some additional informaiton.

The trailer sits on a piece of property we own along with another 5th wheel. We use it in place the majority of the time, but do try to take several smaller trips each year and maybe one longer one. I use the trailer year a couple of long weekends per month all year long. When my wife and the kids come, we usually have a 6 and two 14 year olds along. A few times per year, we'll have the whole clan. When on the longer trips, we may or may not have the older kids, but definately have the younger ones.

With all that said, is it worth staying with a bunkhouse for the two or three times per year when everyone is around? If I go with this approach, I'll never get away from the bunkhouse. 90% of the time, I'd rather have the bigger living room.

We are going to the RV show here in Dallas in a few weeks and hope to be able to walk through more options. I am considering some new bunkhouses, but only if I can get a couch/relciner setup across from the TV verses the traditional bunkhouse setup. There are also some mid ship bunk house models that are interesting. The big issue I have is the bunk house models are all over 40'. I know my truck can pull it, but some of the roads in/out of the state parks that we like to use really make this hard.

We currently have a 2008 Cougar 314BHS. I have the bugs worked out of it, have upgraded the tires to 16" Michelin Ribs, and have installed a 2nd AC and Mor-Ryde pin box. It works very well for what it is, but we are ready for an upgrade.

[Lantley]

AS a bunkhouse owner I can see the day coming when my kids will no longer camp and I will move on to a non bunkhouse floor plan.
The OP appears to have young kids (1st grade) that may be around for quite awhile yet.
If you have kids bunk house is the way to go. I understand the kids are going to move on one day but a 1st grader is there to stay for now.
There will be a short transition point when older kids will be lingering around that may not coincide with the purchase of a new RV.
At that point it when you can clearly see the kids fading away it makes a lot of sense to go to a non bunkhouse plan. However I caution the OP not to make the move too soon.
Bunkhouses are not just about sleeping space. The bunkhouse provides a place for kids to hangout and more importantly have a place for all their stuff. Clothes,coats,toys,games,electronics gadgets etc. all need a home.
One of the untold secrets of RV's is that they get cluttered real easy. While everything appears roomy in the pictures. In reality it doesn't take long for stuff to end up everywhere in an RV. Having a dedicated place helps avoid the inevitable clutter.
It also sounds like he OP camps with lots of people. Having lots of beds is not a bad idea either.
My next rig will be a non bunkhouse model but my kids are older. My rig is pretty new and I may be in my bunkhouse for a few years after the kids are gone.
Nevertheless like the OP I drool at the non bunkhouse floorplans.....my day will come! LOL

[Mountain_Mama]

I have a friend who was looking at 2 different RVs because her two granddaughters go with them a lot. Don't temember for sure that one was a bunkhouse or not but it was something more for the girls comfort. The other was one with a nice rear living area. I told her to get the rear living area as the kids don't care where they sleep. That is what they ended up getting .& she thanked me later.

[getontheroad]

Two of our boys are grown and our oldest rarely comes with us now because he has school and internships in the summer. The 18 year still comes along often and we have a 13 year daughter. We moved from bunkhouse to a rear living room. My daughter was not happy but hey mom and dad pay the bills. The dealer that we bought our new rig from gave us these XL cots for our boys Lamp-rite oversized quick cot . I hope they fit in the living space as they are a little big. The cots are sturdy and can hold up to 400lbs. The dealers said to throw down a rug set up the cots and you can have 1-2-3 beds in an instant, or they can use them in the tent. We will see how well this goes over once we can start camping in May.

[zackyboy3rs]

Just made the move. Have not been camping yet. Plan to use high end air mattress (2) when need extra sleeping. Will update.

[fredhershberger]

The new mid bunk floorplans on the market provides the best of both. You get your rear lounge and a private bunkroom. When the kids dont travel it becomes more storage or if they no longer go it could very easily become an office or hobby room. Coachmen offers two of these floorplans in their Chaparral line-up...360 and 390 and in the Brookstone is the 395. Good luck!