We are also looking for a new unit, and our "wish list" is similar to yours.
We want to stay in the 31-34 foot range, preferably 32' overall. The Keystone Laredo we have now is 32', and we are trying to avoid "length creep". We camp a lot in COE parks, state parks and National Forest Service parks. Many of these parks are older, and have shorter sites. We already find many (10-20%) campsites too short for a camper longer than 32' to comfortably fit in and leave room for the truck. Unfortunately, most manufacturers have gone longer to offer popular floor plans. That makes for a limited selection in a quality unit.
We also would like to stay with two slides if we can find the right floor plan. When you add a third slide on the passenger side, it takes away from camping space under the awning, and I LOVE a long awning. We spend more time outside than we do inside. This is something we may have to give in on, though.
We don't mind paying for better quality, but again, many of the manufacturers of these units have gone to longer floor plans to compete with the "WOW" factor.
Some of the units we have been looking at are:
Arctic Fox 29-5T: With a queen size bed I think you can get a nite stand beside it - not sure. It does have windows on either side of the head of the bed. With the slide in you can get to the fridge, the dining table and the kitchen are usable. Nice long awning. Plenty of closet space across the front. We love a large rear window like this one has. The downsides are there are only two smaller windows on the passenger (camp) side, and the view of the TV is obstructed for one of the easy chairs by someone working in the kitchen. Limited counter space. The overall length is 33'11". I can't find one in the Southeast to look at, but this looks like an interesting unit.
Keystone Montana High Country 293RK - I like the bathroom layout better on this one - everything in one room allows for better "shared space" for each component (shower, toilet, sink). Again, everything is usable with the slide in, but I'm not wild about a rear kitchen. Huge closet space if you don't use it for a washer/dryer (we wouldn't). No nite stand beside the queen size bed. The overall length = 32' 11". Questionable quality.
KZ Durango D296RL - I like the quality for the price and want it to work, but haven't seen one. Cant find one any where around the Southeast. Has a window above the queen size bed and has a nite stand beside it. Lots of closet space both on the front of the unit and in the bedroom slide out. Good bathroom layout. Looking at the floor plan, it appears the TV is not viewable from the dining table, however, the TV enclosure (frame) is on a hinge and it can be turned for viewing. The unit has excellent space utilization (based on a similar KZ model). Downsides - the bathroom door is covered when the bedroom slide out is in!! Dang it!! However, after thinking about it, the world would not come to an end if I have to open the BR slide a little to get into the bathroom at the dump station, and I can't remember but a few times we had to open it while stopped on the road - maybe only a few Walmart nites. Everything else is accessible when the large slide is in. The awning does not cover the outside storage access - why did they do this? There may be a way to install a longer awning (?). The overall length is 33'10". There are several KZs in the Durango 1500 series (so called half ton towable), but they don't have as much basement storage space, and there are other compromises. I called KZ to try to locate a D296RL. They were very helpful and searched all their dealers. The closest one they found was 800 miles from me, but did check on dealer orders and found one coming in fairly close to here in a few weeks.
In general, we have not entertained any "half-ton" towable units, although there are several good floor plans. It seems like the weight savings is at the expense of construction and heavier duty components (axles, frames, etc.).
Like you said , there are several floor plans out there that require angled viewing of the entertainment center from the primary seating. We are also not interested in those.
As I said, we presently have a Keystone Laredo 29RL. We love the living area floor plan and the overall length which is listed as 31' 10", although it actually measures 32' 4", except we would like more closet space and an "East-West" bed to allow for a flat floor and a nite stand for a CPAP machine. The difference is a couple of feet - funny how that works out! We have had to modify our desire for a shorter unit to accommodate the floor plan we want and add still length for the closet. Now if we could just change the law of physics, we would be in good shape.
We are also considering a trip to the Hershey show. Keep us posted on what you find. I'll be following this thread.
Amateur Radio WA4GIY
2015 Montana High Country 305RL
2013 RAM 3500 4x4, crew cab, long bed, 6.7 CTD, Aisin trans.
CGVW 20460 Lbs.
