Bunkhouses - 2008+ Winnie 32K, Georgetown 350TS... ??

[TriumphGuy]

Hi everyone,
Searched the forums a bit, I know the bunk question has been posed before in some forms but thought I'd ask anew.

Short version - anyone have experience with these or similar models?

Long version:
We currently travel with a 35' bunkhouse 5er. I bought this one specifically for the combo of kids bunks and a recliner in the back:



Now we're on the MH shopping kick. I guess it happens to all of us, needs / wants change and here we are.
Primary goal of looking for a MH is to get ready for future, longer trips. Such as to the western part of the US from here (SC) with our two kids (could be three someday).... I'd really like to have the MH conveniences for travel and DW needs to be comfortable driving it so we can share the "seat time." She will drive our current combo if she has to ... but would be stressed about it. So I do the driving.
We started looking at Class Cs, which she seems very comfortable with. For example the FR Sunseeker 3170DS we've been looking at:



However in the interest of "full research" I'm trying to cover the Class A scene. What I like about the A route is more storage, higher GVWR, and we get to keep the recliner, big corner shower, large holding tanks, 8 cu ft fridge, 15k A/C... In other words, almost like putting our current 5er on a MH chassis. Georgetown example:



Downside is DW might not be up for driving an A and the idea is sunk. My plan is to get her to drive both of similar condition and see what she thinks. Might start with the C first. Also the C cabover would be useful given a third.

Interested in your thoughts - if anyone has experience with Class A bunkhouses. One idea has been to go the C route and maybe after a few years of that the A wouldn't be so intimidating.

Of course I'm just assuming the E450 chassis is easier to drive than the F53 for example. I might have that all wrong...

[TriumphGuy]

skrams wrote:
... Adult activities can still happen, it just takes being rather quiet, or the picnic table. 😉

LOL too funny !

[cjd10]

The Georgetowns have the bunks on the passenger side. They also come with a dropdown bunk up front if needed and the sofa is a full fold out bed. There are two versions, one on the smaller chassis and one on the larger. (351 and 352) We have been happy with ours. We don't have kids but use the bunks for pet crates when traveling. Our nieces often travel with us and the teens love having their own private area where they can pull the curtains and have their own TV and some seclusion. The new Black Diamond editions offer solid cherry wood work and cabinetry throughout.
I would add that Forest River has been great for us on dealing with any warranty issues we have had. But, they do not deal with the end user after warranty runs out. All dealings must be trough a dealer,so anyone considering a FR product needs to make sure that you use a good dealer.
As others have said, look around and find what suits you the best.

skrams... I forgot about the picnic table lol

[skrams]

We have an 07 Hurricane bunk model, bunks on the passenger side. Adult activities can still happen, it just takes being rather quiet, or the picnic table. 😉 We have teens, and they still come with us, still ask to go. They and we like them having their own space in the bunks.

[Y-Guy]

Tiffin makes a good product too. You might also look into used units, the depreciation is a killer and it's a bit surprising how many will sell after a year or two. Have fun shopping!

[TriumphGuy]

Thank you Y guy - and thanks Camper346, I hadn't even thought of Tiffin, thought they're so far out of our price range. But the 35QBA looks very interesting. I'll have to research that some more!

[Y-Guy]

TriumphGuy, I really haven't had any issues I wouldn't expect to see on any unit. Our fridge died 3 or 4 years into it (can't recall) we had negotiated on the extended warranty when we bought it and the dealer was amazing about getting a new one installed fast so we could still make our trip. A couple years ago the converter died too, thankfully it was just before the warranty expired and the dealer helped to get a better one installed, had it all covered too.

I would have been ticked off if I had to pay for the fridge replacement but I blame that on Norcold more then Winnebago. Ours is on the F53 chassis, I won't any land speed races but it's done great hauling us all over the Northwest, down to Utah and into the mountains there. It does just fine for me. Just replaced tires due to age, even the tire guys said the wear pattern looked real good.

The mattress is the only weak spot in ours, should have replaced it a long time ago. One thing I love about the 35J is that amount of storage, there is a ton both inside and out.

The rain fall on the fiberglass roof can sound loud the first time out, particularly if you're used to rubber roof. But we've come to love being able to actually hear the rain.

We've had some wonderful family memories with our Winnebago. If I were to buy another they will be right at the top of the list. But do your homework and find the best unit for your family.

[Camper346]

We have an 2008 Allegro 35QBA Bunkhouse. The floor plan is very similar to the Georgetown bunk floor plan. I recently have seen a couple for sale online for 55-75k for the 2008 model. Its the same floor plan as the 2015's just the front an rear caps have been redesigned with a few other minor changes.

[TriumphGuy]

Hi Y-guy ... I'm a bit partial to the Winnebagos, have you had any issues with yours?

[Y-Guy]

We've had our 2007 Winnebago Sightseer 35J since it was brand new, so going on 7 years with it. It has been a great setup for us, and grown well as our kids got older. Plenty of room for the 4 of us, and eventually started traveling with other kids who were friends as well as our 2 dogs. Still plenty of room while we travel and while we sleep. Camped once with 11 people in the rig, since it rained they all moved in. Tad cramped but still plenty of room to sleep. With the front drivers seats turned towards the back while parked it gives us plenty of seating space for games, chatting or places to just relax. That is actually a big plus over a Class C I think.

With the bathroom on board I could make long treks without the frequent stops to use the rest stop, with 75 gallon tank I could pass the pumps too.

As you found the carrying capacity of most Class C's just isn't the same. For us I needed more then I could find in the Class C's at the time so could haul our ATV trailer or boat.

As far as driving. For 10 years we made the same run to a Spring Break location to take our ATVs. So I drove it with an Avalanche/Outback, F350/Raptor Toy Hauler and the Winnebago/ATV Trailer. First few years I'd pull in totally exhausted after the 8 hour drive. I still had to setup camp, but I was just beat. First year I took the Class A I found I arrived and I still had energy, I wasn't worried about trailer sway, or any thing else for that matter. It really was a breeze to drive. The only time it's not is when I've driven through nasty winds, but nothing is fun in that case. I liked that I was up much higher and could really see what was going on in traffic. I dread the idea of not having that if we downsize to a truck or Class C.

After 7 years we may start looking for something different. The only reason is both kids will soon be in college, and they are both getting a tad big to be comfortable in the bunks. I have zero regrets going from our Toy Hauler/F350 combo to the Class A.

[TriumphGuy]

RedJeep wrote:
Triumphguy, Keep in mind that my experience in driving a class A is limited to about 30 minutes. Given that, the Class A gas (2008 v10) had great acceleration... better than I expected, was easier to maneuver around a tight twisty neighborhood than my truck/5ft, has incredible visibility with its giant windshield, and was not anywhere near as noisy as I thought the v10 would be on climbing several good sized hills. I did one tight turn into a driveway and the turning radius felt better than my '01 dually crewcab f350. Overall, the 36' class A did not feel as big and awkward as I had anticipated.

One thing that steered my away from the shorter class A (like a 32k Vista) is that I wanted to have the ability to rotate the driver and passenger seats.

Good luck with your search and purchase!

Thank you RedJeep that's really helpful to know ... I'm thinking it will be easier to back into my driveway 🙂

[Effy]

JimM68 wrote:
Nearly all class A's are really built for two. Wanna carry 6, get a front rear bedroom trailer...lol.

Without exception, class A bunkhouse models put the bunkroom on the drivers side, just in front of the bedroom, opposite the bathroom.

Now US, we're still young enuf to like our privacy, the further forward we put Junior, the better.
And we're (I'm? better not speak for DW here) are old enuf to need several trips to "the head" during the night. Trips I prefer to just get done, rather than hassling with robes and clothing and such...

So we finally ended up finding a Class A with a pair of reasonable sized jackknife sofa's up front. Quick and easy to go from sleeping to living. More than enuf room for the kids. And some good separation between the kids space and mom and dad's space.

That's not really true. Many A's, especially new ones are built for more than 2 people. Also, A few manufacturers make bunk models with the bunks on the passenger side. Winnie and Georgetown come to mind without even looking.

[jnaugle775]

I had a 2011 Thor hurricane with a bunk house and loved it. I just bought a 2015 jayco prcept with bunk house that has more options and a better floor plan to fit our needs. I would a this point never consider going back to towing a trailer of which I had 3. My kids are 9 and 3 so it's much nicer to have beds for them rather than folding down a dinette or sofa all the time. I have been very pleased with the performance of the f53 chassis on a class c it's a smaller chassis and lose storage under the coach which nice for beach toys and such. Just my thoughts

[JimM68]

Nearly all class A's are really built for two. Wanna carry 6, get a front rear bedroom trailer...lol.

Without exception, class A bunkhouse models put the bunkroom on the drivers side, just in front of the bedroom, opposite the bathroom.

Now US, we're still young enuf to like our privacy, the further forward we put Junior, the better.
And we're (I'm? better not speak for DW here) are old enuf to need several trips to "the head" during the night. Trips I prefer to just get done, rather than hassling with robes and clothing and such...

So we finally ended up finding a Class A with a pair of reasonable sized jackknife sofa's up front. Quick and easy to go from sleeping to living. More than enuf room for the kids. And some good separation between the kids space and mom and dad's space.

[dalerussel]

Last year, we bought a 2009 Winnebago Chalet 35J Class A (dumbed down Sightseer) and it works well. We took 2 grandchildren last summer for a month and a half. The two bunk beds gave each a place to "hide", read and be alone when they wanted to do that. It also kept the rest of the RV much cleaner since they didn't have to spread out elsewhere. I like the layout. It has a short king in the back. We owned a 30' class C before. It seemed easier to handle, almost drove like a pickup truck, but did not have the extras such as storage and living room that we wanted.