Are there any families here who use the kind of sliding-down bunk over the cab in a Class A, who would care to share their experience with it? I'm curious how effective they are. Wondering if they're a pain to put up and down, blow up the mattress every day, pull out blankets and pillows, etc. On vacation, we drive nearly every day, plus the kids take naps, so this will be a more than once daily process.We have always rented a Class C with the nice permanent bunk over the bed, which is perfect for the kids. So that's what we're shopping for. I've seen more recent model A's with that sliding bunk, and now getting to thinking that it might be a good option.This weekend, I'm hoping to test drive the Thor Hurricane 32a I mentioned in another thread, which has that kind of bunk.

Just bought a Thor Palazzo 33.3 with the drop down bunk. I plan on purchaing a thin foam mattress that will be sized to fit with the bed retracted..

We have the Coachmen Pursuit with a electric powered drop down front bunk. This works great for us. It has a bunk bed type mattress that requires nothing more than a set of sheets. Normally it is just the two of us and the two dogs. But when the kids or grandkids come with us it works great. Takes less than two minutes to lower down or put up. Can leave the sheets on it. Pillow goes in a cabinet.

The ACE is the only model I know of that has an articulated electric bunk. There are a few advantages to this, mainly that the front seats can still be used when the bunk is down. On many units with the bunk on slide rails, the bunk literally comes to rest on the top of the front seats rendering them useless. We find the ACE's bunk setup to be about the easiest to use and set up/take down. It has a built in, foam mattress which my son loves and even with my weight I find comfortable, and you can keep the sheets on it when stowed although blankets and pillows need to be removed. We are very happy with ours and have actually passed on units with different bunk setups for those reasons. (I love my captain chair spun around, makes a great recliner and I'm not giving that up). We have friends with a Palazzo and they don't like that it rests on the seats and the netting and the light it lets in seems more of an afterthought than a good design. They have also had issues with the blow up mattress and it adds more to the set up/take down. In my Ace it's as simple as removing a blanket and pillow and hitting the switch - or leave it down. Either way it doesn't affect any other functionality and set up and take down literally can be done in under a minute. Easy and functional.

My previous coach was a Fleetwood Storm 32BH with the front drop down bed. I completely loved it. That setup had berths for 10 people. The rear dinette converted to bunk beds for additional sleeping. I would often camp with my buddy and his three girls so we would have 7 people in the coach with plenty of sleeping options.My girls loved the front drop down so much that I could leave the rear dinette setup as my computer work station. The drop down bed was very easy to setup. Just make sure the seats and TV were moved out of the way and hit a switch to drop the bed. Then inflate the bed (but you could install a foam mattress instead). Then I'd install the ladder. Yes, there were some steps involved, but eventually, I trained the girls how to do it and that was their job. When we arrived at the campsite, I'd hook up the coach and they were responsible for setting up the beds. I think it's very good for kids to have responsibilities when camping.The long and short of it, is that the drop down bed was extremely practical for us and I really wanted the same thing in a 45 foot diesel pusher. Unfortunately, there is no such coach. I think the drop down bed is perfect for families.

The best new drop down bunk I have seen will be on the 2015 Coachmen Sportscoach Cross Country 404RB. It's called a "salon bunk". It's a 12 foot long bunk that drops down from the bulkhead over the dinette and sofa. Long enough to sleep 2. When up it's totally concealed. It's a belt driven mechanism. I can't find any pics on line but it was featured in the new Motorhome magazine (pg 52). This could open up a whole new range of bunks essentially combining drop down and bunkhouse ideas in one. I love it.

How practical is the sliding bunk over cab in Class A's?

TomB_
Explorer
Dec 18, 2014
Back in the 90's we had a 23ft chieftain that had a bunk over the front of the coach. I never used it for it's primary purpose, but instead had an HO scale model railroad built in that space. I loved it!!!
crasster
Explorer II
Dec 18, 2014
I think they are just fine for those who want it. RV's vary so much, just get the things you think you'll need.
Vacay_Wheels
Explorer
Dec 18, 2014
vjstangelo wrote:
OK, not to stir the pot, but why not class C vs A with overhead bunk?

I've found it more enjoyable to drive the truck chassis than the van. Feels more solid to me. A 31-foot motorhome on a van chassis feels like it's asking too much of the van. Also I really don't like the bunk sticking out in front of the windshield. Last but not least, we've found the E450 to be too cramped and loud for us.

We may still yet get a gas Class C, but it would be a Chevy 4500-based unit. Also like the NeXus diesel Super C. The cab is so big and roomy, you can't even see the overhead cab. But it's quite a bit of $$$.

Next up in the test drive queue is a Newmar Bay Star 3215, which is available with a drop-down bunk. Great Newmar quality, huge tanks, and 3700lb of NCC! Down side is it's pretty expensive too, and there are none on the used market with the drop-down, so it's new only.
rcmiller32
Explorer
Dec 18, 2014
For us we did not go looking for the front drop down bunk. We went looking at new trailers. Went into the smaller gas motorhomes and ended up with the class A. I wanted the heavier truck based chassis over the van chassis. Have worked on both types of chassis over the years and wanted the higher GVWR and heavier axles and springs. The drop down bunk was a bonus for use. I can stand up in the drivers area and do not have to duck down getting in and out of the drivers seat. I can leave the seats sitting were I need them for driving and still lower the bunk down for use.
vjstangelo
Explorer
Dec 17, 2014
OK, not to stir the pot, but why not class C vs A with overhead bunk?
aviator37
Explorer
Dec 17, 2014
Our Thor Hurricane has the pull-down electric bed over the drivers seats. This can be deployed quickly and easily once you become familiar with how the thing works. I need to make sure the driver/passenger seats are configured correctly before the bed can be lowered to it's lowest position. Practice with the thing at home first get the hang of it.
garry1p
Explorer
Dec 05, 2014
We have found the drop down bunk is great on long stays as extra storage space.

Have never used it for sleeping girls like the fold out couch.
Effy
Explorer II
Dec 05, 2014
stvdman wrote:
Effy wrote:
The best new drop down bunk I have seen will be on the 2015 Coachmen Sportscoach Cross Country 404RB. It's called a "salon bunk". It's a 12 foot long bunk that drops down from the bulkhead over the dinette and sofa. Long enough to sleep 2. When up it's totally concealed. It's a belt driven mechanism. I can't find any pics on line but it was featured in the new Motorhome magazine (pg 52). This could open up a whole new range of bunks essentially combining drop down and bunkhouse ideas in one. I love it.

Has anyone found a picture or more info on the above model online? I may try to find a copy of the new MOTORHOME magazine to get a look at it.

We currently have a bunk-house Super C and as time has gone by and the kids get bigger the bunks seem to get smaller/tighter. And as I get closer to retirement and potenitally have much more traveling w/o the kids in the plans, the full time bunks become less of a need and a larger coach with "part-time" bunks is interesting.

TurboJimmy posted a youtube about 3 posts back in this thread. Short but you get the idea.

short video
stvdman
Explorer
Dec 04, 2014
Effy wrote:
The best new drop down bunk I have seen will be on the 2015 Coachmen Sportscoach Cross Country 404RB. It's called a "salon bunk". It's a 12 foot long bunk that drops down from the bulkhead over the dinette and sofa. Long enough to sleep 2. When up it's totally concealed. It's a belt driven mechanism. I can't find any pics on line but it was featured in the new Motorhome magazine (pg 52). This could open up a whole new range of bunks essentially combining drop down and bunkhouse ideas in one. I love it.

Has anyone found a picture or more info on the above model online? I may try to find a copy of the new MOTORHOME magazine to get a look at it.

We currently have a bunk-house Super C and as time has gone by and the kids get bigger the bunks seem to get smaller/tighter. And as I get closer to retirement and potenitally have much more traveling w/o the kids in the plans, the full time bunks become less of a need and a larger coach with "part-time" bunks is interesting.
atperci
Explorer
Dec 04, 2014
We have a 2010 Fleetwood Encounter 32bh, which is the same model as the current Storm. The drop down bunk on the Encounter/Storm line is actually a residential sized queen bed, so lots of room, could easily fit three kids in a pinch. We removed the air mattress and put a 2" memory foam mattress on it instead. The mattress compresses easily and springs back within a few minutes. It works great for the kids, but maybe too thin for an adult.

The bunk lowers and raises quickly, and is very sturdy. The netting can stay in place and doesn't get tangled. We use sleeping bags most of the time and its easy enough to move and set up. As mentioned the front seats are not usable for an adult. But the space created under the bunk is a great hiding/play space for the kids, which is nice as it gives them they're own private area to play.

If I had to tear down and set it up two times a day, it might get to be a hassle. But remember the kids will grow out the naps soon enough. I couldn't tell clearly enough from your post, but I hope you weren't planning on driving with the kids up there, either napping or otherwise. We just leave ours down throughout the day, but we also have our towed vehicle (2005 Honda Pilot) to take around on our adventures. Much easier than breaking camp whenever we want to go somewhere, and much better gas mileage, too.

We are very happy with the layout, we also have a set of bunks amidships, so we have lots of room for our four kids and we don't have convert the dinette or couch every day/night. Good luck in your search, it took us months to decide and locate the perfect MH for us, but the right one is out there, don't give up.
Tom