Sunseeker 2500ts or forester 2501ts livability

[c5er]

I looking for feed back from any 2500/2501ts Owner’s on how well the floor plan works for you. Does lack of a separate couch present any issues. We are two adults a teenager and 2 dogs. While sleeping space seems fine I am concerned about seating space when being stuck inside on a rainy day. We had been looking ar a leprechaun 260ds but like the features and construction of the 2500 better. Also like the idea of being < 30ft in length.

[Goatdog]

We've been using our 2500TS (Chevrolet) for 5 years now. Two adults, girl 16, boy 11, two dogs (German Shepherd and Australian Shepherd). Up to 20 day trips. It was the correct one to buy. On rainy days, my wife and I retire to the bedroom and the kids stay out front. Never felt it was too small. Last year, we added our now 1 year old son. We debated getting a larger RV, but agreed we love this one too much. So we'll wait another year. It's never been in the shop. Over 21,000 miles now. I do agree the dinette couldbe more comfortable, we are looking at RecPro recliners.

[c5er]

I think the floorplan works just fine for when weather is good, but still worried when stuck inside on that rainy night. I really hesitate to go longer, because we want to be able to take our jeep with us and not worry about fitting into some national park site. I still like the extra seating in the Leprechaun, but like too many other features on the sunseeker/Forester models.

the dinette seems to be ok comfortable now and for the short time we tested it out, how does it hold up after a few years?

Any particular items to worry about or pay particular attention to during PDI?

[magnusfide]

Like Bruce mentions it all depends on how you use your space. Remember that you'll probably be camping long after the teenager leaves the nest so personally I would plan on going smaller say 26-28 ft. Teens can manage easier than adults so they're flexible.

In the 2500 Sunseeker I would also go with the optional sofa with removable table. It's more versatile than the banquette. You can put your feet up with the sofa or turn it into an extra bed. The banquette doesn't offer those options and at best becomes a very short bed for little kids.

[bobndot]

I have the Sunseeker 24 ft. 2350 without slides and it works fine for 2 people and a 70# dog. My friend has the 2500 that he uses with 2 adults and 4 kids plus a dog and they manage to keep camping.

When using the dinette for longer term sitting like watching a movie on a rainy night, you need to support your feet.
I store two thin 1/4" 15x30 pieces of plywood under the dinette cushions to use as a leg support. I just pull them partially out and use them as extensions to support my legs/feet. Similar to the support of a recliner. I place a small throw pillow on it to act as a cushion.
The 1/4" ply has a little bit of flex to it which adds to the comfort. When you are done, just slide the support back under the dinette cushion and its out of sight till next time.
It really makes the dinette a lot more comfortable and I really do not miss the sofa since I added the 15x30 leg supports.

See magatudes post for a similar pic of what I did :http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f240/adding-footrest-to-dinette-bench-iasata-3-a-152016.html

[BruceMc]

That's a tough call. It's going to depend out how you use the space, and whether you can work with these floor plans over what you had before.
We have a Sunseeker 2250sl, about 24' in length, and do very well with it, (what other would consider very limited space). But it is only the two of us, or maybe three adults. No dogs, no kids (in the MH, at least), at our stage in life.
We make do with what we have - and are very happy with what (little) we have. Granted, we don't have the 12' pop-top slide in truck camper any longer, but it would have not been serviceable for our needs at our stage in life.

All I can suggest is: Go try it out. You can do with less space if you try, but it's purely your choice. There's really nothing I can say that will help you make your decision; I can only say what works for us.