Where will we sleep?

[timtune]

My wife and I are looking to buy a small (21ftish) used class C motorhome. Our plan is to tow our motorcycle in a small enclosed trailer and then live in the camper for a 1-3 weeks at a time while we ride, and explore the local roads. We in our mid-50's and both in good health.

We have been looking at campers with a permanent bed in the back vs one where the table needs to drop down to create a sleeping area. We don't want to have to turn our bed into a table and our table into a bed every day.

So far we have assumed we won't be interested in sleeping in the bed up front over the "cockpit". Less head room & the need to climb up there we figured it was really just for kids.

Now I'm having second thoughts. Wondering if that's a perfectly legitimate place for 2 adults to sleep. If so it really opens up many options we could consider.

Lastly, if pulling a small trailer will we need a dually?

[FLgator01]

We currently have a Winnebago Winnie Drop which would be fine if it were just the wife and I. But we often take our grandkids and the Drop gets pretty tight with four of us in there. I was also thinking with two kids ages 8 and 6 the Class C gives us so much more room while on the road than a truck pulling a trailer does. I think everybody will be more comfortable. We are looking at 29'-31' models with both a couch and dinette. We would like a slide for the kitchen and living area. The bed should be situated N-S and be a walk around. We also like the units with bunk beds for the kids.

[chorbelt]

I'll just add that my 23' is just a bit longer than my CC Ford and it's nice not having to worry about finding a place to park as it fits in a standard stall pretty easy. Obviously if you've also towing a trailer you'll have that to consider.

[Bumpyroad]

LifeInsideJack wrote:




The loft bed makes good sense if you have the good sense to use it.

and/or are physically able to use it, both now and in the future.
bumpy

[LifeInsideJack]

We have a 27' Class C and we use the loft bed. It's a queen, super comfortable and we like it. I'm 54, fit, and she's 43 and also fit. We had a rear bedroom but removed it to make that area open and we use that for work.

We're full-time folks.

The loft bed makes good sense if you have the good sense to use it.

[OldRadios]

Our goal was to stay under 30' (size restrictions in northeast parks). Ours is 27' also. For that extra three feet we get a full time queen bedroom with a door and over 100 cubic feet of storage underneath. At 27' it still fits into a pull through parking space although we don't usually have any problems finding parking on the outside lanes of parking lots since we pull a 14' trailer for the Harley's much of the time. After driving both a 24' and a 27' I found there is little difference in maneuverability or handling. In the years we were looking for, the 450 chassis has a wider stance and more capacity than the 350 chassis so that was an advantage also. We didn't want slides so we have plenty of unused weight capacity (slides eat that up).

[Harvey51]

Much depends on experiences. We were very comfortable upstairs right from the first night and still 8 years later. I think train travel in our childhoods made us envious of those families who had berths. It was a real treat to sleep up the ladder. RVers who did a few years in tents may, like us, feel it is a real privilege to have a bathroom and a great bed indoors.

The cabover bed is large with extra room for things that are out of sight from the main floor. We each have a reading light. Nocturnal trips downstairs don't seem to be a problem. I go down 2 or 3 times, DW one or 2 of those times.

We are in our mid sixties; age and arthritis may change our minds.

[winnietrey]

I don't think it is law, spouses have to sleep in the same bed, every night on vacation. Although to truthful, I did not check.

I sleep up top, DW on the dinette. I find the following to be true for us.
1) dinette, breaks down and sets up in about thirty seconds. it is much more of a hassle, to say pee the dog.

2)I kind of like having a separate sleeping space, as does she. I go to bed before her, she can stay up and read etc. As can I. Each can get up and go potty, or get up before the other without disturbing the other. And if we are feeling frisky the dinette bed works just peachy.

Works for us, may not for others, my point is, especially for an older couple, (we are mid 60's) you don't have to always sleep in the same bed, while in the MH. And that may open up some other options, for some folks who are looking to buy.

Ours is a 24ft Coachman. with a small slide. I know people always claim a 27 is not that much different, but in my opinion, when it comes to parking at a store restaurant, or attraction, that three feet can be a big deal.

[Dusty_R]

Wife and wife slept in what we called "The Crow's Nest" for about 25 years. We always figured that as long as we were willing and able to sleep up there, then a bed down was wasted floor space.
At 75 age and health got to us, and we now have a bed down at floor level.

Dusty

[Bordercollie]

We have maneuvered well in some really narrow roads with tight turns in our 27-footer. That said, if I intended to go on rough fire roads a lot, I would want a shorter rig with off-road suspension mods and internal means of containing kitchen stuff and breakables while bounding over ruts and potholes. Pulling a trailer full of Harleys with a Class C on rough twisty roads sounds a little perilous. Remember Lucy in making the salad while underway in the Long, Long Trailer?

[ron_dittmer]

Some people refer to motor homes like boats with owners suffering from 2 foot-itis. They are never big enough. Every length has it's pro's and con's.

Introduced about 3 years ago, Phoenix has offered our particular model in two lengths. The new length is one foot longer at 24'-11" with a one foot longer wheel base. At times I wished we had that extra foot to improve interior space. On the driver-side, I'd want to make the dinette and closet longer. On the passenger side, I'd want to make the bed and galley longer.

Then again, all is well with what we have today considering we tow along with the places we end up in. I'd be in twice as much trouble with that longer wheel base. Our E350's 158" wheel base can "U"-turn on a 4 lane road with mini soft shoulders. Those 22 footers with a 138" wheel base have no worries at all being closer yet to a car.

But living in a 22 foot motor home for a month at a time versus a 31 footer, there is your flip-side argument. If you are on the fence between a 24 footer and a 27 footer, you have to weigh the pros & cons to each. And be sure to consider the place you park it when not using it. Our garage is 25'-0" deep so one more foot will still work for us. But our shorter rig in the garage allows me to access my ladders stored along that wall. Trade-offs, trade-offs.

[BruceMc]

I high-centered our 27' more than I'd like to think about. That tail was always dragging on the pavement at most driveways. I've never had the 24' touch the ground, so that mere three feet LESS has been worth every penny to me. It costs less to license (Oregon's RV license is based on overall length), it much easier to drive & turn around (as we like to poke our nose in places we really shouldn't be in), etc.

If you drive a lot on flatland, then the 27' or long is fine. If you are in the hills, length is a detriment.. It all depends on your usage model.

[pnichols]

That 3 more feet probably makes a difference trying to get across a shallow road washout on the way to Dunbinky Well. :B

[Bumpyroad]

Bordercollie wrote:
Comfort in sleeping , cargo and cabinet space and convenience are important to us. Driving a 27 footer is not much different than driving a 24 footer. Used 27 footers are more plentiful than short rigs. You sacrifice maneuverability pulling any trailer.

yep, once when I was looking at Motorhomes I looked at one that I liked but told the salesman that it was 3 ft. longer than I had really wanted to get. he held his hands about 3 ft apart and said that that was all we were talking about. I agreed
bumpy

[Bordercollie]

Comfort in sleeping , cargo and cabinet space and convenience are important to us. Driving a 27 footer is not much different than driving a 24 footer. Used 27 footers are more plentiful than short rigs. You sacrifice maneuverability pulling any trailer.