Design - What were they thinking??

[Reader1]

Sometimes I wonder what RV designers were thinking. Have you experienced "design flaws" w/ RV's that have you shaking your head. I don't want to trash ANY brand - just wondered...

We love our Cougar 26SAB 5th wheel - But...The window over the sink pushes out and you can't open it and have the screen door open at the same time. We should have noticed - not a big deal, but what were they thinking?

[bertnspike]

My bedroom door must be closed in order to open the bathroom door. Once I closed the bedroom door but it didn't latch all the way. When I tried to get out of the bathroom the bedroom door prevented me from opening the bathroom door. Couldn't even get my fingers out. Thank goodness the friend traveling with me came back in to ask what all the banging was about! And that is the only time anyone has ever come on a trip with me. I have since removed the bedroom door entirely and hung a curtain there.

The window over my desk is completely blocked when the exterior door is open. Duh.

In order to open the window by the bed I have to kneel on the pillow area and use both hands to squeeze the little tension spring buttons in and slide it up. Stupid.

I have to get down on my knees on the center console in order to move the driver's seat far enough forward that it will lock so I can open the sliders. If I do it while I'm sitting in the seat I can't get out.

All this in a coach I love.

My fresh water tank inlet is not designed for any type of connection with anything, and the line running to the tank is at such an angle that, unless I set the incoming pressure to "trickle", half the water runs back out onto the ground.

[KarenS144]

I'm fairly positive the designers (like the bunch above) don't EVER actually use the RV they design or they wouldn't do some of the dumb things they do.

See the guy in the middle of the back row in the pic in the previous post? He's the one that put the water filter under the bed and to the left of the door. He also made it large enough so that there is less than an inch clearance between it and carpet. He made sure there was no way to get the filter off without laying on the floor, twisting arms and shoulders in order to replace it and spilling water in the process.

[2gypsies1]

We have a Newmar and a person can have a lot of input as to the interior design. We had close to 100 items that we changed or added. Some were very small like moving a wall plug or adding a wall plug but a few were major. That's one of the reasons we chose this mfg., plus, there are very few complaints on Newmars.

[westend]

You think these designers aren't listening to their customers?

[Parrothead_Mike]

My RV design pet peeve deals with the size of some of the newer 5th wheels. We were lucky to find a slightly used 25' 2001 Cardinal back in 2003 for a great price. We still have that Cardinal and love it. It's got a double slide, one on each side of the main body, that opens up the kitchen/dining/living space quite nicely. The problem is that we're looking for a newer high quality 5th wheel in about the same size range and we can't find any. All the higher end 5th wheels are 29' or longer. We have plenty of storage space and have spent up to 6 weeks traveling in our unit without feeling cramped.

To illustrate this problem - this spring we attended a good sized RV show down in Elkhart, IN, home of the RV industry. They had lots of beautiful 5th wheels on the grounds of the RV Museum just east of Elkhart. I believe there was just one 5th wheel under 30'. When speaking with one of the salesmen I told him the models at the show were too big. He just laughed and said people want "elbow room". I told him that we wouldn't be interested in buying his "elbow room" RVs.

We'll keep our eye out for a nice 2007-2010 5th wheel that fits our needs and hopefully is under 30'. Ours is still in great shape, but it's getting about time to look for another.

[Tango__AE7UI]

Before I retired, we always complained that the circuit board designers should be required to actually build the first lot of boards.
Some of them were nearly impossible, too dense, circuit traces too close, etc.
I know, they had requirements to cram as much as possible in a given space.

[Gene_Ginny]

grandpalarry wrote:
I heard that;
RV's are designed by accountants, that live in brick houses"

YUP! You don't expect the people that design them to USE them do you?

[deleted-2]

Great thread!

I believe the biggest booboo with our fifth wheel is having to crawl over the bed with the slide retracted.

When the trailer is set-up however the floor plan is pretty much perfect for us.
As a matter of thought there might even be too much space.

[DesertFiver]

I really would like to see this question answered by more RVers... Maybe if the engineers get more complaints directly from us users they will change.
Ive been camping/rving for over 50 years and have alot of complaints.
Just to name a few not mentioned yet


NO wiring (ac & dc) or plumbing diagrams
Decals that always fade and can't be replaced
Products for Rvs that really work
Air conditioners, havn't changed in how many years
Kitchen hardware, hinges, drawers and locks
Table & chairs too small for average couple
Lights for reading in living area, too hot or too high.
Lights for reading in bed too hot and too low.
Cabinet over bed headboard too low
Cabinets/dressers with built-in tvs, they steal all the storage space
Furniture that looks and feels like BIG LOTS purchase
Entry and Storage security, how about a stronger door frame and better locks
Holding tanks and valves hidden under cover and installed at mfg. Making it expensive just to change a (inexpensive) valve or seal because you just can't get to it
Design tanks so that the valve can't hold tpaper or $#&# because it drains higher than the tank bottom
Having to buy vent covers, should come that way
Water hookup, is it that hard to get a better way to attach a hose

I could go on and ....

[grandpalarry]

I heard that;
RV's are designed by accountants, that live in brick houses"

[Homer1]

I had crank out windows in my class A in the bedroom. Both crank out gear box's destroyed them selves in the first year. Now what do you do when they will not crank back in. Replace them you say? (When pigs fly), could not find them even at Winnebago for my type windows.

[mlts22]

I'm lucky... I have an entry level TT, but other than needing to vacuum the dust and metal shavings out of compartments like the water heater area, and the fact that it came with a single stage battery roaster for a battery charger, I can't really complain.

Of course, my biggest beef with new TTs in general is fiberglass on luan. Might as well have a timed self-destruct switch on the rig. To boot, some TTs which one used Azdel siding have gone back to the delamination-prone junk.

[Kittykath]

Our "old" camper was a 2012 model, and they still got stuff wrong!

It also had a crank-out window directly behind the open door. Drat! A little ventilation in that area would have been nice.

The bath mirror was obviously designed by someone at least 6'0", because I've never been able to see below my chin unless on my tiptoes.

Black countertops = pretty, but also = dirt & scratch magnification.

The slider window behind the kitchen table was positioned so that only a contortionist could open it.

I'll admit, I shed a tear when it left last week, but I'm happy that the new model eliminated those minor issues. I'm sure when we get to know this one, I'll have another list!

[FunnyCamper]

I am toyhauler shopping. If I could marry two designs I would be in heaven. as it stands each is a plus and con and I can't find the design I would love.

but this design isn't about floorplan, it is about the little design flaws that would make one camper 'perfect' for that issue.


OK- now fess up--on that camper you love, AND LUCKY you for finding the one that fits you, what don't you like? there is always that small thing that gets one saying, WHY? If only they did this?

[pasusan]

FunnyCamper wrote:
oh man how many days I said I wish I could design a floorplan 🙂 {snip...}

Well, I did design the floorplan I wanted after many years with other campers and knowing what to look for. Then we found the exact layout by a manufacturer in Canada (a European design) and we have never looked back!

Dedicated bed(s) - don't have to turn some other furniture into a bed.

Small enough to get into any site.

Jalousie windows so they can be opened in the rain.

Exhaust of the water heater and furnace on the street side so they don't blast us as we sit outside under the awning.

Water and waste tanks clustered around the axles so we can travel with any or all of them full.

Plenty of room inside without bottlenecks for passing.

Pilot lights for our stove and oven so they are ready to go at the turn of a knob.

Double stainless steel sinks - that's one of the big things to me - that one small round sink a lot of the new ones have - what's up with that?

DSI water heater (don't have to go outside to light a pilot).

No uncomfortable dinette to waste space.

Not a square box to drag around like a brick or billboard.

The wood is real oak - not particle board.


I really do feel for the folks looking at new - we go to the RV shows and say the same thing to ourselves - "What were they thinking?"

Here's hoping ours lasts a bunch more years... 🙂