I hate dinettes

[byhamr]

Have owned, borrowed, rented, and walked all types of rv. That does not make me an expert but it does leave me with some perspective and the more matured I become in my rv age, the more confirmed I am that the rv industry in order to see more explosive growth needs to bring to a rapid end the addition of the proverbial dinette to any and every type of rv. Please just stop! My reasons are several but basically revolve around the simple fact that sitting one for more than five minutes is absolute torture. In fact I wish we could all ship our dinette to Guantanamo. Make a terrorist sit in one for more than 5 minutes and he/she will tell u everything they know. Painful I say and also purposeless. Indoor tables are not needed for meals. Even in our homes very few Americans eat at tables. And if we do while camping, it is the outside picnic table. So why does the rv industry force us to go backwards by 20 years and give us sore backs at the same time? Maybe it is to play games which again I say are so much more enjoyable outside. So please rv industry leaders stop with the dinette. Give us another couch or comfortable chairs or even more bunks for the neighbor's kids. I saw one ad recently for a moderately priced 38' class 8 that slept 8.i had to ask how. The answer was a picture of a dinette area removed to be replaced by floor to ceiling 3 bunks. Genius thought I. Whew... Thanks for listening. I feel so much better having gotten that of my chest.

[JRscooby]

fj12ryder wrote:


From my reading on here, and sometimes other forums, roof leaks aren't really in the majority of issues. There are some for sure, but not really all that many considering how much abuse an RV roof receives. IME most issues are electrical, with refrigerator problems a close second.

Well on any RV forum, somebody asks about buying a used trailer one of the first things to look for is water damage. If somebody posts they see water marks on the ceiling "You should of checked you should of sealed you got to inspect...." WHY?
IMHO, the roof of something meant to be used outside should need no attention. And where is this "abuse" you speak of? Moving down the road? Setting out in the weather? I, like most people, bought mine with expectation it would live out in the weather and move down the road. Why was it not designed and built to do it?

[Big_Katuna]

I dislike the dinette. We eat on TV trays at home and in the RV. We had an RV with table and chairs and we liked it much better.

What we DO need is a pc workstation. I’ve seen a design that has a 24” deep buffet with storage and swing up small table for two people and two chairs usable as a computer wok place.

You can set electric teapot and things on it.

My next RV I’ll have the dinette removed and have that setup added.

I’m also going to have theater seating across from an electric fireplace and flat screen.

[doxiemom11]

We have a dinette -- the key is quality foam that is 3" or more thick. Yes, some RV's do have comfortable seating. We are full-time, so this is our home. We eat inside most of the time unless we have guests and it's nice weather. We also have a sofa /full size and an upholstered chair. There is a whole lot of storage under our dinette seats also.

[goducks10]

The rear dinette in out TT is the best feature. I used to hate booth dinettes and only liked free standing dinettes. Then we looked at Outdoors RV with their large table and dinette. The cushions are the best in the industry for the price range. Thick firm cushions.
Most RV's the dinette cushions are a joke, along with the table. Most tables are wobbly. ORV is mounted on thick posts with huge bases.
I can sit for hours in the dinette and never come close to hitting the bottom of the cushion.

[fj12ryder]

JRscooby wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:

ajriding wrote:
I agree, they are terrible things. Some higher dollar RVs might have more comfortable ones, but over-all are just as waste of space as any.
Have Rvs changed much in the last 50 years? No, same floorplans basically. Same wasted spaces.
RVs are designed to appeal to the women (wife) who will usualy have the final say on what gets bought.
I sometimes watch that idiot show where idiots go to buy their first RV. All the show does is show idiots first reaction/knee jerk to what they think is good or bad about an RV. None ever have any idea of what it is like to stay in an RV. Half the buyers (the women making the decisions) will pass on one RV model and pay an extra $30,000 for a model that has an extra TV or any of a list of things they could simply hire (or do themselves) someone to add or change for a few hundred bucks to make it how they like.
These idiots are why RVs are still designed without thought. RV manufacturers want to sell. RV manufacturers are designing their RVs to appeal to the buyers quirks and what they think they will need, not what they will actually need.
rant

Wow, maybe you should pick a hobby where you're not the only person that isn't an idiot. Believe it or not, some people may not share your ideas, gasp, yes it's true. Some people think for themselves, and really don't give a hoot what you think. I assume you aren't getting a ton of letters and phone calls for advice at any rate.

Wow! How do we decide which opinion is most valuable? I must wonder about how smart RVers are myself, but not based on dinette. How many RVes are replaced because of roof leaks? Why is it just accepted that if you own one you will be screwing with the roof to stay dry?

From my reading on here, and sometimes other forums, roof leaks aren't really in the majority of issues. There are some for sure, but not really all that many considering how much abuse an RV roof receives. IME most issues are electrical, with refrigerator problems a close second.

[TurnThePage]

We need the storage afforded with the dinette. I will probably replace the foam with good stuff this year. However I've had no problem sitting through an entire movie or two at mine.

[myredracer]

As far as surface area goes, we couldn't do without a dinette table for the laptop, jigsaw puzzles, card games, and all the misc. assortment of "stuff" it seems to attract.

Seats are a different matter though. Pretty tough to fit 4 adults on the cushions. The ends of the seats closest to the outer wall are just another place that attracts "stuff"...

We used to use a custom sized TV table with folding legs that I made for in front of our jacknife sofa. Worked great and for eating too. Then we replaced the sofa with a power recliner and had to lose the TV table. Maybe a good compromise would be smaller seats/cushions with a table top end that folds up when needed??

We both have back issues and don't sit on the dinette cushions for extended periods. Sitting upright is the issue, not softness of the cushions. The power recliner has been one of the best upgrades we've done. Oh so comfortable to get comfortable on for long periods, like watching TV or reading. 🙂 I made custom side tables with storage below for it so there's a surface to put drinks and food on.

[JRscooby]

fj12ryder wrote:

ajriding wrote:
I agree, they are terrible things. Some higher dollar RVs might have more comfortable ones, but over-all are just as waste of space as any.
Have Rvs changed much in the last 50 years? No, same floorplans basically. Same wasted spaces.
RVs are designed to appeal to the women (wife) who will usualy have the final say on what gets bought.
I sometimes watch that idiot show where idiots go to buy their first RV. All the show does is show idiots first reaction/knee jerk to what they think is good or bad about an RV. None ever have any idea of what it is like to stay in an RV. Half the buyers (the women making the decisions) will pass on one RV model and pay an extra $30,000 for a model that has an extra TV or any of a list of things they could simply hire (or do themselves) someone to add or change for a few hundred bucks to make it how they like.
These idiots are why RVs are still designed without thought. RV manufacturers want to sell. RV manufacturers are designing their RVs to appeal to the buyers quirks and what they think they will need, not what they will actually need.
rant

Wow, maybe you should pick a hobby where you're not the only person that isn't an idiot. Believe it or not, some people may not share your ideas, gasp, yes it's true. Some people think for themselves, and really don't give a hoot what you think. I assume you aren't getting a ton of letters and phone calls for advice at any rate.

Wow! How do we decide which opinion is most valuable? I must wonder about how smart RVers are myself, but not based on dinette. How many RVes are replaced because of roof leaks? Why is it just accepted that if you own one you will be screwing with the roof to stay dry?

[colliehauler]

JimK-NY wrote:
I was raised with the idea of eating while sitting at a table. I even find that restaurants provide the same accommodations. I am not sure how you eat without using a table. Do you balance your plate on your stomach? What about a glasses, silverware and soup or salad plates? Or do you just stand up and eat with your hands instead of silverware?

Anyway I have never had any issues sitting at a table. When camping I end the day sitting at the dinette reading, working on my laptop or just resting.

About 70 years ago they invented tv trays. They miraculously hold plates, glasses, silverware, and soup or salad plates and fold away when done. Everyone has their own preference and what works for some doesn't work so well for others. I find the leather couch and recliner I replaced my dinette and jack knife sofa with much more comfortable to read or to use my tablet.

[dkreuzen]

We love our dinette. Wouldn't have an RV without. I hate the idea of having loose chairs. Our dinette is way more comfortable than a stiff chair.

[fj12ryder]

ajriding wrote:
I agree, they are terrible things. Some higher dollar RVs might have more comfortable ones, but over-all are just as waste of space as any.
Have Rvs changed much in the last 50 years? No, same floorplans basically. Same wasted spaces.
RVs are designed to appeal to the women (wife) who will usualy have the final say on what gets bought.
I sometimes watch that idiot show where idiots go to buy their first RV. All the show does is show idiots first reaction/knee jerk to what they think is good or bad about an RV. None ever have any idea of what it is like to stay in an RV. Half the buyers (the women making the decisions) will pass on one RV model and pay an extra $30,000 for a model that has an extra TV or any of a list of things they could simply hire (or do themselves) someone to add or change for a few hundred bucks to make it how they like.
These idiots are why RVs are still designed without thought. RV manufacturers want to sell. RV manufacturers are designing their RVs to appeal to the buyers quirks and what they think they will need, not what they will actually need.
rant

Wow, maybe you should pick a hobby where you're not the only person that isn't an idiot. Believe it or not, some people may not share your ideas, gasp, yes it's true. Some people think for themselves, and really don't give a hoot what you think. I assume you aren't getting a ton of letters and phone calls for advice at any rate.

[ajriding]

I agree, they are terrible things. Some higher dollar RVs might have more comfortable ones, but over-all are just as waste of space as any.
Have Rvs changed much in the last 50 years? No, same floorplans basically. Same wasted spaces.
RVs are designed to appeal to the women (wife) who will usualy have the final say on what gets bought.
I sometimes watch that idiot show where idiots go to buy their first RV. All the show does is show idiots first reaction/knee jerk to what they think is good or bad about an RV. None ever have any idea of what it is like to stay in an RV. Half the buyers (the women making the decisions) will pass on one RV model and pay an extra $30,000 for a model that has an extra TV or any of a list of things they could simply hire (or do themselves) someone to add or change for a few hundred bucks to make it how they like.
These idiots are why RVs are still designed without thought. RV manufacturers want to sell. RV manufacturers are designing their RVs to appeal to the buyers quirks and what they think they will need, not what they will actually need.
rant

[valhalla360]

Got the table and chairs in our latest...hate it. Would much rather have a dinette.

Lots of storage lost and now we have chairs that don't fit as well.

Next rig will likely go back to the dinette.

[JRscooby]

I think the issue starts with must be cheap and must sleep 40eleven. If you where building a dinette to set at you could make it more comfortable. But when it must change into a bed comfortable seating goes out the vent. And most times it ain't a good bed...

[BB_TX]

I understand and respect your opinion. But there are those who love their dinettes. And those who love their dining tables. And use them regularly. We often use our table. Especially if weather is not ideal for eating outside. Or if bugs are a particular problem where we are at. And if the grandkids are with us, we almost always use the table for their breakfast while we are doing other things getting ready for the day.

Eliminate the booths or tables? NO. Option to eliminate them? OK. To each their own.