Bunk house...Pro's and Con's

[jayson_medic]

Ok so i have looked all over the web and at hundreds of models but being new to rving im not sure what is better. i have one 2 yr old and planning one more shortly. I think i want a trailer with a bunk house with a slide so that there will be room for kids and their friends. so what are the pros and cons of this type of trailer, should i be looking at the models with just the double bunks? sorry for the rambling but i can seem to make a choice. here are a few must haves
1. outside kitchen (smaller is better)
2. 60x80 or larger master bed ( i'm 6'2 and not a small guy)
3. under 1000lbs hitch weight ( yes i know i need a bigger truck cant happen right now)

[Capehorny]

I love it, if nothing else it makes for great temporary'ish storage. In reality, how often will they actually get used.

[jayson_medic]

Thank you everyone for you respons. I think that a bunk house will fit my needs better then a double double. But now I am thinking about a class C anyone have ideas about going with a MH instead of a TT.

[phenrichs]

Sorry this is long but I will offer a detailed response.
Have TT in sig. Loaded with gear she weighs in at right about 9000lbs. Approximately 1100lb hitch weight. It is 38ft long. In the bunk room there are two upper bunks one over the outdoor kitchen.
Instead of a bottom bunk we have a fold out sofa which is nice because it offers enough room for two adults to sleep back there plus the two upper bunks. The sofa is also nice as it offers a place for the kids to sit and play or watch TV if the weather is bad. It has a slide for that room so it opens nice and big. The downside is that this model with the slide is about 800lbs heavier than the same floorplan without the slide(which is no longer available). The downside is certainly the weight. I have no trouble towing with my 1-ton Dodge but it could be easily handled with a 2500 model.
The queen bed is a good size and actually has some room at the foot where you could put on a slightly longer matress. I am 5'11" and I don't reach end to end. We have 3 children and went with this model so in the future if one of the kids wants to bring a friend we have plenty of room.
The main area has a nice big U-shaped dinette that easily fits all 5 of us. There is also another fold out sofa. They say it will sleep 10 and I can tell you that it certainly will.
We use the outdoor kitchen way more than we thought we would. It is awesome to have the outdoor fridge for longer trips. We keep all our beverages out there so the inside fridge can be dedicated for food. PM me for questions or more info if you want.

[Doug33]

The original poster mentioned bunk house, but several replies were in regards to bunk beds. Are we talking about a completely separate area of the TT which includes bunk beds and other accommodations, with a separation door?

[APT]

Get a bunk house. The benefit is not changing a dinette or sofa to a bed every evening and back every morning. And a place for the child's stuff, bedding, favorite stuffed animal, etc. Bunk houses also generally have more wardrobe storage for their extra clothes and supplies.

We purchased our TT when the kids were 1/2/5. The youngest slept in a pack and play on the sofa. Now they all have a bed.

A Single over single would be good. Or check out the Funfinder 262BHS.

[Goldstalker]

Check these out.

http://www.crossroadsrv.com/sunset-trail

[loulou57]

Our friends bought a trailer with the bunk house sliding door for privacy. It has double bunks on one side and a double bed on the other with a small dresser in between them. It was great each kid with a double bunk.
They had a surprise little boy come along. The dad removed the double bed on one side and now the play pen stays there for the little one. When he gets older he can share one of the double bunks or have his own put back in.

[mdamerell]

Pro to a bunk house is the little one(s) can be put to bed and the adults still have use of the trailer but a smaller living room. We have a 1/2 bath in the bunk house with an outside door. This is a pro that the kids can get to the bathroom without walking through the trailer. With 6 grand kids that's a help. Also acts as an emergency escape. Bad side is when they get older they can sneak out that way.

[md2lgyk]

Our first TT was a 29-ft unit with a bunkhouse (no outside kitchen though). The bunks on one side were wider than on the other to accommodate larger kids while keeping a decently sized aisleway between them. Once the grandkids grew up and didn't want to hang with the old folks any more, it became my wife's walk-in closet.

No cons to a bunkhouse I can think of, other than it makes the trailer longer and heavier. If your tow vehicle is an SUV or your towing capacity is marginal, I guess that could be a problem.

[jerem0621]

There are many bunkhouse models that fit your criteria the one that comes to mind first is the Jayco 28BH this trailer has a small slide and it has two double bunk beds. This is commonly called the double double option what is nice about the Jayco 28BH is that the outside kitchen is very small and it is very lightweight. This floorplan also offers a north-south orientation queen bed with enough room to install a larger mattress if the mattress you want is not available from the factory. Being double sized bunkbeds this trailer will last you until your children are teenagers unless you get tired of the trailer first.

Good luck no matter what you decide on.

Jeremiah

[DesertHawk]

We had a 22' (or was it a 20') 1983 Komfort Lite with Bunk Beds.

We bought in '86. Kept it 10 years. Went all over with it. First tip was from Las Cruces, NM to Yellowstone then to Glacier. To Banff, then to Vancouver, BC. Back into the US & down the West Coast to Los Angles area, then home.

The Bunk Beds worked very well for our two kids.

I've noticed these Fun Finders being discussed recently:

The small Fun Finder 189 FBS'sFloor Plans seems to be pretty neat one. Or the Fun Finder F-189 FDS, which is similar. Both Exterior Length - 18' 9" & Exterior Width - 7'.

Or a couple larger ones: the Fun Finder F-210 UDS & the Fun Finder F-210 WBS. Both with Exterior Length 21' 9"; Exterior Width -8'.

Fun Finder 189 FBS is a nice little trailer as seen on this YouTube Video & quite a bit larger than our Scamp. I wouldn't mind having one.

These are not with Bunks, but have either a Jack Knife Couch or a Dinette which can be make into a bed & a bunk above the Queen beds.

There is a Fun Finder BH model (Triple Bunks in Fact). But it might be a bit large at 27' 5". No Hitch Weight is given.
http://www.cruiserrv.com/fun-finder/f_262bhs/specifications.html

YouTube Video

But maybe it would work, in a 28 foot model the HItch WT is 355 lbs.
GVWR - 5,955. Depends on how much weight your pickup can tow as well, I would believe.

A No Slide BH Chalet TT but only a full bed.
GVWR (lbs) 4500
Hitch Weight (lbs) 240
Axle Weight (lbs) 2400
Dry Weight (lbs) 3100

Not sure about the outside kitchen part.

:R The Teardrops normally have an outside kitchen. Also a Queen Bed, but no luck with Bunks. Hitch Weight shouldn't be a problem.
Bed Size 4"x59"x78"
http://www.socalteardrops.com/page.php?p=20

A somewhat new molded fiberglass Teardrop TT made in Elkhart, IN. Alas, No Slides, No BunkHouse. Outdoor Kitchen, Yes.

:C This one has about everything you listed a must have: 30FBSS Bunkhouse Super Slide & Outdoor Kitchen. Except Hitch Weight - 1,050 lbs.

:@ Maybe I've found one with it all: Puma-30DBSS with a Hitch Weight - 710 lbs.

Many Pro's for a Bunk House, such as a child having his/her own bed & space, do not have to make up the bed each night & down each day. Con's which I can come up with: Seems to take a larger, i.e. heaver platform to have one now days and if the bunk is too small, might child may out grow the bed.

Good Luck with your Quest!