First RV purchase and need Bathroom Advice

[p40whk]

Hi all,

First post here as well as searching for my first RV. There's just 2 of us and I'm towing with a Chevy Trailblazer so I've limited my options to trailers around the 3500# or less mark.

I've found many floor plans I like but they all seem to be a trade off when you facto in the bathroom size between a wet bath or the bathroom that has a separate shower and toilet.

I've been looking at the Palomini's and the R-Pods although I'm leaning towards the Palomini. I can get the bedding and storage configuration I like with the smaller wet bat or I sacrifice space and bed configuration for the bigger bath.

The only experience I have is 3 weeks in Glacier N.P. and Yellowstone in a toy hauler that had a really small bathroom (corner shower) and we never used the shower when they were available elsewhere.

I'd like to hear from people with experience to give me some of the pros and cons of bathroom size, wet bath vs dry, vs living space.

All opinions welcome! Thanks!

[RedRocket204]

OP, also take a look at Winnebago's Micro Minnie line. I've read many positive comments about those for smaller, lighter weight TTs.

mikeflys wrote:

bob213 wrote:
We have the corner triangle shaped shower with a shower door. Add an oxygenics shower head and a good pressure regulator and it's the best shower you'll find in a TT. I don't like to dump on someone else's toilet, sleep in someone else's bed or shower in someone else's shower. That's why we have a TT and don't stay in hotels.

I fully agree with you on all points. I have been reading that one of the current trends in Hotel stays is to leave a post it note in the bedding as a warning to the next "guest" saying "if you find this note, maintenance did not change the sheets"! I really want to deal with that! The oxygenics shower heads are great as well. One of the best upgrades you can put in you RV.

When it comes to hotels, you get what you pay for. If you constantly search out the cheapest hotel/motel, yes, all bets are off in terms of what you'll get for cleanliness. I travel a lot for work but primarily stay at Marriott locations as they were one of the first chains that banned smoking in the hotels. At campgrounds, a cheap pair of flip-flops keeps you from having to walk barefooted on any public floors/showers.

BTW, I am very particular about cleanliness but have never found things so bad to where I was shaking my head and afraid to go into a public campground shower with flip-flops on or disgusted while staying at Marriott hotels. To each their own.

[p40whk]

Wow! Great responses, thanks everyone. My email notifications don't seem to be working for my posts and I was afraid this forum was dead until I checked it this morning! Good to see an active community.

I can see that there are varying opinions on this which is what I expected. We spent two weeks tent camping in Zion a few years back and they do not have showers so we were relegated to the solar bag hanging from a tree. As I mentioned in my original post, we didn't use the shower in the TT when we were at a campground with showers but I was always hesitant to take a shower in a community bath house because of how dirty they could be.

I never considered weighing living space over bath space and that tip alone is an eye opener. I'm now thinking of going with the wet bath to save space and get a unit with an outdoor shower hook up and bring a bath tent for those places that don't have showers or are not clean.

Storage space always seemed to be what I noticed the most when we stayed in that toy hauler. We were always moving stuff around because there just wasn't enough places to store things. and again with these small trailers storage can be a trade off.

I read through many other forums before I bought my TrailBlazer and heard much of the same things regarding towing. I bought it used with low miles and made sure I got one with the 3:73 axle ratio so it's rated at 5800# towing capacity. New vehicles are just too expensive these days and Trailblazers are a bargain. I may grow to regret the purchase but I think if I keep it within specs I should be okay.

So with this info I've been looking at the Palomini's, the R-Pods, and Gulfstream's Streamlite Sport models. Have yet to actually get in the latter two but I'd rather spend a little more for build quality so are there any threads anyone can recommend that grades the brands by build quality?

Thanks for all your help!

[Dennis_Smith]

We love the full size bathroom in our 22 foot fun finder. Only place in the trailer where I can shut the door and take care of business.

[LakeN]

I think it depends on where you camp & if you are anti public showers. We always use campground showers because we'd rather use our shower for storage. Have had a wetbath and its really not bad if you must shower.

Overall living space is more impt than the bathroom size, just my opinion. By the way, check your holding tank sizes when comparing. Some are much smaller than others. This can be a factor unless you will always camp with full hookups.

[mockturtle]

The 19' lightweight TT I used to have had a very nice bath with toilet, sink, closet, vanity and tub/shower! Did did not have a permanent bed but a gaucho sofa and a dinette that converted to a bed. I much prefer a bigger, more convenient bath to a permanent bed.
My Tiger has neither. :B

[profdant139]

We have always had a wet bath because our trailers are so small. In an ideal world, it would be nice not to have to wipe down the shower/toilet afterwards. But that is the price of a really small trailer, which we greatly prefer. The shorter the trailer, the easier it is to get into very tight campsites (especially for boondocking), gas stations, parking lots, U-turns, etc.

But a short trailer does not ensure better mpg, nor is it significantly easier to tow. And we have much less living space (which is not a problem for us, since DW is small and slim, and we get along really well after 42 years together).

Life is a series of compromises. We are happy with our choice, but it is surely not for everyone!

[Kavoom]

"IMHO a large bathroom is a waste of space. I don't like wet baths but sometimes it's the price one pays for a small camper."

It doesn't matter what I like... It's what she likes so full bathroom is what I like and bedroom. We started in a tent, now in pop up moving to TT sometime in the next couple of years.

[F1bNorm]

With a wet bath, you might find you actually have a larger shower and toilet space. All with a smaller overall footprint. We had a shower curtain on a track that covered the towels and TP.

Norm

[coolmom42]

Given a choice of more living space or more bathroom space, I would choose more living space. You don't spend much time in the bathroom.

Go in the trailers you are looking at and sit down on the toilet, move around like you were showering, brushing your teeth, etc. Lay on the bed like you were sleeping. Go through all the motions and see which suits you better.

[deltabravo]

One tip about a wet bath that I do is to wipe it down with a big microfiber towel after using the shower. It helps prevent water spots.

[IdaD]

bob213 wrote:
We have the corner triangle shaped shower with a shower door. Add an oxygenics shower head and a good pressure regulator and it's the best shower you'll find in a TT. I don't like to dump on someone else's toilet, sleep in someone else's bed or shower in someone else's shower. That's why we have a TT and don't stay in hotels.

The necessity of business travel blows that option up, though. I only have to do a few weeks a year, luckily, but there's no way to do it and avoid planes/hotels.

Or Hawaii. Hard to pack the trailer over the Pacific... :B

[mikeflys]

bob213 wrote:
We have the corner triangle shaped shower with a shower door. Add an oxygenics shower head and a good pressure regulator and it's the best shower you'll find in a TT. I don't like to dump on someone else's toilet, sleep in someone else's bed or shower in someone else's shower. That's why we have a TT and don't stay in hotels.

I fully agree with you on all points. I have been reading that one of the current trends in Hotel stays is to leave a post it note in the bedding as a warning to the next "guest" saying "if you find this note, maintenance did not change the sheets"! I really want to deal with that! The oxygenics shower heads are great as well. One of the best upgrades you can put in you RV.

[mikeflys]

One of the reasons we started in RV'ing was having our own bathroom. My wife and I both HATE public showers and toilets. Whenever we are out and watch someone leaving a 100K motorhome with a towel draped around their neck we just shake our heads in wonder. Our 1st RV was a Jayco tent trailer, it had a shower and all 4 of us used it every night. As the kids grew we had a Class C but now that it is just the 2 of us we have a 24' Dutchman TT. One of the big selling points for us was the large (for a 24 footer) bathroom and shower. More bathroom/shower space than our class C had, plus bigger holding tanks! If I never see a public rest room again I will be a happy man.

[bob213]

We have the corner triangle shaped shower with a shower door. Add an oxygenics shower head and a good pressure regulator and it's the best shower you'll find in a TT. I don't like to dump on someone else's toilet, sleep in someone else's bed or shower in someone else's shower. That's why we have a TT and don't stay in hotels.