Form Follows Function

[usaclark]

Recently there was a post in the RV Lifestyle Category: What kind of RV'er Are You. My wife and I would fall into a retiree category. We love to travel in our travel trailer, often for 2-3 months at a time, staying a day to a week at each location. I am sure many of you can relate. I say all this because I have not found a lite travel trailer floor plan or any travel trailer floor plan that meets our needs/desires.

We presently have a small Bullet Premier 19FBR and pull it with a Toyota Sequoia. I am 6'4'' and have modified the bed to make it longer and when we return from our present trip, I plan to take out the booth and replace it with a couple of recliners and a portable table. Sitting in our booth for any extended period of time is terribly uncomfortable. My wife sits on the bed leaning agains multiple pillows.

But I ask my self, why should I have to do this. We can't be alone in how we use our travel trailer.

So lets make a list of what we would include in a travel trailer for people who use them as we do. (See Above)

I'll start the list:
Bedroom: A full size Queen bed or King Bed option
Living area: Comfortable seating, 2 recliners or couch option
Bathroom: Enough counter space to set shaving cream, razor, and aftershave on at the minimum.
Bathroom: Mirror placed at a height that short and tall people can use.
Bathroom: Lighting overhead as well as lighting that shows on your face when you use the mirror.
Bathroom: Larger shower.
Mechanical: A suspension that is made for many miles on the road

This is a start. Please add your suggestions. Let's keep this focused on a travel trailer for 2. The industry believes that as soon as you get a little larger you desire to add more beds. Option: suggest a floor plan that meets the suggestions above that I have missed.

Side note: From the time we bought our travel trailer we have looked at 5th wheels. We love many of the floor plans but don't need nearly that much space.

[rbpru]

We have a 2010 Dutchmen Lite M-25C-GS with 1 slide that fits the DW and me. It is one of the approximately 462,000 different models offered over the years. I say that because wherever I camp I look for the same model layout. In three year I have never seen one with the same layout by any maker.

Even though we thought we liked the design, I ended up removing half of the dinette seat and replacing it with a kitchen chair.

The biggest factor in our TT selection was it has to be maneuverable in city traffic, as we do a lot of sightseeing.

[usaclark]

ADK Camper, I enjoyed looking at your mods. Thanks for the other travel trailers to look at.
Thanks again.

[coolmom42]

dahkota wrote:
Check any of the rear living plans. They are made for couples.

I agree with this.

The cargo capacity of your Sequoia will likely be your weight limiting factor. So crunch the numbers and figure out what weight range you can look at before you shop. And of course DON'T take the sales person's word for it.

You will want a good weight distribution and sway control hitch for a bigger trailer if you don't already have one. I found an Equalizer brand worked very well on my Sequoia.

[ADK_Camper]

USA Clark, I agree with you completely. We are retired "Baby Boomers" or empty nesters or whatever people of our generation call themselves and we too wanted a camper suitable for two people to camp comfortably in a reasonably small camper. We settled on a Fun Finder 210WBS. For some reason Fun Finder no longer makes that floor plan in the Fun Finder line but an almost identical floor plan is available in the Shadow Cruiser line. I think the Sonic floor plan recommended above is a real nice unit. I wish it had a slide (ours does and it makes for a much roomier interior.

I do like the idea of a Murphy bed. I wonder how practical it is to fold it up when made-up with sheets and blankets, etc. Can the pillows fold up inside also? Perhaps someone with a Murphy bed will read this and comment.

I have made a number of mods to our camper that improve its organization and functionality; you can view them HERE

[trail-explorer]

For extended trips, I think a sofa/couch is a must have item.

Shower yes, tub/shower combo, no.

Fantastic vent fan in the bathroom, yes, cheap 6" diameter excuse of a fan in the bathroom vent, no.

12v and USB charging outlets in a convenient location!

[Mr__Camper]

We made our own mods. We removed the rear couch and put my lift chair and a table for me in its place. We took out one of the two recliners on one of the slides and put the dog beds and a table for Mrs. C. The bathroom is always the most complex issue. I'm not as tall as you but my problem is finding a safe stool to step into and out of the shower. I did make a showerhead adjustment by using a waterproof command hook to raise it up higher. We bought the OR with these changes in mind as it was going to end up as we would have designed it. Good luck

[93Cobra2771]

I don't think I've ever seen a TT in the size you are talking about with a King bed. A queen bed is rare enough in that size range.

I'd like to see one come standard with a heavier set of axles. In other words, quit specing axles that barely meet the minimum weight rating needed to carry. And have a full wet bolt kit installed, not the dumb little plastic bushings.

[korbe]

"Form Follows Function"....... I have used that phrase hundreds of times over the years, and my DW cringes every time she hears me say it. :B

[Anmacc2]

BarneyS wrote:
We are thinking seriously of parking our present 30ft TT permanently and getting a Sonic SN190VTB TT to travel around the country with. I think it meets most, if not all, of your requirements.

You can get it with a murphy bed that folds down over the couch (that is quite comfortable by the way). It has plenty of counter space in the rear bathroom for putting shaving needs down, and also has a fairly roomy corner shower.

Barney

Wow! I was very impressed. First one I've seen that I liked better than my Keystone Passport. Thank you for sharing this link!

[BarneyS]

We are thinking seriously of parking our present 30ft TT permanently and getting a Sonic SN190VTB TT to travel around the country with. I think it meets most, if not all, of your requirements.

You can get it with a murphy bed that folds down over the couch (that is quite comfortable by the way). It has plenty of counter space in the rear bathroom for putting shaving needs down, and also has a fairly roomy corner shower.

I was very impressed with the one I saw last year at the local RV show. Might be worth your taking a look.
Barney

[Jack_Diane_Free]

Problem is all of the things you want require 'space'.

[dahkota]

Check any of the rear living plans. They are made for couples.