Seeking advice about an island kitchen or not?

[rhetthughes]

Hello Everyone! I'm seeking some advice here on our next travel trailer purchase. Long story short, we have a nice Starcraft AR-ONE 26BH which we bought because weight was a concern. The problem? There are no slide outs and we have 2 children (8 and 4), so it gets quite crowded in there at times. At some point we would like to upgrade our camper to a "bunk room" model. Seems that almost every major manufacturer does these in two configurations: with kitchen island and without. It seems that without the island gives you more space to maneuver, but less countertop and cabinet space. I am leaning towards a model WITH an island kitchen because I want the extra cabinet storage and countertop. My hope here is that some of you kind people can offer some advice here: do any of you have small children and an island kitchen in your camper? Does it tend to get too crowded with the little ones? Do you wish you purchased one without the island so that you could have more room to maneuver at the expense of counter space? Thanks for any words of wisdom you can offer!

[bill-e]

Yes, bathroom is sorta an issue but I keep the remote in the cab and can have the slide extended enough to make a path before either one of us unlocks the trailer door.

[filrupmark]

Lantley wrote:
AS mentioned the island creates lots of counter space when slides are open.
The biggest con is that the island limits the ability to move around/access the trailer when slides are closed

We love our Island and wouldn't buy another fiver without it. But Lantley is correct. Just make sure you have bathroom access with slides closed.

[RavensFan24]

While we don't have a Bunkhouse, we do have an island in ours. We like having it, but sometimes I wish I could just press it down into the floor and make it disappear when not in use. We don't have kids, but we have 3 dogs. I went with the model we have because it offered a lot of floor space for the dogs with the opposing slides. The thing I really love about our layout is that when the slides are closed, you can still access the pantry, fridge, bathroom and bedroom. The only issue is that both slides close up against the island, so the main part of the trailer is useless with both slides in. Typically though, if I need to get back there I'll just open one slide partially or all the way and I can get to what I need. We mainly store all our utensils and random small stuff in the island drawers, trash in the island cabinet and lots of stuff related to the kitchen and cleaning under the sink. We would have almost zero counter space if it weren't for having an island.

The only problem (at least for us) that I saw with the Bunkhouse models with an island is that the TV placement is usually very awkward compared to the angle of the dinette and other seats in the trailer. We don't always need a TV, but on a rainy day I like to be comfortable and not be wrenching my neck trying to relax and watch tv.

[bill-e]

Remember that the island space is nullified by the opposing slide for the kitchen so you really still have the same floorspace for movement as if you had no island and no opposing slide (ie. slides only down one side). I really don't see a negative from a space perspective unless youre looking at a floor plan with opposing slides and no island.

[rhetthughes]

poppin_fresh wrote:
We were heavily considering a Bullet 310BHS for our next camper and LOVED the opposing slides and the room and storage it has. What I didn't like was the fact that it was over 36 feet in length as I don't want a trailer that long.

The other trailer with a kitchen slide that we liked was the Sunset Trail 240BI. Nice layout, but it's a lot shorter than the 310BHS and therefore only has a dinette (no couch) which is a no-go for us.

I would love a 30ft, double over double BH trailer that also had kitchen slide, but I have not seen this offered by any manufacturer yet.

Yeah, the length of these things bothers me a little, but ours is a tad under 30 ft, so I'm sure I can manage 36 ft. I like that 240BI, but agree with you about the couch. We have the double over double bunks. Not a huge fan after I've had that for a while. Often we are camping where it is hot and very humid, so I like the idea of the separate bunk room for the kids to go have some "chill" time out of the sun and the grown ups can have a little separate space to unwind and cool off. Another thing I like about the island models is they often put the bathroom next to the master bed vs others usually put it by the bunk room or bunk beds. In the evenings we sit out til late and go in and out to the potty, so I like the idea of not disturbing them.

I'm still torn though on island or no island, but leaning towards island. I guess I was looking for someone to come along and say "we tried that with kids and it was way too cramped trying to maneuver throughout the camper." So glad I haven't read that yet. Whatever we do next will be our last camper purchase for a long time. This AR-ONE was kind of the "warm up" camper. 🙂

[bill-e]

GaryWT wrote:

bill-e wrote:

GaryWT wrote:
I like the island except for one major issue for us. The slide opens under the awning and we do not want to give up one inch of awning space. We spend most of our time outside and our picnic table and two chairs and a side table fit perfectly. If we had a slide our space would be limited and our things could get wet or we could be in more sun than we want.

Gary, that was my concern as well but from my viewpoint the electric awning is about useless anyway and not something I would leave extended overnight to keep things dry like I would my manual awning.

While I have only 4 days under my belt with this one, when I could use it I did not find the loss of space too egregious.

It's because of the awning, not the slide, that I now have to figure out something else when it comes to keeping my camp chairs dry.

That is too bad. We love our electric awning, leave it open most all the time. The auto dump feature is great. I think I have closed it once in 3 years because of wind.

Gary, I only have one campout with it, last week. On Thursday in Pelham, NH we had a torrential downpour with hail and high winds. All the manual awnings with their storm tie downs were fine. Mine, on the other hand would have flipped up over my camper had I not retracted it. Of course, before I retracted it I had to try to get everything inside so it wouldnt get drenched.

Before the wind it did auto dump so that was good, but I would greatly value the sturdiness of a manual awning in almost all weather conditions over the ease of the electric one.

Just my opinion.

[GaryWT]

bill-e wrote:

GaryWT wrote:
I like the island except for one major issue for us. The slide opens under the awning and we do not want to give up one inch of awning space. We spend most of our time outside and our picnic table and two chairs and a side table fit perfectly. If we had a slide our space would be limited and our things could get wet or we could be in more sun than we want.

Gary, that was my concern as well but from my viewpoint the electric awning is about useless anyway and not something I would leave extended overnight to keep things dry like I would my manual awning.

While I have only 4 days under my belt with this one, when I could use it I did not find the loss of space too egregious.

It's because of the awning, not the slide, that I now have to figure out something else when it comes to keeping my camp chairs dry.

That is too bad. We love our electric awning, leave it open most all the time. The auto dump feature is great. I think I have closed it once in 3 years because of wind.

[bill-e]

GaryWT wrote:
I like the island except for one major issue for us. The slide opens under the awning and we do not want to give up one inch of awning space. We spend most of our time outside and our picnic table and two chairs and a side table fit perfectly. If we had a slide our space would be limited and our things could get wet or we could be in more sun than we want.

Gary, that was my concern as well but from my viewpoint the electric awning is about useless anyway and not something I would leave extended overnight to keep things dry like I would my manual awning.

While I have only 4 days under my belt with this one, when I could use it I did not find the loss of space too egregious.

It's because of the awning, not the slide, that I now have to figure out something else when it comes to keeping my camp chairs dry.

[kodiakcanuck]

poppin_fresh wrote:
I would love a 30ft, double over double BH trailer that also had kitchen slide, but I have not seen this offered by any manufacturer yet.

I believe this model would suit your needs?
Cruiser RV Radiance R-28BHIK:

Only things I dont like on this trailer is the interior color schemes...and the loose of fridge and pantry access with the slide in.

[MerkelG]

Take a look at Rockwood 8329ss floor plan.

[poppin_fresh]

We were heavily considering a Bullet 310BHS for our next camper and LOVED the opposing slides and the room and storage it has. What I didn't like was the fact that it was over 36 feet in length as I don't want a trailer that long.

The other trailer with a kitchen slide that we liked was the Sunset Trail 240BI. Nice layout, but it's a lot shorter than the 310BHS and therefore only has a dinette (no couch) which is a no-go for us.

I would love a 30ft, double over double BH trailer that also had kitchen slide, but I have not seen this offered by any manufacturer yet.

[GaryWT]

I like the island except for one major issue for us. The slide opens under the awning and we do not want to give up one inch of awning space. We spend most of our time outside and our picnic table and two chairs and a side table fit perfectly. If we had a slide our space would be limited and our things could get wet or we could be in more sun than we want.

[rhetthughes]

Thank you everyone for the advice! Good stuff to think about here - particularly checking for access with slides closed when there is an island. And I love the idea of getting the table and chairs to give some more options with how to utilize the space.

[DutchmenSport]

I think you hit the nail right on the head, and only you can made the decision: Counter Space or living space? Which is more important?

Perhaps a compromise? A trailer that has an L shaped counter? Ours is slightly L shaped. As we do almost ALL cooking outside, countertop is not a problem. However, it's just me and the Mrs. and the dog and cat.

My son and his 2 year old occasionally come with us. At those times, I am glad for the extra un-obstructed living room space! Food is still prepared and cooked outside. (and we do eat well, if you've ever read any of my posts).

About space, as stated above, whatever your choice, you also need to come to grips with accessibility when all the slides are IN. We searched for 5 years for a camper that was 100% accessible with all slides IN. There is only 1 cabinet (under the sink on the living room side) we cannot reach with the slide in. We keep cleaning supplies there as they normally will never be used when in transit or on the road.

Another thing.... we hit it just right, I suppose, because our model of the Outback 298RE came with a free standing kitchen table and chairs, not the dinette. Since purchase, we've removed the table and chairs, and we've removed the 2 rocker chairs and replaced those items with a full size 3 seater reclining couch ... with a high back. It's big enough someone can comfortably sleep on it. We did keep the original small hide a blow-up bed couch too. But with all free-standing furniture, you can change configurations, or swap out furniture at a whim! No modifications or re-builds to make. Just swap it out!

We never ate at the table anyway. We have 2 folding camping tables we've had for years. They are perfect for 1 person. We use them in the living room area for eating off of ... WHEN we do have to eat inside the camper.

FYI also. I added castors to the couch and put hooks under it so it can roll and be moved. We can set it cross wise between the 2 back-end slides, facing the back window or facing the television. The hooks are for straps and eyelets I attached to the floor and use straps to hook them so in transit the couch will not move. (which is does on wheels now).

I guess the answer really is, and depends upon YOUR wants, wishes, and needs. I do know, if you have the island in the middle, and if you have built in furniture, you are grossly limiting options!