Trailer Unit without Dinette

[tlieder]

We are downsizing and purchasing a smaller travel trailer--my question is to those of you without a dinette...Is it something we will miss? We do have a indoor/outdoor table that can be used in front of the couch. Our camper is not large enough to have a table and a couch and we prefer couch. ALthough, I am thinking about meal prep, as we literally have no counter space. Any thoughts? Do we just take the table out and set it up as needed? It stores under the couch.

[tragusa3]

I think I prefer that it came with a dinette and we switched it out. This way, we chose exactly what we're comfortable in, and from a wide variety. Also, residential furniture is so much more comfortable. Not sure why it has to be that way, but it is.

[scbwr]

I agree to both points! I Winnebago had offered a couch option on our Minnie 2201DS, we would have chosen it!

[tnrv_er]

goducks10 wrote:
We've looked at a couple TT's that have the option of a pair of recliners or a dinette. One being an Arctic Fox 24J. It's nice that they at least give you the option. We'd no doubt go for the recliners.
http://northwoodmfg.com/arctic-fox-2/arctic-fox-24j/

That's a nice camper. Can't see why more manufacturers don't offer that option or a couch with a fold up table.

[goducks10]

We've looked at a couple TT's that have the option of a pair of recliners or a dinette. One being an Arctic Fox 24J. It's nice that they at least give you the option. We'd no doubt go for the recliners.
http://northwoodmfg.com/arctic-fox-2/arctic-fox-24j/

[GrandpaKip]

We like our u-shaped dinette in the slide. The table makes a great work surface and a decent place to eat when the weather is bad. I think we would be stuck with it anyway, as the wheelwell is under 1/2 of it. I would also miss the wine cellar and the liquor locker that I put under the seats.
We are replacing the foam in the seats with a higher grade of upholstery foam. The 2 pedestals were a pain, so I removed one and made a base for the other. Now, the table can be moved and doesn't have to be disassembled to bring in the slide.

[rexlion]

We had the same floor plan in a 2006 Rockwood, and it was fine except I didn't like the table pedestals (would have preferred legs so I could move it around. We sold the Rockwood to pay medical bills, not because we didn't like it.

[ulvik]

No we have not missed ours. We actually removed ours and put in recliners. Very happy and comfy now.

[SoundGuy]

Just an observation on my part but ...

Below a certain length of trailer it's just not mathematically possible to include both a dinette and a sofa - there's just not enough space for both. A few manufacturers have tried to address this issue by offering a Murphy bed in place of a conventional queen bed but that in turn minimizes the size of any pass through storage compartment below the bed - a poor solution IMO. That by definition means this becomes an "either / or" choice because you're simply not going to get both in a 20' trailer. With that in mind we ourselves decided that between the two - dinette or sofa - we'd get far more practical use out of the latter so we limited our search to 20 footers with a sofa. To our chagrin we found those floorplans to be in the minority, with most having a dinette instead. 😞 A further aggravation was that many of those with a dinette had that dinette mounted on an elevated platform because of the type of slide mechanism being used rather than being flush mounted to the trailer's main floor, making us feel like mannequins in a storefront window while seated at the table. :M It took awhile but eventually we found our current Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS which offers a GIANT front pass through storage compartment and a sofa slide where we can relax with our feet on the main floor and if not outside eat a meal using lightweight portable TV tables. This will be our 5th season with this trailer, we haven't regretted not having a dinette table, and would recommend this approach to anyone looking at this size of trailer - IF they can find one they like, which can be a difficult task as so many manufacturers still haven't figured out that in this size of trailer a sofa is more useful for many than a dinette. :R

[scbwr]

tragusa3 wrote:


BTW, our dinette came out in two pieces and can be reinstalled in a half hour or so.

Our U shaped dinette came out in 3 pieces, and only took about 30 minutes to remove. I really don't have a good place to store it, so I'll be trying to sell it. I figure that when I sell/trade in the trailer, having an Easybed will be more appealing to a lot of potential buyers than a dinette. More importantly...the modification makes the trailer more comfortable for us.

[tragusa3]

We pulled our dinette out and put in a residential reclining love seat with end table. When we are home, we eat in the living room out of our laps....no different camping.

The dinette is not missed. It worked okay for the 10 minute or less sitting, but that was a lot of real estate used up for a few minutes a day. Now, I can sit for hours if need be.

BTW, our dinette came out in two pieces and can be reinstalled in a half hour or so.

[scbwr]

We downsized to a 2014 Winnebago Minnie in late fall of 2014. It only had a ushaped dinette. After using it for two full years (2015, 2016), we just replaced the dinette with a Flexsteel Easybed and a small end table with three storage drawers. We'll be headed out for a 6 week trip in two weeks, so we'll find out if we miss the dinette. I doubt we will as the new couch is so much more comfortable for sitting and reading, watching tv or just relaxing. At first we were concerned about losing storage space, but it's pretty amazing how much space is available under the Easybed.

Photo of Easybed and cabinet

[GWolfe]

I'm the opposite of most,I would miss my dinette. It's where we play games and eat, if we are just relaxing its outside by the fire.

[tnrv_er]

We have a KZ 17RBS with a couch and fold up table. We basically only use the table when we eat inside. When not in use it stores behind the couch.

I too have found dinnettes to be uncomfortable. I dont know why manufacturers dont offer an option.

[SoundGuy]

westend wrote:
I guess the sofa serves as an additional bed and you may need that (we don't know). Otherwise, I read all sorts of complaints with the comfort of these expanding couches. If you don't need it, remove it.

Easier said than done ... in a trailer this size the street side wheel well is under the sofa and that obviously can't be "removed".