Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: suggestions for trailer with walk around bed?

Print | Close

Topic: suggestions for trailer with walk around bed?

Posted By: kbtravels on 11/12/17 06:31pm

We are thinking about upgrading our Jayco 19RB to something with one slide-out to get more width / living space. Must haves are walk around or island queen bed, good storage space, enough floor space to roll out a yoga mat and have room to move, prefer a bigger fridge with a separate freezer compartment. Do NOT need fancy stuff like entertainment center, electric jacks, levellers, awning, etc. Would like to stay under 23' and under 4500 lbs. There seems to be very little out there that fits. Anyone have a suggestion?

Posted By: Fireballsocal on 11/12/17 06:53pm

Lance has quite a few models that have what you require but will also add the fancy stuff. They are quite expensive as well.

Posted By: Lwiddis on 11/12/17 07:40pm

So does Winnebago. Not hard to find any of those requests in today’s TTs.

Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

Posted By: Dennis Smith on 11/12/17 09:43pm

Love our Fun Finder, have spent 12 months in it out of the last 2 years perfect for 2 people

Posted By: SoundGuy on 11/13/17 12:38am

kbtravels wrote:

Would like to stay under 23' and under 4500 lbs. There seems to be very little out there that fits. Anyone have a suggestion?

My dealer is the second largest Coachmen dealer in Canada, sells trailers of all sizes but his most popular model is mine - Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS ... mine's ~ 4800 lbs loaded & ready to camp, measures 22' 6" coupler to bumper. Has pretty well everything a couple could need in an easy to tow trailer that can be easily be parked anywhere. Improvements over my 2014 model now include an 80" full length queen walk around bed and a vent over the main cabin. Pics are in my gallery. [emoticon]

2012 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab
2014 Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS
2003 Fleetwood Yuma * 2008 K-Z Spree 240BH-LX
2007 TrailCruiser C21RBH * 2000 Fleetwood Santa Fe
1998 Jayco 10UD * 1969 Coleman CT380

Posted By: FrankShore on 11/13/17 06:22am

x2 on the Lance suggestion. We have been extremely happy with our rig and you can get as many or as few options as you want. There is a day and night difference between a Jayco and a Lance, but the earlier poster as right, you'll pay for it.

2014 F-250
2014 Minnie Winnie 2351DKS (Traded In-Burnout-Use A Surge Protector!)
2015 Arctic Fox 22G (Great Trailer But Heavy - Traded In)
2018 Lance 1685 w/ Solar & 4 Seasons Package
1999 Beneteau 461 Oceanis Yacht
En Norski i en Fransk båt - Dette må jeg se!

Posted By: GrandpaKip on 11/13/17 07:03am

We love our Dart, but you would have to buy used.

Kip
2015 Skyline Dart 214RB
2018 Silverado Double Cab 4x4
Andersen Hitch

Posted By: rbpru on 11/13/17 08:40am

We have found that a walk around bed with a partial wall divider takes about a 25 foot TT.

We wanted a bed you could exit without crawling over your spouse, space for linens and a decent pantry. To get all three and still be small enough to wind through city streets to find quilt and gun shops we choose a 25 ft. TT.

Twenty six foot 2010 Dutchmen Lite pulled with a 2011 EcoBoost F-150 4x4.

Just right for Grandpa, Grandma and the dog.

Posted By: BC4277 on 11/13/17 09:30am

I agree with SoundGuy, we bought a 2017 Freedom Express 192 RBS last spring and we love it. Our first trip was from Colo. to San Diego, then up US 101 into British Columbia, the Yukon, ending up in Fairbanks, AK. and returning to Colo. Next trip was back east in Sept. all told, we have over 15,000 miles on the trailer with very minor issues, most were "User Error". We're first timers.

When the slide is out we have enough room to do Yoga. we also carry an exercise ball & a couple of weights. The frig & freezer are separate. Ours weighted in at 4,300 lbs. when I weighted it at a boat (kayak) inspection station in Alberta, Canada. The fresh water tank was about 2/3 thirds full, LPG tanks were about 3/4 full.

My wife & I find the bed very comfortable, and the shower roomy enough. It makes good use of the storage areas.

2017 Freedom Express 192RBS
Fastway E2 Trunion Hitch
2003 Tundra 4.7

Where ever I am,
is where I'm supposed to be

Posted By: ADK Camper on 11/13/17 11:15am

Dennis Smith wrote:

Love our Fun Finder, have spent 12 months in it out of the last 2 years perfect for 2 people

I think we have the same fun finder (210 WBS). WE also love it. It meets all your requirements. We bought new in 2010 (although it is a 2011 model). We've found it to be a well built camper with. No serious issues to date.

I suggest you Google "couples camper" to continue your search. You will find that many floorplans in this size with a walk around bed have a sofa OR a dinette but not both. The Fun Finder lacks a dinette but has a sofa. We're happy with the choice. We find dinettes too uncomfortable to sit at for a very long time. We generally eat outside weather permitting. If we eat inside we use a small gate leg table pulled up to the sofa, or folding chairs at the gate leg table.

Posted By: Last Train on 11/13/17 09:42pm

kbtravels wrote:

I'll add another vote for the Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS. Our 2016 has been a faithful, reliable home on wheels for us for 2 1\2 years. Seems to check all of your needs list, as well. Living in the SE Texas area we are able to use it year round, and the unit has performed well in hot and cold weather (coldest extremes were north of San Antonio last January when we had 15-16F lows for two nights; hottest was summer before last in the lower Rio Grande Valley - about 5 miles from the Mexican border - went through 10 days of 105F temps). Point being that all systems have performed flawlessly in all kinds of weather.

Lots of storage space that we have not yet totally utilized, and my wife and I and our dog have enjoyed it every time we've been out. I would categorize the rig as a true "couple's camper." Though the jack knife sofa on the mini-slide is advertised as an additional sleeping option, I could imagine only one of our smaller grandkids camping with us. But I think that might be a push.

Weight-wise, when we are totally loaded with groceries, clothes, etc. and geared up for even an extended trip, our CAT Scale receipts see us clocking in at 4600-4700 lbs. That's with two full propane tanks but empty fresh, gray and black tanks.

Boondocking isn't our normal camping mode, but we did add a second G24 deep cycle battery on the occasion that I head to the deer lease. Our unit came with a full size, 80" queen bed, and we added a topper that makes our sleep absolutely delightful. And even though this is a relatively small trailer (22 1/2' hitch to bumper), we wanted to divide the interior sleeping area from the living/galley, so we installed draperies to allow one of us to sleep in while the other might be up earlier. So the space available works well for us both inside and outside (we use the 14' awning lots). But again, this is a unit that works best for two folks - and certainly your four legged companion, as well.

We've done a number of mods like most folks do, but recently we made a change for safety and reliability's sake; i.e. we replaced the original Chinese manufactured tires with a set of Goodyear Endurance tires. The previous tires were wearing prematurely and unevenly. - even though a check of our running gear confirmed that everything was solid and straight. So whichever trailer you end up getting, you might negotiate with your dealer for a better set of tires before leaving the lot.

[image]

2016 Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS
2018 RAM 1500 Ecodiesel

Posted By: SoundGuy on 11/13/17 11:08pm

Last Train wrote:

I'll add another vote for the Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS.

And even though this is a relatively small trailer (22 1/2' hitch to bumper), we wanted to divide the interior sleeping area from the living/galley, so we installed draperies to allow one of us to sleep in while the other might be up earlier.

My wife seems to sleep in fine without a curtain even when I'm banging around making my early morning coffee but I still think it would be an improvement so if you have any pics I wouldn't mind seeing them! [emoticon]

Posted By: Last Train on 11/14/17 04:43pm

SoundGuy wrote:

Ha! We all make our adaptations, don't we? Glad your sweetheart can endure your coffee making!

So after seeing your request, I took a quick stroll from the house out to the rig in our woods to grab a few shots. Captioned below . . .

Here is the view of the sleeping area with the drapes pulled back and kept in place by the fabric hold backs that came with the original curtains (which my wife replaced with some she made). They can be out of the way and never interfere with our movements inside.

[image]

Here are two views on each side showing how they remain in place when moved to each side.

[image]

We installed a low profile ceiling channel to support these drapes. The key was to get the geometry correct so that the drapes would fully enclose the full size queen bed from wall to wall and yet have adequate support in the very thin ceiling material. So we curved the normally straight channel by starting with mounting points in the ceiling in the middle - where there happens to be a wood truss above the aft side of the ceiling vent. Once we were able to mount with the three screws secured in that wood truss, we were able to gently bend the channel in an arc on both sides to a termination point at each wall. It was a little tedious, but after about a year of running around the country, it all has stayed secure.

[image]

Here is a view from the opposite end of the interior with the drapes closed.

[image]

And just for fun, I crawled in bed and took this view as if I were sleeping in and my wife might be on the sofa either watching TV or reading early in the morning. Very little sound is attenuated, but enough light is blocked so that you actually can snooze away while your spouse is already up and around. For this shot I left on the LED lights above the galley sink and over the sofa. Hard to tell the effect, but it actually works for us.

[image]

We bought these drapes at Hobby Lobby and my wife hemmed them to allow for a custom fit. They are necessarily light weight since we knew that supporting much more than this might present a challenge to the integrity of the ceiling.

At any rate, we've enjoyed them when we've used them. I'm quite sure that lots of you folks out there are a lot smarter than me and could do a much better job and/or be more creative. If so, let us know, because there's not a lot of pride of authorship in this little project!

* This post was edited 11/16/17 02:30pm by Last Train *

Posted By: SoundGuy on 11/14/17 05:06pm

Too funny - we don't have Hobby Lobby in Canada but my wife dragged me through one in Niagara Falls, NY this past summer as we were returning from a trip down to Allegany SP so I actually know the store! Thanks for those detailed pics, I never thought about using 2 curtains but that's a great idea. I may find the install a little easier as our 2014 doesn't have a ceiling vent in that area so I may be able to run the curtain rod straight across - I'll have to look at that. I agree, not much sound attenuation but the curtain certainly would allow me to turn on a couple of lights in the galley area while keeping the sleeping area dark. Our 192 is stored for the winter now so it'll be spring before I can look at this but judging from your pics it's a worthwhile mod. [emoticon]

Posted By: TheGriz on 11/14/17 08:34pm

You may want to check out the Bullet Premier 19FBPR. Walk around queen bed, 4300lbs dry weight.

Best of luck!

Regards,
Mike

Posted By: Addy15 on 11/15/17 06:57am

The Starcraft Launch Outfitter 21FBS is quite similar to the Coachman Freedom Express already mentioned here. We have been very happy with ours for the last two years. So maybe another option to consider.

Posted By: SoundGuy on 11/15/17 08:09am

Addy15 wrote:

Friends with whom we camp frequently have a 2015 model of the Starcraft 21FBS and are generally quite happy with it and especially like the 8 cu ft fridge. What they're not happy with is the too short 12' awning which doesn't cover the bedside window on the campsite side and IIRC the too short 74" queen bed. Ours has that too but I managed to extend the bed platform to a full 80", new versions of of the 192RBS now have a full length 80" bed. What I don't care for is it's rather limited cargo carrying capacity compared to our FE's 2000+ lbs of CCC. Perhaps all this is moot though as the OP seems to have left the building. [emoticon]

Posted By: BizmarksMom on 11/15/17 08:09pm

TheGriz wrote:

You may want to check out the Bullet Premier 19FBPR. Walk around queen bed, 4300lbs dry weight.

Best of luck!

Regards,
Mike

I can second this. It's a nice unit. The only reason I don't own mine anymore is that it isn't built to do much off pavement stuff. It fit me, a friend, and 2 dogs for a 2 week trip to the southwest with no trouble.

2019 F350 towing a Nash 22H

Posted By: TurnThePage on 11/15/17 09:29pm

Last Train, VERY nice!

2015 Ram 1500
2022 Grand Design Imagine XLS 22RBE

Posted By: Last Train on 11/16/17 02:37pm

TurnThePage wrote:

Last Train, VERY nice!

Thanks Turn . . . Very kind of you. But frankly it was one of those "necessity is the mother of invention" kind of deals. My wife deserves more credit than me.

So not to totally hijack the OP's thread, our project really just illustrates in a small way how many of us do lots of things to our trailers to make them work for us. He/she have had numerous very good recommendations for trailers in this thread. They just need to spend lots of time crawling in and out of and around the multitude of configurations and figure out what works for them. Took us a year of doing that to arrive at our decision. The result has been a rig that matches our Ridgeline very well and is a great home away from home for us when we arrive at our destination.

Posted By: Addy15 on 11/16/17 08:56pm

SoundGuy wrote:

Addy15 wrote:

Yes, it's not perfect, but it's good for us right now, and it's what we could afford at the time we purchased. I'm not even sure we came across the Coachman in our looking; we'd probably have given it some consideration if we had. Yes, it would be nice if the awning came across the window and yes we'd like a longer bed. Well, DH would anyway; I don't really care. We've temporarily solved that problem with a bolster at the head, but we have thought about extending the platform and getting a full length mattress. We'll see...maybe we'll just move up to a fifth wheel... [emoticon]

Print | Close