bunks or no bunks???

Jewels · 10-20-2010, 12:31 PM

My husband and I have been looking at travel trailers for what seems like forever! We have now narrowed it down to a couple floor plans... We have two kids (presently 3 and almost a year old). My question is bunks or no bunks for the kids???? I grew up RV'ing- we didn't have bunks. My cousin and I slept on the couch/bed and my brother on the floor in a sleeping bag. I worked out great; kids will sleep anywhere right? However, I wasn't the responsible adult who had to make the bed every night and fold everything away each morning! Did you have bunks with little kids? Thoughts? The bunks we are looking at are decently sized at 34 X 74...

Thanks!

BigDTx · 10-20-2010, 12:39 PM

we have two rear bunks and would not switch. 1 child with 1 friend and we do not have to pull the sofa out or drop the dinette to make a sleeping area.

slpybeartx · 10-20-2010, 01:46 PM

with kids I wouldn't even consider a trailer without bunks.

Love ours!

threegr8katz · 10-20-2010, 03:27 PM

We have a 4 year old and decided on the Rockwood 2702SS because of the floor plan which included bunks

Mowat · 10-20-2010, 03:33 PM

LOFT !!! :-)...

but seriously... stashing the kids in the back with a door. Makes hanging out in the rig much nicer on those cold nights or rainy ones even.

blue eyes · 10-20-2010, 05:22 PM

Our first trailer had bunks, we never seemed to get much use out of them. Kids liked the sofa and the fold down dinette,,figures right,,the one thing that I can saw that was negative was that our bathroom space was very limited because of the set up of the bunks,,very squeezed.. If I got bunks again, it would only be with two slides,,bunks would have to be in one of them.

The_Stuff · 10-20-2010, 05:31 PM

dont forget bunks have a weight rating. im assuming your kids are still young so it wont matter yet.

MikeA · 10-20-2010, 05:34 PM

Our last TT was a Roo 26RS with 4 bunks. With 3 kids it worked. Every one had their "own space" and there was never any fighting over space (which is not to say there was never any fighting). I would not consider a unit without bunks if you have kids. With four bunks we always had room in the trailer for a friend to come along as well.

Mike

hoffkm · 10-20-2010, 05:45 PM

Definitely go for the bunks. We had a 25' Coachmen without bunks when our daughter was a toddler, it was very in-convenient making up a bed every night. She is now ten and we have a quad bunk Rockwood 2901SS. She has already had two friends along camping and it is so nice to 1) not have to make beds each night and 2) have a place far away from us for the kids to hole up at night or in the rain. She has here own TV and everything back there.

Rockwoody · 10-20-2010, 07:56 PM

I think it depends on the type of camping you do. We have a rear slide with one bunk and a couch w/ queen air mattress. We have 3 kids and tend to spend time in the camper as a family (watching movies,etc.) and find it difficult for everyone with our current layout. If we could do it over (and probabley will in the next couple years) we would go with one of the newer layouts we've seen that have the rear living area with the opposing slides. These open up the living area and create a great area to gather together (similair to this Sabre Fifth Wheels by Palomino ). Very 5th wheel like which is what we really like but in the weight of a TT. We are still setting up beds at night so converting the living area to sleeping would not be a big deal for us given the benefits for us.

EXGMTech · 10-21-2010, 04:52 AM

go with bunks! We have 4 bunks for 2 kids...don't have to make beds up every night, I'm an early riser...and don't have to worry about disturbing anyone...kids love having their own room

wnytaxman · 10-21-2010, 07:01 AM

We are on our second motorhome with bunks and it works out great. We just did a trip to Lake George and we had our 13 year old twin girls and two of their friends along and the bunks worked out great. Plenty of room to sleep six and we could have handled two more. Granted I would have been relegated to the campground bath house, but for sleeping it worked fine.

fordmantpw · 10-21-2010, 08:35 AM

Get bunks! We have 3 kids (7, 5, 1) and are looking to upgrade to a fifth wheel. We will go with bunks again (our current TT has bunks). It is so handy to be able to leave the beds made up, and you don't have to convert the couch or dinette into a sleeping area. Also, the little one can nap in the bunk while the rest of us hang out in the main area when it's raining/cold out.

birdsarecool · 10-21-2010, 10:26 AM

My husband and I recently had that problem! We decided on the bunks. He has three children (2 who are almost grown) but who will probably want to go with us the majority of the time. We picked the bunks after deliberating for quite some time. We decided that instead of having to worry about making up bed and unfolding dinette, it would be better to have the bunks. My husband and I usually get up early, so we can enjoy our conversation and coffee without disturbing anyone else. I think we will be very happy with our decision. We just bought this camper and are excited about trying it out!

VTX Al · 10-21-2010, 12:22 PM

Let me be a dissenting vote. In 2006 we purposely chose a Rockwood 2601SS (bunk model) because we had a just turned teen-age grandson and a soon-to-be teenage grandaughter who would go camping with us. They grow up real fast!! We soon found that they still wanted to go camping with us but were much happier bringing friends with them and "real camping" in tents (in the same campsite as our trailer). The result ?-- much wasted space in our 2601. We traded it in on a 2010 8315BSS (no bunks) and now have all that room just for the wife and me !! LOL
...VTX-AL

gizzys · 10-21-2010, 05:01 PM

I have two kids - 9 and 6. I love the bunks in our unit (2501SS). I am very happy we went with jack and jill bunks. Those 'coffin' bunks can be tight for older kids so beware that. My kids tend to hang out in their bunks, reading, crafting, playing nintendo. When they are older, they probably will move to a tent. But then I have no problem using the upper bunk for storage and I can move to the bottom larger bunk when the husband keeps me up with his snoring. Its great not having to set up and put away or step around kids sleeping on the floor to get to the bathroom.

Wisconsin Camper · 10-21-2010, 05:26 PM

With 4 kids, I wouldn't mind another set of bunks for their friends.
Hard to find!!

love2rvcamp · 10-21-2010, 05:36 PM

With your kids being small I would say get the bunks as you will put them to many years of use. We upgraded our TT that had bunks to a Rockwood 8313SS (has the slide in the back with a couch that folds out to a bed and bunk on top). The reason we did not go with bunks this time was 1) our 16 year old is 6 foot 2 and all the bunks he tried out he didn't like 2) our daughter is 13 and she still sleeps on the top bunk. 3) if they decide they don't want to go camping DH or I have our own space in back with couch and TV. But since they are older they get their beds ready at night and put up in morning.

But I loved the bunks when they were smaller.

Michelle

birdsarecool · 10-22-2010, 07:37 AM

I would say the bunks would be fine especially since your children are very young. The bunks we have in our Forest River Surveyor do not take up the living space in the camper. The bottom bunk is actually a double bed and our 11-year-old will be able to utilize that for quite some time even if the older children do not.

shineysideup · 10-22-2010, 05:11 PM

We have a surveyor 235rks with two children (5 and 7). half the time my boy wants to sleep on the couch/bed. There are two bunks ( 48" wide x 74" long ) at the front. There is an added bonus. The bottom bunk folds up and there is a half door on the side. We use this for bikes and/or luggage and all the stuff you seem to "need" camping! I've heard from several people that camped with children, by the time they are in their mid teens they all want to be out in the tents! Buy a used trailer ( save $1000's that you'll never get back on a new trailer ), enjoy a bunk model for ten years then get a setup that is great for two people. I did not buy used, I wouldn't hesitate now though... Just do your homework!

p.s. the new mattress for a used trailer is only a couple hundred dollars...

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