Sorry, I Don't Get it.

[Oakman]

Wife and I have been looking to buy a new fifth wheel and we’ve been searching diligently without success. In our quest I realized I really don’t get some of the new floorplans available from different manufacturers. What’s up with two wash basins in the bathroom? I have to wonder if the people who buy a floorplan with two basins really use them simultaneously. Rather than two wash basins I’d rather have more storage.

Length and height is another thing that I don’t get. I mean some fifth wheels are now 13’5” in height and almost 42 feet long and these are not toyhaulers. I guess fulltimers really need their space. I’d hate to try to get into most state park campsites here in MO with something that long. Yeah, yeah, I know it can be done.

I think the strangest floorplan I saw was at a dealership in Cape Girardeau, MO. It was a Montana with a bath and a half. The full bathroom was in the front of the fifth wheel and what really blew me away was that along with a shower there was a separate soaking tub. Wow!





What really amazes me is that with all the manufacturers of RVs there are and all the different floorplans, none produce the floorplan we currently have. I guess my wife and I are different from all other RVers, a lot different.

[DreiHunde]

A soaking tub? WOW! That's crazy!

I don't even need to ask the DW about that or the 1/2 bath! I know she would agree that having more storage is way more important to us as well!

But I am sure they will sell a bunch of them. To each thier own!

[Cowracer]

I am fully convinced that some of these 'features' are added just to have a bit of "wow" factor at RV shows. Some are truly useful (outdoor kitchens) and some just leave me scratching my head. I shant say which ones, as I am sure there are people out there that just love their wonky "feature" and will take offense at it being called stupid.

Tim

[5picker]

It's all about different strokes for different folks.

When camping (and I suspect when we get closer to full time) the DW and I usually get up about the same time. Having twin sinks in the bath would be wonderful.

We tend to 'build in' the things that are important to our sticks & bricks. Unfortunately, not a lot of those options are available on our 'traveling homes' so we are left with what some engineering/design team comes up with for floorplans.

I doubt many of those design teams ever went camping. As you said, some of the things are useless to most but I suppose there always the possibility of that one family looking for a soaking tub!

[Canuckshaw]

There are folks with special needs who love camping just like us "normal" people. It's wonderful that some manufacturers are actually building units like this. Having said that, as a dealer, in the business of selling RV's for profit, the market is so small that many of us would never stock such a unit. Unless it was special ordered and the customer backed out at the last minute, we would never see some of the strange configurations on our lot.

Last year I was at the Thor and Forest River shows in Indiana. Some of the stuff is crazy amazing and some just crazy. When you talk to the people at the plants, from line workers to sales people to trainers to engineers, they all love camping and have a very good idea of what we want in an RV. The problem is there is only so much space in a 8X30 trailer. No one has been able to fit a 4,000 square foot home into one. Yet.

[Goat Man]

Our daughter has a 5th wheel with a 11/2 bath but it is a bunk house.

[pdqparalegal1]

It's the "Mine's bigger than yours" dynamic. There is a silent hierarchy to RV's same as there is for cars,boats, and houses. Retired older couple who may travel alone would be hard pressed to justify all the space, features available. But buy what you can afford and what makes "you" happy.

[AquaMan]

Personally, had my wife seen a soaker tub in ANY type of RV when we were looking, we would most likely be owning it at this very moment. She loves her baths.

[Iwritecode]

We have a 42' 5th wheel that has 1.5 baths and can sleep about 11 people. Although we are on a seasonal site and use it more as a summer home than something we travel around with. There are times in the summer where we will spend 7+ days in it and more than once we've had 9 or 10 people in it at one time.

I don't know about a soaker tub but one of my wife's "must-haves" was a full bath.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by AquaMan

Personally, had my wife seen a soaker tub in ANY type of RV when we were looking, we would most likely be owning it at this very moment. She loves her baths.

So AquaMan is married to AquaWoman.

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

We have a 42' 5th wheel that has 1.5 baths and can sleep about 11 people. Although we are on a seasonal site and use it more as a summer home than something we travel around with. There are times in the summer where we will spend 7+ days in it and more than once we've had 9 or 10 people in it at one time.

I don't know about a soaker tub but one of my wife's "must-haves" was a full bath.

Yes, I could see the floorplan I posted as a park model or but for traveling, not me thank you.

[Oakman]

I bet it would take a long time to fill that soaker tub if you only have a 12 gal water heater.

[Igave]

Welcome to the Generation Gap. It's going to be a wild ride in the future, I'm thinking...

[mikel68]

We have a motor home now. Our 2nd 5th wheel 1 and 1/2 bathroom. It was Heaven keeping the kids out of our bathroom...cleaning was another matter. The fewer things that put out water the better, in my opinion. Our RV is generally a hotel on wheels. Our kids are in college, makes it much easier to drop everything and go for a weekend.

Outdoor kitchens, Expandable decks, Soaker tubs, etc. to me just seem like something else to go wrong. To each their own. I kinda like seeing all those gadgets open in the parks though.

[dblr]

We have a bathroom in our River Stone Legacy with the 2 wash basin, no it is not really needed but at times it is nice to have, what we liked was not the sinks but the larger bathroom because of the way they moved things around.

[youroo]

We would buy the Very Same Unit that we have Now,BUT everything we Like/Love about it they have Eliminated,and Everything we Dislike they have Increased! I wish we could "Special Order"I would gladly pay the SO $$ price and Not Have to do All the Mods! Youroo!!

[aspengirl]

When we were looking at trading our motorhome recently, just for fun, I went inside a 45 foot Class A ... it had three 50" TV's in it. I thought that might be a bit excessive!

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by youroo

We would buy the Very Same Unit that we have Now,BUT everything we Like/Love about it they have Eliminated,and Everything we Dislike they have Increased! I wish we could "Special Order"I would gladly pay the SO $$ price and Not Have to do All the Mods! Youroo!!

I would do that too. I even asked Cedar Creek about bringing my model back to production and their response was less than enthusiastic.

[wmtire]

The site team did a cleanup in this thread. The car option off-topic posts were moved to their own thread.

[A32Deuce]

Thank you wmtire!

[CampingGator]

Originally Posted by Oakman

What really amazes me is that with all the manufacturers of RVs there are and all the different floorplans, none produce the floorplan we currently have. I guess my wife and I are different from all other RVers, a lot different.

I want a short fifth wheel with a pantry and water/dryer when we full time. I have not seen that kind of floor plan. I don't care about an outdoor kitchen. Everyone's needs are different, but I don't need frivolous features. Some might see my needs as frivolous, but to each their own.