Community Forums

wanderso · 10-20-2013, 08:41 AM

I have a family member with a health issue and medical equipment that will require us to give up our rig with a corner bed and instead have a walk around bed and a couch up front with a removable table instead of the dinette for traveling. They can't sleep in the overhead bunk. Wife doesn't like the wrap around booth.

Might even consider an A with a bunk over the driver/passenger if it meets the spec.

Goals: under 28 feet total length due to storage/parking considerations, 3 sleeping zones (we have 2 kids - boy & girl), reasonable price (used), 3,500 or better towing capacity), ok or better reputation of quality of RV manufacturer.

I'd really like to hear owners experiences. (What you have liked or not liked). What I am hoping is not comments of "I heard this brand stinks" but actual experiences with build quality, design issues/flaws/innovations, susceptibility to leaks, etc. I don't blame the primary RV manufacturer on a 3rd party Dometic fridge failure for example.

Options I have seen thus far:

Forest River Sunseeker/forester 2250, 2500, 2650 FR3 25DS with couch substituting the booth. (Solera 24R exceeds our budget)
Lazy Daze 27 foot with mid bath.
Thor Four Winds, Chateau 26a

Others may have added suggestions from prior model years. 2001-08 seem to meet our budget.

B D HOWie · 10-20-2013, 09:52 AM

Just an area you may want to pay attention to on the walk around bed. Our Coachman 28QB has the rear wall queen bed. It is a little offset from center so one side has 23" to the side wall and the other side has 12". 12" is tight when trying to avoid window blinds and the closet on that side is narrow and shorter. Would be nice if they could balance maybe 18" and 17". You might find that a side wall walk around helps with this concern especially if the closets are on the wall at the foot of the bed.
Our 28QB on the Chevy chassis is about 31' bumper to bumper so it will not meet your length requirement. The Ford might be different.
Hope this helps you avoid a concern I will be aware of in any future H. O. W.
Paul

rvtime2 · 10-21-2013, 07:45 PM

Our Winnebago access is about 31' long(get a wireless backup camper) with walk around bed,sleep over cab, sleeps about 7. It has Chevy chassis,it pulled ok on our last two trips. We tow a Honda crv that weighs 3450#. The cabinetry and chassis are good. Suspension bounces and we need to beef up shocks and improve it. We like it so far. Winnebago has quality website with product info and I have found them to be helpful and responsive. I have have various campers by coachmen, Fleetwood, and forest river. Gather your info, go spend some time at RV stores, you will find pros and cons to most all you review. Enjoy your search, enjoy your camping , it will be fun, hope you find exactly what you want.

mre · 10-26-2013, 01:20 PM

Look at Nexus RV. They have a 25P (24'11") that may fit what you need. They are a small company out of Elkhart and sell factory direct. I saw them at the Tampa show earlier this year and they are a cut above the Class Cs coming out of larger companies. Though it has a "U" shaped dinette, they may swap it out for a couch. I understand that they do some custom work. We are looking at the 32' Super C.

ed

The Shadow · 10-27-2013, 10:26 AM

This may be exactly what you are looking for.

Click on button for floor plan with Comfort Sofa Sleeper.

We have the 26QP Silver (2011 since fall of 2010) and have had almost zero problems with it. Tremendous storage compartment at rear accessible from back and side.

Itasca Motorhomes - 2014 Impulse Silver

TXiceman · 10-27-2013, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Shadow

This may be exactly what you are looking for.

Click on button for floor plan with Comfort Sofa Sleeper.

We have the 26QP Silver (2011 since fall of 2010) and have had almost zero problems with it. Tremendous storage compartment at rear accessible from back and side.

Itasca Motorhomes - 2014 Impulse Silver

Look closely at the wardrobe storage space. You need to get up to the two 31 models in order to have any storage fro clothes...and a family of 4 will need clothing storage.

Next issue on the larger class C's is cargo carrying capacity. The chassis are pretty well maxed out with very limited cargo capacity for your camping supplies and gear. If you look at one, have the dealer provide an actual weight slip for the actual coach as delivered to his lot,....not a brochure weight.

Ken

The Shadow · 10-27-2013, 10:53 AM

There are three adults in our party. We have not had any storage problems. There is also so much storage underneath at the back that you can store clothes there very easily if necessary.

You mentioned 28 ft max length - the 26QP meets that requirement. A 31 footer sure does NOT.

We also have an acceptable wheelbase to length ratio and very good carrying capacity. Add 3 to 4 more feet and another large slide and the CC starts to shrink quickly.

It tows up to 5000 lbs easily.

The Shadow · 10-31-2013, 05:59 PM

By the way, this model (26QP) has one item that could be a negative for some buyers.

The black tank is in front of the rear axle and the grey tank is behind. The grey tank has a pump that pulls the contents out of the tank and sends it around to the front of the black tank where it merges with the sewer outlet in the conventional manner. It can be a PITA when winterizing.