Short Stairs, Twin Beds and More

[gcal]

After examining our current health and the likelihood of future health changes, we expect to be able to spend the next 6 to 8 years at the most in our current Class A. Then it will be time for a change. Not sure what that change will be. It might be a condo and a much smaller rv for seasonal travel. It might be a different fulltime rv. But one thing I absolutely need to do is to get rid of these tall stairs. They are getting hard to navigate. I have nearly fallen several times.

Another thing is the bed. We need twin beds. DH wants to sleep naked, spread eagle, on a granite slab. I want to sleep curled up in a cozy comforter on a cloud of soft foam. It is very hard to find rv's of any description that have twin beds.

 

[BradKW]

I wonder if you've looked at the Select Comfort type beds? There's quality "knock-offs" too to save money, but the original remains the best bed I've ever owned.

What brings it to mind is they can be dual zoned, so one side could be softer than a water bed and other side hard as a rock. There's even a nice "equalize" button on some models for those times when you want uniform comfort.

Unfortunately, I don't believe these beds can address the problem of a spread-eagle nekkid guy. I don't know what would tho, and hopfully will never have reason to find out...

 

[gcal]

I wonder if you've looked at the Select Comfort type beds? There's quality "knock-offs" to save money, but the original remains the best bed I've ever owned.

What brings it to mind is they can be dual zoned, so one side could be softer than a water bed and other side hard as a rock. There's even a nice "equalize" button on some models for those times when you want uniform comfort.

Unfortunately, I don't believe these beds can address the problem of a spread-eagle nekkid guy. I don't know what would tho, and hopfully will never have reason to find out...

We had a king sized sleep number bed in the s&b. That worked fine. DH and dog took most of the bed. I curled up in my blanket in the corner. Everyone was happy and slept well. King sized beds are buggers to make, tho. The only ones I have seen in rv's are tucked deep into a slide and making those beds is an athletic event. Twins might be a better option in an rv. That "equalizing" time gets less frequent in your 70's and 80's. There comes a time when a good foot rub is what really hits the spot.

 

[Almost There]

My old Class A - a Winnebago "Suncruiser' by Itasca came originally with twin beds in the bedroom so there are layouts with them. It was a mid 80's model IIRC.

As did a 5th wheel I rented but I have no recollection of what it was.

Maybe think about one person using the bedroom and the other the pullout sofa if you can't find an RV with twins. Either that or think about doing a remodel of one that has a queen or a king. I ended up taking out the twins in the Winnebago and putting in a double bed. I guess I was lucky with it, there were no  holding tanks in the bed area, it was all storage.

As for the stairs, there are exterior fold away hand rails available and you could also look at adding a hand rail on the inside if needed.

 

[RVTravel]

I'd go with twin beds too.

 

[BradKW]

I was trying to find the name of an off-brand mattress that I'd forgotten and came across a very nice website that I marked for future use: http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/mattress-reviews-air-bed.html

It appears to be an unbiased, well organized, consumer oriented data dump about every type of mattress there is. The above limk is for adjustable air and they do a nice job compiling all the info...

 

[gcal]

My old Class A - a Winnebago "Suncruiser' by Itasca came originally with twin beds in the bedroom so there are layouts with them. It was a mid 80's model IIRC.

As did a 5th wheel I rented but I have no recollection of what it was.

Maybe think about one person using the bedroom and the other the pullout sofa if you can't find an RV with twins. Either that or think about doing a remodel of one that has a queen or a king. I ended up taking out the twins in the Winnebago and putting in a double bed. I guess I was lucky with it, there were no  holding tanks in the bed area, it was all storage.

As for the stairs, there are exterior fold away hand rails available and you could also look at adding a hand rail on the inside if needed.

Got the exterior stair. DH installed a good handrail. It saved me from falling more than once. It's the interior  stairs that are the trouble. I am very aware of them coming in and out. But they are steep and shallow. My hip does not like them. If we get a permanent rv, I would definitely want a deck or porch at floor level with shallow, deep stairs that my whole foot fits on. I happen to be a big woman and I have big (8 1/2) feet. If I am not mistaken, the average Class C's are lower to the ground at entry than most Class A's. Trailers are even better. So are class B's.

Also, I want the #!/&* door to open all the way and the double !×*#&@ slide not to be right next to the door.

It may be possible to have change out a bed layout and build in twins. We would need to find the right original layout without the bed being stuffed into a slide. Oh, boy, I guess I am hard to satisfy. But unless I finally get careless and pitch out onto a concrete patio carrying a bag of laundry, we have a long time to think and look.

 

[gcal]

My old Class A - a Winnebago "Suncruiser' by Itasca came originally with twin beds in the bedroom so there are layouts with them. It was a mid 80's model IIRC.

As did a 5th wheel I rented but I have no recollection of what it was.

Maybe think about one person using the bedroom and the other the pullout sofa if you can't find an RV with twins. Either that or think about doing a remodel of one that has a queen or a king. I ended up taking out the twins in the Winnebago and putting in a double bed. I guess I was lucky with it, there were no  holding tanks in the bed area, it was all storage.

As for the stairs, there are exterior fold away hand rails available and you could also look at adding a hand rail on the inside if needed.

Right now, DH often goes out to the living room and uses the daybed. We had replaced the uncomfortable sofa with a storage platform and a twin mattress to accommodate grandchildren. He says it's because the bedroom gets too hot, but I think he really doesn't like the soft mattress and the lack of sprawling room.

 

[FALCON]

If you have a bed platform wide enough for the two of you, I'd suggest this:

- use two mattresses, side by side (each about half the width of the bed or whatever makes sense for how you two sleep). You can use a company like www.thefoamfactory.com to cut foam mattresses to the exact sizes you want. The cost is reasonable.
- For his side, get some very dense foam. If needed, make a solid wood platform so he can use a thinner mattress but have the top of his mattress level with the top of yours
- For your side, get some thick and soft foam. Have the top layer (the actual memory foam layer) quite thick. Use a foam topper or some other kind of mattress topper material if you desire.
- Build your side first so you can figure out the height of your mattress, then build his side to match the height.

 

[masterplumber]

I like the last idea. If it was me I would probably tear out the big bed and build twins, but the two mattresses on one bed would be easier, if it works for you. For the entry, I noticed in Tony and Karen's motorhome they have a sub floor cover over the inside stairs. This is so Karen can roll her wheelchair close to the door to use the lift. But playing off that, what if you did something like that and have a set of fold out stairs on the outside? I'm not sure if it would work with your door height (so you wouldn't bang your head)but it might be an option to try.

 

[gcal]

I like the last idea. If it was me I would probably tear out the big bed and build twins, but the two mattresses on one bed would be easier, if it works for you. For the entry, I noticed in Tony and Karen's motorhome they have a sub floor cover over the inside stairs. This is so Karen can roll her wheelchair close to the door to use the lift. But playing off that, what if you did something like that and have a set of fold out stairs on the outside? I'm not sure if it would work with your door height (so you wouldn't bang your head)but it might be an option to try.

We can't put twin beds in the bedroom the way the slide is laid out. DH is a retired design engineer. If there was a way to do it, he'd have found it. But we can see about a queen sleep number bed. Two sides, dual control. DH says they make a model specifically for rv queen beds, now, so he will be looking into that. Depends on what the MRI on my hip shows today. If it is something that can be fixed or mitigated so we can stay in this rv, putting a grand into the sleep number bed is worthwhile. If not, we will just cope with what we have for a while and start looking for a different rv. After all the work DH has put into making this one just right, I really, REALLY hate the thought of leaving it and starting over with another one.

 

[masterplumber]

I totally get wanting to stick with the rig you know and mostly love. I hope the MRI shows something simple.