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Topic: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over? (Read 11 times) previous topic - next topic
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Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Yahoo Message Number: 112472
Hi everyone,
 I learn so much from this group. I belong to other Yahoo groups and this one is so lively and helpful!
 I'm researching to buy a used LD. I hope to retire end of this year and would buy one in 2011. I'm wondering if you have a 26.5 if you wished you would have gotten a 30'? I plan to fulltime with two cats and think a toad would make life easier for me. I will be soloing.
 I don't see many used 30' twin beds but I like the idea of having room in a fulltime situation. The other one I'm thinking about is the 26.5 MB because of the layout being good if I do any road tripping with my grown kids.
 I keep wondering if those extra feet in the 30' with a toad would be too much? I plan to spend a lot of my time boondocking and in National parks, BLB types of situations.

I would appreciate any wisdom you can offer.
 I'll be visiting some LDs at the NE gathering in a few weeks so I'll be able to see more of the floorplans in person.

Thanks!

Andrea E
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112473
Once you own a LD you'll discover you've not just become an owner, you've joined a cult ;o)

Good luck on your quest!
 I cannot really be on point on your question. But we've owned two LDs, a 2003 MB and 1997 RB, and never considered a 30 footer.

Go for a RB (with two sofas for the kids)

best, paul ___ 'Thriving not Surviving' See our websites at www. LazyDazers.com    www. Bike70th.net
www. SMARTERyellowpages.com & www. ReformUSCongress.org
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112474
We have a 26.5 Mid Bath and though we don't travel full time (25 days is our longest outing - had several) the Mid Bath has been more than adequate and we wouldn't want to go for more.  We don't tow and have had very few times where we didn't feel comfortable visiting a particular attraction.  When at a spot more than a few days we just rent a small car (Enterprise picks you up at the CG) to run around from our base.

Carol & H. T. Pohlman

NE 26

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
2003 MB
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112475
Quote

"When at a spot more than a few days we just rent a small car (Enterprise picks you up at the CG) to run around from our base."

Carol & H. T. Pohlman
Once again it all boils down to your camping lifestyle. I like isolation, therefore I favor Nat. Forest campgrounds. Many of these are in very remote and scenic areas. I'm headed for one of those tomorrow. There will be no cell service and Enterprise is out of the question, their nearest office is over 50 miles away.
 If I want to travel out from my wilderness base it will be by either shanks mare, a bicycle or my Honda toad. Otherwise I'm confined to my lawn chair (not such a bad deal).

YMMV!

Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112479
Andrea,
 You don't say but it sounds like you'll normally travel alone. If I was traveling full time alone I believe our current Rear Bath would be more than adequate for my needs. Actually, it's been completely sufficient for my wife and me on extended trips of up to eight months.
 My usual advice to potential RVers is to make a list of everything you need and want and then buy the smallest motorhome that provides that. My reasoning is that you should have the features you want to make for a comfortable "home" when parked but when actually moving a smaller rig is often advantageous. Easier to maneuver
Terry
2003 26.5'RB
Gardnerville, NV
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112480
Quote
"Something else to check out in the 30' is the feasibility of closing off the cab when camped in cold weather. We like off-season travel and find it makes a big difference in the comfort of our coach to be able to hang a blanket from the rear edge of the folded out bed to close off the cab from the rest of the coach, since the cab lets in a lot of cold air. I don't know how the 30' folks do that.
 Whatever you decide, you'll be happy. You can't go wrong with a Lazy Daze."

Terry 2003 26.5'RB Gardnerville, NV
My wife made a cab curtain out of Warm Windows material that we hang on the front curtain rail with drapery hooks.  It blocks the front  of cab but allows access to the seats for additional while-parked storage.  If we don't carry the cab curtain, I clothespin a blanket to the curtain rail or the curtains and drape it over the cab seats.  That does the trick.
 We have the 30' because my wife insisted on a fixed bed which on which we use a Select Comfort mattress.  No roughing it for us!  If the fixed bed were not a requirement, the 27' would provide more than enough living space for two.  We have never not been able to find a suitable site in any campground we have visited; the extra 3' is not a problem nor is towing.

Chris Horst Arvada, CO
Formerly: 2002 30' IB
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112482
Terry,
 I've been looking at the pictures and floor plans especially of 26.5 MB, RB and 30' twin. One of my concerns is that while one of my cats is a couch potato (Yuri) the other (Miko) moves around my 950 sq ft apartment about three times as much as the other cat and loves running up and down the stairs. I've been wondering how to get some exercise for them as they will be indoor cats only. I've been wondering how or if I can fit
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112484
At 10:41 AM 5/11/2010, you wrote:

Quote
I've been wondering how to get some exercise for them as they will be indoor cats only. I've been wondering how or if I can fit in a tall scratching post and perch somewhere for the active one who loves climbing up and down the cat trees I have now.
A Rear Kitchen  model would have room at the back, next to the dinette, for a "cat pole." I think other models might also have a spot somewhere.

Quote
The other thing is that the RB looks so open and great - I really like it - but I'm not sure I want to climb out of the overhead cab queen bed twice a night to visit that RB. I've never done it so hard to know at this point. I don't want to have to use a sofa for a bed all the time.
We had a RB for nearly ten years and loved the wide-open spaces and the extra large and luxurious bath. My husband usually slept in the overhead cab bed, and I pulled out one sofa part-way and slept on that. It was wider than a twin, but still allowed plenty of room to walk safely to the back of the coach to use the bathroom at night. It took me about two minutes to push it back in and roll the bedding up to store in the cab-over bed.

My personal opinion--and of course it's up to you--is that a 30' coach is pretty darned long, especially if you will be towing a vehicle. Also, the carrying capacity for the 30-foot models is quite small. If you plan to be anywhere near a full-timer, you will probably want and need more stuff than someone who only camps occasionally. We were very comfy in a 22-foot rear bath for years, then moved up to a 26.5 rear kitchen. That's been great, but I do miss the lovely big bathroom! We don't currently tow, but probably could or would...we just never felt the need to.
 You will have a wondefrul time, no matter what you choose. I envy you the fun and pleasure of selecting your vehicle!

Sonsie
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112488
Quote
A Rear Kitchen  model would have room at the back, next to the dinette, for a "cat pole." I think other models might also have a spot somewhere.
We have a RK with cats, too. Nice thing we did was put a cat door under kitchen drawers, with litter box in big outside compartment. Clean from outside, kitties use it from inside. This gave us our shower back!

Quote
The other thing is that the RB looks so open and great - I really like it - but I'm not sure I want to climb out of the overhead cab queen bed twice a night to visit that RB. I've never done it so hard to know at this point. I don't want to have to use a sofa for a bed all the time.
With the RK, we use the two sofas as beds. We put reading/tv/bed pillows on them and sit up to read or watch tv (entertainment center, with tv upgraded to 24" High Def). After years of sleeping on our Select Comfort air bed at home, we have never gotten comfort from the factory cushions, and I finally sourced air beds that will fit where the factory cushions were. Haven't slept on them yet, but I imagine they will be every bit as comfortable as the Select Comfort we use at home. They are constructed the same way, with firm foam frame, air bladders in the middle. I am going on vacation 1st week of June and will give a full report upon my return.

As always, YMMV,

Lee
2000 TK
2014 Can-Am Spyder RT
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112496
"I'm wondering if you have a 26.5 if you wished you would have gotten a 30'?"
 Speaking just for myself, the answer is a definite "no." The reason is simple: with a 31-footer--even a new one--I wouldn't have anywhere near the cargo carrying capacity that I need. Those extra four feet of coach length translate into a THOUSAND-POUND reduction in CCC. I couldn't live with that... not and carry the things I want to carry, in order to feel comfortable as a fulltimer.
 I know some folks do manage to travel full-time in 31-foot LDs by paring down their belongings to a bare minimum and watching their weight like a hawk, while others just go ahead and travel overweight. But I wouldn't be comfortable with the first strategy, and my cat Alix wouldn't allow the second--she's very safety-conscious. Besides, we have all the room we need in my 26.5-footer. :-)

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Would you change from 26.5' to 30' if you could do it over?
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 112502
On May 11, 2010, at 10:41 AM, Ae_54 wrote:

Quote
"...I've been wondering how to get some exercise for them as they will be indoor cats only"
~~~~~~~ Hi Andrea, I'm a fulltimer with a 26.5 RB (one couch/two barrel chairs/ entertainment center configuration.  I also travel solo with one cat companion.  Since there's just me and my stuff and one cat, I saw no reason to buy a 30' LD.  Since I full time, storage capacity was more important than having a single-purpose/dedicated bedroom.  My cat is 10 but still very active: he chases and bounces and plays and jumps from cab to couch to dashboard to dinette and back again several times a day.  He does not have a cat tree.  Sorry, but when one scales back and adopts this lifestyle, sacrifices are in order!  My cat does make frequent use of a scratching box! ~~~~~~~~~
 
Quote
"... but I'm not sure I want to climb out of the overhead cab queen bed twice a night to visit that RB. I've never done it so hard to know at this point. I don't want to have to use a sofa for a bed all the time."
I use my sofa for a bed every night and find it very comfortable.
The sofas are made for sleeping, and it does pull out to make a double bed -- a king size if you pull the two together.  When I have guests (infrequently), the dinette converts to a short twin-sized bed.  Yes, it can get cozy when you have company, but how often will that be?  Only you can decide about the upstairs loft sleeping vs. storage space trade off.

Your dream coach will come to you in a flash in the middle of the night!  It will help, however, if you can go to the factory and see the various models with your very own eyes!  Good luck and have fun exploring.

Lorna Hood Canal, WA
 http://uppity-woman.blogspot.com
2003 RB