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Topic: Looking for a 23.5 with front lounge or couch + dinette on E450 (Read 40 times) previous topic - next topic
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Looking for a 23.5 with front lounge or couch + dinette on E450
Yahoo Message Number: 152982
We have a front lounge model, and I don't think you would be happy with the sleeping arrangement. The ladder is needed to access the bunk, and with the couch pulled out completely (only a full bed), there is barely enough room for the ladder adjacent, and difficult to maneuver past the end of the bed to get to the bathroom. We sleep above, and have only ever pulled the couch out to single width for an extra passenger. In a pinch we did fit two slim adults on it that way, with a youngster in a sleeping bag behind - but that was just for two days.
 The twin/king is far more suitable for a family with kids, if you need a shorter rig - consider an intercom.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Looking for a 23.5 with front lounge or couch + dinette on E450
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152984
"The twin/king is far more suitable for a family with kids, if you need a shorter rig"

The Twin/King is the perfect short rig for easily sleeping four adults, with two separate sleeping areas.
 As Steve said, the Front Lounge isn't comfortable for four adults. The couch may be wide enough for two children but when it is pulled out, the couch is in the way of the bunk ladder, blocking access to the bunk.
Things can get interesting in the middle of the night.
The T/K doesn't have this problem. It's an very efficient floor plan.
Do know that the T/K's holding tanks are much smaller on the T/K than any other LD floor plan.
This can be a big problem with a full load of passengers if outside facilities are not available.
The tanks were upsized in the last year or two and now are the same size as other LDs.

On the other hand, the F/L is a great floor plan for two adults that may have an occasional singular overnight guest. It has had full size holding tanks since the 2003 models.
We think our 2003 FL the best model...for our needs.

Larry

20 year Front Lounge owner
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Looking for a 23.5 with front lounge or couch + dinette on E450
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152994
"The Twin/King is the perfect short rig for easily sleeping four adults, with two separate sleeping areas." ---

I have a TK; just offering my experiences of 12 years with this plan.

It's true that the TK's layout is efficient, and it *can* "sleep" four people, but I suggest that those four people need to get along really well and/or that the weather and travel plans are conducive to 2 or 3 of the bodies being outside - a lot! ;-)

It's a small rig,  models before 2010 have only an 18-gallon black tank (as Larry pointed out), and shoving the couches in and out from bed mode to couch every day can get old real fast. And, when the couches are pulled out into the walk space, that disappears and the entire back end of the rig is taken up. Some people (small adults and kids) don't mind sleeping  on the couch "as is", i.e., without pulling it out, but it's tight. And, even if the couch stays in place, if one needs more room, one has to figure out where to stash the 6' back cushion. (And, yes, the bath area is very small, but use is generally a one-person-at-a-time operation, so the closet-sized "head space" is workable.)

The TK (if a good one can be found; they're scarce!) may work well for the OP's situation; as always, "YMMV" applies. All I can say is that, for me, it's a swell layout for one person, one dog (underfoot enough!), and an *occasional* guest.

Joan
2003 TK has a new home
Re: Looking for a 23.5 with front lounge or couch + dinette on E450
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152999
From ten years of ownership (1991 to 2001) of a 1985 TK, I can offer the following observations.  Coming from the camping experiences in two different Volkswagen campers with no heat, no air conditioning, no floor space, and no bathroom . . . well, the Lazy Daze TK was like a palace to us.  We never lived in the TK full time, but we did take two three-month trips, and numerous trips of a month or less.  There were a lot of inconveniences - but - see above for the stark differences that mitigated the unpleasantness of the small space and the small tank capacities.  We did fine.  But - always another "but" - we were younger and more agile then (late 40's to late 50's).  I don't think I would want to take it on as a pair today at 72.

The biggest drawback that I found was that if one person was sleeping in the back, then the only other out-of-the-way place(s) to sit down are the front cab seats or the toilet.  The other sofa was available, of course, but proximity required more self control of ordinary noises than being a bit further away.  If both couches were being used for the same purpose (a nap - yay!), then, no problemo.

If the overcab bed is utilized for all sleeping purposes, then the couch arrangements would not be an issue.  Our nighttime sleep schedules have always been offset by several hours, but we slept overhead, so that wasn't an issue.  Either person could be asleep up top with the other on the ground floor with no difficulty.

We now have a Rear Bath, and I find that I spend most of my time either dealing with food in the kitchen or sitting at the dinette to read or use my computer.  I rarely sit in the chairs or on the sofa.  My husband is unable to sleep in a regulation bed now because of the bone degeneration from cancer, but his sleep chair fits nicely in the aisle between the sofa and the two chairs, with the commode table providing a spot for his CPAP machine.  So night sleep time is now accomplished with him in the chair and me overhead, with naps seeing me on the sofa instead of overhead.

As Joan states, for one user, the TK is very accommodating, but I've always had in the back of my mind that the Front Lounge or Front Dinette might be a better fit for my own personal usage as a solo traveler, as I find that I much prefer the openness of a rear bath floorplan.  The benefit of the large windows in the back of the Twin King, Rear Kitchen, or Mid-Bath is legendary, but I find that leaving the bathroom door open is not a problem (the toilet is unseen), and the light from there is very nice.  I think there is more light from the front windows in the front of the coach with the Rear Bath models.

It is really hard to predict what is going to work well and what will be just "too much to deal with" for any given person.  And there are so many various situations that will come up in everyday living that it is nearly impossible to see down the road as to what will throw a monkey wrench into your plans.  What seemed like a deal breaker for me (virtually no kitchen counter space, and I am a total from-scratch cook), turned out to be a non-issue because I figured out ways to temporarily modify the space during meal prep times.

If at all possible, it is very instructive if you can rent a unit with a floorplan as close as you can find to what you think you want and give it a go.  While we were Volkswagen campers, we rented many different units - from 20 feet to 34 feet - over a six-year period, and that was money well spent.  We were happy with our 22-foot Lazy Daze for ten years; happy with a much larger fulltimers' unit for another eight years; and have now spent six happy years with the Rear Bath Lazy Daze model.

It really is hard to go wrong with a Lazy Daze because you can spend your time figuring out how to get the best out of it without having to worry about things falling apart on you.  And, yes, this happened A LOT to us with the rental units!!!

Best of luck in finding something perfect for you!  ;->

Virtual hugs,

Judie http://dorrieanne.wordpress.com
Re: Looking for a 23.5 with front lounge or couch + dinette on E450
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 153001
Being the owner of a TK myself I can attest to all Joan said. In my situation I have even less room because it's an 01 model meaning not the wide body chassis that the 03 and later models have. If there were ever 4 adults in my rig they wouldn't be friends by the end of the trip.

Since I full time solo it's not an issue. I use every ounce of the plentiful storage space and have had 3 adults including myself inside but that was just to have dinner. We always wound up eating outside if the weather was good. I use the rear bed for sleep because I have fallen off the ladder climbing up and down to the overhead bunk area (sleepwalk sometimes).

The 3 large rear windows give you a nice panoramic view. With the rear camera I can back up to a mountainside safely and then relax and enjoy the scenery. This model also tows very well because of less load than a 27' or 30'. I have towed my Jeep Cherokee up to 8000+ feet areas with no problem, although it was a slow trip. If I had to chose again would probably get the FL model due to the more open floor plan.

bobmoore14