Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Class C Motorhomes: Rear Corner Bed- bothersome?

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Topic: Rear Corner Bed- bothersome?

Posted By: rvnetter on 08/27/16 08:05pm

For those that own a MH with a Rear Corner bed, do you find that someone always has to climb over the other to get in or out of bed? Is it doable or extremely bothersome?

Happy Trails to You!

The Tin Tent
2006 R-Vision Trail Lite

Posted By: samsontdog on 08/27/16 09:00pm

My DW hated the rear corner bed as she had to climb over to go potty plus the bed was hard to make up. Did not keep it long before selling. We now a walk around bed

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Posted By: pnichols on 08/27/16 09:14pm

We wanted a small motorhome to get into small spots, plus the DW needed her own bed that is always available for instant use to spread out on due to a bad back.

These requirements added up to a small Class C motorhome - in which she uses the corner bed queen and I use the overhead cab queen. We don't "make" the corner bed. We keep a fitted zip-on sheet on a 3 inch mattress topper on top of the corner bed ... this is not hard to unzip/remove/reinstall at all after periodic laundering of the fitted sheet.

2005 E450 Itasca 24V Class C

Posted By: Janss on 08/28/16 02:25am

Used to have one. We used a Travasak, now known as Superbag, for bedding. Basically a queen sized sleeping bag with zippers on both sides and sheets that velcro in.

Yes, the inside person must climb over to get in or out of bed. It was somewhat bothersome, but we just tried to get in and out at the same time...even when getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Didn't always work out though. Eventually, I started getting cramps in my leg while trying to climb over. Was glad to get another motorhome with walkaround queen.

2002 Itasca Suncruiser 32V
2012 Suzuki Grand Vitara

Posted By: darsben1 on 08/28/16 02:51am

Depends on your age and how frisky your DW will get when she climbs over you. At 20-35 years old it was fun at 67 not so much

Traveling with my best friend, my wife in a 1990 Southwind

Posted By: neschultz on 08/28/16 05:26am

Ours works fine for us. I'm 5'11" and sleep on the outside. I enjoy having the wall beside me and at my feet. My wife is 5'4" and sleeps on the bathroom side with the rounded corner. So when she gets up during the night, there is no climbing over and it doesn't even wake me. I never get up in the night but do occasionally go to bed after her but that usually doesn't require a crawl over so it's not a problem. We do keep a hassock at the end of the bed that makes getting in and out easier. We use a fitted sheet on the bottom and loose blanket/s on top. I'm 68 and she's....... a few years younger. The only bed I think I'd like better is the one that lowers from the ceiling.

Norman & Janet with Minnie the Weiner Dog
2005 SunnyBrook 38 BWQS 5th Wheel (stationary in FL for snowbirding)

Posted By: LetsRV on 08/28/16 07:06am

Sorry but wouldn't even consider a corner bed: Difficult to make and sheets/blankets don't fit, short on one side, the climb over thing, and generally only barely a full size mattress (if that).

Did kinda like darsben age difference response though. [emoticon]

Due to depreciation the above opinions are now worth less than what you paid for them.

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2016 Forest River Forester 3011DSF

Posted By: The Logans on 08/28/16 07:47am

It was EXTREMELY annoying...

Me, My wonderful Wife, 2 Bluetick Hounds, a Newfie, a Cairn Terrier & a Black Lab / Newfie Mix.
2018 Jayco Alante 31v

Posted By: stripit on 08/28/16 07:55am

Our first rv had one, we were so excited to get that trailer never gave a thought to the corner bed. After the first night we knew we made a mistake. Kept that trailer about 2 months and sold it for a unit with a walk around bed. Never ever going back to that kind of bed. Someone was made to wake up during the night when one or the other got up. Very difficut to make and sheets were custom fit to contour the way the bed was made.

Stacey Frank
2016 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40AP
2019 Tesla Model X
2015 Cadillac SRX we Tow
1991 Avanti Convertible

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 08/28/16 08:22am

Our corner bed is a full 60x80 queen. More than half of the 60 inch foot is open. The person on the outside has to clamber over the foot of the bed, more so than over the other person. It's not a big deal for us, but I'm sure it depends a lot of the person's physical fitness.

It lets us have a nice big permanent bed in a small RV. In our list of must haves for the next RV, a walkaround bed is not a high priority at all. In a perfect world, we would have two twins that double as lounging areas.

[image]

Currently RV-less but not done yet.

Posted By: Horizon170 on 08/28/16 08:34am

Not really big enough, too hard to make up so we opted for the Twin Beds.

Marvin

2010 Coachman Freelander 22TB on a
2008 Sprinter/Freightliner chassis
1995 Geo Tracker (Toad)

Posted By: ol' yeller on 08/28/16 09:37am

Everything in an RV is a compromise. If you want a shorter RV you are pretty much limited to a corner bed. We made ours work even though we are in our 60's and I am handicapped. Yeah it is kind of a pain to have to struggle over each other when one has "The Call" in the night but we made it work.

Now my DW has a serious health issue that has made us unable to use the RV this summer because there is no place for her to get comfortable in it. We are hoping her surgery in October will cure this issue and we can get back to enjoying the RV life. I'd hate to have to sell our cabin on wheels, corner bed and all.

I am NOT a mechanic although I do play one in my garage!

Posted By: Eyegor on 08/28/16 09:40am

We also wanted a permanent bed "downstairs" in our C, so that meant a corner unless we got a much longer unit. I sleep on the outside and rarely get up so it works for me. Only thing I don't like is the wall is COLD in the winter but that is not the beds fault.

87 Mallard Sprinter 24' Class C Ford E350 w/460 gas "The Runny Duck"
Shiny side up, Rubber side down.

Posted By: jjjandrbaker on 08/28/16 10:04am

The only bed in the Colby T is the one in the front of the trailer when the dinette is down. When traveling with either my son or wife, one of us has to take the inside spot. Fortunately, neither of them tend to get up during the night like I do, so they are the winners of that spot. My son uses a sleeping bag on top of the sheets, so at least when he is with me, I am not getting uncovered in the freezing cold if he has to get up in the night. My wife, is under the covers with me on the rare trips she goes on. If she has to get up, I will get out of bed to make it easier for her. Since most of the time I am by myself, it is not a big ordeal.

I leave the dinette set up in bed mode all the time and use a small Walmart folding table that I pull from under the bed when I need a "surface". HOWEVER, I absolutely abhor the task of changing the sheets on that bed. It is like having a wrestling match in a box. By the time I finish, I am hot, sweaty, and worn out. Since it is just me, my sheets tend to stay on longer than they probably should. I am a night showerer, though, so that helps.

When my friends ask me what to look for in a trailer, I give them this advice:

1) Look for a walk around bed.
2) Look for a shower you can stand up in AND turn around in.
3) Sit on the toilet and make sure you can close the door. (I can't in the Colby T.)
4) Make sure that the trailer rides high off the ground. (The Colby T is so low that I actually have to avoid some gas stations. If you see ruts in the concrete, I can't go there!)
5) Make sure your black tank is big enough for your needs. (Mine is tiny. But with just me using it conservatively can last about 6 nights.)

If I could change those elements, I would consider my little camper almost perfect.

Jim Baker
San Antonio, TX
travel blog and photos

Posted By: OldRadios on 08/28/16 10:12am

We did not consider any with a corner bed. Did not want to have to climb over each other and didn't want to sleep with a wall in our face on both sides. Had enough of that with our first B. Okay for one of us but not so good for two as we seldom go to bed or get up at the same time. Add two or three feet to the length of the RV and you can find a better bedroom floor plan with more storage space.

2006 Fleetwood 26Q
2010 Harley Softail Toad
2015 Ford Focus Toad
Upstate (the other) New York

Posted By: NCWriter on 08/28/16 12:02pm

I scraped plenty of skin off my fingers tucking in sheets against the wall sides of the beds when we had fixed twins in the two back corners of our class B. Regular sheets didn't fit. Figured the corner bed would be the same.

So I'm much happier now in a small C with a rear slide that allows a "walk around" queen. The top third of the mattress folds in when you retract the slide (sheets stay on.) So much easier to put on clean sheets and to make the bed daily. I already had a good set of standard Queen sheets unused at home which fit perfectly and the memory foam mattress gives a good night's sleep.

"Walk around" is a marketing term because there isn't a whole bunch of room on the sides. But it's enough space to get in and out. (When my 72 lb dog decides to sleep on the floor by my side, however, I end up having to slide myself toward the end to get out without stepping on her during the night. Nothing's perfect.)

Posted By: Bordercollie on 08/28/16 12:06pm

Climbing over somebody in the overhead bed is a PITA in the middle of the night and using a ladder is a problem especially if you have knee etc., problems and frequency of wee-wee issues. Climbing over somebody in an RV queen bed with access on one side isn't much easier, but no ladder hazard in the dark. Knee injuries or onset of joint problems can alter your RV sleeping accommodation needs. These things are important when deciding on the length and floor plan you want when buy a rig. The twin bed option looks good vs a longer rig with "island" bed.

Posted By: OldRadios on 08/28/16 02:34pm

We saw a couple different floor plans that the bed was folded when the slide was in. We travel a lot and stay in rest areas overnight. My wife sometimes sleeps when we are on the highway. A mattress that is folded when the slide is in would not work for us.

Posted By: magnusfide on 08/28/16 02:42pm

We hated the corner bed when we were young. It was a pain in the middle of the night and a double pain to make up in the morning. Now that we're older, we won't even consider a floor plan with a corner bed. Nuff said.

"The only time you should fear cast iron is if your wife is fixin' to hit you with it."-Kent Rollins
First law of science: don't spit into the wind.

Magnus

Posted By: tnrv'er on 08/28/16 03:10pm

We have a TT w/ a front bed that covers the width of the trailer. So you have to climb over the inside person. It will be the last trailer with a bed like that!

Posted By: loggenrock on 08/28/16 08:13pm

Gee...we find the corner bed in our Prism just fine. Easier to make up than the bed in our previous Roadtrek, plus it is longer, which my legs appreciate. Guess to each their own! ST

Two and a hound in a 2015 Coachmen Prism "B+"...pushed by '09 Suby Forester
First 50 done, working on the second pass! Nunavut - we'll see...!
2005-2015 Roadtrek 190P
1993-2005 Northstar Soft-Side TC
1989-1993 Backpacks & Tents!
1967-1977 Family TT's

Posted By: dewey02 on 08/28/16 08:46pm

We bought a travel trailer with that corner bed configuration before we knew better. We put up with it for 2 seasons and then sold it for a model that had a walk-around bed.

Getting older, we both get up at night to hit the bathroom and climbing over each other was a task. I would NEVER purchase any kind of unit that had that corner bed if two people had to sleep in it.

Posted By: Dakzuki on 09/01/16 12:09pm

Doesn't bother us at all. We modified linen to fit it just like we modify all kinds of other stuff (including the RV).

2011 Itasca Navion 24J
2000 Chev Tracker Toad

Posted By: PUCampin on 09/01/16 12:54pm

Only you can determine if it will work. Practice in a unit you are considering. Our smallish TT not only has a corner bed, but a bunk and cupboard completely over the wall side making it almost cave like and partly over the inside area. My DW told me straight out "you get the wall" It doesn't bother me. I occasionally climb over if I have to use the bathroom or one of the kids needs something. I am 40, I don't mind climbing over and DW sleeps through it mostly. A TT with a walk around bed and room for 5 would require a lager TT than we have and compromises we did not want to make. I also don't mind changing the sheets, and we do like sheets and blankets on our bed. The kids loft beds at home are MUCH more of a pain!

2007 Expedition EL 4x4 Tow pkg
1981 Palomino Pony, the PopUp = PUCampin! (Sold)
2006 Pioneer 180CK = (No more PUcampin!)">

Me"> DW"> and the 3 in 3 ">
DD"> 2006, DS "> 2007, DD "> 2008

Posted By: tenbear on 09/02/16 06:25am

Our first TT had a rear three quarter corner bed, I slept next to the wall. It was cold and whenever I rolled over I would hit the wall and window. I learned to use a sleeping bag on cold nights to keep warm.

Getting up in the night wasn't too bad. She would usually wake me up when she got up and I would get up too, so I didn't have to crawl over her.

I guess it wasn't too bad since we survived two trips to the west coast from Vermont, one of them to Alaska.

All our RVs since have had walk around queen beds, much better sleeping.

Class C, 2004/5 Four Winds Dutchman Express 28A, Chevy chassis
2010 Subaru Impreza Sedan
Camped in 45 states, 7 Provinces and 1 Territory

Posted By: Bordercollie on 09/02/16 11:01am

If you use an RV for occasional camping for a week or two, you may be reasonably happy with marginal sleeping accomodations provided you don't have serious knee problems, etc. Best sleeping solution is a rear bedroom/RV queen bed with access on both sides or twin beds which rules out very short rigs. Joint health can change with aging or suddenly with injuries. Try climbing up and down a ladder and simulate sleeping in the overhead or on convertible dinette or jacknife couch before deciding on length and sleeping setup.

Posted By: garmp on 09/03/16 02:21pm

We are getting to the point where we can spend more time traveling, but by the same token these old bones don't work as they used to. We wanted a walk around bed and a full time eating area in the shortest vehicle possible. As others have said, selecting an RV is a compromise. We selected the Phoenix Cruiser 2100. Sure the sofa has to unfold and the bed made when setting up camp, but with the help of a home made (DW is a retired seemstress) Travasak, it's a breeze. And at 21 foot it's not much longer than our B. Works for us, but not for every one I know, as we tend to be touring campers/RVers rather than destinationers. Got the constant itch for the road.
And oh yeah no corner bed in the 2100.

Our 2351D Phoenix Cruiser, Jack, has turned us from campers into RVers and loving it!

Posted By: AJR on 09/03/16 06:45pm

Had corner bed. I sleep alone. Never again.

2014 Leprechaun 290QB
Chevy 4500 6.0
2015 GMC Terrain AWD

Posted By: Lumpty on 09/03/16 07:33pm

24' C with a real 60x80 pillow-top corner queen. I'm 53 years old and make the bed no problem. Throw the bottom fitted sheet to the head end, do those corners while on my knees, then back off the bed, do the outside foot end corner, leaving the inside and fully accessible corner for last. The bottom end gets done while standing. Pillows get thrown to the head end, and the top sheet and quilt get thrown from the end. My wife takes the outside, as she never gets up at night, and I take the inside, since my personal plumbing is old and I'm up at least once a night. No issues scooting off the open corner for me when nature calls. It's a way easier sleeping position than the cabover, that's for sure.

Rob

Too Many Toys.
- '11 E450 Sunseeker 2300
- '16 F150 Supercrew 5.0/FX4
- '09 C6 Z51
- '15 VW Golf Sportwagen daily driver
- '86 Civic and '87 CRX race cars

Posted By: tred0956 on 09/03/16 07:39pm

Snowman9000 wrote:

We have the same floor plan as you and find the corner bed no problem. We replaced the rather cheap mattress with a residential mattress we ordered from Sleep Country, but we bought it in the RV length (75 rather than 80 inches long) and with no rounded corner. The shorter length means making the bed is much easier as we can slide the mattress around a bit. We use regular fitted queen sheets which fit fine and are easier to put on, with the shorter mattress length. For us, the maneuverability of a shorter motorhome length far outweighs having a walk around bed in a longer unit.

Posted By: Expyinflight on 09/04/16 02:56pm

WE just bought a 2017 Winnebago Spirit 25b, with a corner bed. Not a problem for us in the least. My significant other snores, so we don't sleep together at home either. He likes the corner bed, and will use a sleeping bag. (no bed to make) I'll take the cab over bunk or the sofa. A short coach, 2 sleeping areas, and no slideouts. Just exactly what we wanted, and it will work perfectly for us. K-I-S-S

Posted By: PSW on 09/05/16 07:40am

Previously, we had a Roadtrek with twin beds and that worked fine. Now, the Phoenix Cruiser has a corner bed and we were aware of the discussions and concerns when we got the rig. After three years now we have no problems with the corner bed.

All rvs are a compromise. Small unit equals corner bed, usually. Personally, I can't even imagine being a submariner or crawling up into a bed above the front vehicle seats. The corner bed takes a willingness to accept that the person on the outside who has to get up will crawl over the person sleeping next to him. So, it depends on your flexibility and size to be blunt about this layout.

Yes, a walk around bed would be nice. But notice the "walk around" widths carefully. Some are only a few inches wide and would be a real problem for some folks.

Paul

PSW
2013 Phoenix Cruiser 2350
2014 Jeep Cherokee behind it
and a 2007 Roadtrek 210P for touring

Posted By: lizzie on 09/05/16 08:15pm

We just went from a 24' TT with a "walk around" bed to a 25" small C with twin beds. The twin beds were the selling point. In our 70's, we both have sleep issues and wanted separate beds that could stay made up all the time. I searched the web and came up with a list of B+/small C's with this feature. We settled on the Renegade Villagio. Tonight will be our third night in it (we haven't left the dealers lot yet), and so far......so good. lizzie

Posted By: fourthclassC on 09/07/16 10:40am

The old Tioga (1994) corner bed was more difficult to get in and out as you did have to climb over. The 2003 Winnebago Mini has a wider outlet at the foot end of the bed so the inside person can slide/shimmy forward and out/off the bed. Much easier. Small details comparing the space even though both had the exact same rear corner bed layout, make the Winnebago feel much bigger.

Posted By: mrmomb on 11/15/16 07:02pm

Perhaps not all corner beds are laid out the same. I had a 28' TT with a walk around short queen. I am 6' and the bed was the pits!! I had to sleep diagonally and the GF needed to curl up in a ball in the remaining triangle section. I now have a 22E,class C, 25' LOA, with a corner bed. I chose the small class C to insure that I can camp at favorite spots, dry. Finally, I do not have to be a bed hog! So far we have experienced no problems with making up the bed daily. Changing sheets takes a little longer than on the bad at home. I climb into and out of bed 1-2 times a night. The added space gained with a corner bed is used for many hours per day. We find that we do not have to climb over each other but we need to pass close. BTW, I do have knee problems. Three surgeries on one and one on the other. To us, daily living space took priority.

2017 Thor 22E class C, Ford E450, 25'
2007 Aliner high wall expedition
1997 28' Sportsman TT
1994 Flagstaff PU
Many camping boats before...

Posted By: gmctoyman on 11/16/16 08:09am

Some can & will tolerate anything, some can't & won't.

Dave W. AKA "Toyman"
KE5GOH - On 146.52
RV's ? What RV's ???
Apache Pop-up
Classic GMC Motorhome
07 Leisure Travel Sprinter
Do Boats Count ?

Posted By: Bordercollie on 11/17/16 10:12am

A 27 foot rig with stock suspension isn't set up as an all-terrain vehicle but can handle slow cautious driving on dirt roads and get into many tight primitive campsites. Poor sleeping accomodations and lack of storage space in 22-24 foot rigs can get on your nerves if you camp a lot, depending on your tolerance level and agility. A rear bedroom with RV queen bed usually means 27 feet or longer. A walk around bed usually needs a bedroom slide or twin beds.
Don't buy too short unless you have experience with short rigs.

Posted By: OldRadios on 11/17/16 05:57pm

What Bordercollie said. (pretty sure we have the same rig) That extra three feet sill allows you to park in a pull through space and fit in most campsites (at least in the Northeast where 30' seems to be the most common cut off). For that three feet we got a lot more storage underneath and a usable rear queen bedroom. We were also able to get the E-450 chassis which has a higher carrying and pulling capacity and has a wider wheelbase.

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