How important is "Kid's Space" in RV

[ShullsinUtah]

Newbie here. On the verge of purchasing first RV. Been looking for a couple of months.

QUESTION FOR SEASONED TRAVELERS:
How important is it for a kid (ours is 28 months) to have their own bed (space) in your travel trailer?
Do they need their own bed?
Or, do they just need a place that they know is where they sleep?

What about a little place for their "stuff"?

They will go to bed earlier than the adults for several years, thus it makes me wonder if they will sleep in the bed, while Mom and Dad have to sleep on the lounge/dinette area?

What about friends? Will they want to bring one when we go camping when they get 7 or 8 (if the parents will let them come)?
If so, I could see them out in the living area while we are retiring in the bedroom.
How important is that separate bed?
A friend said he needs his own bed. He also stated that we need to buy for the trailer that will need in 5 years from now when he is about 7/8.

Background:
Family size is 3 plus 1 small doggie.
I love AS. I have always wanted one.

We have decided that a 27-30 ft. might be a good size.
Looking at a 27 FB with lounge area and a 30 Ft. BH. USED
Problem is that money certainly comes into play.

Dear AS friends, please don't get ill with me, but I have to think what is financially best for us and
For $10-20K less , I could purchase the best SOB with a bunkroom and huge living space, outdoor grill/kitchen etc. at the same length.

Really torn here. Wondering if now is the right time for AS.
Maybe the time is after he is grown? Of course, we are in our mid forties, so that time may be too late.

Please help.

[ShullsinUtah]

BTW, we plan on camping 3 of 4 weekends a month from April to October.
With one huge two stint of hitting as many National/State parks that we can!!!

[Stefrobrts]

If you buy the right Airstream now, you can still be camping in it after your kid is off to college That's the beauty of AS over 'white boxes'. Personally, I am so glad we bought an AS, because it hooked us up with the nicest people on the road.

Someone else will have to tell you the details of kid camping, but I know AS aren't just for old folks, we have families come to our rallies as well, and they all seem to fit in there somehow!

Good luck as you make the big decision

[Jammer]

I have 3 girls, oldest now 15.

Originally Posted by ShullsinUtah

Newbie here. On the verge of purchasing first RV. Been looking for a couple of months.

QUESTION FOR SEASONED TRAVELERS:
How important is it for a kid (ours is 28 months) to have their own bed (space) in your travel trailer?
Do they need their own bed?
Or, do they just need a place that they know is where they sleep?

Depends on the kid. Mine make a big scene about sharing a bed but are OK sleeping in either the dinette or the gaucho as long as they don't have to share it.

What about a little place for their "stuff"?

I give each kid their own cabinet for "stuff." Rule is that everything has to fit.

They will go to bed earlier than the adults for several years, thus it makes me wonder if they will sleep in the bed, while Mom and Dad have to sleep on the lounge/dinette area?

I have twin beds in back which helps with this. For the first year or two I did put kids in the back. As the kids got older and stayed up later they moved to the front, and now the oldest sleeps in her own tent. If the weather is really bad, she sleeps in the floor instead.

What about friends? Will they want to bring one when we go camping when they get 7 or 8 (if the parents will let them come)?
If so, I could see them out in the living area while we are retiring in the bedroom.
How important is that separate bed?
A friend said he needs his own bed. He also stated that we need to buy for the trailer that will need in 5 years from now when he is about 7/8.

Can put 1-2 kids on the floor or put out a tent. Most campgrounds will not charge extra for a tent for children on the same site, but we always ask when making a reservation.

Background:
Family size is 3 plus 1 small doggie.
I love AS. I have always wanted one.

We have decided that a 27-30 ft. might be a good size.
Looking at a 27 FB with lounge area and a 30 Ft. BH. USED
Problem is that money certainly comes into play.

Dear AS friends, please don't get ill with me, but I have to think what is financially best for us and
For $10-20K less , I could purchase the best SOB with a bunkroom and huge living space, outdoor grill/kitchen etc. at the same length.

Really torn here. Wondering if now is the right time for AS.
Maybe the time is after he is grown? Of course, we are in our mid forties, so that time may be too late.
Please help.

Lots of 1990s Airstreams out there 25-30' for extremely reasonable prices. I bought new and have been happy but realized later that I could have saved a good deal of money.

Look at the SOB bunkhouses and think about things besides sleeping space. Windows, usability of the space during the daytime, sufficient storage for the # of people. Sure you can pack people in at night but heaven help you if it rains.

Beyond a certain point it makes more sense to bring a second RV particularly when multiple families are involved or as some of the kids are old enough to drive. Kids like the independence and everybody gets to spread out. Great way to use an older/smaller/simpler RV since you can rely on kitchen/bath facilities in your primary rig

[andreasduess]

We've got three kids. If more than one at a time occupies one bed, they do everything but sleep. Giggle, poke, fight, yes. Sleep, not so much.

We added a bunk to the twin back bedroom that runs across the back wall, above the two twin beds. It works extremely well and has created a space between and under the beds that's big enough to play/curl up on a rainy day/store toys in a box.

There are two doors between us the kids, who go to bed earlier than us.

We have moved the gaucho forward and added upholstery to the resulting gap. With a memory foam overlay, this makes for a comfortable bed, in full queen size.

Ours is a 34' model, we're glad about the available space. With a full renovation, and a Hensley Hitch, the total cost of the trailer came in at below $30k.

[ShullsinUtah]

This is what the Coachman floor plan is like.

[AldeanFan]

I grew up camping in a pop up and in tents. The Wife and I are now starting our family and have some of the same concerns as you, here are my opinions.

We use the trailer only for sleeping, changing clothes and staying dry on rainy days. We eat outside, play outside, have camp fires etc. so sleeping arrangements are the most important to us.

Kids will want their own bed, my brother and I hated sharing a bed in the pop up, so one of us slept on the table and the other slept on the bed, with our parents at the other end of the trailer. If each child has their own bed that is their area to sleep and their area to make a mess during the day. When my brother and I got older, we preferred a tent outside so sleeping arrangements in the trailer were a non-issue.

My current plan is to use our '77 Safari as long as I can! it has center twins, and a front gaucho for me and my wife, so we are currently equipped for 2 children. If/when we have 3-4 I will add bunks in the bedroom and if necessary 3 level bunks on each side to accommodate 6 children. That may sound crazy, but on of the best camping trips I can remember as a kid was packing 10 kids in to an old army tent at Cub Scout camp!

Hopefully the Airstream will survive all the family camping trips and some day be a retirement getaway for my wife and I.

[ShullsinUtah]

That is Wonderful construction!!!

[ShullsinUtah]

Thanks everyone!
Great comments.
Our little guy is our only one and we are too old for another, unfortunately.
A lot to consider.
Anyone else please advise.

25'-30' is the right length for our small family, right?

[aceflys]

No kids in my Caravel! I have a boy 17 and girl 18. They have never spent a nite in the AS. My tow rig for many years was a full size van. The kids always have used the van as there camper. We have now move into a Grand Caravan that is my boys setup and my daughter has moved into her own tent. This has worked great for us for many years.

Ace in PA.

[cwf]

You are their first and best teacher.

They learn truth by example.

If they learn to discipline themselves, respect for others and their space, when appropriate to share, that might have an impact on our world.

Best wishes for this sacred journey as you bring up our future.

Peace and blessings
Channing and Phyllis

[perryg114]

We camped in a small slide in camper when our daughter was less than a year old. We just setup her pack and play and she slept in that and we did not have to worry about her falling or getting into trouble. You can put the pack and play on a bed or on the floor. You can also use it outside as well. When they are young they are pretty content.

Perry

[Skatiero]

We have a 29' airstream and seven kids. We use it very frequently. We added two sets of triple bunks and a finding bed in between so that all seven share the back bedroom. Our kids are big-- ages ten to sixteen. We LOVE our airstream! We are thinking about getting a different one to remodel because we have finished all of the projects on ours, which comfortable sleeps ten. We had do much fun making it perfect for us and would do it again in a heartbeat! Yes, yes, yes; each child needs his or her own bed. Grandma even has her own bed. The only ones who have to share are mom and dad, and we don't mind!

[silver27]

Our kids are 6 and 10, and the novelty of sleeping on the couch or dinette wore off about halfway through a 12 night trip this past spring. After that, we upgraded from a 27FB to a 30' bunk unit and couldn't be happier, but that also seems like overkill for one kid. Having a dedicated bed and space for the kid(s) is really, really nice, though.
We have always had a "kid drawer" in ours and they can bring what they want to fill it, and then a "kid-bin" that lives in the trailer with travel games and art supplies.
Anyway, I'm not sure what the right answer would be in your situation, but wanted to say that it can be very important to the kids to have their own space and dedicated sleeping area and you are smart to consider this in advance!

[PharmGeek]

My wife and I asked the same question in the past year and a half as we researched....the consensus is clearly reflected here as it was when I was asking.

My bunkhouse will deliver early november...we have 2 kids (3 years and 8 months).

Part of me kinda feels odd about this, as me growing up...hell...we never even went on vacation, except maybe the occasional day trip to a six flags, or something like that...

As a 12 year old, I went tent camping with my dad and his then girlfriend for like a week through the smokey mountains...enjoyed that...

It just seemed to me like "these kids are going to be spoiled, they are going to complain about sleeping on a couch/dinnet bed?!" - but I suppose everything is relative - and in talking with numerous parents on this site, most voice benefits of having their kids have their own space and sleeping area and this will help avoid them "boycotting" camping trips....(the thought of that confounds me, but I suppose IF I had the opportunity to have some regular vacations, I might develop a sense of entitlement as a kid, argh)

[m.hony]

Most kids are happy to have a sleeping bag on the floor.

[PharmGeek]

when I RV camped with my high school friend at age 15, we slept in tent outside of their small (cant rembmer length) trailer...parents do not want to hear what 15 year olds talk and laugh about...oh I cannot wait

[tlsmit1]

We have one child. When we were looking for a trailer to restore, our most important criterion was permanent sleeping space for three people. We settled on a 24 ft Tradewind with the original early-'60s bunkhouse configuration. Our daughter gets an upper bunk, which stays deployed permanently. (The other upper bunk is usually folded up.) She finds the idea of a real space of her own pretty important.

And we do the "kid drawer" thing as well.

The only unforeseen thing is that our 12-year-old daughter is now 5'8". Within a year, she'll be the tallest one in the family, and then I guess *I* get the upper bunk...

[ShullsinUtah]

Well, here I am and it is 2 a.m. Confused to say the least.
We had the 27 ft classic ltd inspected by Rick Whitten, super nice guy.
Looks good.
We have a brand new coachman freedom express liberty edition 29 bunkhouse down $10k from list price.
And of course, I have the "dream of"owning a AS 30 ft.bunkhouse. of course, it cannot be new in our case.
Hubbie loves the 27 ft. Ltd. He thinks it isa built really well, even used.
Hard to justify paying so much extra money for something used and not getting his own bed or a warranty.
It is my fixation with the "dream of" owning an AS that has gotten us to this point, but is it really worth the 10-15 k more?
I know we would be happy with whatever we get because we will be together. Right now, our little guy just wants to pile all over us. I know that will change once he becomes a teen, but for now, it would just be us. His little friends will come too when he is 8, I think.

[andreasduess]

I don't know I the same is true in the US, but here in Canada the average length of ownership for SOB trailers is four years.

The average length of ownership for Airstreams is 15 years, and then many people trade sideways to a larger or smaller model as their circumstances change. This is according to our dealer, who sells both SOB models and AS.

An Airstream will always keep a far higher value than most SOBs I can think of. If you get yourself a good used model (a bunk is overkill for one kid IMO) then you can always sell it on, should you wish to change and get much of your money back. An SOB is pretty much worthless after ten years.