Author: Amanda Brandon
Need unique sleeping options in your camper? Fifth wheels offer some of the most versatile floor plans on the road. However, just like with any home (even those on wheels), you won’t get everything you desire if you’re trying to stick to a certain budget or if you have many needs from your layout.
Often, in order to have great sleeping arrangements, you give up living space or have to have multipurpose living space. When you have a large crowd (more than 4 or 5 adults/kids), you may have to be flexible with the sleeping arrangements. Here are some of the options for sleeping solutions in your fifth wheel.
Want everyone to have a sleeping space with a door? Consider the numerous bunkhouse models available. You have three floorplan styles to consider off the manufacturer’s floor – true bunkhouse, mid-bunkhouse, and garage.
The True Bunkhouse
The true bunkhouse is going to have a separate bedroom (often with a half-bath) in the front or rear of the fifth wheel. This style will have two to five bunks or jackknife sofas, game chairs that convert to beds, or a dinette/couch option that convert to beds.
Many full-timers convert their bunkhouse bedroom to fit their needs. You can build custom bunks, add small cots, cribs, and even build lofts depending on what your family needs. Custom shelving can serve a dual purpose when you need to sleep, work, and play in the bunkhouse space.
Some families also have the extra bathroom converted to a laundry closet, as this is often where the washer/dryer prep is in a bunkhouse model.
What do you lose in this model?
You may lose some living space in the living room. When you add the bathroom, the living room often has an angled entertainment center and loses a sofa. This is often the concession you have to make with a bunkhouse.
However, when everyone’s stuff has a home, you can use floorspace for family time (think beanbags and game chairs). If you have less living space, consider having a nicer outdoor setup (TV in a storage bay and outdoor kitchen) so you can have another hangout spot.
The Mid-Bunk
The mid-bunk is a harder-to-find and extremely popular option among families and full-timers. It offers a second bedroom – often in a slide behind the kitchen – and separate work/sleep space. You’ll typically see a bunk or two, a jackknife sofa, a desk, closet space, and/or gaming chair/sleep combos in a mid-bunk. These rooms are sometimes a bit smaller than a traditional bunkhouse, but they offer a separate space with a door.
We have looked at these floorplans because they also often have a loft space above the bathroom. While the bunkhouse is a smaller bedroom, we have kids with a large age gap. The loft gives the older child a separate space away from her little siblings.
This style is going to be a bit more difficult to customize because the mid-bunk may be a slide that is inaccessible during drives. That’s a consideration too if you overnight often on the road and don’t want to put out the slides.
What do you lose in this model?
Again, you’re going to lose some living space or storage space in these models. You may lose a sofa or loveseat to opt for the second bathroom. Lofts aren’t that private; however, they offer another separated sleeping option. If you don’t need the sleeping space, many RVers use the loft space as storage.
The Garage
Want lots of storage and sleeping space to customize? Consider a toy hauler. These versatile fifth wheels offer a large cargo area that can be converted to a large bunkroom. Many of them already have pulldown bunks or a queen bed over two bunks. This is often a choice for larger families because the larger room gives sleeping and storage space for everyone.
Another awesome feature of many toy haulers is the attached, fold-up porch. This is a really nice feature when you’re in a less-than-perfect campsite (grass, mud, boondocking).
What do you lose in this model?
Toy haulers are versatile, but you may lose some of the nicer touches in the garage area (carpet, wood storage cabinets). You may also have to put up with road dust, smells (gasoline), and unloading the bunkhouse to use it. This can be inconvenient if you move locations often.
You may also have a smaller living space as with other bunkhouse models.
A final consideration is that you may have a heavier weight and higher cost with a toy hauler. These trailers typically run about $10K to $30K more than a traditional fifth wheel. Toy haulers are also often longer and heavier than traditional fifth wheels. When you’re considering your overall options of buying a fifth wheel, look at where you will take it (many campgrounds have length restrictions) and what you will use for a tow vehicle.
Unique Fifth Wheel Sleep Solutions
I’m extremely interested in fifth wheel layouts because I love to see how families configure their living space for this full-time life. I’ve come across a few unique ideas for your existing fifth wheel or a more traditional fifth-wheel layout. Here’s a quick list to give you some ideas:
Front living room as bedroom. Several fifth wheels have super nice front living spaces, and if you only have a couple of kids, you can make this space dual purpose. Jackknife sofas and lots of storage space can be great for two kids. Plus, the whole family can hang out comfortably. The con here is privacy.
Renovate your fifth wheel to meet your specific needs. This is what we’re doing. I love how much storage we have for our family in our mid-2000s model Jayco Eagle fifth wheel, and we’re saving up for a newer fifth wheel in a year or two.
To meet our kids’ needs, we’re building a platform daybed in the space where our standard fold-out air mattress couch lives. When we finish, we’ll have two camping cots stored underneath for our younger kids. These simple fold-up frames will stow easily under the couch platform.
Some families forgo the dinette to add living and sleeping space.
Purchase different furniture. Did your RV come with a fold-out air mattress sofa? Replace it with a jackknife for a better sleep space. Some families buy daybeds to fit the same space as a sofa to serve dual purposes. You can also purchase a futon or foldout sofa bed to replace existing RV furniture.
We hope these fifth wheel sleep solutions give you some ideas about how to make your RV more comfortable and fitting to your RV lifestyle.
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