Twin beds vs King Size Bed

[ridgwayk]

We are really wrestling with which option to pick regarding bedding.  We've seen a lot of people opt for the twin configuration.  We've read all the posts, and still haven't decided on which way to go...Looking for good, bad, etc for bedding comfort.

 

As someone over the 200 mark, I don't know that I'd be comfortable long term in the twin bed...It was fine on the 5-10 min we laid on them at the factory, but not sure I'd get a good night's sleep.  Also not sure I'd want to crawl over my spouse with the king config....

 

Any comments for the article below?  Any comments / recommendations are MOST welcome! (thanks)

 

http://www.trailerlife.com/rv-trailer-news/olivers-twist/

 

Granted, these beds aren’t very wide or long (the trailer itself is only 7 feet across and has no slideouts), so those over 200 pounds or taller than 6 feet 2 inches should probably not apply. - See more at: http://www.trailerlife.com/rv-trailer-news/olivers-twist/#sthash.EKqbUlu0.dpuf

[marsharini]

We went with the standard/king configuration.   We use the rear of the trailer as the "head" of the bed, so although one doesn't have to crawl over the other, we do have to crawl into the bed.

 

[ridgwayk]

Thanks Ed and Marsha...I'm curious...do you leave the bed in that config most of the time when you are camping or do you setup/tear down on a daily basis?  (BTW the pic looks GREAT!  Thank you for sharing!)

[topgun2]

We got Twist with a modified twin bed design.  Originally we wanted the curb side to be a regular bed with a regular mattress and the street side to be like the one in Ron Merritt's (Windcrasher) YouTube video - a couch without the little fiberglass extension piece that is put on to hold a mattress.  However, because either my wife or my fishing buddy will join me on trips, we elected to have both sides setup to hold a mattress.  We still only got an actual mattress on the curb side and the regular standard cushions on the street side, but, we added "back" cushions on the street side in order to be able to use this like a couch with a fairly wide seat.

 

Since both my wife and I (and even my fishing buddy) are not very active sleepers, the relatively narrow nature of the single bed doesn't bother us.  We sleep with our heads toward the rear and with the nightstand there it really makes one feel like you are in a quiet little nest.  My wife, 5'4" and 118 pounds says that the standard cushions were very comfortable.  I'm right at 6' and 165 pounds and get a great night's sleep on the firmest mattress that Oliver sells.  Note that all three of us like very firm sleeping surfaces.

 

I can assure you that all other "activities" associated with this area of the camper are no problem at all - especially watching TV.  I should also note that we got the reading light option but instead of the "usual" locations we had two placed in the dinette area (as usual) and the other two placed on the street side - one in the back corner and the other near the pantry.  This way we have two positions for reading on the couch.

 

With this arrangement I do not have to sleep in the same bed with my fishing buddy, we don't have to crawl over each other to get in or out of bed, for the 80% of the time that I camp alone I have a couch to sit on, read on, watch TV on, etc.  In addition, I don't have to change over from a dining area to a bed and back again and I think that visually this arrangement helps open up the camper even more.

 

Good luck with your decision - this is why they make choices!

 

Bill

[routlaw]

We went with the standard king configuration and never change it to the dinette, finding the small one more than adequate for our needs. No complaints at all. Like Ed and Marsh we use the bed in line with the camper, the back being the head board. Easy to get in and out of during the night too. The twin configuration is a nice idea but they are also considerably narrower than a real twin bed.

[marsharini]

Thanks Ed and Marsha…I’m curious…do you leave the bed in that config most of the time when you are camping or do you setup/tear down on a daily basis? (BTW the pic looks GREAT! Thank you for sharing!)

 

We opted for a custom split king mattress that was purchased through Oliver, so it's a fulltime bed and we just use the side dinette.

[rideandfly]

We were originally going to order an Elite II with King Bed Configuration. A used 2015 Elite II with twin beds became available, so we decided to give twin bed configuration a try.

 

Our Ollie came with 5 1/2" Poly Foam AB Lifestyles mattresses ordered by the previous owner and installed by Oliver during Ollie construction. We ordered a set of 11" memory foam custom size mattresses (special order for the Elite II) from AB Lifestyles today, 29" X 74.5" X 11" with 15" radius cut one corner of each mattress. We both like memory foam mattresses, so we ordered new 11" memory foam mattresses today. It's easy to make up twin beds standing between them. We like the walkway between the beds, too. I'm 6' tall and 215 pounds, the twin is comfortable size for me. My Wife is 5'2" and 120 pounds, the twin is comfortable size for her, too.  We're happy we bought the used Elite II twin bed configuration.

[ridgwayk]

For those who chose the king bed configuration I am guessing the power outlets below become mostly inaccessible while the bed is made?

 

Thanks again folks.

 

Keith

[marsharini]

For those who chose the king bed configuration I am guessing the power outlets below become mostly inaccessible while the bed is made? Thanks again folks. Keith

 

We had an additional outlet installed in the bed area on the underside of one of the overhead cabinets.  Otherwise, there aren't any power outlets under the bed that I'm aware of, at least in the standard/king configuration.

[rideandfly]

The previous owner installed a 110V outlet in the overhead storage compartment over the TV. We use the 110V and existing 12V outlet for device charging that's out of sight:

 

 

[routlaw]

Had to go out and look, there are no AC outlets under the king bed on ours. Wouldn't matter cause we never camp, well seldom if ever camp, where AC is available. I've probably plugged our Oliver into an AC outlet maybe 2 or 3 times max, not sure why I did it then. It probably wouldn't be too difficult to install an AC outlet in this area though or below the control panels under the pantry area would be more accessible.

[donthompson]

We chose the twin bed configuration and purchased the "escape" mattresses from Oliver. We had the mattresses shipped to us and had them covered with the same material as we used for the cushions on the side dinette. We then had back cushions made so the twin beds also serve as seating surfaces. Don't make beds at night. Just remove the back cushions and pillows and use a sleeping bag when it's cool/cold or a sleeping bag liner when it's warm. It's worked out well for us.

 

Oliver-Deliver-2-copy.pdf

 

 

[ridgwayk]

Thanks Don. Appreciate the pic. You have a beautiful layout.

[ridgwayk]

Ok. Hate to be a pest but this would solve the dilemma. Anyone ever tried doing something like this? 

[ridgwayk]

Take a look at 10:05 into the video. Could this be done for an Oliver?

 

[routlaw]

Not a pest, actually its a good subject to discuss and consider. I like the setup on the video you link in regards to the bed. Effectively this is what Ed and Marsha did only with their setup being permanent. I think you could implement something very similar to whats shown in the video and perhaps better on the Oliver. Something I have considered as well.

 

I assume the reason you would want to do this is to expand your seating area? I will add for the most part we don't feel cramped using just the small side dinette for seating and on occasions will just crawl into the bed area with cushions for support for other more laid back casual seating.

 

Not sure this helps.

[ridgwayk]

I assume the reason you would want to do this is to expand your seating area?

Yep, that's exactly the reason...with the king bed made up you appear to effectively loose almost 1/4-1/3 of the camper to the bed.

 

Thanks for all the input folks!!

[wave1127]

hi everyone,

 

hope marsharini doesn't mind my screen shot of their lovely king bed configuration:)!

 

the screen shot indicates where 2 of our optional outlets were placed by OTT.  they are very easy to get to in the king bed configuration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

a couple of thoughts after camping a few nights in our OTT.  see the clear storage bin underneath marsharini's king bed set up?  that extra storage feature seems minor but sure is immensely helpful when we are camping.  it gets things out of the way but still easily accessible without having to go outside to the truck to retrieve something.

 

also of note, i do love that twin bed conversion ridgwayk showcased in the video he attached.  keep in mind though that an extra mattress is another item you have to store (most likely in your tow vehicle).  after taking down and setting up the bed just once or twice we found it to be more trouble than it is worth and agree that the smaller dinette area is more than enough seating for us - the added storage below is quite nifty:)!

 

so, if maximizing seating is priority for you then i highly recommend the twin bed configuration but if sleeping comfortably is key, you can't beat the king bed configuration (ken is 6'5" and 250ish so twin beds were a definite no-go for us!)

 

hope that helps somehow!

[DavidS]

We started researching trailers months ago, and I was very impressed when I first found Olivers. I really liked the twin bed layout. Clean look, good access to the overhead storage, and the nightstand is a big plus.

 

When Susan looked at the plan she said “A 30 inch wide bed? Too small. A regular twin bed is 39 inches wide.” Beds were a major consideration for us. We did not want a climb over, and for us that ruled out the 18 foot Oliver. I could not believe that the Airstream 23D has a bed that is only 48 inches wide, where you have a climb over at the foot! After all, a standard double bed is 52 inches wide. After all of our research we decided on the 23 foot Oliver standard floor plan, and we ordered our unit.

 

As I perused this forum, it seemed the vast majority of posters had twin bed units. On one of my phone calls with Anita at OTT, I asked what fraction were twin bed vs. standard layouts. Anita said probably 85% of the Elite IIs sold have the twin bed layout!

 

Susan and I talked about this, and we read thru the forum postings whose links I had saved on this topic, both at this forum and an Airstream posting. (This thread started just after we decided on the 23 foot Oliver with the standard floor plan.)

 

My son has moved out, but there is a 39 inch single bed in his room, up against the wall. We covered 9 inches of the bed with books, and we each lied on it and it worked for us. We also realized that a 30 inch bed is exactly half the width of queen bed.

 

So two weeks ago we changed our order from the standard to the twin bed floor plan. And then came wave1127’s posting

 

after taking down and setting up the bed just once or twice we found it to be more trouble than it is worth

 

We are happy we changed our minds, and maybe our tortured logic will be useful to others as they research Olivers.

[Mike and Carol]

Dave, we found the twin beds big enough.  We didn't want the hassle of converting the table each night.  The two seat dinette also works well for us.  Our other considerations were access to the upper storage being difficult while in sleep mode and we liked having the nightstand.  While watching TV we move the pillows to the opposite end and voila, we have recliners.  We're happy with our decision, I think you will be too.

 

Mike

 

[ScubaRx]

Since our first Outlaw Oliver (Hull # 26) was a twin bed model, we chose the twin bed model for our second Outlaw Oliver (Hull # 50). We wanted to maximize our storage area and I envisioned providing it by raising the beds to create room underneath.  I worked with Steve Parsons at the Oliver factory and came up with this design. A special mold was designed for this build.

 

 

Access hatch under each bed.

 

 

Interiors are lighted.

 

 

Mattresses rest on a two part surface.

 

 

Each part is removable to allow access to the compartments below.

 

 

Our "stuff" is stored in totes.

 

There is about 13 cubic feet of storage beneath each bed.

[Overland]

Seeing those storage risers is what sealed the deal for us on the twin beds.  Another thing to think about is that access to the overhead storage in the rear is much easier with the twin bed arrangement.

[ridgwayk]

With the storage risers, aren't you basically sleeping against the windows?  Seems like you might damage the window shades accidentally?

[wave1127]

hi ridgwayk,

 

i did notice on our last trip that the window (privacy) shade material is "paper"? not sure exactly what material but something easily crushed if hit the wrong way.  when i brought them up quickly to "open" the window view, i found unless the creases were perfect it closed funny.  i had to shut the blinds, carefully re-fold the creases before i could re-open them again properly.  it happened again to the window shade on the other side of the trailer, later in the trip.  a little frustrating - i wish that the privacy blinds were made of something more durable.  i might research the windows to see if there is a replacement material.

 

we have the standard option and even though we weren't sleeping right up against the windows, just simple use of our bed area seemed enough to accidentally "crush" the blinds and make them difficult to re-fold properly.

 

i hope that makes sense.  does anyone else have this problem with the "paper" privacy shades?

[ScubaRx]

With the storage risers, aren’t you basically sleeping against the windows? Seems like you might damage the window shades accidentally?

 

...we have the standard option and even though we weren’t sleeping right up against the windows, just simple use of our bed area seemed enough to accidentally “crush” the blinds and make them difficult to re-fold properly. i hope that makes sense. does anyone else have this problem with the “paper” privacy shades?

 

Part of my design for our beds was to put us up even with the bottom of the windows. I like to lay there and look out as the world passes by and if something goes “bump in the night” all I have to do is open my eyes. I’ve not had a problem with touching the window shades very often, as most of the time they are open about four or more inches. More likely one of the dogs has laid up against one when it was fully closed and knocked a few of the pleats out of kilter. That is easily fixed by completely closing the shade then reopening it. There’s never been any lasting damage.