Where do passengers sit while RV is on the road?

[Sheik Yerbuti]

Hi everyone-
My wife and I are in the research phase of buying an RV. We're looking at a Class C. After a couple of months of research...two things keep nagging away at me--that I haven't found any answers to:
1) What is riding in an RV like....when the slides are "in?" EVERY photograph I've seen...ever description & link...show RV's parked, with all the slides out. I know it's to show how much room there is. Yeah--they all look great. BUT--what is life on the road like with all of the slides "in?" I've yet to see any photos or videos. Can you access the bathroom or fridge? Or do you have to park...and slide out the slides?

2) Where do passengers sit while on the road? Again--every pic or video shows a dinette and sofa. I notice these have seat belts. So...is this were the kids sit? We have two teenagers: Our son is 6'2"...daughter is 5'11". The seatbacks on those dinettes look to be only a couple of feet tall at most...which means the seatbacks would probably only reach the lower backs of our teenagers. That does not seem very comfortable for long road trips. And if the slides are "in"...it would appear that our teenagers would be packed like sardines. And there seems to be a lack of windows (like, just the one window by the kitchen)...so it looks like sightseeing while on the road is very limited. Also...some RV's don't have a sofa--so this uncomfortable-looking dinette would seem to be the only passenger seats for our teenagers.

Any comments/observations would be MOST appreciated!

 

[Ex-Calif]

I am looking forward to the responses. My RV has seatbelts on the forward facing dinette seat. I am crowded if two people sit there to eat dinner - LOL. Even if I could seat 3 6 year olds there in an accident they would all face plant into the edge of the dinette table.

My sofa bed has 3 seatblelts and is a but more comfortable to sit on but you travel sideways. I had a lounge chair with a seatbelt that I took out and made into a desk area. My RV advertises seating 9! I cannot imagine traveling with 9 people - LOL...

I have had 4 people on a couple of hour trip. 2 in the back didn't strap in and moved from place to place at random. In an accident I am sure at least one of them would have launched through the very convenient and giant front windshield.

I don't have slides so can't comment on that.

My first sailboat was 24 feet long and made in Sweden. I have the brochures of a giant blonde Swedish family living aboard with mom cooking and kids smiling. Maybe in the 70's but no way would I wanna be cooped up for 5 days on that boat with 4 people - LOL.. It advertised and technically had accommodation for 5! It had something called a quarter berth - basically a morgue drawer...

 

[Larry N.]

Can you access the bathroom or fridge? Or do you have to park...and slide out the slides?

That is rig dependent, but mostly you can get to the bathroom and fridge. In three different class As I've had the layout has been three different ways, with my current Ventana having a narrow aisle back to the fridge and to the half bath amidships. All have had that narrow aisle, but all could at least get to a bath and a fridge. Below are a horizontal and a vertical pic of my Newmar, with the red circle in the vertical being the half bath door handle and the fridge across the aisle. The bed blocks the way to the full bath in the rear.

There's also a picture of the Beaver I used to have with the slides closed, and the flash is reflecting off of a mirror in the bedroom, while the silver vertical strip in the middle is the edge of the refrigerator door, and just beyond that is the main bath area (walk through, no slide in that area) and everything is accessible.

The final picture is of the Bounder that we used to have. Apparently I don't have any with the slide closed (one full wall on driver side), but you can see the bath door on the left, and the fridge and wall on the right side of the picture came in and left a narrow path to the bed, so that left everything accessible too.

The mini-motorhome (now called class C) we had in the 1970s had no slides, so obviously everything was accessible.

Sorry I don't have any class C with slides to show, but you can see that everything is floor plan dependent, so a generic statement won't work.

2) Where do passengers sit while on the road? Again--every pic or video shows a dinette and sofa.

Oops - forgot about quest. 2:
Again, it's rig dependent. My Ventana has a couch with a couple of seat belts and the forward facing seats of the dinette have seat belts. In the Beaver, the chairs of the dinette obviously are not suitable, but the couch on each side had belts. In the Bounder, the dinette forward facing seats and a couch had seat belts.

So again, it's rig dependent.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Hurray for no slides!!>>>Dan All motorized RVs have at least two seats with belts.(facing the windsheild)

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

I think it depends on how interested one is on needing seatbelts. Not dismissing or endorsing the idea, just stating there are more options if you sit or lay in places that may not have seat belts in place. I haven't been a passenger too many times but have used the barrel chair, laid on the bed and sat sideways at the dinette. For short trips one can put comfort and convenience aside and stay where there's restraints but on a long interstate haul we find the major advantage of the motorhome is being 'free to move about the cabin'. That's a harder sell when there's kids or car seats involved and I get that, but when there's only so many seat belt positions available it is what it is. In a perfect world every seat would have five point restraints, and recline with heat and massage but my RV didn't come with those.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Larry N.]

Hurray for no slides!!>>>Dan All motorized RVs have at least two seats with belts.(facing the windsheild)

Beaver with slides open - note the pocket door to the bath and bedroom is closed. The 2nd shot is, of course, looking forward. The third shot is forward in the Bounder.

 

[JudyJB]

Before you buy anything, make the dealer close the slides. Then make sure you can walk from the front to the back and access the bathroom, refrigerator and any other items you might need as you drive.

Also, make sure you and each of your kids can sit in the dinette. Also, they each need to sit on the toilet to make sure their knees fit into the bathroom with the door closed. Ditto for laying on the beds they will use. With a couple of tall teenagers, you want to make sure they fit in the beds and in the shower without hitting their heads!!

And there are RVs with sofas with seat belts, which is likely to be more comfortable than the cramped dinette.

And because you have four adults, you also need to be aware of Cargo Carrying Capacity. I travel alone and am over my limit, so have to be very careful with what I bring along. You might want to look at a small A because they almost always give you larger CCC.

 

[UTTransplant]

I have never had a Class C, so I can’t give any views there, but all the Class As we looked at (and the one we bought) had seat belts in the sofa. Some had two, and ours had three seatbelts. It would certainly be more comfortable than a dinette. However don’t get complacent that seat belts in a RV will protect occupants like seat belts in a car. They may keep the occupants in place, but all the cabinetry may come down around them in something like a roll over. Luckily RVs are generally in fewer accidents than cars (slower speed, more experienced drivers, better visibility). As for moving around, we have to turn sideways to get to the bathroom with the slides in, but we aren’t small people and it isn’t an issue. We can reach the refrigerator the same way. I will happily live with that limitation to get the extra space my 4 slides give me.

 

[ChasA]

Regarding seatbelt lengths. You can buy seatbelt extenders on Amazon.

 

[NY_Dutch]

One of our criteria in picking out our RV's has been full access with the slides in. In really cold weather we often keep our current single super slide in to reduce the volume we need to heat, conserving propane. The only access we lose with the slide in is to a little used 120 volt outlet. The living area, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom are all fully accessible.

Regarding seat belts, we have them for the two front seats of course, as well as three sets at the sofa, four sets at the dinette, and one set for the rocker/recliner.

 

[grashley]

Welcome to the Forum! Thanks for coming BEFORE purchase!

You have defined a few "must have" items for your camper - Access when traveling, comfortable seats with belts, a comfortable view of the outside from those seats, comfortable long beds for all. When you go RV looking, DO NOT VARY FROM THIS LIST! The right one is out there. You are not the only one demanding these features. As Judy said, have them close the slides to verify it meets your needs. The space my DW needs to reach the bathroom is much smaller than my needed space.

One other option is an air mattress. Modern quality ones are 16" - 20" high - bed height with built in blowers to fill and empty the bed in under 4 minutes. We have one, and it really is comfortable!

You are well on your way to finding your perfect camper.

 

[John Stephens]

Since we have dogs that need to lay down in the floor, I had to make sure there would be room to walk with the slides closed when I bought my rig. DW has no problem getting to the fridge or the bathroom while I'm driving.

 

[FunSteak]

And because you have four adults, you also need to be aware of Cargo Carrying Capacity. I travel alone and am over my limit, so have to be very careful with what I bring along. You might want to look at a small A because they almost always give you larger CCC.

This right here. Especially with class C units, you will be unpleasantly surprised how low the CCC is. They seem to build them close to the limit, to squeeze in more bells and whistles.

First thing I ask or look for when looking at a rig is the CCC. Shocking how many of them are not even 1000 lbs! That includes water, waste, all of your cargo and all of your passengers. With four passengers, you're already close to the limit, before packing anything or filling the tank.

IMO, this is a big thing that must be considered.

 

[DaveMcArthur]

Hi, here's a very specific version of the question about where passengers sit in an RV. We just got a Coachmen Beyond 22D (class B), which has side-facing bench seats near the back. They are used mainly for a dinette, but they also come with lap seatbelts for 4 passengers. I've heard many general discussions that these are not safe, although useful for short trips. I don't believe there are any laws against long high-speed trips in these sorts of seats, at least in this county. But what are the thoughts of RVers on this?
Thanks in advance from a (old) newbie!

 

[Ex-Calif]

An RV is not a "crashwothy" vehicle in the sense of passenger vehicles, IMO.

I view my MGs (1968 tech w/ lap belts), my motorcycle (hardly a stand up to an SUV) and my RV's aux seats as my choice to drive.

I would tell my passengers that it's a house on wheels and if they aren't comfortable in side facing seats with lap belts they can take a chase car. I personally have no issue riding long term in RV auxiliary seats. The big advantage of an RV is that mine grosses out at #19,500 and wins just about any one vs. one F=MA contest...

 

[NY_Dutch]

Over the years I've ridden in many mass transit vehicles, both buses and subway/elevated trains, with side facing seats. I never found it to be a problem, and neither have guests that have ridden sideways in our motorhomes for hours at a time.

 

[Oldgator73]

Sat sideways on buses, trains, subways, 2 1/2 ton troop carriers and C-130’s. Sat backwards on C-5’s And laid down in the cargo area of C-5’s so I doubt sitting sideways in a MH would be a problem.

 

[NY_Dutch]

Sat sideways on buses, trains, subways, 2 1/2 ton troop carriers and C-130’s. Sat backwards on C-5’s And laid down in the cargo area of C-5’s so I doubt sitting sideways in a MH would be a problem.

Heh! I forgot about the troop carriers, etc. And the C-130's, especially when riding next to a sloshing 2500 gallon fuel bladder...

 

[Oldgator73]

Heh! I forgot about the troop carriers, etc. And the C-130's, especially when riding next to a sloshing 2500 gallon fuel bladder...

In web seating. We were flying on a C-130 from Yokota AB to Misawa AB. The plane was pretty full and couple of young, looked like brand new to the AF, airmen sitting across from us. The guy was trying to impress the young girl. He started to take on a bit of a green pallor when he turned to the young lady and promptly threw up in her lap. Our kids, who were 11 and 9 were gobsmacked.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Sideways facing seats and dinettes that have a table directly in the path of your body are fine as long as you never have a serious crash. High probability of serious injury if you do. Fortunately, an RV is typically heavier and higher than anything it runs into, so as long as you avoid big trucks and bridge abutments, chances are you will survive ok. Typical class C's top out around 14,000 lbs, so have a big advantage if hit by a 3500 lb sedan or SUV. Not so much if it's a 20,000 lb medium truck.