Looking at BF 27' RSB

[ronrvnew]

We are looking at the 27' RSB model but are not sure how comfortable the bed will be for the two of us. I am 6'2" @ 185lbs; wife 5'10" @ 120lbs. Would we be comfortabel sleeping in this rear side bed? What about the sofa beds? Are they comfortable to sleep on? I know we need to get a good nights rest to feel good the next day of travel. We have seen these units and can tell they are of great quality.

Thanks for your feedback.
Ron

[Roger H]

Boy, I don't know Ron. Those are pretty subjective questions. I'm not sure that other folks' answers will be the same as yours, after you've tried them. Obviously some folks are comfortable on the rear side bed or they wouldn't be as popular as they are. We wouldn't be. For us, the over-cab bed is the lesser of two evils. Having had the rear-side-bed setup for a number of years in a '70 Airstream 23' Safari Special with only a standard double bed sized mattress, I can tell you that it's a pain to make the bed, and the person closest to the wall is always cramped and has to crawl over their bedmate to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Roger

[whemme]

Ron,

I will add to what Roger said above.

I have a 2002 26' RSB coach and in my opinion the rear bed is really too small for most people but I am sure some would disagree. My wife sleeps in the rear bed and I sleep on the Flexsteel sofa bed. The rear bed is 50" wide and Roger is right, the one near the wall would have a tough time climbing over their partner to get out of bed for a bathroom call.

Born Free in their earlier units specified a medium density foam in the construction of the sofa bed and I found the sofa to be somewhat uncomfortable to both sit on or sleep on because the cushions always seemed to 'bottom out'. I learned however from this forum that the Flexsteel factory in Dubuque, IA would rework these older sofa beds if desired with high density foam cushions and that is what I did and now find the sofa bed comfortable both for sitting and sleeping. It is my understanding that Flexsteel sofa beds in recent Born Free coaches now have the high density foam cushions.

One other thing that most people notice when sleeping on the sofa bed is that when folded out into the bed position that section located next to the wall which would be the back rest section when in the sofa position is noticeably lower than the outboard section causing the bed to be somewhat uneven. I and some others have addressed this issue by putting 4 spacers of some kind between the back rest section and its mounting frame on the 4 attaching bolts. In my case I used 3/4" spacers and now the two sections of the bed are close to level and more comfortable to sleep on. For whatever reason Flexsteel has not fixed this problem that some of us have noticed even though they build these sofa beds by the thousands and are used thru out the RV industry.

The other option you might want to consider is the reclining single bed. This bed can be installed in place of both the Flexsteel sofa bed and/or the normal rear side bed if desired. Some say that this unit really is the most comfortable bed but it is only for one person. It also functions quite well as a sofa with repositioning of the cushions provided. You may want to consider visiting the factory in Humbolt, IA or their factory store in Clermont, FL to look at and try out these options first hand.

[bcope01]

Ron, my wife and I sleep great in the reclining twin beds in our BFT. If I were to get a new 27' RSB, we'd order a twin bed where the factory normally puts the jackknife sofa and a twin bed in place of the rear 3/4 bed. Not only are they great beds to sleep in, but they also double as comfortable sofas.

Bill

[Ray'n Mary]

We find the sofa beds (on 22'BFT) very comfortable to sleep on. --Ray

[harrisgowing]

Ron, my husband and I and our 2 18 pound dogs sleep together 75% of the time on the rear side bed. He is about your size, I am 5' 4" and weigh about 115. I will admit that I am the one next to the wall and have to climb over to get out and am smooshed up with the dogs, but most of the time, it is fine. Not if it is hot. We don't mind the sofa bed and use trava sacks on both. We use a foam topper on the rear bed and an inflatable camper mattress on the low side of the sofa bed. For whatever reason, we never seem to have trouble sleeping on the road - the traveling experience is enough to compensate for the big bed at home (but we sure do appreciate the big bed and the seemingly HUGE bathroom after 5 weeks on the road).

[Ann P]

Ron, I hope you've been over to Clermont to try out these different units. You're a tall guy and you want to be sure the RSB has a long enough bed for you. The sofabed is longer but has its drawbacks for 2 people. And be sure the 2 front cab seats are comfortable for you, especially if you get a dinette behind one.

By the way, Gooooooo Gators!

[John S.]

I am bigger than you and I sleep on the sofa bed in our 24 foot and it is comfortable enough. I do not mind it in the least after I figured out to push the seatbelts down underneath.

[MatthewKraft]

I'm 5'11 250lbs and my wife is 5'6 and is "plus sized". We sleep very comfortably on the Rear bed.

Yes, it's close quarters, but I wouldn't say it's cramped. She sleeps near the window because I'm a light sleeper and tend to take a couple trips to the head in the night, so she has to crawl over me to go to the head (or I have to move out of the way).

We've got a small LCD TV/DVD unit mounted on the wall at our feet. Makes for cozy sleeping quarters.

[missBJ]

We have a 26' rsb. The kids tend to sleep in the overhead. Hubby usually sleeps on the bed, and I like to sleep on the sofa, which I think is very comfortable. We could both sleep in the bed together, but it's tight, and sometimes I like a little extra room. Hubby is 5'10". We have watched a movie in the back bed together after we put the kids to bed in the overhead. I've considered replacing the rock hard overhead mattress with memory foam and sleeping up there, since it is the largest sleeping space. You're best bet before purchasing is to actually get into one and lay in the bed together to see how you fit and if you could live with it.

[Blyon]

Ron - we have owned a 26 RSB and currently own a 26 RB. We like both models. A major factor, at least for us, is the extra clothes closet space that the RB model offers. Also, the RB has a much nicer shower and dressing area. In our RB model, we sleep in the overhead bed, with much more comfort than in the RSB model. It is about time to update with a later model, and feel quite certain we will again select a RB model. Bill Lyon