Deciding between a Lazy Daze and Born Free

[bcope01]

Never slept on a LD sofa to make a comparison, but we sleep comfortably and soundly on the twin beds in our BFT.

Bill

[Roadtech]

I second Bill on the twin beds, they are great for sleeping.

[nccampguy]

Thanks for the input!

When I'm at the factory next week, maybe I should replace the chairs AND the flexsteel jacknife sofa with the twin lounges. I guess the sofa would be better for sitting on as a sofa ... and it will sort of hold two people (mainly kids I think) when made into a bed.

decisions decisions...somebody help me!


Jeff in NC

[Bogiesmom]

We have a 2007 "BFT" we just got in May, with the twin lounge beds, and we love them. They are very comfortable to sleep on. We just throw on the "Traver sac" sleeping bags and enjoy. They are very comfortable as well to sit on for dining, and raising them up for TV viewing and reading is a very nice feature. We were also amazed at how quietly they operate.
Good luck with your decisions.
Connie

[nccampguy]

Connie,

Thanks for the input! I think we are going to go with the twin lounge replacement for my two existing chairs and keep the exsiting sofa. This way my wife (her name is Connie too) can have the twin bed to sleep on and my son and I can fight over who gets the cabover and who gets the sofa bed. I also decided to put the fully automatic HWH levelers on it while I'm out that way. There is really no way to justify the cost of the levelers ... but hey ... its only money!

Jeff

[bcope01]

Jeff:

If cost isn't an issue, you might want to consider getting two twins. IMHO, the twin makes as comfortable a couch as does the jack-knife sofa, and a far superior bed. Another advantage of the twin bed is substantial additional storage underneath over what the sofa provides. If you do stick with your plan for a sofa and a single twin bed, please let us know down the road how that arrangement worked out.

Bill

[Trisha]

Hi Bill!

I thought I could tow the Bigfoot with the Born Free out of the box, but because the hitch weight is 700 lbs and curb weight of 5300 lbs (7500 lb gvwr on the Bigfoot) I need to have the Born Free added frame beefed up to handle the weight distributing hitch.
Roger

p.s. My wife is a native San Diegan, and I lived in Mira Mesa and later Ramona for years. My, how Escondido and Ramona have grown!

I, also, would like to see your setup when it's up and running. Sounds totally fascinating.

I have seen a few rear kitchens and would like that configuration, except you have to split the bath, but more I think about it, the more I think maybe no big deal?

Forgive my abbrev-a-speak

I, too, am a San diego Native. Dad did a lot of work up Escondido way back in the early 70s. Was sure different then. We always lived in the El Cajon, Granite Hills area, or up on Crest, if you know where that is. Just up from Harbison Canyon. Really hard hit by the Cedar fire in '04. So was Escondido if I remember.

Well, nice to see so many home-town homies around, even if we never stay home

Trish

[Roger H]

Hi Trish!

The 23' Rear Kitchen doesn't split the bath... it has a street side rear corner wet bath. It's actually a great use of space, although some folks (ahem) don't like having to stand in the shower stall for applying makeup.

I suspect that may be the real reason the 24' Rear Bath is so popular...

Roger

[Bogiesmom]

Jeff,
One thing I forgot to say in my earlier post is that we had the jack knife bed/couch in a fifth wheel some years ago. It was not comfortable to sleep on due to the crease in the middle. We ended up with a foam topper which made it comfortable, but then you have to store that.
In our Chinook Glacier we just got rid of, we had the electric sofa/bed. Same problem with the crease plus the side toward the wall was lower. We ended up using an air mattress, which leveled everything out and gave us a comfortable nights sleep. But, you had to pump it up every night and store it during the day. Thankfully it fit behind the sofa.

I guess that is why we are so thrilled with the twin lounge beds. Instant sleeping comfort, that reclines for reading and TV watching, and does a good job of being a couch and dinette as well. Do remember that you have the bolsters or back rests to stow for sleeping, unless you are a really skinny person and can sleep with them in place. We just set them up in the driver's cockpit area for the night laying them across the arm rests for the driver and passenger seats.

Just be sure you try lying on the jack knife couch made into the bed and see how it feels. Maybe they have improved them.
Connie

[Steve W]

Jeff. Two more pennies for the pot of consideration. We recently took delivery of a new 24RB, which we special ordered with the inclining twin beds. We had them in our 2004BFT and loved them. Some of the most comfortable beds we have slept on. The only downside is the table which must be assembled when needed, but it is an easy & quick task and when disassembled, fits nicely behind the drivers seat for easy access. All in all, for my wife and I, we are very satisfied.

Incidentally, when we were thinking of a larger RV than our BFT, we did take a trip to the LD factory. One hour there and we had no doubt that the Born Free, in our eyes, was the superior product.

[nccampguy]

Well folks,

Y'all are making me wish I had arranged to have (2) twin beds installed in my 24RB when I visit the factory on Tuesday. I doubt they can get another one ready in time for me at this point.

I guess if I have one of each I can be the perfect person to ask about he pluses and minuses of each in the future.

I'll let you know how things work out!

Jeff in NC .... headed to Iowa!

[Brent]

Roger,
I've got the RK design too. I am tired of the "wet" bath, but don't want to give up the size of the coach to "move up" in length.

That is one appeal of the LD - they have a good floor plan like the BF 24' only in a 23. Also BF has dropped the RK design at this time.

[Roger H]

Brent, having had a number of both "wet" and "dry" baths over the years, I find that literally the ONLY positive to the "dry" bath is my wife's ability to apply makeup while not standing in the shower, particularly when I have even found most "dry" bath showers not to be tall enough.

Fortunately for me at 6'5" tall, my 25' Bigfoot RQ travel trailer has a "dry" bath with a shower that is nearly 7' tall inside. The height of the shower, and the ability of the bedroom to handle an 80" (full size) queen were two signficant features that sold me on the Bigfoot 25B25RQ. I can "make do" in any RV bath, but after years of showering crouched over, it's refreshing to actually be able to stand and shower.

However, when you consider the amount of time the bath is actually in use versus how much time and space it takes up, the wet bath is a very efficient use of space. Given the choice, I'd much rather have the room in the galley than in the bath. I also chose the RK because it is at the far end of the over-all length I was considering for a tow vehicle. Having directly compared the 23RK and the 24RB at the factory, I much prefer the 23RK.

Roger

[Brent]

Roger,
I couldn't agree more on the size of the RK.

It is large enough to provide a good living area, and is heavy duty for towing and ride comfort. Plenty of payload, a good length/wheel base ratio, and is not so heavy on the chassis that there are handling issues - in fact it is an extremely low stress driving vehicle.

It is small enough that I do not tow and can find a parking place almost anywhere. Not "too" much more length then a full size double cab pickup.

I'm really sorry BF no longer provides a 23' coach on a 450 chassis, with an overhead.

[Roger H]

When I bought mine recently, I was actually looking for a Class B+ just to use as a comfortable tow vehicle. I really didn't care whether it had a bed and frankly wasn't too excited with the cabover. What fit the bill perfectly size wise was the "Bed & Breakfast" body. It was exactly what I wanted. Had it been manufactured with the opposed couch and captain's chairs with the galley and wet bath in the back, I'd have bought one in the blink of an eye. As a matter of fact, there were three of them for sale at the same time, which now I realize as quite unusual since those three represent 25% of all of them ever built!

However, their floorplan with the rear dinette wasn't what I wanted at all, and there were no "custom" floorplans built in the "B&B", so when I saw this 23' even though a couple of feet longer, a foot taller, and with the cabover, I recognized it's value as being probably the best combination of chassis, power, features, and size I'd be able to find.

I have already unexpectedly used it as a stand-alone motorhome and slept in the cabover twice, so it's features have proved themselves, and as soon as I get the frame beefed up, I think I'm really going to be pleased with it's versatility all the way around.

Roger