Rear living vs. Front living

[Keebler]

As the owner of a front living floor plan; I feel compelled to weigh in:

Pros:
< The living room is very spacious. We often camp with others, on a rainy day, our living room is the gathering point (ok, this may be a con for some).
< The bathroom is in the rear; I LOVE the high ceiling in the shower. Time in the shower is spent standing, time in the living room is spent sitting; I prefer the high ceiling in the shower.
< As mentioned above, we love the very distinct kitchen/living/bedroom areas

Cons:
< The pass through storage is smaller
< Our washer/drier is on the rear wall. We had an issue with the washing machine that my repair guy attributed to the amount of jarring that goes on that far behind the tires

Comments:
< I am surprised with the comments on the views; 99% of my enjoyment of the views is done from outside; not judging, just a non issue for me. That said, curb side views seem more important to me than front/rear views.
< The stairs feel to be a wash for me; I am old too, and for me that means more trips to the bathroom. Honestly, the couple of steps doesn't bother me.

[D2Reid]

This is almost as much fun as discussing the type of tow vehicle to get. It eventually boils down to personal preference. We had a rear den Cedar Creek, the one that had the sliding glass door that would close the living room off if desired. Our thoughts at the time that we bought it was that the kids/grandkids visiting would like to have "a room" for to sleep in. What we found was they don't visit as often as we had anticipated, to busy working. But it was a snug comfy setup that we enjoyed. The bedroom was up front. The kitchen was L shaped and spacious. Good windows in the living room.

As other have mentioned views depend a lot on where you are parked.

Then we found the Momentum 376TH with the little garage in the back, and we kept all of the living space that we had before. It's a front living room style. We don't get nearly the view from the LR of the 376, windows are chest high, so when you are sitting down you cant' see very much. But the LR is more spacious than the Cedar Creek was. Trade off was a smaller bedroom, a little cramped in the bedroom, but since we spend most of our indoor time either in the LR or kitchen it's worked out ok for us.

No matter which way you go you get used to it pretty quick.

[Sportsdad60]

We were entertained in our friend's Front living area in a solitude. It was wonderful! However we didn't dig the small kitchen area and the fact it was seperated from the living space. Big turn off for wife!

The 310GK-R we bought had that beautiful view with the big windows. Sold us.

When you're "Glamping" it feels like your living room is in the trees! Which it is!

Photo from northern MN last week.

[Cajun Couple]

Nice lake view from the rear living area.

[attaboy]

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.
We currently have an Imagine and will probably upgrade in the future.
Whenever we look at 5th wheels the front living is so doggone impressive you don't notice the cons.
Alice read this thread and the kitchen in the FL is a turnoff.
A contributor mentioned the high shower in the RL and that is important to me.
This thread leads us to the RL.
Thanks to all:
Bob A.

[Gronk1]

I like the RL of the 310, big curb side windows, (we had an Arctic Fox with windows on the street side-didn't like looking at others camp site), & most important is the fridge & microwave are only a couple of steps from the theater seating!

[CindyC]

Our previous travel trailer was a 2005 Sunline with a front kitchen, living area then a rear bath and bedroom. I loved looking out the window watching the campers go by or seeing who was coming to visit. BTW this was an extremely well built trailer.

Now we have a 2018 GD RSTS with a front bedroom (anyone notice the rain sounds sharp vs. soothing) and a back living area. I feel apart from the world now. I appreciate the larger space but miss my front kitchen.

[[email protected]]

Seems like most of the GD 5th wheels are rear living types. That said, I always seemed to get drawn to front living, picturing the TV down and grand views through the front and side windows of the living area. That said, the more I thought about in in campgrounds past, there weren't many that offered more than a view of the neighbors parked across the access road. Of course the same was true out the back end. I had visions of marvelous sunrises or sunsets with a FL but the more I think about it, probably useful if you park it on your own scenic property and campgrounds with that kind of view are probably rare - I could be wrong. Interested in other's opinions.

We currently have 2020 Solitude front living room Grand Design. One of the nice aspects of it is even when you are in a campground you are not looking at the vehicle or the camper next to you usually because of the elevation, you're looking over the parked vehicles. I am nearly six feet tall and do not have any problems with Headroom inside the front living room . Also with the raised bedroom and double sink full bath that is in the back we can store a paddle board and a kayak underneath that area. Unfortunately ours will be up for sale next week because of life's little problems.

[fez111]

Seems like most of the GD 5th wheels are rear living types. That said, I always seemed to get drawn to front living, picturing the TV down and grand views through the front and side windows of the living area. That said, the more I thought about in in campgrounds past, there weren't many that offered more than a view of the neighbors parked across the access road. Of course the same was true out the back end. I had visions of marvelous sunrises or sunsets with a FL but the more I think about it, probably useful if you park it on your own scenic property and campgrounds with that kind of view are probably rare - I could be wrong. Interested in other's opinions.

Our (my) opinion... Having pulled a 38 foot TT and a rear living 5er for 5 more years we bought a new-to-us 2016 Solitude 379FL in early 2017. When I first saw a front living unit I was excited to finally see something different. My theory is this...

The women want to play games and talk while the guys watch the big game on TV. In a rear living unit everyone is just a few feet apart. We can't hear the game because of 'cackling' at the table right next to us (don't judge) to where we can't hear the TV, so we turn it up just like any guy would. Then they start yelling that the TV is too loud (which also keeps us from hearing the game)...but the cackling does not diminish...and the domestic disturbance ensues! If there are also kids at the table, turn the TV off and go outside.

In a front living unit, everyone is still within close proximity to each other but it really does feel like we are in different rooms. The sounds from each are more muted and indirect. The front living room in our Solitude feels very large and is 3 steps higher. In the recliners we are looking directly at a 52 inch HD TV from 8 feet away while many rear living people are watching a much smaller screen at an angle. I have always been nuts about getting the best picture and sound quality (I had to rewire the stereo speakers because GD evidently doesn't know anything about phasing audio speakers). When we watch an action movie we can hear the fully separated left and right sound and with the sub-woofer is is enough that park rangers keep knocking on our door. It is unlikely that the entertainment center in a rear living unit can claim likewise.

If we were to do this again, I would surely push for another front living unit, but my wife still likes my brothers rear living unit better...but she 'is' one of the 'cacklers' after all...

One last thought... Plan on putting a roof vent in the front living area. It is the highest point in the RV and that's where all of the heat goes...

[riverdrifter1]

We traded our motorhome for our Solitude 310 GK. One of the huge selling points for us was the headroom and view from the huge windows in the rear. We have way more natural light than the mh and as others have said, the views are almost always to the rear. One campground we stay in in Borrego Springs has hookups on both sides so the motorhome can pull in with the front facing the golf course. This is rare however!