Selecting the right Model 2720 floor plan

[BobWilson]

I haven't made my commitment to buy yet and still have questions.  Help me decide.  How many of you like the 2720 floor plan with the front bed vs. the slide out? It will normally be only my wife and I using the trailer.  We like to take trips of one week or longer so we need more supplies and personal items, we would need more storage space than for a weekend trip.

2720 or 2619:The extra bed in front could be used to store more personal things if you don't need to sleep on it.  However it could be unsightly without organization.  The dealer said some put a curtain across the bed to hide it.  How many use what looks like a magazine rack on the door for shoes?

2720 SD The slide out Models seems like it would give you more critical floor space for shoes when you need to take them off coming in on a damp day and for personal bags and things.  The optional cabinet looks useful, however small, and it looks like it is heavy. It would have to be moved to the aisle when breaking camp, right?.  Stackable plastic containers could be useful instead.  They could go as high as you want, and when you need to pack up could be set aside one by one to be less weight to handle at a time.

2720SL More floor space but two smaller tables.  It would seem funny to be eating at the couch with a table compared to a booth layout.  Is the couch more comfortable for a longer period of time than the booth layout with table in between? When couped up in the trailer due to bad weather comfort is going to be an issue I think.

[Bill]

As you point out, either of the slide-out models provides more floor space than the base unit, and to us that was very important.  Lots of stuff ends up in that floor space - extra shoes, the dog and cat beds and bowls, an outdoor table and chairs when they are folded up ....  We'd be lost without that space.

We like the couch in the SL.  It is quite comfortable, but probably has the same construction, and therefore the same comfort, as the dinette seats in the SD.  Two advantages to the couch.  1) You can lie down on it if you want to, which I occasionally do.  2) It faces into the living area, which "feels" right.  We set our TV on the counter on top of the refrig, and we can both see it quite well from the couch. I'm not sure how this would work from the dinette seats - seems like one of you would be facing the wrong way to see the TV.  As for the two small fold-down tables - we haven't found them to be a problem, and it is nice to be able to fold down one - or both - to tailor the amount of floor space to our needs of the moment.  They are great for two people (us), but wouldn't be nearly as good if you had three or more.

One reservation - as the pictures on the TM website show, when you make up the front bed in either slideout unit, it is about 3" shorter than the bed in the base unit.  If you occasionaly travel with someone tall, he may have to sleep diagonally.  We spent a week on the road with our 6'1" son, and he found this to be annoying.

Hope this helps

Bill

Bob, you are posing a question that faced my wife and I.  Originally, we purchased a 2720.  We looked forward to our grown kids and their children camping with us and thus making use of the huge bed at the front.  With the exception of a couple occasions where friends or relatives joined us in a trip, the bed has seen little use, other than for throwing stuff onto it once the trailer is setup.  We felt that this "stuff" was an eyesore that seemed to overwhelm the motif of the trailer.  Also, because this area became a catch-all, it presented a huge task of putting it all away before we could fold our trailer down.  One thing I never liked about our tent trailers was having to get things out, move them around and then put them away.  Sometimes this process was an exhausting duty that I dreaded.  Recently, we set our eyes on the slide out that has a couch at the end.  In fact, we had decided to trade ours in for one.  I like to be able to sit back and relax in our trailer.  The bench seats of our 2720 made it difficult to do so.  But, we also like to eat meals facing each other and to read maps at a table.  So, we changed our mind and opted for the slide dinette.  The benches make in to a bed so we can accommodate at least a couple of companions.  Also, this bed has a slightly larger surface than does the couch that makes into a bed.  We now have a lot of foor space.  We are going to pick up comfortable folding lounge chairs (some are well contoured and padded).  There is plenty of space for using them when the slide is pulled out.

As to the dealer's recommendation of a curtain that could hide stuff on the 2720 bed, the 2720 already should have such a curtain.  But when closed, the curtains make the interior feel a lot smaller and more cramped.

I agree with you about eating while sitting at a couch.  The table would be too far from me.  I would have to sit on the edge of the couch or sit way back and spill food on my lap.

The optional cabinet (the one that hangs on the wall) can be a bit heavy, especially when loaded with dishes.  Even then, it is still a very good place to store things that you wish to be easily accesible.  It is removed during travel and stored either on the floor or placed on the slide out.  If you do not wish to hang it, it can sit nicely on the counter that is above the refrigerator.

Hal

Hi guys

My wife and I went back and forth with the idea of the 2720 Slide.  It is just the two of us most of the time, with the occasional, and I mean occasional time when our son from college would join us.

We felt that the dinette bed can be used but is smaller and mostly reserved for children....our son is 6'0....

We considered the 2720sl  I liked the idea of the front sofa, but then realized that because of the propane tanks that slide in, and the furnace, there is less storage in that area then in the 2619.  Also when that bed is open, there is less room for 2 to sleep then the 2619 with the front bed.  At least with the 2619 we have an option to have 2 more people if necessary

Then we considered the additional cost of the 2720 and the 2619.  We found that there was approximately $3500.00 to $4000.00 more for the 2720.  I went on line to nada to see the difference in price of the 2 as the years go on.  It doesnt take that many years before the difference in price of the 2 is minimal.  Therefore the xtra bucks do not add to the higher value of the 2720 for that long.

So, after considering, price, room and depreciation, we finally decided on the 2619 and for us it is great..

Good luck with your decision

[BOB_STRONG]

Bob,

Having to decide on which floor plan is sometimes a hard decision. Our first Trailmanor was a 1993 23M or in today's numbers the 2720. Back then, they did not have the front slide out for that size trailer. We kept it one year because we wanted something bigger and of course more usable storage space. We selected the 3326 King which offers you both: front couch with a pull up table and a permanent side dinette in the kitchen area. Of course, you want to stay in the 2720 size. The front bed makes the camper feel too small. With the couch, you don't like the table situation. With the 2720 SD, you will have the area underneath the seats for added storage, plus you have the table which you can leave up. With this, you have a trailer that seems a lot larger. Also the cabinet could have coasters or wheels added so all you had to do is push it into place instead of lifting it up. Across from the cabinet, you can buy the hanging cabinet to place or buy some other kind of plastic storage at WalMart or Lowes. The 2720 SD also will give you a larger back bed over the 2619 model. Some people might be happy with the 2619 model, but I'm sure that down the road you would have wished that you had gone with the larger model. When we owned a Coleman popup, it took us 3 years to get the right size. We bought what we thought was the right size, and then the next year we sold it outright and bought a larger one. Then the next year, Coleman came out with the redesigned Plantation model, and of course we traded it in again. Also with the 2720, you have the little storage area in the back of the camper. With the 2619 model you will loose this area. Every little bit of storage area sure helps. Thus the 2720 SD will give you more storage area, a better usable table, a movable cabinet area, and a bigger and more home like atmosphere. Also, with the 2720 SD, you have the nice ledge area in the front by the window. The decision is yours, but since you want to stay with a 2720 model, the 2720 SD would be the way to go.

Good luck!! ???

Bob Strong

[Sinclue]

Bob
We love our 2720SL.  We just spent 10 days in it.  Two people three dogs (two German Shepherds & 1 Boston Terrier).  We left the chair behind and added a small foldup table from CW that fits perfectly between the refridge and the slide out along the window.  We like the open feel of this model.  The tables don't bother us (outboard one slides out with a leaf to make it double wide).  Since you pretty much have to sit up to eat in either the couch or the diner style that isn't a problem.  The dinette seems to make the space seem smaller and doesn't seem as easy to take a nap in.
The couch is real handy for that! I built a coat tree out of a piece of redwood 2x2 and some brass hooks that sits nicely by the door to hang coats, hats, leashes, etc. on.  Definitely reduces clutter when you are staying for a while.  We also have the hanging cabinet.
With the dinette wouldn't you have to have that table up all the time, or set it up/take it down for meals?  Then you are always having to slide in and out or sit on the edge facing the table.  When you are home do you sit around the table most of the time or do you prefer a couch with a few comfortable pillows and/or an easy chair?  We also use one of our foldable lounge chairs inside sometimes.  
If we ever needed the extra sleeping space it seems like the couch would be more comfortable than the converted dinette.  But, in the end, it really boils down to how you are going to use the space and what "feels" right to you.  In some ways its like any home buying experience.  Weirdly enough I paid almost the same for our TM as for my first house. :-/
Jim

Hi, Bob!

We have had a 2001 2720SL for two years now and have slept in it maybe 120 nights. We love the floor plan and eating at the table is not a problem: just put one of the small pillows provided with the trailer behind you and it is comfy. We can seat five comfortably in the living room: just try that with a 2720 std. Not a lot of storage, but that is okay as long as one keeps his/her head about what you really "need" to take along as opposed to what one "wants" to take along.

Phil

[Civil_War_Buff]

If I were to do it all over again, I would have gotten an SL model over the standard 2720.  I like the front bed and all, but I think that sometimes getting in and out of the dinette with the table extended is a little challenging.  I like the idea of a couch, it seems more like a home on wheels, but because we got a show model with a lot of extra options, it wasn't something we had to guive a lot of thought  to.  But as I said, if I were to do it again....it would still be a TM, but an SL model.

[Civil_War_Buff]

I was thinking about this thread a little bit ago and I happened to remember something that I had been considering...I went by Dinuba a week ago, and I was talking to John, and I asked if it would be possible, and what it would take to transform my 2720 into an SL.  He mentioned the slide supports that would need to be welded to the front hitch for the slide-out glides, the horizontal tanks, and moving the batteries. Beyond that he wasn't sure, so he said he would check with the factory and see.  What are your thought om this idea?

His first response was to tell me he had a customer interested in a 2720, but the wife says no new trailers for 5 years, so that was out.

It looks very doable from a practical, sense, but I need to see if the cost would warrant the attempt!!

I will let eveyone know what he finds out.

[BobWilson]

Conversion to SL?  Who would do it but the factory?
There would be the cost of transporting to and from and the loss of use during that time.  I would be surprised if they would do it.  It would be better economically for them to keep their efforts on the assemly line for new units.  Just my perspective from someone who works in industry.
 Even if they did do it, the cost I think would be more than selling a 2720 and buying a 2720SL.  Maybe you could advertise some kind of a trade with someone and come out ahead.  You have a nice unit with some extra modifications as incentive.