Chinook RV

Wow, you've been busy. Nice job!

Question: what's your mission, as we say in the Army. I.e. what begat this particular layout?

Portable office? Traveling single with dogs?

Thanks for the update!
Kev

Wow, very nice! I like it all. I especially like the "wide open spaces" you've made. I have been thinking about/trying/mocking up more wide open space but seeing yours is better than five mockups

Would love to see more about how you made the couch/bed (but I see there is another page, so ...)

Did I say "Wow!"?

kdarling wrote:Wow, you've been busy. Nice job!

Question: what's your mission, as we say in the Army. I.e. what begat this particular layout?

Portable office? Traveling single with dogs?

With regard to mission, wife and I were traveling with an elderly dog in a small teardrop and bought the Chinook in part to travel similarly with our dog, but to get out of the elements. I pulled out the dinette for floor space for our dog. And frankly, I found the dinette to be too big for two people. Unfortunately, our pup died just as I was finishing the project.

I found the furnace to be an inelegant solution for boondocking and noise management. The cabinet does a few things: storage, counter space, and an additional USB charging station.

We're pretty OK with using trays for meals and computer stuff. I have the passenger seat on a swivel so that's comfortable seating.

Hope this answers your questions.

I like it. Everyone uses their Chinook in their own way, and like houses, they vary. But for me, the Chinook as built felt like 10 pounds of flour in a 5-pound sack. I had a 3-pound sack before (camper van), so I was ready for a bit more space! But the Chinook almost felt more crowded. That's okay, it suited its original mission just perfectly: (quality built sporty RV for folks who wanted to downsize from a Class A, but "not give up anything." Naturally that usage is typically power post to power post, with maybe the occasional lunch stop and pop on the generator.

I'm just not that person. So, like you, I have made more space (and I've simplified systems that I don't use, and made the ones I do use more robust). But I have not yet solved the "riddle" of what I call "the other side." In other words, I use the couch and the bed all the time, but "the other side" doesn't get as much use. A couple of times I've opened it up and really liked it, but yet I want something there. I just don't have it quite right yet. I like how yours is open yet suits your travel style. Very nice.

Maybe another pup is in your future? What a glorious spot for a doggie bed

(It's been nine years for me and still don't have another pup, so totally understand if that's not the way you're going.)

rjudice wrote:Hope this answers your questions.

Yes, thanks very much! I ask in case someone else one day is in a similar situation, and needs ideas.

Regards,
Kev

PS also whenever I see a modified layout like that, it makes me dream once again of removing the dinette and putting in a gas fireplace against the stove. Something like this: I figure the gas line is already there, and it'd give a cozy ski cottage feel

I've been dreaming of removing my dinette and putting in a chair. I couldn't quite work out what to do with the furnace, though. Your rendering with the fireplace makes me want to leave it boxed in and install a faux electric fireplace over it... with the furnace underneath providing the real heat. Probably a waste of space, but fun!