Chinook RV

Just bought a y2k Chinook concourse club seats,.
I would like to know what you think about the small sofa bed...and a few other issues

Xueiscl wrote: February 4th, 2019, 3:43 am Just bought a y2k Chinook concourse club seats,.
I would like to know what you think about the small sofa bed...and a few other issues

We have the club lounge. I was a little worried about the sofa bed being comfortable, but I thought the open floor plan was more important. As it turned out, we have been fine sleeping on the sofa bed, but we tend to be sound sleepers in any case. Rather than trying to compare it in my mind to our king size bed at home, I compare it (very favorably) to tent camping on the ground with a sleeping pad. In that regard the sofa is luxury. We have spent maybe 20 weeks on the road with no sleeping complaints.

That being said, I recently purchased a memory foam mattress topper for the sofa bed that I am looking forward to using. It is a full size with a cover that fits the sofa very nicely and adds two inches of memory foam. Here is a link to it on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J0 ... UTF8&psc=1

If I were you, I would try the sofa bed out before you do anything drastic to improve it. It's already there, it's easy to set up/put down, and might be just fine for you. With the mattress topper even better.

We use a Coleman double wide sleeping bag (that has a sheet inside), and it has worked in all weather situations. There is a thin side and a thick side, so you can have a heavier "blanket" in cold or thinner one in hot weather. We unzip the sides, tuck the wall side bottom into the wall crack, and just pull the sheet and top over us as needed. For sleeping bag storage, I use the long cabinet under the sofa, so I just zip up and fold the sleeping bag long-ways and roll it into the opening in the morning and shut the cabinet door. We put the pillows in the front overhead compartment. I have stored the new matterss topper against the wall behind the sofa and it stuffs in there easily. Here is a link to the sleeping bag:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HN ... UTF8&psc=1

I am assuming there are two of you. If it's only one, the sofa bed should be plenty big. Even with two, you have to like each other and don't mind cuddling.

Congratulations on your purchase. I think you have one of the best models/configurations Chinook made. Ours is a 2001 Concourse Club Lounge.

I, too, have the club lounge. It's my favorite layout. I don't like "blocked up middle space" so the dinette seemed visually claustrophobic to me (aisle too skinny). I think I would also like the twin layout, but those are rare, especially as you get into newer years.

What do I think about the original couch/bed? I spent my entire drive home after buying the Chinook plotting its removal, and wasted no time in doing so once I got home. I was spoiled as I had previously had a camper van with a similar couch (but it was very comfortable for sleeping). So I modded the Chinook couch to be more like that one, which is comfortable (IMO) for sleeping.

What I have now is more like the couches you see in early 90's and earlier Chinooks. Flat upholstered pieces with a thick/solid foam backing instead of a "three humped" couch with crib springs underneath a thin layer.

(That's not to say it might not be the best couch/bed ever for some people, but you asked our opinions.)

I'm also a relatively new Chinook owner with only a few weeks under our belt.
Like Clay, I have a 2" memory foam mattress topper. It's a full size topper and hangs off the edge of the sofa bed by a couple inches. The sleeping surface is dramatically more comfortable with the topper. I prefer using the sofa in a manner similar to the dinette layout and sleep with our feet in the club seats. I haven't quite figured out how to bridge the gap between the edge of the sofa bed and the edge of the club chair/s, but even with the gap, the sleeping area is much more comfortable for us. It's basically a king size bed for your top 2/3 or 3/4 and a baby crib for your calves/feet.

We purchased the "Trailside-Trailrest double-wide self inflating mattress 72" x 48" x 3" from Amazon. Fits nicely behind the sofa when not using. Also put an "arm rest" at end of sofa to stop pillow from falling off.

I was in the Army for 20 years and a lot of that time I slept on the ground. # Infantry.

So, compared to my history, the couch is very comfortable to me, and I'm 6'1. I don't mind pulling it out at overnights. When I'm traveling and just need a nap, I don't extend it, and I can still get some good Zzzz's on it.

Never thought about sleeping left to right though. I heard that the Chinook is wider than the couch is long, so that can work. But I would think my knees would bend the wrong way with that gap in the aisle. I know the Club chairs can be slid more outward. Maybe that can help with the space in between.

Once the cushions begin to wear you will begin to feel the metal frame when your laying down. Mine got so bad i can honestly say i would rather sleep on the ground.