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Old 04-08-2016, 08:09 AM   #1
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Reading in Bed

Does anyone here read in bed? We are getting the 19, and it looks like we will be leaning up against the pleated shades on the passenger side of the bed to read at night. ETI said that that window could be eliminated if we want, but we also like the night time fresh air. Wondering is a small center window like the one they use in the kitchen is an option or if the standard window is high enough that it isn't a problem when leaning against that wall.
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Old 04-08-2016, 08:14 AM   #2
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I like to read in bed. Key for me is to have the right combination of pillows to prop myself up. I have been thinking of getting something like this:

Blinds can get in the way if you are not propped up right. I would get the right pillows rather than eliminating or changing the windows. To me, the 270° view from the rear bed in the 19' is one of its best features.
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Old 04-08-2016, 08:17 AM   #3
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Interesting. Yes I read in bed, at night. I don't have the issue you're describing because of the type of trailer. However, I love every single window and wouldn't consider eliminating any, especially since I only read at night and love the windows during the day.


Perhaps considering a different type of window shade/curtain/blind would be a better option than eliminating or changing the window to something smaller.


YMMV
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Old 04-08-2016, 08:48 AM   #4
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Do the escape reading lights help out reading in bed, for those that ordered them?
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Old 04-08-2016, 08:55 AM   #5
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Do the escape reading lights help out reading in bed, for those that ordered them?
You can read well with just the standard light mounted under the upper cabinets. Where these lights shine (no pun intended), is to focus light on your book, and not be near as bothersome to a sleeping partner.
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Old 04-08-2016, 08:57 AM   #6
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Yes I read in bed, at night.
I too read in bed, and when I crawled up in the loft of a 5.0 on my Escape visit, I realized that it would not be conducive to sitting up, with the sloped roof at the head of the bed. How do you make it work for you?
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Old 04-08-2016, 09:02 AM   #7
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We read a lot when were traveling. My usual solution is to download enough books to keep me in reading onto my iPad Mini. I like that I don't need to haul books back and forth that way. If I do have a paper book I most often use one of these book lights that someone posted here long ago: Energizer Book Light I like it because if Mary wants to go to sleep, it doesn't usually disturb her and if I want to change positions it follows the book around.

PS I really like reading very thick books on my iPad - it doesn't hurt as much when it falls on my face when I fall asleep....
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Old 04-08-2016, 09:05 AM   #8
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Like Donna and Dave, et al, said. True, the window shade mechanism inhibits sitting up comfortably to read but you can work around that with the right cushions, whereas eliminating a window would morph into the bloody knife that keeps on stabbing no matter what you be reading. We bought some dense pillow foam in a fabric store and made our own custom backrest.


The standard ceiling/under cabinet lights are too bright and too annoying for reading at night. Directional reading lamps are the way to go.
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Old 04-08-2016, 09:15 AM   #9
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We got two of these lights up front in the dinette and two more in the rear bed area. They are great for reading as the beams are quite directional and do not light up the entire area. Thus, your partner can theoretically continue to sleep while you are reading, only occasionally waking when you break into laughter over some funny incident in your book.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gocamp View Post
Do the escape reading lights help out reading in bed, for those that ordered them?
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Old 04-08-2016, 09:19 AM   #10
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PS I really like reading very thick books on my iPad - it doesn't hurt as much when it falls on my face when I fall asleep....
I usually end up with a sore finger, the one used as a page marker, when I fall asleep and roll over on my book.

I have never been able to get into using a tablet as a reader for some reason. I am sure I just have to give it a serious try.
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Old 04-08-2016, 09:34 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trav View Post
Does anyone here read in bed? We are getting the 19, and it looks like we will be leaning up against the pleated shades on the passenger side of the bed to read at night. ETI said that that window could be eliminated if we want, but we also like the night time fresh air. Wondering is a small center window like the one they use in the kitchen is an option or if the standard window is high enough that it isn't a problem when leaning against that wall.
A person can lean in the corner. In hot weather, you will likely want that window. You might be able to use a big pillow against the window. The captain's lights are very good and I think much better than just using the other.
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Old 04-08-2016, 09:40 AM   #12
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Quote:
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I have never been able to get into using a tablet as a reader for some reason. I am sure I just have to give it a serious try.
I was the same way until packing for a Viking River Cruise in Europe and wanting to have reading material along. It also turned out cool because I then (finally) learned how to use the built in wifi in my little Nikon camera to load pictures into the iPad so we could see them better.
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Old 04-08-2016, 09:44 AM   #13
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My decidedly low tech solution to reading in bed is a block of 4" upholstery foam left over from another project. I toss it against the trailer door (for extra insulation ) when I call it a night. While it does rest against the blinds, it has not caused problems of the 4 years I've been doing it.
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Old 04-08-2016, 09:53 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
I usually end up with a sore finger, the one used as a page marker, when I fall asleep and roll over on my book.

I have never been able to get into using a tablet as a reader for some reason. I am sure I just have to give it a serious try.
I really resisted moving from real books to my Kindle, and did so only when we ran out of space for more books in our upstairs office. And while it did take some getting used to, now I would not go back. I love the fact that as soon as I finish one book, I can download another, and not have to wait to go to a bookstore.
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Old 04-08-2016, 11:00 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
I too read in bed, and when I crawled up in the loft of a 5.0 on my Escape visit, I realized that it would not be conducive to sitting up, with the sloped roof at the head of the bed. How do you make it work for you?
I don't sit up... I kinda lounge on three bed pillows. I don't think I've ever hit my head on the sloped portion of the roof, but boy have I BANGED it on the upper cabinets!
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Old 04-08-2016, 11:01 AM   #16
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Okay, we are keeping the window. Thanks for the posts. They really help!
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Old 04-08-2016, 11:19 AM   #17
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I'd go with thick pillows or some such behind you instead of changing the window out or getting rid of it. If you did, there will probably be something on that side of the trailer you want to see, but darn it, the window's missing so we can't see it.

Regarding tablets. Almost 3 years ago I was on a 2 month road trip with the FJ wadded to the brim of stuff I was hauling elsewhere. To save space I loaded the Game of Thrones series and was reading it via my ipad mini. By the time I got to my dad's in northern MN, almost a month later, I was so tired of it. We dashed to the local bookstore and I bought a bunch of books as I needed to read a REAL book. They just feel so much more comfortable in my hands and it's much easier (for me) if I have to flip back through the book to find something.

But I know many folks wouldn't read a book unless it's on their tablet, so to each their own. I get most of my books from the library, except for some series that I read over and over again - I get those from the Seattle Mystery Bookshop.

I'd be farther along in the Game of Thrones and Outlander series if I had the actual books - one of these days, from the library.
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Old 04-08-2016, 11:25 AM   #18
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I'd be farther along in the Game of Thrones and Outlander series if I had the actual books - one of these days, from the library.
We have both series complete in our own library, all hardcover which I prefer. It has been years since I finished the Game of Thrones to where Martin left off, and finished the last Outlander book shortly after it was released over a year ago.

Everyone in our family reads, included the extended one, and I know of none that like using a tablet type reader. Maybe like me, none of them have tried hard enough.
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Old 04-08-2016, 11:28 AM   #19
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It would be like fracking your trailer, you'd feel incarcerated, and the result would be quite incendiary, arousing great strife and possible sedition. Wise move keeping the window.
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Old 04-08-2016, 11:47 AM   #20
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Hi: Trav... My wife reads in bed She loves the new std. swivel Captains reading lights. Before the 5.0TA she had to scrunch down under the pancake fixture to read, but Reace relocated the fixture's to the head end of the bed. Alf
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