21NE Move Mattress to Front Dinette?

[marant]

(Will ask ETI, but thought maybe someone has already done it).

We want to use the front dinette in our ordered 21NE as the permanent bed. ETI will not move the bed, so we plan to order dinettes front and back (neither will be the U shaped dinette), then convert the front dinette in the usual way, by just dropping the table and moving the cushions.

We are curious if the standard 60x80 NE mattress will fit in the area of the front dinette to allow us to move the mattress to the front on top of the cushions? If not we will specify 'mattress delete' and either figure out a different mattress or just go with the cushions and some type of topper. I expect the space is different for the U shaped and the non-U dinette.

[cpaharley2008]

If you are working with an Escape sales representative, they maybe able to obtain this information.......

[Vermilye]

I replaced the read cushions/dinette in my 17B with a permanent bed. The only problem was the converter & battery disconnect switch ended up under the bed & difficult to get too. You might have the same problem doing the same to the front of a 21NE...

[kathytony1985]

Originally Posted by marant

(Will ask ETI, but thought maybe someone has already done it).

We want to use the front dinette in our ordered 21NE as the permanent bed. ETI will not move the bed, so we plan to order dinettes front and back (neither will be the U shaped dinette), then convert the front dinette in the usual way, by just dropping the table and moving the cushions.

We are curious if the standard 60x80 NE mattress will fit in the area of the front dinette to allow us to move the mattress to the front on top of the cushions? If not we will specify 'mattress delete' and either figure out a different mattress or just go with the cushions and some type of topper. I expect the space is different for the U shaped and the non-U dinette.

I just measured the front dinette area for you as well as our mattress. The mattress measures 80"x 60". The dinette area measures 80" x 59". There is a frame that is 3/4" deep in one corner of the dinette by the door, so you really only have 58 1/4" available on the passenger side and 59" on the driver side. The mattress is a very snug fit in the bed end of the trailer, so I would say delete mattress and get your trailer with the 2 dinettes. Once you have it in hand you can measure and get the appropriate size mattress.
And yes, the inverter and battery disconnect are in that front area where the dinette is. Maybe you could request a battery disconnect switch be placed on the outside wall under the dinette near the fuse box??
We also wanted to swap the dinette and bed and were told NO. Good luck!

[marant]

KathyTony


What did you ultimately do, since ETI would not move the bed?

[kathytony1985]

We just left it as is because we wanted the bigger bed than the 21C has.

[WillyB]

I would have ETI do the Dual Dinettes that they have done many times before. I would then drop then front table down on the tabs (Like making into a bed) and have a custom bed made.

In my little town there is a place that makes any bed you want and the cost is not out of line.

The open space below the table would be a perfect, easily accessible, storage space.

[marant]

WillyB: My thoughts exactly.

[marant]

We have looked at costs and hassles and decided to change from a 21NE to a 21C. Since we plan on a permanent bed it accomplishes what we want with fewer changes. Also saves the cost of changing the dinette. A bonus is the larger black tank and more storage. DW likes the bathroom better too.

[Ron in BC]

And this mod turns it into a storage monster. Room for all our staples in the bins, storage on bathroom side for shoes etc. accessible by a door easily accessible from the doorway and lot's of storage accessible for campground stuff accessible by the outside hatch. Also lot's of room on top of the black tank for TP and rolls of paper towels. This area just swallows up lot's of stuff and we always have lot's of stuff.

Ron

[Centex]

Originally Posted by marant

We have looked at costs and hassles and decided to change from a 21NE to a 21C. Since we plan on a permanent bed it accomplishes what we want with fewer changes. Also saves the cost of changing the dinette. A bonus is the larger black tank and more storage. DW likes the bathroom better too.

Congrats, sounds like a win-win plan adjustment has been made!

Looking forward to your eventual new trailer delivery and the oft-rumored 'gathering of Central Texas Escapes'

[Jackhackle]

We've owned an Escape 19 for two years and have put it thru it's paces. We love it but would appreciate a little more space as well as aNorth/South bed. Can anyone explain to me why Escape put the bed in the front of the trailer instead of the back? The first thing you see entering the rig is a persons private living space! If the door is open the bed is so close there is no privacy at all. I usually stay up later than my wife with th 19's bed in the back she is relatively undistirbed if I,m doing something at the dinnet or if I stealthily come in from outside for a brewski. You folks that have a 21 please tell me am I making too big a deal about this design? I'd really like to hear from folks. For us it's a deal breaker and we're starting to look at other fiberglass options like the Oliver which unfortunately is in a different price class.

[marant]

Originally Posted by Jackhackle

We've owned an Escape 19 for two years and have put it thru it's paces. We love it but would appreciate a little more space as well as aNorth/South bed. Can anyone explain to me why Escape put the bed in the front of the trailer instead of the back? The first thing you see entering the rig is a persons private living space! If the door is open the bed is so close there is no privacy at all. I usually stay up later than my wife with th 19's bed in the back she is relatively undistirbed if I,m doing something at the dinnet or if I stealthily come in from outside for a brewski. You folks that have a 21 please tell me am I making too big a deal about this design? I'd really like to hear from folks. For us it's a deal breaker and we're starting to look at other fiberglass options like the Oliver which unfortunately is in a different price class.

The 21NE, of course, has the bed at the back. Ultimately was not the deciding factor for us. Have heard it is possible to put up a curtain to separate the bed from the rest of the trailer. Possibly some 21C owner who has done it can comment.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Jackhackle

Can anyone explain to me why Escape put the bed in the front of the trailer instead of the back? The first thing you see entering the rig is a persons private living space!

You folks that have a 21 please tell me am I making too big a deal about this design?

Too funny or deja vu all over again for me.

In 2014 Jack and Nancy brought their new 21 to Moab. First thing that I said to my wife was "oh, I don't like how the bed is the first thing that you see."

Nancy, being pretty good at interior decor, made a nice curtain that screened off the bed.

I regard the interior of the trailer as our private space, not just the bed area. If the bed at the front is a slight annoyance, and it certainly isn't for us anymore, then the dinette being at the rear giving a panoramic view of the scenery rather than the back of the truck more than makes up for it.

Ron

[Mary F]

Originally Posted by Jackhackle

Can anyone explain to me why Escape put the bed in the front of the trailer instead of the back? The first thing you see entering the rig is a persons private living space! If the door is open the bed is so close there is no privacy at all. I usually stay up later than my wife with th 19's bed in the back she is relatively undistirbed if I,m doing something at the dinnet or if I stealthily come in from outside for a brewski. You folks that have a 21 please tell me am I making too big a deal about this design? I'd really like to hear from folks. For us it's a deal breaker and we're starting to look at other fiberglass options like the Oliver which unfortunately is in a different price class.

When Escape first introduced the 19, a bunch of us whined about the dinette being in the front, where the view is typically of the rear of the tow vehicle and/or the street. Also, some commented that it was strange for the galley to be next to the bed and away from the table. Then there were those who didn’t want the crawl over bed. The 21 “C” (now so dubbed) is what Reace and co came up with.

We LOVE ours, but it’s a 2015 and has a curtain across the doorway… a feature that had to be discontinued when the molds were changed to accept the automatic awning and the regular RV door. I think a few folks have rigged a curtain that actually compartmentalizes the head half (2/3s?) of the bed from the rest of the trailer. It might be easier to make it seem more “private” if you get a second wardrobe over the drawer stack. YMMV, of course.

Check out the thread, Curtain Around Bed of Escape 21, for ideas.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Mary F

When Escape first introduced the 19, a bunch of us whined about the dinette being in the front, where the view is typically of the rear of the tow vehicle and/or the street.

And for several years I said that I wished that I could buy a 21 shell and put a 19 floor plan in it. Not anymore.

Ron