It may be the room where you spend the least amount of time in your RV, but if you're living with a bathroom that doesn't work for you, it'll seem like you spend a lifetime there.RV bathrooms are a necessary evil, sometimes they can be real evil. How do you sort out the good from the bad? When shopping for that new rig, make it your business to go about your bathroom business. No, we're not suggesting leaving a calling card behind, but work your way through the bathroom area as if you were going to be living with it.
Take off your shoes, step into the shower--is there enough headroom and elbowroom? Are there places to put that necessary "stuff" like shampoo, conditioners, and razors? When you step out, is safety a concern--might you need to add grab bars to enchance mobility?
What about (as the Brits call it) the Loo? Some RV toilets are stuck away in a "closet" for privacy. Sit down on the pot with the door closed. Is there enough room for you feet to rest comfortably, or will your knees be in your chin while you fish for the paper? For that matter, where is the toilet paper--is it in easy reach? When you try to get back up off the throne, will you need help from a strong man?
Now in front of the mirror--how's the lighting? How about the medicine cabinet storage space--enough room for that, and all the other things you "must have" while in the powder room? If there isn't enough room for linens, is there a close and usable place for them? Are there shore power outlets in easy reach--and are they guarded by safety enhanced ground-fault-interrupter circuits?
Heating and ventilation, too, are important in the John. Back to the "toilet closet." Are there air conditioning and heating ducts? If you or your traveling companions spend a lot of time on the throne, it can get might uncomfortable if there is sufficient "environmental regulation." How about ventilation? Ceiling vents? Openable windows?
How about the bathroom layout and doorway arrangements? Is the bathroom sufficiently hidden away from other parts of the living area? When you take a shower, will you emerge "buck nek-ed" into the bedroom? Is that a problem?
By acting like you live there, you'll quickly discover whether the bathroom in your prospective RV will work for you, or whether you'd better take a powder and look for something else.
2 comments:
When my wife & I were searching for our first Class A, the salesman told us all the things you mention in your post plus he said we need to sit on the "Loo", close bathroom door and make certain our knees do not hit door knobs or cabinet hardware when we sit down our get up. The first two rigs he showed us I banged my knees on the door knob. Needless to say we did not buy. We actually bought from a different dealer who had different models. Your post is great information.
Be aware that in many new models the "Loo" is in a room without a sink to wash your hands. I do not want to use the "Loo" then touch the doorknob without washing my hands.
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