new ideas, excited!

[Hilda]

we love our little tiny T139. it is so easy to tow, we can wiggle into places we never thought we could, almost everywhere we go at least one person expresses interest in how "long" it is. really, they mean how short it it. and if they come in, they are flabbergasted by how big it "feels".

That said, there are a few things that really bother me. one is no good place to take a nap. the other is how much work it is to make up and put the bed away daily, and also no where for one person to sit in the morning, when the other sleeps in.

We just took a week long ramble through the Gila Forest, and I begin to feel the age of the foam of our bed/dinette cushions in the form of aches and pains. Hurrah! a good reason to design a new bed/dinette arrangement!

I am a big fan of sharing modification ideas on forums such as this. For one, if my design has flaws, someone can point them out. For another, I'm constantly searching for good ideas to borrow, so if this works as well as I think, someone else may benefit by sharing.

So present configuration is: dinette table on cumbersome folding legs. we have a new, much improved birch plywood table which is much lighter and easer than the original, but still a little bit of a wrestle to put up or down. The dinette seats that are 26.5"x59", one on each side under the side windows, and back cushions that are 59" long but fold in half to be about 7.5" tall to fit along the wall but under the window.

for one of our other campers, I ordered a 6" memory foam mattress, and cut it up into the right sized cushions and recovered them. It worked so well, and was such an economical way to purchase high quality foam suitable for sleeping on, that I ordered a queen-sized one for the fun finder dinette make over. It is 60"x 80"x 6".

(I'll save the original cushion and upholstery configuration, in case of unforeseen design flaws)

Right now, there is a 10" wide board that connects the two dinette seat bases. that will stay, but another board will be added to widen the area to 29.5".

One new cushion, 29.5" wide x 80" long will run along the wall at the front of the trailer, under the front window. that will stay put. the new dinette seats will be the same design as the present ones, but will only be a 30" wide seating area, both seat and back cushion. to make up the bed, the seat backs will slip in between the dinette seats, much like the longer seats and backs do originally. The table will be made smaller, about 30" square, to fit into the smaller space. Camping world sells a folding pedestal leg that we will use for the table. I think one will be enough for a 30" square table. This will mean only folding half the area of the bed down, much easier.

With the exception of cutting down on available seating around the table, I can only see benefits and a way to solve some of the other issues I have with the present arrangement.

The dinette seat base on the drivers side has nothing under it, unlike the other side where the water, water heater and pump are. So on the empty side, we are going to cut away some or all of the paneling covering the framing. I'll paint any framing that shows a nice color, and we can slide storage bins under the seat. This will be a great place for shoes and dirty clothes. Or better yet, will try to persuade the dachshunds to sleep under there on their cushy beds. Under the "daybed" at the end of the camper will also be space for a storage basket, where some of the bedding can go during the day. We use a down comforter with a duvet cover, and that will be rolled up against the length of the wall for a back rest for the daybed.

after upholstery fabric is chosen, and cushions are made, I will probably put up a different wall paper on that end wall. duvet cover will probably be replaced, as the old one is ready to go. Depending on how it looks, I may go on a redecorating binge, but we will see about that.

I hope these changes fine tune our little camper to be even more fun!

[APD]

It sounds like you've found a solution to morning coffee time! Designing for two.
The changes you describe may increase the appeal and value come trade-in time!

Alan

[1kotonk]

Hi Hilda,

I have a 139 also and I have the same issues. can you post pics of what you did sounds interesting.

[Hilda]

We haven't done it yet, still planning and sourcing materials. But once I start, I'd be happy to do that. I usually take a lot of pictures as I go anyway, and would love to post them. Got the fabric at hobby lobby today. 10 yards should do it. There was a 40% off one item coupon, so $160 worth of upholstery fabric was $104. The mattress should be here on Wednesday, it was $117. We already had the high grade birch plywood from the table we made like profdan's. The other half of the sheet. The table base from camping world should be about $40.

[1kotonk]

Hilda, Outstanding thanks

[Hilda]

I'm very sorry to say, we have found another solution to the lack of space. We are trading the lovely t139 on a bigger trailer. I hope we don't regret the decision! I have the queen matteress I ordered to cut into the new dinette configuration. Now we will use it in our new trailer to replace the uncomfortable one that comes with it. The upholstery fabric will be perfect for our living room couch.
Sorry!

[mjpguy]

Well dang, that was all for not !

[Hilda]

nah, thinking and planning for camper mods is never in vain....
we will use the stuff we purchased elsewhere. and it helped us think a lot about what we really needed.

[PaintyLiz]

Originally Posted by Hilda

I'm very sorry to say, we have found another solution to the lack of space. We are trading the lovely t139 on a bigger trailer.

What are you getting?

Liz

[Hilda]

A 2016 Starcraft AR 1 18QB. Not huge, but a lot bigger and still well within our towing capacity.

[PaintyLiz]

Thanks, looks like a nice layout, you'll be spoiled by space. ��

Liz

[ColoradoShel]

Originally Posted by 1kotonk

Hi Hilda,

I have a 139 also and I have the same issues. can you post pics of what you did sounds interesting.

I too was anticipating looking over Hilda's shoulder! I'm a very new owner of a 2006 T-139 and new to the world of RVs. Since we don't get to follow her experiences, let me share another I've found. This young lady did some rather innovative things with the dinette area:
Introducing Houdini, the tiny trailer with a big heart...
Part 1 and 2 have a lot of good ideas and helpful info.

[Hilda]

thanks. the layout isn't perfect, it is narrower than many, and pretty light. good compromises for ease of towing. there is a lot about it we really like, and the things we don't can be changed.