Bedroom cupboards

[barbhalsell]

Has anyone come up with an actual use for the the weird little cupboards at the foot of the bed under the window? Has anyone redone that area to make it more usable? I have seen pictures of some other Beavs that actually have dresser drawers built in there. That would be pretty handy since the drawer space by the wardrobe is pretty scarce. Just trying to make our 2000 Patriot work as our full time home next year and want to make use of all the space I can. What has anyone done to gain storage in the bedroom?
Barb

[Joel Weiss]

We stash a variety of "thin" things in those cupboards.  Accordion folders containing papers, bills, etc, are things that fit well.  Also books, sewing patterns, etc.  We even have a small fire extinguisher and the nozzles for the central vac in there.  If you make them much deeper you would start to lose the ability to walk around the bed when the slide is retracted.

What I find really useless are the two drawers that come out from under the bed on the right side.  You have to be on your hands and knees to even get to them and you have to pull them completely out to see what is in them.

[Edward Buker]

They are pretty useless cabinets. We have added matching wood "bars" that allow us to slip in shoes, slippers, magazines or paperwork vertically and be retained when you open the door. It has helped make good use of the space.

Later Ed

[Dick Simonis]

When we were looking at the Beaver my wife took one look at those and said..."MORE SHOES".  They filled up real fast.  The really tough ones to use are the ones under the bed and a strange one under the vanity that requires hands and knees access.

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

Perfect for cans and wine bottles.

Larry

[Joel Ashley]

Besides BCS, there is at least one other specialist RV makeover/cabinetmaker in Bend, and I understand both have woodsmiths inherited from the original Beaver factory.  Wood artisans don't get much better than that, so since it's not thousands of miles from Gooding to Bend, I'd consider a visit to Oregon.  There are also RV interior remodelers in Eugene and in Washington a bit north of Portland.  If you'd rather have bays of drawers in place of cupboards, and want them to precisely match existing cabinetry, it's the best option from my point of view.

I can't imagine our coach without the bank of "dresser" drawers across the curb side of the bedroom, and can certainly recommend them.

Joel and Lee

[barbhalsell]

There is a real shortage of drawer space in the bedroom in the 2000 Pat. Apparently the newer model coaches bedroom slide somehow made more room at the foot of the bed. I was hoping other owners had come up with great fixes for some of the space problems.
Actually, any tips and tricks to make our coach as space effecient as possible would be welcome. We are kind of handy too, so dont mind a bit of remodel work.
Barb

[Glenda Farris Co-Admin]

In those small cabinets, I use the upper shelf to hold magazines and papers.  Those plastic magazine holders fit perfectly.  On the bottom, there is a tupperware container that fits good and I have a few of those.

Glenda  

[barbhalsell]

Thanks Glenda, every hint helps.

[John Hennessey]

I bought sock organizers and stuff my underwear and socks in them.  I added one hook and the door and hang my bra on it,  Then I purchased spring loaded shelves and roll my ladies slacks and put one on each shelf. I love this arrangement because I can access them even while the slide is in.  The other drawers are used for my husband's clothes and cold weather slacks and sweatshirts plus office supplies and documents.  

[Roger Baldwin]

I use them for canned goods because there is not a pantry in the kitchen area.  We have a 2001  Patriot. I always need more space for canned and boxed food.

[Joel Weiss]

My DW uses all the front cabinets (over the sofa and chair) as pantry which gives us quite a bit of space.  Now I'm curious as to what other people put up there.  All our dishes and pots and pans are over and under the sink.  

We do keep a number of appliances out on the counter while traveling; I've decided that if we stopped quickly enough to launch the KitchenAid mixer we'd have a lot more to worry about than the damage caused by the flying object!  I realize that's not 100% NHTSA compliant but I honestly don't care.  

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

Joel,

In general, we keep the heavy items in the lower cabinets, and the lighter things in the upper cabinets.  It is a center of gravity thing.

Larry

[Joel Weiss]

Joel,

In general, we keep the heavy items in the lower cabinets, and the lighter things in the upper cabinets.  It is a center of gravity thing.

Larry

Larry:

I'm a physicist and I know how to calculate center of mass.   IMHO the amount of discretionary load carried in interior cabinets is insignificant to the existing loads of the coach, its drivetrain, OEM equipment and the basement storage.  The entire coach only has a CCC of <3,000 lbs and we're talking about a small percentage of that in these overhead cabinets.  Assuming you don't leave them empty on purpose, the net difference between filling them with foodstuffs or with anything else simply isn't all that much because the cabinets aren't all that large.  Everyone should do as they wish, but we'll continue to use those cabinets as pantry; they are convenient to the kitchen and have worked well for us.

If we believed there is merit in lowering the center of mass of our coaches, the biggest bang for the buck would be to take things like satellite dishes, solar panels and A/C's off the roof, followed by any audio/visual equipment located in upper cabinets.  These are the heavy, big ticket items and moving them would make some (albeit not a lot of difference).  Next would be to eliminate stackable washer/dryers and over the counter microwave ovens.  Doing all of this would have far more impact on the center of mass than would worrying about what is in the cabinets above the sofa, IMHO that is.

Joel

[Tim Bentley Co-Admin]

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