Oops I Broke Our Dinette Table

I've got to ask -- if you don't use your sofa, where do you sit?

On our butts of course... sorry...had to...

I am pretty sure we use the camper much differently than most here.

We dont sit much, if at all, in the camper when it is in 'festival' mode. Its really much more a master suite. If we are inside, most of the time its in bed. Or in the bath. We dont cook in there, nor eat really (unless it is HOT out).

Check out New Year's setup - https://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php?topic=3031.0   4 day stay. Nice and cool, didnt rain until we were packed up anyway. 

The outer area under the awning has a couple chairs and small tables. Outdoor Camp Chef oven and stove combo on a 2x6 folding table. We do our cooking and eating there.  Camo netting around it with tapestries allows for a breeze, but is VERY private. The awning has the big angle to shed rain, and is roped and staked down to prevent loss from high wind.

The 8x8 beige tent is like an airlock, and protects from things wandering away.    It is the only entrance to the under-awning area. We had a small raised firepit and had a fire going near the entrance , with two of the larger recliners set up. We spend most of the time at the stage(s) , so it is VERY nice to have the 'airlock' as a visual and physical barrier.

This is our 'small' setup, for when space is limited.


For our WANEE and other larger fests, 5-12 day, we add a 13x13 popup behind the camper, and have a bigger camp kitchen and seating there. At WANEE we cordon off ~ 1/2 acre+ with camo netting, and have several campmates in their own tents. The 13x13 is like the mess hall.  There is usually someone there at any time, so things are a little more open and communal 'in camp'.

So.. the coach never really gets 'living room' duty. We *always* have had stuff stored on the couch and behind.

Since you and Ron both have 2350's without slides, maybe Ron has some insight as to how practical it may (or may not) be to consider this swap.

The cushion color isnt that critical, as there are no other seats to match.

1800 mile round trip is a consideration. 2 day out, stay a day, 2 day back. A couple days off work, and $650 in gas.    Have to think this one out.

OP here with a report.

We went on a two week trip out west with our son who slept on the dinette conversion for 8 nights, then flew home when his time was up.  We handled the table a lot when he was with us, twice daily.  The table remains in great condition, very strong table top and not noticeably heavier than before....so far so good on the potential warping from my two reinforcements others have mentioned.  I suppose the change in seasons will influence any such warping.

Excellent " stress test" for your repair. I commend your son on sacrificing by going on one of your awesome vacations to conduct the test. I hope you all had a great time!

Excellent " stress test" for your repair. I commend your son on sacrificing by going on one of your awesome vacations to conduct the test. I hope you all had a great time!

Thanks for asking.  We had an exceptional time.  Our son (younger son now 29) went with us the first week to Rocky Mountain NP.  When his time was up, we dropped him off at the Denver airport where his $46 flight to O'Hare awaited him.  Thereafter we spent some time in Medicine Bow WY, then north to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Minuteman Missile, Badlands, then home.  Two weeks in-all, shorter than most of our trips but was still good.  We have a lot going on at home, hard to get away lately.

Our dinette was uncomfortable to sit on until we switched the seat cushions from standard foam with cloth covering, to memory foam with vinyl covering.  It made a night-to-day difference in comfort and in getting in and out from the dinette.  We wished we ordered our PC with those cushions to begin with.

Volkemon, with your 2006 size slide out, the best you will be able to do is have a single dinette bench and the table against the other wall.  Keeping both benches, the table will be cut very tiny and you won't have any leg room.  Look around at older PCs being sold with dinettes in a slide out.  Phoenix used to offer the dinette in your slide out, but I think they got too many complaints and discontinued that feature until introducing model 2351 and 2552 where the extra foot in the slide out made the difference.

If ordering a new PC today with a dinette for a 2351 or 2552, I always encourage the person to consider eliminating the slide out.  Their dinette will open up hugely.  You will get piles of leg room and a very nice long table.  I think you will also get taller backrest and longer base cushions because you need those cushions bigger to fill in the space when setting up the dinette into a bed.  Bigger base cushions also translates into more base cabinet storage.

Without a slide out in models 2351 and 2552, you might also get by with a pantry and standard dinette like we have.

One thing certain for "any" dinette consideration.....GET the memory foam (dense foam) flat cushions with leather surfaces for easy entry and exit so the dinette is very comfortable to sit at for extended periods.  Our dinette shown here is what you want it to look like.  Flat seating surfaces.  Not fancy fluffy and uneven couch-like cushions done up in cloth.