RV REVIEW
Full-timing’s made easy in this fifth-wheel with front living room and multiple slide outs. 2015 Coachmen Brookstone ( BKF375FL )
T he first time I saw an upside-down refrigerator I remem- ber thinking how peculiar it was. Who would put the freezer on the bottom? The more I looked at it though I began to realize that this feeling had nothing to do with the design being wrong—no, it was because I had just never considered the possibility of the freezer going any- where but on top. It was unfamiliar and a change to an item that I considered “finished and unchangeable.” That was a decade ago and these types of refrigerators are com- monplace now and frankly a very practical innovation. I just had to have an open mind. I’m telling this story because the first time I saw a front living room in a fifth-wheel trailer, I had exactly the same feeling. Bedrooms belong up front my sense of familiarity told me—not salons. Yet, this topsy-turvy design not only made sense but in the past five years or so it has inspired manufacturers to offer a host of these designs. Still the major- ity of fifth-wheels have the bedroom up front—but having
this choice has opened my mind to the possibilities in never limiting design options. Now, climbing into Coachmen’s Brookstone FL (front living room) still flicks at me with a momentary hesitancy when I see the fireplace in the nose—but only for a moment. Frankly, I’ve become a fan. The Brookstone family is made up of seven models rang- ing in length from 34 feet 8 inches to 39 feet 6 inches. Of these, only one is a front living room layout. However each version has certain elements in common, the first being res- idential-sized bathrooms. Each has a large shower with slid- ing glass doors, full vanity, and a linen closet. A neat feature is a revolving pet food and water bowl holder under the van- ity cupboards. Coachmen says more than 70% of full-timers travel with pets—there is also an outside leash anchor. The thinking is obvious—why do without just because you’re on the road? This unit also makes use of multiple slideouts (five in this
20 COAST TO COAST SUMMER 2015
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