Shasta Compact (60's model) Owners - Need Advice, Please?

well my thoughts are on those really hot days, it would be nice to have a place to sit in the AC.
as for the uncomfort of the cushions, buy a 3 inch memory foam matress and it will amaze you, I have even used a 2 inch on an army cot and it makes all the difference. I'd try that before I permanently altered the living area, specially if you plan on ever re-selling it.

I think it makes a big difference depending on how many people, kids make a difference in foul weather. one or two adults probably don't have as much need for the dinette. In our redesign I am eliminating the dinette and will have small tables that will fold out from the wall when we wish to dine in the Shasta. I am building it for max comfort for the two of us and am not overly concerned with resale. Just my thoughts.

I love having a dinette, even when I'm traveling alone.  It's nice to have a place to sit and read or write or use a laptop, and the weather is not always conducive to eating outside.

But I also hate having to make the bed up every night.

I don't know a lot about Compacts, but from what I've seen, that looks like an awfully big bed back there.  If you're modifying the interior, couldn't you fit a full-size bed crosswise in the back and still have room for a couple of little seats in front of the bed?  That would at least give you something chair-like to sit on and read or tie your shoes, and with some kind of a folding table, you'd have a mini-dinette for two. No?

Of course it would be difficult for the person on the closet side to get in and out when the table was in place, but that person would just have to be waited on!    Or perhaps the table could be on a single leg in a floor socket, so it could swivel out of the way and just be removed at bed time.

  
Just a thought.  Like I said, I don't have a Compact.
Wish I did!
Gary

Hey look!  Here you go!



Credit: This photo was taken by dwstucke at the 2011 TCT NE Regional Rally

We kept the dinette in our ham-style Compact. The table is large enough to seat four, and we have done so several times. We live where it can, and frequently does, rain pretty much any time of year, so we can't just sit outside, and we don't want to have to carry extra canopies, etc. We turned our large bench area into a full size bed. The cushions are the same foam that's used for mattresses, and it's more comfortable than our bed at home. We don't mind putting up the bed at night. We enjoy sitting at the table and playing cards, reading, talking, etc. And it's better when we have grandkids with us. We have the table-to-bed conversion down to a little under 2 minutes. The bottom sheet is a standard full and lives in a basket in the upper side cabinet when the table's up. The FOUR pillows get tucked into little covers so they double as end bolsters in the daytime, and the down comforter gets squashed up into a small bag that can sit under the table without bothering anyone. We took that extra 20" to build a closet (street side) and a 2-drawer cupboard (curb side).

If we are traveling, eating breakfast on the road and don't plan on being at our next destination until late, we will leave the bed up, but otherwise, we break it down in the morning. It also looks better for the inevitable looky-loos who want the "grand tour" of Hamlet.

Gary, thanks for posting this pic.  I'm going to give that idea some serious thought.  I'm just not sure I want the table mounted permanently.  But that is a great layout!!!

And lamacki1, thanks for starting the thread.  I'm interested in hearing what your final decision will be.

You could mount the table on chains to the ceiling...