Poll: What Landmark 365 Floor Plan should Heartland work on next?

[DougS]

Tom,​

I personally think building a shorter unit without a washer/dryer hookup would be a mistake. Many owners do not have washer/dryers, but it's nice to know it is there. We move our washer/dryer from rig to rig. Big Horn has several units under 38 feet with space for a Washer/dryer.​

I personally hate to see the Grand Canyon go by the way side and wish a foot or two could be re-arranged to get the Grand Canyon to a shorter length. I still get comments from other campers on the length of the slide outs on the roadside. I do wish my bedroom slide went out another foot though.
One last thought. I am not a big fan on the taller slide outs which eliminates some cabinets and the ceiling paddle fan. I would really miss the ceiling fan, ours runs most of the time.​

 

[Mrsfish]

An SOB unit, something named red****, which I believe you might know, has a 'double slide' in their bedslide. It really gives extra space to the bedroom by moving the bed an extra 12". Is that something on the 'to be considered' board? We thought that was a really neat option and could be really helpful in a shorter 5er to give extra space.

 

[TomMontague]

Thanks for the post. The slide in slide is what you are referring to. It does a great job of opening up the room for sure but it makes it feel as if you are sleeping in a cave and makes it hard to make the bed. Our solution would be to put opposing slides in the bedroom which accomplishes the exact same thing. We also don't use the same slide system as they do. Their slide doesn't have a manual override which is another reason we don't use that technology.

Thanks for for the thoughts and I love the suggestions. I also like the suggestion about the shorter coach with or without washer / dryer hookups. Of course I will always try and include them. Just trying to get a pulse of what retail people think.

Have a great day.

Tom

 

[OToole]

I would like to see the Cascade floorplan in the 38' range but with better pantry storage and a linen cabinet in the bathroom. We plan to go full time this year and feel a washer/dryer to be essential. Also, would there be an option to replace the fireplace with drawers or a cabinet for storage? We have looked at SOB that has two floor plans at 38'10" & 38'11" we like. We are hoping the LM365 line comes out with similar floor plans and lengths.

Mike

 

[TomMontague]

Post the floor plans you like. We can always make our own version of something that already exists.

Thanks
Tom

 

[Rottiesmom]

I like all the floor plans however I feel it would be best to keep the unit between the 38-40' as many campgrounds we have visited on the east coast are really not capable of handling any units bigger than that. I know for us we have had some issues with our Key Largo into some tight spots especially in New Jersey campgrounds where many have not updated their sites or roadways to accommodate large rigs. I'm not sure how campgrounds are in the rest of the country but for me anything bigger than 40' could be an issue. I love my washer and dryer in the unit I would be lost without it!

 

[OToole]

Mr. Montague,

I have tried repeatedly without success to post the floor plans. Not sure what the problem is. Both plans are less than 26KB and are .gif files.

One concern I have with the Newport and Ashland is the CCC. I would think that 900 to 1,160 lbs/person is a bit light for full-timers.

Mike

 

[TomMontague]

Just let me know what the floor plans are and I will do some research on my own. As far as the CC - these are the biggest floor plans we make - the capacity is less than the new floor plans coming up. We are trying to give as much as we can to everyone and to try and meet everyone's objectives for a full-time rig. We won best in show at the big industry show in Louisville. We have some great things coming.

 

[jjwink]

Check out the 32RS3 of our new DRV Mobile Suite sister. We have seen this in person. Excellent storage in all areas. We would love for this to be a Heartland floorplan soon!!

 

[TravelTiger]

Tom, something to look at if you are considering a front living Landmark:

We happened to walk through a new 2015 Grand Design 379FL while at Camping World a few weeks ago. I like the way you can access the bath from the 2nd door without opening slides, as well as half the fridge. It had better clothes storage with the closet across the interior back wall of the rv. It also had lots of outside storage under this bedroom closet, accessible from the exterior back wall of the rv. The roof ladder was a fold-down, on the side of the coach like a toy hauler. I also liked the dinette in a slide. This floorplan had a lot of room to get around the table.

 

[OToole]

The DRV Mobile Suites models 38 RSB3 and 38 RSSA look interesting on paper. Hopefully we can view these and a new LM365 at the Denver RV show this week.

 

[HEH458]

IMO, the MS36RSSB3 is a great floor plan for fulltiming. Take a look at all the OH cabinets and storage. Does not seem to be any wasted space. Oh,and it's length is 36'11".

 

[cm4horns]

Tom, one feature I have not seen but would be very useful is some kind of a fold out or pull out desk in the bedroom. I need a private space to work without people talking to me so the desk in the living area does not work for me. We are getting an BC 3900 FLP and I am going to build a desk that either folds out from the bedroom cabinets or folds up from the bottom end of the bed. If you could just make a desk that pulls outof the bedroom cabinets similar to what is done in the living area, I think a lot of people would use it.
Thanks!

 

[mikeandconnie]

Not forget about the mini mega shower. A must have for us. I really like the Bath in the Tiffin 37AP and it has lots of room less the 38 feet.

 

[2psnapod2]

We have the mega shower and love it.

 

[OToole]

Let me preface this by saying we are newbies. Our experienceis limited to living in a 30’ TT for 7 months, due to job relocation, whilelooking for a S&B. We enjoyed beingin the campground so much that once in the S&B we decided to go fulltime ina 5[SUP]th[/SUP] wheel. We met some really great folks, while in the campgroundthat fulltime, and came to the conclusion that at this stage of the game itmakes a lot of sense. It is time for me to retire anyway and we would like tosee more of this great country while we still can. Having said all that, hereare some observations we have made, in regards to our own needs, likes and desires, while walking thru 5[SUP]th[/SUP] wheels and looking at floorplans.

1. Storage is critical in the kitchen, bedroom,basement, etc.
2. Carrying capacity. It does no good to have amplestorage but no CCC and vice versa.
3. Full shower (32”x48”?) versus the corner shower.
4. 38’ to 39’ seems to be the ideal length.Anything longer may be a limiting factor in regards to site availability.Anything shorter would seem to sacrifice critical areas (see 1 and 3 above).
5. Convenient accessibility to washer and dryer. Placingthe WD in the bathroom seems inconvenient and in the bedroom sacrifices closetspace. Placing the WD in a hallway ormain living/kitchen areas seems to be more practical. Obviously floor plan dependent.
6. Night stands or shelves, with outlets, on eitherside of the bed. Something adequate for a book, IPAD, cell phone, etc.
7. A stainless steel double sink with covers in thekitchen island. This allows covering one sink with a cover for added food prepspace while still providing a sink for usage during food prep.
8. Prefer the Dyson cordless vacuum over thecentral vacuum.
9. Solar prep or a solar package.
10. Living room seating directly across fromtelevision.
11. Adequate counter space and outlets to accommodatea coffee pot and crockpot.
12. Dining area with buffet and overhead storage.
13. Mor/ryde IS and pin box.

Again, these are simply observations of a newbie and potential fulltimer. I am certain there are thingswe have not fully considered or are aware of. I also realize there are alimited number of variations available for any platform and there is alwayscompromise. Some of these items are offered by SOB that was recently acquiredby Heartland. It may be possible for Heartland to take advantage of economy of scale and offer some of these as affordable options to perspective buyers.

I do find it a bit disappointing that in response to the pollwhere 60% desired a Rear Living Room layout 36’-38’length, Heartland responded with the Syracuse model at 36’2” as their next floorplan. Then intend to follow up with a Front Living Room layout - 41'+ length, which less than 21% desired, with the Madison at 40’2”. It would seem there is some customer desired middle ground both in length and layout that has been overlooked. Just my $.02.

Mike

 

[TomMontague]

Thanks for the post Mike. I'm a bit confused however about your last paragraph. The Syracuse is a rear living room and is right in the wheelhouse of where people ( and you ) seem to want to be. 36'-2" is a very manageable length for most to tow and still gives good space for full timing.

The front living room is in response to the high demand for front living rooms. There were several people who asked for the front living at the Tampa Super Show. It also continues to be one of the hottest sellers of the price point directly below us.

I'm not saying we always make the best decisions but we try to meet the demands as best we can. More to come - getting ready to take off.

Thanks for for your interest and we will be intouch soon.

Thank you.

Tom

 

[shadetree73]

I have an idea for a front living room that would outsell all the others hands down.... however it would take a lil more engineering to pull off which also would raise purchase price. The biggest problem with front living rooms is the constant up and down stairs to the living room and lack of storage space in the typical baggage compartment area. What needs to be done is raise the floor in the kitchen so when you come into the coach you now have 3 steps after entering the entry door. now this allows you to have a long slide extending into the kitchen living room and eliminates the steps up and down. Now as you head towards the rear of the coach you would take 1 step down into the bathroom and bedroom however this isnt necessary with the tall roof lines of the newer coaches. Look old floor plans for teton they had a model called the Las vegas and royals international had the homestead model they were both great concepts. This also allows for tons of basement storage down the coach much like a class A just not as tall of an area. If someone tries this I know it will work and be successful it just takes time and engineering and of course a lil higher price point. Build it and i will be the first person in line....

 

[OToole]

Tom,

Everything we have seen in the 36' range has been lacking in storage and/or conveniences we are looking for. Based on what we have seen so far the 38' range seems to be the sweet spot, for our needs anyway. You are much more in tune with market demand. We will certainly keep the LM365 on our radar and look forward to seeing what comes to market in the months ahead.

Best Regards,
Mike

 

[TomMontague]

Mike - I couldn't agree more. 38' is about the perfect size but we have more people this year asking for something just a little smaller than ever before. As we move forward I'm sure the 38' coach will be in our line-up and will do very well. Have a great day and we will talk soon.

Tom