Hallmark owners - how is the dinette/ bed?

V

Vic

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Jul 22, 2010
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camping somewhere in the Sierra Nevada range
Hi all - just about ready to pull the trigger on a Hallmark Everest order. There are 3 of us camping - me, wife and 9 year old daughter who will continue to grow...

I'm collecting some first hand reports on how convenient & usable the dinette bed option is, especially with those great big windows as a cold spot. How big of a hassle is it to pull the table down every night?

Has anyone ever done the gaucho build in a Hallmark?

In general how do you like the dinette? Basically this is the only thing holding me back at this point.

Thanks in advance,

-Vic
 
Well, can't give you any words of wisdom about how the bunk would work, we haven't had any occasion to use ours yet (probably a few years away, grandson is just 9 mos. :) ). It seems to be a pretty simple affair, you pull out the table and stand, put in the board they give you and flatten the seat cushions to make the mattress. Not sure on the Everest, but I think it's 6' overall so you should have a little growing room before it gets too snug for her.

They made black out shaded that snap on all of the windows that seem to be the same material, layers as the pop-up. We've only had ours (K2) since the end of January, but have spent numerous nights where the temps have gotten down into the high teens. We haven't noticed any cold spots as we would be sitting at the dinette, but we didn't sleep there either. As the heater discharge is closer, to the dinette it may be warmer too, at least on one side.

If you do choose to go with a Hallmark, you won't regret it. Well constructed and thought out. Not sure what a gaucho build is?
 
I'm not sure about the gaucho build either. We only plan on using the cabover bed which is quite comfortable with the two inch memory foam topper we put on.

The regular dinette bed is a bit of a pain with a separate bunk board (plywood sheet) that spans the dinette for the bed. The cushions are thick and would probably be comfortable. The snap-in window coverings would probably be a good idea when sleeping here if the temperature was down near freezing. The table itself is supposed to be stored up above the cab over bunk. A gripe for me is that it is possible to design a table that acts as a bunk board with only a smaller triangular shape board used in addition to complete the bunk. The bunk is wider forward and tapers narrower towards the rear of the camper. A possible hazard is that if both the cabover and lower bunks are used the normal orientation the head of the person in the lower bunk might get stepped on. This may be tricky for someone getting out of the cabover in the middle of the night. The bunk is wide enough to sleep reversed. For my tastes, the standard table is kinda narrow in one direction and really long in the other. The girlfriend really likes it though.

The cushions are a bit over sized when fitting them as a bunk. I have to really jam them in place to make the bed but once they are set they aren't going to slide around.
 
enelson said:
I'm not sure about the gaucho build either. ...
Click to expand...

A gaucho is a convertible sofa bed. Some people--not me--prefer a bench seat to a dinette.

We have not made the dinette into a bed, either, but it looks fairly straightforward. I can't say if the windows are a cold spot for someone sleeping--that is too subjective--although we sit there at night watching a movie and do not notice a problem even below freezing when the insulation is over the windows.
 
Thanks all - yes a gaucho - fancy camper word for sleeper sofa! I'm leaning towards just the standard dinette but having them cut the table top so it fits the bed base. I can't see carrying 2 pieces of wood around. -Vic
 
Vic said:
Thanks all - yes a gaucho - fancy camper word for sleeper sofa! I'm leaning towards just the standard dinette but having them cut the table top so it fits the bed base. I can't see carrying 2 pieces of wood around. -Vic
Click to expand...
My camper isn't a Hallmark but our dinette converts to a full size bed. The table top does double duty as the bed base bridging the area between the dinette seats. We have 3 also, me, wife, & soon to be 7 year old son. We've found that 95% of the time we keep it in the sleeping configuration. The only time we eat inside is if it's raining or too windy. Keeping the dinette configured as a bed also makes packing the camper easier because of the large flat area for storing things if needed.
 
Vic said:
Thanks all - yes a gaucho - fancy camper word for sleeper sofa! I'm leaning towards just the standard dinette but having them cut the table top so it fits the bed base. I can't see carrying 2 pieces of wood around. -Vic
Click to expand...
Their current table would be a problem with this approach. Is is a molded piece that may not be usable at all if cut (edges non-uniform, exposed core, etc). Also, the size is not amenable to spanning the normal dinette spacing and have enough width for the bed. Hallmark may have a solution for you though. If they do I'm interested in learning about it and possibly converting over.

For their standard build its only a single additional piece of wood that needs to be carried around. I do agree that this isn't the most desirable approach.

I do know what a gaucho bed is but have never seen one in a Hallmark. While I prefer a dinette I would like to see pics of that build.
 
Agreed, their table wouldn't work as it comes standard, edges are molded and the dimensions aren't the same as the dinette opening that needs to be spanned.

I just took the filler piece and store it under the mattress (not in the storage bin). Will probably forget it's there when I want to use it.
 
I'm going to be converting the table to use a Lagun table mount. Once the mount arrives I'll determine exactly how I'm going to attach it. Eventually I'll replace the floor dinette piece with one without a hole for a table pedestal. I wanted to build a new table with dimensions that allowed it to be used in the bunk but I got serious blow-back from the girlfriend. She said that the only way she'd permit it is if I was able to match the faux granite gel coat. She is half-owner of the camper. :p
 
I (5'9") have slept in the dinette bed when I didn't t feel like raising the roof, it worked fine. My neighbor sleeps there when we snowmobile, no complaints from him. The above posters also make valid points- cold doesn't seem to be an issue, head opposite end from furnace, would be more convenient if table top doubled as the board, makes for easy packing when set up as bed. Love mine!
 
thanks - great options on the table. We are actually going to go the dinette route but have the long leg (against the side wall) built deeper than stock so my daughter can sleep/ nap on that side with the table up and slid out of the way. That's the way our current camper is build and after looking at a bunch of different options, just decided to go that way. May pursue one of the above table mounts for that. Thanks!
 
Resurrecting this thread...
Vic did you get your camper?
How's it working for you and can you share some pictures?
 
Vic!
It was great meeting you and your family as well! My wife was dumbfounded that we would run into someone I met online on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere!
Glad to hear that you love your Hallmark and we can't wait to pick ours up in a couple of months.
Also, thanks for the tip on the flowers! We were blown away with all the beauty. We stopped and had lunch on that sunny slope and just basked in the colors and sunshine!
I will do a complete write up hear shortly as soon as I can get my ducks in order.
 
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