By Cheri Sicard
The team from Big Truck Big RV, one of our reader’s favorite RV YouTube channels, gives us a tour of a travel trailer with a most unique floor plan, the Salem 29VIEW.
This is a large trailer so you should plan to tow it, at minimum, with a 3/4-ton truck.
A hidden secret
This trailer holds a secret that I have never seen in any other RV. In the slide, behind the living room entertainment center, is a bunkhouse room or office space!
Watch the video to see this incredibly unique feature that makes excellent use of this RV’s space. Families with kids will LOVE this, as will working nomads who want to keep work separate from living space.
Besides this unusual feature, I like the overall floor plan as well. In the back of the trailer, wrap-around windows frame the kitchen and wrap-around bar-like countertops can be used as scenic workspace or dining space.
A large, comfortable, U-shaped sofa sits opposite the fireplace, providing the perfect place to snuggle on chilly evenings. Large enough to comfortably seat five, there are lots of large storage bins hidden underneath.
The kitchen features a 3-burner cooktop, dual-basin sink, oven, microwave, Furrion 11-cubic-foot, frost-free, double-door, 12-volt refrigerator.
A king-sized bed largely takes up the bedroom. I like that you can adjust the bed to sit up while reading or watching TV. Despite the size of the bed, there’s still room for a good-sized wardrobe closet.
I also liked the under-bed storage with built-in baskets that also access the outside pass-through storage area. The built-in hamper in the bedroom storage area is another great feature, especially as it can be accessed from both inside and outside.
Another large bedroom closet is prepped for an optional washer and dryer.
More great features of the Forest River Salem 29VIEW
- Fireplace
- Electronically adjustable kind-sized bed.
- Two ducted AC units.
- Lots and lots of windows!
- Large automatic awning.
- The underside of the pass-through storage hatch is a dry-erase board you can use for notes (more on using dry erase boards around your RV here).
- Small outdoor kitchen with refrigerator and griddle make outdoor cooking easy and convenient.
What’s not to like?
- I don’t like the wall of storage cubbies in the bathroom, as they would not be usable when moving. In my opinion, this was poorly thought out.
- I am personally not a fan of the 12-volt refrigerator trend, but you may feel differently.
Forest River Salem 29VIEW Specs
- 50-amp electrical
- Length: 34’10”
- Dry weight: 7,897 lbs.
- Cargo carrying capacity: 2,014 lbs.
- Slides: 1 rack-and-pinion
- Fresh water: 40 gallons
- Gray water: 60 gallons
- Black water: 30 gallons
- On-demand water heater
- MSRP: $51,900 (much less at dealers)
Learn more about the Forest River Salem 29VIEW here.
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I’d rather not waste space on this hidden ‘bunkroom’ and have more space in the kitchen and living room. A lot of the storage areas are not very deep. They look good from the outside but don’t offer much space once you open the doors. And from my old-fashioned thinking process, the less electronically operated ‘stuff’, the better. Like the bed . . .
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 Very interesting feature. I wonder what the motivation for creating it was? Nomadic teleworkers? I read another review of a towable RV with a similar hidden room. I wonder if these are the beginning of a trend, or a quickly reversed mis-step? I guess we’ll see. 🤔 Meanwhile, a more established trend of the fresh water tank NOT being the largest of the three (larger of the two) continues here. 🤔😯🙁. Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂