217 RBS vs 246 RBS

[tobaccofarmer]

Hello everyone I am happy I found this forum! I am seriously looking at the bullet 217RBS and absolutely love the rear bathroom setup since it will be only wife and I we feel this trailer should be plenty for our needs. Problem is I have since discovered the bullet 246RBS and although there is a 600 lb difference and 3 feet both not really huge I cant seem to decide between the two? Is the addition of the dinette that beneficial? Would love to hear other owners of either the 217 or 246 to describe why they chose either or and how they like the rear bath floor plan? Thanks

[GaryWT]

The olny thing I will say is if it is cold and rainy or so hot... without the table inside it is more difficultto eat with heat or AC. A table is nice to have.

[tobaccofarmer]

http://www.keystonerv.com/bullet/#/floorplans

http://www.keystonerv.com/bullet/#/floorplans


Its not letting me copy exact link for each one. The 217 does have table just a removable fold up table used in front of sofa.

[BulletOwner1]

First off, I don't have either of these models.

But I am sticking my nose in here to state that more room is always better. Up to the point where you're uncomfortable with the size or your budget doesn't go there.

And to add to what GaryWT stated, if you're holed up in the trailer because of weather etc. you will appreciate the extra room. And I don't care how much you love your spouse, both sitting on the couch all day(s) long will probably test your commitment !

I looked at the floor plans and like the 246, separate dinette, looks like larger kitchen, to me no brainer.

Just my 2cents. Good luck in your decision.

Richard

[GaryWT]

Larger slide more room and it will be difficult to play a game or cards while both sitting on the coach. If both were in the price range and the tow ability I would go with the larger. Just my opinion. Good luck with your choice.

[kc9ojn]

My opinion is worth what your paying for it but get the biggest you can first pull then afford. They don't make a camper stretcher that I know of.

Sent from my Sony Tablet S using Tapatalk 2

[KJcachers]

We have the 246 and love the dinette. In fact this floor plan was something we were looking for. We wanted the dinette on the curb side so that when sitting and eating or playing cards we would be looking out on our campsite. The couch is nice for sitting and relaxing or putting on shoes but we really think a dinette is quite useful.

[Corbin1357]

We have the 246RBS and love it!! Having the couch and the dinette just gives you so many more options. We have the dinette that is "U" shape with the open back to the TV, not sure why they stopped making it that way? We find that we play a lot of games at the table and at night we turn it into a bed and my wife likes to layout on it and watch TV/ read. Plus the extra room is always needed!! It is also just my wife and me but we do like to take our niece with us and it is a lot easier to turn the dinette into a bed then the couch and filling the air mattress every night! Only bad thing I can say about the 246RBS is that if the slide is not out you can't get to the bathroom. Now we have not camped anywhere where we couldn't put out the slide, and you could always go out side and use the back door but who wants to do that!! One of the other cool things about the 246RBS is that it has a garbage shoot to an out side hatch and its in the kitchen counter, LOVE THIS! Well I could go all day about my trailer and why I love it but I hope this helps you decide which one you want. Good luck and Happy Camping, you'll be happy with whichever one you pick!!

[tobaccofarmer]

Thank you for the reply. I am trying to understand why keystone changed the original U dinette to the current configuration? It seems they changed this somewhere around 2012 or late 2011? To me it looks like the original U style is more usefull? Also I cant seem to find a consistent answer as to the sofa bed. Is it a air matress or just foam top? seems like this also has changed durning 2013? Thanks

[KJcachers]

Ours is a 2013. The couch is an air mattress and came with a pump. Not too practical as a bed though because when unfolded you can't get past it from the front bedroom area to go to the bathroom or kitchen area. We also do not have the garbage chute that was mentioned or the u shaped dinette.

[tobaccofarmer]

Must be 2013's that they got rid of nice trash compartment and changed dinette from U shape. I really like that better, maybe I need to find a used 2012 somewhere? Why do they do these changes for the worse? been looking at so many pictures just realized the sink used to be next to sofa with trash hole then stove to the left. Now the sink is angled on the left and stove on right next to sofa? Another thing they changed is flooring which I actually like the new one better it looks kinda like a wood knock off compared to the square tile look. I feel the new floor is nicer but thats just my opinion

[Scorn]

Originally Posted by tobaccofarmer

Must be 2013's that they got rid of nice trash compartment and changed dinette from U shape. I really like that better, maybe I need to find a used 2012 somewhere? Why do they do these changes for the worse? been looking at so many pictures just realized the sink used to be next to sofa with trash hole then stove to the left. Now the sink is angled on the left and stove on right next to sofa? Another thing they changed is flooring which I actually like the new one better it looks kinda like a wood knock off compared to the square tile look. I feel the new floor is nicer but thats just my opinion

I don't have either of those models, 241BHS Bullet, but the couch is not an air bed couch they changed that in 2014.

So if budget is not too tight I would consider the 2014 as mine has the wood look floor.

[suza]

Don't know if you've made your decision yet, but here's my input:

We have an 279RKSWE (fifth wheel) and love the plan. The bathroom is a walk through, so it expands your bedroom space when the door is open at that end. Having the bathroom in the rear would be a little quieter in the middle of the night (for the person sleeping), but I think putting the bathroom in the rear chops the layout in half, making it seem smaller. Our RK has a corner sink and a lot of window; the corner behind the sink is perfect for a dish drainer. The stove is between the sink and the fridge, so not by the sofa.

It appears that, with the smaller version you would not be able to get to the fridge when the slide is in (if you happen to stop, while on the road, for a bit to eat. You could access the bath with the slide in, which is good for on the road pit stops. You shouldn't be camping with the slide in because it isn't meant to be walked on.

Advice to get as big as you can haul/afford is good, especially with smaller RVs. You don't want to be trading up in a few years when you wish you had more space - unless that's what you like to do

[Sixxgunscott]

Ours is a 2012 Bullet 246RBSwe. It has the newer dinette and the couch with the air mattress. Haven't used that yet. Very happy with the trailer after three short trips taken so far. Just saw the 2013 model yesterday. Not much change noted except the interior graphics and fabric was a little different. I'm 6'1" and the Short Queen bed is a little short for me. We didn't like the feel of the inner-spring mattress so we purchased a memory foam mattress topper from Costco. Made all the difference! As others noted, we purchased this model because the dinette was on the door side of the trailer, and the kitchen is in the slide out. We also thought this model has more interior storage cabinets than other models.
Best of luck with your decision.

[brandon.delaney]

My wife and I bought a 2013 246rbs last year and we absolutely love it. having the bathroom in the back with a separate door makes life so much easier. You don't have to trudge through the whole camper to get to the bathroom. A quick change out of the swim trunks and into some warm fire pit clothes is quick and easy. The 246 has a large closet in the bathroom that we put all of our clothes in which it looks like is not incorporated in the 217. The dinette and couch can get cramped especially when you pull the couch out for guests, but when guests are just visiting and not spending the night, it makes for a lot more room to entertain. Think about what parts of the camper you will use the most and how they will function while your on your vacation. Either way you can't go wrong!

[eartha]

I had the 215 and then looked at the 217 and went to the for the 246. We just love it. The kitchen is a lot bigger.

[haffcke]

mine is a 2011 246, use it at least 6 months per year, two of us and small dog , love it tows easy, very comfortable, smart looking we added an electric fireplace under tv console, heats complete tt, also removed the door to bath and replaced with heavy duty lined curtain from Lowes so when on the road we can use the toilet without opening the slide or using rear door works very well. PS what ever you get hope you enjoy as much as we have, and let us know. thanks Phil & Lola

[KJcachers]

Originally Posted by haffcke

mine is a 2011 246, use it at least 6 months per year, two of us and small dog , love it tows easy, very comfortable, smart looking we added an electric fireplace under tv console, heats complete tt, also removed the door to bath and replaced with heavy duty lined curtain from Lowes so when on the road we can use the toilet without opening the slide or using rear door works very well. PS what ever you get hope you enjoy as much as we have, and let us know. thanks Phil & Lola

Would love to know more about that fireplace. Any pics? What brand?

[zuley]

You mentioned in your first post that it was just you and your wife. I have looked at both layouts and my first observation was lack of counter space. If I may suggest another model not yet mentioned have a look at the layout of the Passport Elite 23RB. It comes in between the two units you have listed in regards to weight, 4600 pounds. There is more counter space in this unit than most 30 footers we have looked at. No dinette per say but the counter over hangs on the one end and comes with two stools so that the days you have to eat inside there is a place to sit. We had no intention of upgrading and just happened upon this trailer at a RV show to which both of us said immediately this was our next model. It is a perfect two person unit IMO, but certainly not suitable for anyone with a family.

[KJcachers]

We like the sink in the back corner. Love that big sink BTW. The counter space to the right of the stove works great for the coffee pot.