Having both grown up it large families and having 4 kids of our own we are used to "making do" and the RB or standard RSB would not have been unworkable for us. But since we bought new we got to have it our way. For once that was nice.
We chose a 26' RSB but had the factory put a 2nd fold down sofa in the rear instead of the permanent configuration of the rear side bed. As I recall there was little or no additional charge for this configuration change. We call it a 26' RSS.
I'm a night person and Jean is a morning person. And on those voyages lasting longer than the lunar cycle the togetherness gets - well - we sometimes like our own space and to be on our own schedule.
With flat screen tvs and today's small AV components we are able to piece together a very nice entertainment suite without dedicating very much storage space to it. The facory helped by putting in speaker and coax from the "TV" cabinet over the closet to both the front and rear of the coach with additional 12vdc and 110vac power outlets in the front and rear locations. Dedicating the over the cab space to the entertainment center was akin to giving up the master bedroom for a TV - to us anyway. We also like the idea of having soft bedding overhead instead of big and heavy glass and metal boxes in the event of a collision.
We both sleep in the cabover bed and feel that is a very efficient use of that space. A Costco memory foam topper made it a great bed. So when Jean goes to bed early I go to the RSS (Rear Side Sofa) and work on the computer, watch TV or read. And with the dawn you will find me sawing logs in the overhead and Jean watching the Early Show and sewing, listening to music, reading or working on the computer in the
back room. We don't always do this but it is an option we frequently use and sometimes just knowing the option is there is all that is needed to make the close quarters feel more comfortable. Having our separate space and time alone makes the RSS a very good compromise for us. We like that a lot and it's not easy to come by in coaches under 30'. That's not to say that we wouldn't like a another 12" of counter space in the galley
I think the 26' RSB has a little better weight distribution and handling than the RB although that didn't influence our decision (and I may be wrong about that). The safety and handling characteristics of the BF were our first consideration although esthetics were a big factor for Jean and ergonomics for me. Trading slide-outs for structural integrity was a no brainer. Since we spend a lot of time on the narrower back roads the thinner design and overall profile of the smaller motorhome makes the BF
much easier to drive than wide body coaches.
Mike