When creative ideas flow, good things follow. Case in point: the 2009 Alumascape Suite 36REQ (in layman’s terms: 36-foot Rear Entertainment Quad-slide) fifth wheel by Holiday Rambler. Significant enhancements in this high-end product line include new technologies Holiday Rambler has embraced in sidewall construction, plus a hefty dose of functionality and livability.

The vacuum-laminated walls now feature a welded tubular aluminum infrastructure, with cut-to-fit dense bead foam insulation, luan interior wall panel and a high-gloss gelcoat fiberglass exterior. With the enormous amount of insulation in the roof, walls and floor, plus Holiday Rambler’s standard cold weather Alaskan Package, the comfort and safety this fifth wheel yields in both hot and cold climes is second to none.

The Alaskan Package includes an enclosed and heated holding tank compartment with a composite underbelly beneath the tank compartment, a heated alcove storage area and an insulated bathroom floor. Warm toasty air from the 40,000-BTU furnace is delivered via a plenum/ducting system – a system designed and engineered as part of the six-layer floor.

This high level of engineering excellence permits the full-time RV enthusiast to enjoy the use of the 36REQ year-round. But Holiday Rambler has also addressed the needs of those who enjoy some in-coach entertaining. The entire rear wall of the Alumascape Suite is dedicated to entertaining. The rear coach entertainment complex includes a 23-inch LCD flat screen television, a full array of components required to enjoy home theater surround sound, a wine cellar and a cabinet for crystal ware. There is also the option of adding an electric fireplace that is visually—as well as physically—warming. When entertaining is not in progress, the practical concerns of everyday living are well provided for in the 36REQ with the inclusion of a corner desk adjacent to the entertainment center. It can serve as a computer workstation, a place to write a note to the folks who are stuck back home, or as a location where a favorite craft or avocation can be enjoyed.

Keeping in mind that the 36REQ is configured to facilitate social gatherings. The two 39-inch deep slideout rooms (one on either side of the salon area) provide comfortable seating, lounging and the opportunity for total and complete relaxation. Twin glider recliner chairs along with a self-standing dinette can be housed in the curbside slide, with a sofa/sleeper housed in the opposing salon area slide.

The choice of which slideout works best for housing the sofa and recliner chairs is up to you.

A bar counter (positioned perpendicular to the street sidewall) with accompanying bar stools separates the salon and entertaining areas from the state-of-the-art galley. However, Holiday Rambler has achieved this without blocking or interrupting the flow of the gathering areas, or disturbing the visual lines between guests seated in these two capacious venues. A more subtle but equally important feature is guest access to the bathroom facilities. Located immediately off the side aisle that leads to the bedroom is one of two bathroom entries (there is no need for guests to wander through your bedroom to access the bathroom). Furthermore, a divider can be closed, offering privacy and effectively separating the bedroom from the social activity in the back half of the 36REQ. Nicely done.

The RV enthusiast needs an abode that yields everyday functionality, livability, luxury and comfort and for the most part the Alumascape Suite 36REQ does that exceptionally well. For example, the galley includes a fixed island that runs down the center of the unit across from the spacious street-side slideout galley complex. This complex yields countertop surface area, a three-burner cooktop, refrigerator/freezer and a large pantry. The galley island hosts a large countertop work area, along with a double sink and large cabinets (storage capacity) below the island. Throughout the Alumascape Suite, Holiday Rambler includes full extension drawer guides in every drawer of the coach. This permits full access to the storage area inside each drawer without any loss of access due to cabinet face fronts being in the way.

It’s important to note that even with its four large slideouts (the third and fourth slideouts are in the galley and in the bedroom) the interior is so well designed that the inside is fully functional without extending the slideouts, for example, during a midday lunch-stop or rest stop. No need to extend the slides to take full advantage of the utility and functionality of the 36REQ.

At the end of the day, or simply when a nap is mandated, the luxury of the bedroom comes sharply into focus. Standard appointments include a king size bed, a nightstand, a chest of drawers at the foot of the bed and a full wardrobe spanning the front of the stateroom. The second point of entry into the luxury bathroom via a sliding door permits passage directly between the bedroom and the bath.

In Holiday Rambler’s Alumascape Suite family of towables the 36REQ accommodates the needs of those who enjoy comfort, recreation and entertaining and it does all that very, very well.

J. Martin Kohler is a freelance writer based in Northern California and author of several Holidays features.