I actually took part of the top bunk out of my 16BH so that I can use the lower bunk as my bed. When I'm solo, I don't have to worry about converting the dinette every night. And when my boyfriend comes along, we don't have to worry about who has to climb over whom in the middle of the night.
And I won't say how much the lower bunk holds, but it's a lot because my almost 100 pound dog tries to share with me on occasion.