Optimum size to get everywhere. (1 Viewer)

[Bushtrekker]

In an ideal world, with loads of money, I would be looking at getting a motorhome built on a Unimog. I haven't checked my ticket yet tonight, but I doubt if I've won:Sad:

This being the case I've been looking for something to keep my wife happy(Warm), which will hold all the kit I want to carry, but will get round easily and get on and off ferries without grounding. This afternoon we looked a couple locally and decided that 18' would be too small, but 25', whilst more comfortable, might be too awkward in small lanes.

I'd be interested to hear opinions on the ideal size for a motorhome which would get us anywhere in the UK and Europe, but be comfortable to live in for months.
Cheers, John

 

[beachcaster]

its all a compromise.....if you want to get everywhere get a landy with a tent on the roof expedition style...........if you want to stretch out in bed
watch the tv then that 25 footer might be better............there is no perfect answer....any everyones needs and opinion is different.

barry

 

[Bushtrekker]

Been there, done that.

Unfortunately my wife wouldn't sleep iin the roof tent, although every other woman on the site seemed fascinated by the idea of sleeping on top of a Land Rover, which gave my wife hours of entertainment when they wanted to see inside

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[darklord]

The trouble with roof tents, is they make the landy top heavy, ..which is why you can now buy "bonking bars" which act like "corner steadies".

Ive slept in landies, seen landy ambulance conversions, towed caravans and trailer tents with landy's.....and I am MUCH more comfortable in my 23ft swift suntor.
Look on it laterally, a "hoppa" bus, gets most places people want to go, so where MH's need to go, anywhere else, you may need a landrover, so get a MH that can tow one....like I have

 

[hilldweller]

This afternoon we looked a couple locally and decided that 18' would be too small, but 25',
Cheers, John

Layout is everything. Get into some of the older Hymers, like the Tardis they are.

 

[Heyupluv]

Mine is 7.4 meters I have not found it a problem ....I always say a max of 7.5. is the best size to achieve almost all.....I am not saying bigger or smaller are no good ......it is if you go bigger... it may be better, but more limitations and restrictions were you can stop...........smaller may go everywhere but a little more compact......I have travelled all over France.. Mel

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[vwalan]

hi . i think the ideal is a mitsubishi canter 4x4 with an 18ft box 7ft 6ins wide .
google mitsubishi canter 4x4 .
other wise its one like mine . hee hee.
trouble with a unimog is they are very often too high. have travelled with a few and once between quarzazate and telouet on the track there is a overhang . the unimogs had to go back we got through . that wiped the smile off their faces . but they are good.
got a mate here with a merc 70 4x4 nosed truck they work well. he used to have an early hanomag . but really most places you can get with out 4x4 .
themitzy are a nice compact cab . so are the isuzu trucks .

 

[vwalan]

for compactness and get anywhere here is my mazda bongo 4x4 with a rooftent and pulling my teardrop caravan .(or pod caravan if you like ). the tent and the caravan have had a few trips to africa combined with a vw t2 with limited slip diff. that worked well but is a bit small but gets anywhere. the bongo is magic off road.

 

[tonka]

Your ideal van will be 24 foot. 6 berth and have a rear lounge and be for sale around the corner from you in Cannock.. !!! Pm me and come have a look
www.apache700.freewebspace.com.

Seriously. I find this an ideal size. Don't worry about lanes.. Some 18' vans are the same width as 30'.. Twin axle vans will only be an issue if you want to use toll roads abroad as they charge you more..

There is no answer to this question as people have different needs..

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[Welsh girl]

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this was a good one

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and this one

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ps, cant enter image only a link sorry

 

[JJ]

I do not like front wheel drive motorhomes...

They must be ok for the vast majority of people who presumably only want to move around on tarmac or flat, dry grass but I often find myself on surfaces where front wheel drive folks struggle.

As far as size goes... If I see buses or trucks coming my way I reckon I'll be fine in my 27 foot (ish) vans...

JJ

 

[scotjimland]

For your criteria ..

Long wheel base, high roof, twin rear wheel panel van conversion ..

My choice would be an older Merc with a no nonsense bullet proof diesel engine .. can be repaired by a blacksmith.. no need for a geek with a laptop.

Layout is a personal choice.. but for long terming, a raised fixed bed at the rear, with storage space accessed through the rear doors.

You often see them on ebay ..

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[Bushtrekker]

Thanks again.

Unfortunately my wife is not a great fan of the panel van idea, having seen coachbuilt motorhomes. I've tried to explain that I'm not planning on mugging a white van man and then throwing in a bucket as a toilet and a single burner gas stove.

I think I need to locate either a dealer who has a couple of these, or find someone locally who has a good quality conversion. I agree with you about engines, as I do most of my own work on vehicles and wouldn't want anything which relies on computers to run.

I tend to agree that a panel van conversion would be better, as I may be using this on a daily basis as well.

 

[scotjimland]

Unfortunately my wife is not a great fan of the panel van idea, having seen coachbuilt motorhomes. I've tried to explain that I'm not planning on mugging a white van man and then throwing in a bucket as a toilet and a single burner gas stove.

I think I need to locate either a dealer who has a couple of these, or find someone locally who has a good quality conversion. I agree with you about engines, as I do most of my own work on vehicles and wouldn't want anything which relies on computers to run.

I tend to agree that a panel van conversion would be better, as I may be using this on a daily basis as well.

Fully understand what you are saying ...

Coachbuilts do look the biz .. and many are reasonably well made.. but few will stand up to the rigours of long term living and travel.. especially over rough or unmade roads.. I've seen them fall apart.. literally.. body coming loose from the chassis .. they are made for holidays.. not living in..

To get the best of both worlds you are probably looking at the older Merc Hymers.. solid built, winterised and far better made than their modern counter parts ..

 

[bigfoot]

My first 'motorhome' was on a LR 88" and was based on the Searle Carawagon design that was in 1972,My late father helped me build it. I took it to the Picos De Europa and the Pyranees.
In 1981 I drove a lwb Carawagon to Egypt for an expedition.
In th 70s the AA had a magazine called Trail specifically for outdoors,not to be confused with th current title,it had a centrefold In one edition it was The ultimate Overlander based on the Unimog-like any centrefold it was my pin up.
There are many overlander type vehicles available -at a price.

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[motorhomelover]

In an ideal world, with loads of money, I would be looking at getting a motorhome built on a Unimog. I haven't checked my ticket yet tonight, but I doubt if I've won:Sad:

This being the case I've been looking for something to keep my wife happy(Warm), which will hold all the kit I want to carry, but will get round easily and get on and off ferries without grounding. This afternoon we looked a couple locally and decided that 18' would be too small, but 25', whilst more comfortable, might be too awkward in small lanes.

I'd be interested to hear opinions on the ideal size for a motorhome which would get us anywhere in the UK and Europe, but be comfortable to live in for months.
Cheers, John

we have had 18" coach built and a 25" caravan we now own a 25" American RV
its just right for size
not too long or too heavy
returns 20MPG on LPG (not bad for a full home on wheels)

only let down would be it is LHD not a problem for us but can put many off
all this for less than £30K now that is what i call a great deal for us

 

[Terry]

Hi John only my OPP but you need to stick under 20ft long to be able to park almost anywhere :thumb:anything above that requires thought when parking.For two to be comfy you need around 12 ft in the back bit (behind seats)and wider is better.Have a look at our conversion--
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--loads of cupboard/storage space,large bathroom/loo and the single 2ft 4 ins x 6 ft 6 ins beds convert into either 5ft x 6ft 6 ins double or a 6 ft 6 ins sq king size bed.You can still get up and use the loo and cooker when the bed is up.you can also make a 6 ft bed from the two font seats.Only thing it is lacking is 4x4 but as yet we have never got stuck with RWD
Bongo's with 4 WD may be perfect for a few days away but you will struggle with no shower and loo / storage space for any length of time away.The old mercs are ideal in a lot of ways but you may be put off with there age, and come selling time simply because of age/image struggle to get a good price
terry

 

[bigfoot]

This site may be of us to you.


http://www.xor.org.uk/silkroute/

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[rangi]

In 1980 I was part of a crew drilling siesmic holes for the oil company Shell BP Todd, inland from Gore in the south island NZ
The rig was on the back of a 1960s MOG. That thing was magic, it towed the water tank, drill rods and all the bibs and bobs we used, all up about 9 tonnes. it never got stuck, and was magic to drive. Far superior to the Landrover I used to drive in the Army.:thumb:

 

[maxsdad]

Had booking refused on a caravan site in Porthmadoc this weekend because or van is 7.5 mtrs long.

7mtrs or 22ft is the maximum said the polite but firm reception person.
But its only half a metre or 19 inches longer what difference does that make we protested.

It's because the pitches back onto the CHILDRENS PLAY AREA she replied.

If she did'nt want us to come why did'nt she say that in the first place.

 

[Jaws]

If you really wanna get everywhere, a BMW 1200GS and tent :thumb:

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[Gooney]

we have had 18" coach built and a 25" caravan we now own a 25" American RV
its just right for size
not too long or too heavy
returns 20MPG on LPG (not bad for a full home on wheels)

only let down would be it is LHD not a problem for us but can put many off
all this for less than £30K now that is what i call a great deal for us

Don't suppose it would be too long or heavy at 25 inches

 

[JOHNSTEY]

In an ideal world, with loads of money, I would be looking at getting a motorhome built on a Unimog. I haven't checked my ticket yet tonight, but I doubt if I've won:Sad:

This being the case I've been looking for something to keep my wife happy(Warm), which will hold all the kit I want to carry, but will get round easily and get on and off ferries without grounding. This afternoon we looked a couple locally and decided that 18' would be too small, but 25', whilst more comfortable, might be too awkward in small lanes.

I'd be interested to hear opinions on the ideal size for a motorhome which would get us anywhere in the UK and Europe, but be comfortable to live in for months.
Cheers, John

Hi John,
We started with a Sundance at 5.9m.Go anywhere and park most places but limited for longer term trips.Also easy to get stuck on wet grass.Now enjoying our Knaus much more.A reasonable size at 6.86m, enough space for longer trips and goes most places.A bit more thought needed for parking though.It's difficult to get everything right but this size seems to be the best compromise for us. good luck hunting out the right one for you.
:Cool:John and Carole

 

[motorhomer]

As others have said there is no right answer - its all your own preferences.

In my view even a 6m van conversion will be difficult to park in a lot of places especially in the UK so from that standpoint you may as well get a bigger one!
We did try to buy smaller when we change our van in 2011, but we found that nothing smaller than what we finished up buying (7.39m) had the internal space and comfort (an island bed) that we wanted for long term trips.

A word on front wheen drive. I too had resevations, but our new van has traction control which seems to work and makes it far less likely to get stuck than was the case with previous, otherwise mechanically similar, vans. Perhaps a front wheel drive with traction control is better than a rear wheel drive without?

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[simsy56]

l don't think there is a perfect RV/MH size. If it's small enough to park anywhere, and travel down the smallest of lanes, it will not be big enough to live in for very long. If it's like mine, 32' long and all the frills, you could live in it full time, but, cannot go here, there, and everywhere, and certainly cannot park wherever you want.
Horses for courses, but l am happy with my choice.

Craig