6m PVC with Lengthwise Beds

[Mark and Mindy]

I love our Hymercar Ayers Rock, yes its compact but the living area is absolutely fine and at 5.4m it fits very nicely on our drive. However, at some point in the not too distant future we'll be moving house and then I'd like to upgrade to a 6m PVC.

We'd (me) like lengthwise beds rather than the transverse we currently have because although the bed is described as being 196 x 138/123 that wider part is literally where the pillow is, the rest below that is 123cm which in old money is 4ft, so it could be described as a small double or a large single bearing in mind that most single beds are 3ft width.

I've been looking to see what is currently available in a 6m PVC with longitudinal beds and so far have come up with:

Hymercar Yosemite, same living space as the Ayers Rock but the extra length from 5.4m being taken up by the beds being lengthwise rather than transverse
Westfalia James Cook, clever arrangement with more living space and what looks like a transverse bed but actually has a slide out to make it lengthwise, however I can't see any UK Westfalia dealer who has one or even lists it as one of the Westfalia models they deal with
Globecar 600L, seems to have the same size living space as the Ayers Rock, but not sure about having to walk over the shower tray in the corridor, I'm somewhat larger than the average bear and wonder if there would be an issue in the long term.
Burstner City Car c602, same living space again although they seem to have squeezed in a very small wardrobe somehow

Does anybody know of any other which I might have missed?

 

[9526]

IH 630 RL has rear u shaped lounge which converts into 2 singles or a large double.

 

[Grianan]

We have 6.3m Globecar Campscout because we need the extra bed length over the 600L. Shower tray hasn’t been an issue for us ... in fact having the ability to separate the van into front and back rooms has turned out to be one of its best features.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

IH 630 RL has rear u shaped lounge which converts into 2 singles or a large double.

That's a 6.3 PVC rather than a 6m plus we've already been down the route of settees which convert into beds. We like the fixed bed as it means bedding doesn't have to be stored, one can go to bed earlier than the other and proper mattresses on a sprung base are much more comfortable than settee cushions.

 

[Stanbrook]

SOL REAR LOUNGE
Whether it's long weekends away or months travelling Europe, at just under 6 metres.

Good luck with your search, we have bunk beds in our 6m PVC Ducato, luckily we are both midgets.

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[phase3begins]

Consort motorhomes. owned by original vantage team.

 

[gerry mcg]

We have the Globecar 600L revolution that is 5.99m long and meets your requirements. Not sure if they are made anymore tho

 

[Shrimp]

Didn’t Minxy Girl have a Globecar you had to walk over the shower tray and had problems with same?

 

[Mark and Mindy]

SOL REAR LOUNGE
Whether it's long weekends away or months travelling Europe, at just under 6 metres.View attachment 415950View attachment 415951View attachment 415952Good luck with your search, we have bunk beds in our 6m PVC Ducato, luckily we are both midgets.

Although I do agree that the SOL is a lovely van, we're looking for a fixed bed rather than the make every night from settee type. The captain's chairs are perfect for lounging in and I don't mind sitting on the bed either in the evening.

I don't think bunk beds would suit as as they don't tend to be suitable for lounging.

We have the Globecar 600L revolution that is 5.99m long and meets your requirements. Not sure if they are made anymore tho

Globecar still have them on their vehicle list, so I thought they probably did.

Didn’t Minxy Girl have a Globecar you had to walk over the shower tray and had problems with same?

That seems to ring a bell with me!
Minxy Girl - was this what happened?

 

[solaris]

Auto sleepers Kingham has french bed, but 6.3m long and not great payload

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[Sunnyb]

IH 630 RL has rear u shaped lounge which converts into 2 singles or a large double.

IH had one of these at Malvern yesterday. I was impressed by the spacious feeling although not so much the purple decor! But Mr SB is doubtful too about how comfortable the sofas would be to sleep on and also the issue of having to make the beds up every night and store the bedding. We have a HymerVan 572 with single fixed beds and a huge garage- I want to go smaller but the comfy beds and garage storage space would be hard to let go of ...

 

[Minxy]

Didn’t Minxy Girl have a Globecar you had to walk over the shower tray and had problems with same?

That seems to ring a bell with me!
Minxy Girl - was this what happened?

Yes the shower tray in our Familyscout L had to be replaced due to cracking but this was down to the support framework for the underside not being installed when it was made at the factory so the only thing that was taking the weight when it was stood on was the shower tray itself! It took a while to convince Globecar that the support was missing (I did a thread about the fiasco) but it was eventually sorted just before we sold it (as we'd got the Campscout) and I have to say once SMC had sorted it, it was very strong indeed so the new owners should be well happy with it and I expect it will not be an issue anymore.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

IH had one of these at Malvern yesterday. I was impressed by the spacious feeling although not so much the purple decor! But Mr SB is doubtful too about how comfortable the sofas would be to sleep on and also the issue of having to make the beds up every night and store the bedding. We have a HymerVan 572 with single fixed beds and a huge garage- I want to go smaller but the comfy beds and garage storage space would be hard to let go of ...

We found with the previous van which converted the front lounge to an extremely wide double bed meant the lounge wasn't as comfortable as a non converting settee would be and the bed wasn't as comfortable as a mattress would be, plus the storage of the bedding under the seat (along with the extra infill cushions) and above the cab and the lack of any garage type storage space meant that what looked good on paper and also when "just looking" wasn't right for us when in use.

In comparison, we love the comfort of the fixed bed (if not the width) and there is masses of storage space underneath. The living area works well for us as 2 adults with 2 dogs, we don't actually need more storage just a wider bed and we won't get that in a 5.4m van. Going up to a 6m van will work as we just need the lengthwise beds.

There are definitely compromises with buying a van or motorhome, we can live with our current compromise but later when we have the chance to change then we will.

 

[Minxy]

Just one thing to consider with going down the single bed route ... they are NOT as wide as a home single bed so make sure you will be happy with this, I found mine a little bit narrow at times ... especially when one of the dogs was trying to snuggle between me and the window and pushing me out!

 

[dosser]

We have 6.3m Globecar Campscout because we need the extra bed length over the 600L. Shower tray hasn’t been an issue for us ... in fact having the ability to separate the van into front and back rooms has turned out to be one of its best features.

Ill second what Grinan said never had an issue with the shower and the beds massive when you have it as a double. We leave ours made up all the time.

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[FIDGET]

I know it's not 6mtr , but the Rapido v68 @6.30mtr is a great van , It's what I will be looking for when we down size

 

[Mark and Mindy]

I just had a quick look again at the Globecar vans.

Globescout - 4ft 3in transverse, so 3in wider than our current bed and the extra van length then also gives a cupboard over the fridge and big drawers in the kitchen, bigger bathroom than currently. I don't think it would be worth changing just to get an extra 3in on the bed width.

Globescout R - 4ft 9in transverse bed, so 9in wider, with shower in the corridor, fridge above the cupboard, same kitchen size as Globescout and the dinette area looks to be slightly wider.

Globescout 600L - 2ft 8in wide for each bed which would be fine, I've slept in a 2ft 6in single before, shower in the corridor, however the thing that has made me stop short is that the fridge would be underneath the sink area and would be 16L smaller than the fridges in either of the 2 models above! We already have a small fridge and would definitely want a larger one.

Right up to that point I was convinced that the 600L would be the right one for us, but have now gone backwards in a way towards the Globescout R with a 9in wider bed and bigger fridge!

The dogs in bed wouldn't be a problem for us as they only come up if at least one of us is already there, sitting or in bed or for morning cuddles. Don't want them at night as Poppy gets too hot and Harry is the ultimate snuggler, presses close and makes me very hot.

Perhaps the 2 single beds isn't the way to go but a wider transverse bed is!

 

[motorhomer]

Its all personal choice! We used to have a Rapido with an island bed. Super, comfortable van but we found it large to drive around smaller roads. So we decided to downsize to a van conversion.
We also decided to put up with making beds in the interests of having an excellent lounge, which we thought was worth a couple of minutes making up the bed. Very easy with Duvalays or similar. And if you have a rear lounge you can still have one going to bed whilst the other sits at the front.
So 6 years ago we downsized to a Autosleeper warwick XL. 4 years later we swapped the autosleeper for a autotrail vline 635 sport, which has a u shaped lounge. We prefer the autotrail layout, partly because it has an outside boot for storage of chairs etc, but have actually been happy with both. Both offer the choice between 2 singles or a large double. Both have been super to drive and pretty comfortable to live in.

 

[donnkim]

One of our rental Campervans is a Possl 600L Revolution R. 5.99 metres long on a 150 bhp engine. With length way fixed large bed which can be raised to the roof. As such, it is on a ‘high line’ body which makes standing up - when one is over 6’ a doddle. Possl are the European version of Globecar.
She will be up for sale mid October 2019 model. PM me for more details.

 

[FIDGET]

She will be up for sale mid October 2019 model. PM me for more details.

Possible 2020

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[beachwomble]

VANTourer 600 L Camper Van

The new VANTourer camper van 600 L is a compact yet comfortable motor home with single beds.

www.vantourer.de

Only UK dealer is Harbour Creek Motorhomes on Hayling Island.

 

[TheMachMan]

If you can put up with staying transverse then plenty of 6m options which give you a wider fixed bed. Ours is a good example.

 

[Cheshirecat57]

Is 6.36m a non-starter.

 

[Scully]

The fifer, from east neuk campervans, give the versatility of a double or 2 singles.

 

[Aly1]

The fifer, from east neuk campervans, give the versatility of a double or 2 singles.

My friend has one of these and is happy with it and pleased with the customer service.

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[Cheshirecat57]

The fifer, from east neuk campervans, give the versatility of a double or 2 singles.

OP wants fixed beds NOT make-ups

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Is 6.36m a non-starter.

Yes, we don't want to go higher than 6m - the only issue with our 5.4m is the bed width. Mark is getting squashed up against the back doors and underneath the cupboards which can feel a bit claustrophobic whereas I'm on the edge with my legs behind the side wall of the bathroom and my body on the very edge. At 6ft its a bit of a tricky manoeuvre to get either my legs onto the bed or off again while there's a a body next to me and without smacking my head on the underside of the wall cupboard above my head.

The 6m would give us the extra width on the bed, a larger fridge would also be a bonus, and if there's an upright cupboard as well then that's great.

We looked at the Fifers near the beginning of our search and while we loved the vans we didn't like how the kitchen was behind the passenger seat meaning that it didn't swivel, that was when we were looking at a 5.4m and converting the lounge to a bed, now we want to go the fixed bed route on a 6m van.

 

[KMarkN]

Have you considered the Elddis CV60 PVC which comes in various dealer branded forms? Semi-fixed 'french' bed which is 6' 2" long - downside might be the limited width but maybe worth a look?

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Have you considered the Elddis CV60 PVC which comes in various dealer branded forms? Semi-fixed 'french' bed which is 6' 2" long - downside might be the limited width but maybe worth a look?

Just had a look at that one, yes too narrow plus by not having a garage and having to store bedding during the day there's a massive loss of storage space.

As you say, 6ft 2in long but only 4ft 4in wide, plus they've called it a day bed but in use you would either have to lie down or sit with your legs stretched and lean back onto the side of the washroom wall. The seat is very deep and the back rest not high enough.

I've made up a handy spreadsheet of all possible contenders, only looked at European vans as most English have the lounge to bed conversion and we want a fixed bed. The average size would be 6ft 5in long and 4ft 8in wide.

Although I'm 2in shorter than the Elddis bed, not only am I the one who would be on the cut off foot side but my feet tend to point a bit at night and I naturally slip down the pillow a little.

Thanks for that though, always worth checking.

 

[cmcardle75]

Adria Compact Plus SP? However, the bed might still be a little too narrow, marked as 1.95 x 1.4m, but does lose 15cm at the foot. It is under 6m (by exactly 1mm!) Not sure if you want a garage, either.

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