Advice on campervan size?

[maisha]

I'm trying to decide between a L2/H2 or a L3/H2 Relay/Boxer/Ducato. It's for one person, living in it full time for the next 1+ years, mostly in towns and rural areas, though occasionally cities and possibly to travel into Europe.

The internal layout/utilities will be minimal. I like the larger internal length (600mm) of the L3 but I'm not sure if it outweighs the benefits of a smaller van (parking, stealth, or anything else that comes to mind?). Would love to hear some experiences to help me decide between the two.

 

[AndyPK]

You need to decide what ‘minimal’ utilities you’d like…….fixed bed, shower, etc….then see what fits into whatever ‘van you’re looking at. If full-timing, you need some luxuries, I would have thought…..?

 

[Vipar]

Greetings peeps welcome from Bexley

 

[maisha]

Fixed horizontal bed, no shower. I can fit what I'd need in the L2, I wouldn't really add anything in an L3. It would just be more spaceious/comfortable. My worry is does that extra comfort make it less practical for me.

 

[Jamesh]

I think l3 do L2 come in high roof?

That would swing it for me!

If the overhang is too long you can often find a bit of rough ground to reverse into a car park space.

You need more space than you think!

Also a separate toilet would be a plus!

Cheers James

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[cmcardle75]

Fixed horizontal bed, no shower. I can fit what I'd need in the L2, I wouldn't really add anything in an L3. It would just be more spaceious/comfortable. My worry is does that extra comfort make it less practical for me.

The problem with no shower when fulltiming is obvious. You're going to need campsites far more than you would otherwise, which could be expensive.

I'd go for the L3. I've got an L3H3 Vauxhall Movano, which is room enough for a small shower/toilet, fixed bed, kitchen area etc, although a similar layout might work with an L2, as I've got 5 travelling seats, which could be reduced to 2 with a smaller kitchen area. I'd strongly recommend installing seat swivels, as this makes the front seats usable for lounging.

There's little practical difference with L2 & L3, as they're both the same width and neither will squeeze into a standard length parking space. You'd need an L1 for that. There are few parking spots that will take an L2, but not an L3. You can also opt for the H3 roof with an L3, which is useful, either for being tall, or mounting the fixed bed higher so that you can get more storage under it. You're might need much more storage than you think for full timing!

 

[Otter Spotter]

The problem with no shower when fulltiming is obvious. You're going to need campsites far more than you would otherwise, which could be expensive.

I'd go for the L3. I've got an L3H3 Vauxhall Movano, which is room enough for a small shower/toilet, fixed bed, kitchen area etc, although a similar layout might work with an L2, as I've got 5 travelling seats, which could be reduced to 2 with a smaller kitchen area. I'd strongly recommend installing seat swivels, as this makes the front seats usable for lounging.

There's little practical difference with L2 & L3, as they're both the same width and neither will squeeze into a standard length parking space. You'd need an L1 for that. There are few parking spots that will take an L2, but not an L3. You can also opt for the H3 roof with an L3, which is useful, either for being tall, or mounting the fixed bed higher so that you can get more storage under it. You're might need much more storage than you think for full timing!

A number of FLTs have a national Gym membership which they can then use the Shower facilities anytime they want ‘David Lloyd‘ have great facilities and various membership packages.

 

[cmcardle75]

A number of FLTs have a national Gym membership which they can then use the Shower facilities anytime they want ‘David Lloyd‘ have great facilities and various membership packages.

Not a bad idea, although some national memberships you need to have a "home" gym and you get punished for using it less than all the "guest" gyms you visit. Worth checking on before taking the plunge.

 

[maisha]

The problem with no shower when fulltiming is obvious. You're going to need campsites far more than you would otherwise, which could be expensive.

I can't see myself installing a shower. I've managed alright in the past with a bowl of warm water/wet wipes, and a campsite/gym shower when I can.

There's little practical difference with L2 & L3, as they're both the same width and neither will squeeze into a standard length parking space. You'd need an L1 for that. There are few parking spots that will take an L2, but not an L3. You can also opt for the H3 roof with an L3, which is useful, either for being tall, or mounting the fixed bed higher so that you can get more storage under it. You're might need much more storage than you think for full timing!

By a standard length parking space, do you mean a car park bay? The length for street parking is a main concern, but I haven't owned an L2 or L3 before, so I can only go by how they look. The L2 is only 600mm shorter, but it looks a lot more manageable and feasible to find street parking. And I imagine the L2 would draw a lot less attention to it as a live-in home. I can only assume here though?

 

[cmcardle75]

I can't see myself installing a shower. I've managed alright in the past with a bowl of warm water/wet wipes, and a campsite/gym shower when I can.


By a standard length parking space, do you mean a car park bay? The length for street parking is a main concern, but I haven't owned an L2 or L3 before, so I can only go by how they look. The L2 is only 600mm shorter, but it looks a lot more manageable and feasible to find street parking. And I imagine the L2 would draw a lot less attention to it as a live-in home. I can only assume here though?

Yes, I mean a parking bay. Clearly on street, the L2 will fit into a slightly smaller gap, although there will only be a few occasions where the L2 fits, but the L3 doesn't.

As for drawing attention, it you want a stealth van, just be careful about fixtures, fittings, windows etc. Despite the attached windout awning and various toilet doors/inlets and outlets, mine still looks pretty stealthy. This is probably down to the original police "spotty" treatment to the side windows (see my avatar picture). They don't even look like windows. A motorhomer would soon rumble that mine was a living vehicle, but I'm not sure a member of the public would.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Guigsy]

We had an L2H2 van that the two of us lived in for 6 months driving around Europe. Fixed double bed across the back, kitchen down the side with fridge, hob and oven. Extremely compact wash room with toilet, shower and sink. Hot water. Blown air heating. Solar. Front seats spun around to a fold-out table for eating. But there was very little living space inside. "Crampervan".

The L2 is 5.4m and does fit in a standard parking space (provided you squeeze between two small cars). It does open up quite a lot of options if you are regularly using on-street parking and going to supermarkets. Makes it a bit less obvious when you're stealth camping. The shorter wheelbase also makes it a bit more manoeuvrable.

Counter argument is the extra 0.6m that the L3 gives is a massive extra in terms of percentage internal space gained. We could sleep, wash and cook in our van, but there was little room to relax. I think we would have driven each other nuts if we'd had an extended period of poor weather.

H2 vs H3. Once you go over 2.1m, you can't do many multi-storey car parks and lots of council car parks are out. But only a VW Transporter stays under that limit. But beyond that, it doesn't make much difference. But there aren't that many H3 vans about.

In terms of layout, if you aren't tall, you can sleep across a Ducato. This opens up a lot of layout options... Depends on how much you like to stretch out though.