First time in Motorhome (1 Viewer)

[Cassidyuk]

Hi after over 12 months of thinking of buying a motorhome I have took the advice of everyone on here and have hired one for next week.
After visiting the Malvern show last year and visiting a few forecourt's my favorite layouts are quite different:
End Lounge I like the openness and panoramic feel
or
Fixed bed I like the fact I don't have to make the bed every night and I like the separate dinette.

I could not find an End lounge type for hire but have hired a Swift Escape 664 which has a fixed bed.
Hopefully the experience will ascertain whether the motorhome lifestyle is for me and also if the layout suits my needs.

Cheers

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN. We have a fixed French bed which we love.

 

[Riverbankannie]

We prefer the end lounge. On a rainy day on the Welsh coast last week, we were pitched overlooking the sea but just put the cushions against the washroom and kitchen bulkheads and sat comfy looking at the view from the all around windows.

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[TerryL]

You've done the right thing in hiring for a first trip, especially when you are unsure of what you want.

However your two "favourites" are at completely opposite ends of the layout spectrum so IMO you are going to need to do a lot more research (or start looking at bigger vans!) Having the experience behind you, it's more likely you can make a better judgement when looking at possibilities though, so whilst you are away make some notes about likes and dislikes. Then go and have a really good look at as many diferent types as you can, again making notes of likes and dislikes.

But a possible solution - have a look at vans with drop-down beds. Not our cup of tea as we went for a fixed rear French bed layout 'cos she likes the ability to have a nap in the afternoon. But you don't have to make up the bed everyday with a dropdown.

 

[AndyPK]

Interestingly, Benimar make a U-shaped lounge ’van that has a drop-down bed above it......so that could be an option....? I believe it’s over 7m long though....
(other manufacturers may offer the same, of course! )

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[Cassidyuk]

Thanks for all the reply's so far and you are right my favorites are at the layout spectrum.
From reading the forums on here it seems that there is no perfect layout
Terryl I shall be making notes on a daily basis and hopefully by hiring it will give me a better insight when going forward.

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[Garfields]

We are in the opposite camp to Riverbankannie re layout
Like a fixed bed and the front dinette arrangement
Its all down to how you are going to use the van and personal preferences
Hiring one first is the way to go

 

[138go]

We are in the opposite camp to Riverbankannie re layout
Like a fixed bed and the front dinette arrangement
Its all down to how you are going to use the van and personal preferences
Hiring one first is the way to go.

We’re the same. Our ‘front lounge’ is very comfy and we love not making up beds and having a proper mattress. We’ve tried the making a bed thing and hated it. The cushions aren’t comfy either, for sleeping. One thing we’ve learned is having a comfortable bed is way up there on the list of priorities.

 

[Grummyb]

My bag of shit is 21 years old its a 1.9 diesel so won't pull the skin off a rice pudding its got an l shaped rear lounge and over cab bed that has very little space above it but its the best van I've ever had ot seems have a massive space to relax and get comfy with windows on both sides and the back to soak up the views its a shame its taken me 4 vans to find the right 1

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[B-well]

Try Hymer 534 best of both worlds. Good luck in your research.

 

[Guigsy]

We used to have a 5.4m panel van conversion with a transverse bed at the rear. Lived in it for 6 months going around Europe. It could carry loads and the permanent bed was great, but there wasn't a lot of room inside.

We think we're going to be spending quite a bit more time in the UK for the next couple of years, where it rains more, so we'll probably spend more time inside. I also want the option to drive somewhere on a Thursday night and work from a laptop on the Friday. So we've just changed to 6m Geist i585. It's got a large lounge with a huge table. Then the bed drops down over the cab. Similar models are the Pilote G600L and Roller Team Pegaso 590 (which is available at several hire places).

 

[David and Sally]

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[bigwood]

Our rear lounge Autosleeper Rienza works well for us. The habitation door is between the kitchen and the rear seats. Turn left for the kitchen and bathroom, right for the lounge.
The all round view on site is great for people watching. Also the rear lounge makes into a large comfy double bed.

 

[Lizi]

We have loved our French bed but have usually camped in good weather in Europe so lived mainly outside. That said we gave a decent sized L shape bench and chairs turn round making a really good living space considering van is just under 6.3m and this worked well in Scotland. We need to get a new van as ours is aging rapidly. So now that we will most likely be in the UK more,we had been thinking that the rear lounge PVC would be a good idea. So far, we have not seen anything that we like. And I must say, I'm a bit worried about faffing with beds when/(if!) We are ever able to get back abroad.
If there is a decent sized dinette in your hire vehicle, I think that could be a good option. If you're comfortable sitting around in the evening in it. Good to try.

 

[Snoopy]

We have a dinette becomes a good size double, side bench also can be pulled out to make wider..has over cab( granddaughter penthouse suite! yes layout is very important and i n my opinion the most difficult to get right, to try and suit everyone needs!
Ideally an island bed..dinete become bed..with additional seat belts for family to Travel. But budget, storage of vehicle, length all play a factor?...good luck..( Hiding seems a good starting point)

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[f6c]

Welcome aboard

 

[wigster]

Its all a compromise , layout especially , just thing of all vans being a variations of a corridor down the middle and you wont go far wrong.. Enjoy your trip

 

[DumfriesDik]

With so many variables at play it is hard to find the 'perfect' vehicle. We went longer to get the huge garage and bigger washroom area. It's all so very personal. The one thing I wish I knew more about is payload. Well worth keeping that in the back of your mind as you search.

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[Cheshirecat57]

Thanks for all the reply's so far and you are right my favorites are at the layout spectrum.
From reading the forums on here it seems that there is no perfect layout
Terryl I shall be making notes on a daily basis and hopefully by hiring it will give me a better insight when going forward.

Nail on head, hard to find “ perfect for you” layout

Make your list of “wants/needs” and ”don't want/ don't need” BEFORE you pick it up or go away and then make lists after you come back
It will be interesting for you to see how the ‘concept’ list and ‘reality’ lists differ

Goodluck and let us know

 

[Pelirocco]

We’re the same. Our ‘front lounge’ is very comfy and we love not making up beds and having a proper mattress. We’ve tried the making a bed thing and hated it. The cushions aren’t comfy either, for sleeping. One thing we’ve learned is having a comfortable bed is way up there on the list of priorities.

We have a mattress topper inside a duvet cover ( replaces sheet ) roll it up with duvet ,it sits on our over cab bed area , bed making takes minutes

 

[Mikey RV]

Try before you Buy is a great idea. A lot of peaple make the mistake of looking at a motorhome and think it looks good so buy it only to find when they start using it things don’t suit them.

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[DelMar]

Whatever you buy, from experience, you may find it will be about the third van you buy that will be the right one for you.

 

[TDub49]

End lounge all day and everyday. We hired a fixed bed moho and whilst the bed was convenient, the layout didn't lend itself much to socialising in the 'lounge' so when we bought one it was rear U shaped lounge that we went for. Even in a two berth Ace Siena, you can fit 6 adults around the table in reasonable comfort and still have space for the dog and two (small) grandchildren.

 

[AndyPK]

Whatever you buy, from experience, you may find it will be about the third van you buy that will be the right one for you.

Probably........!

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[Oldchappers]

Try Hymer 534 best of both worlds. Good luck in your research.

My favourite layout. Especially the special edition which moves the seating up to allow more storage in the garage.

 

[TerryL]

Our Swift Bolero 680FB has a rear French bed with washroom alongside - it's a proper bed with very comfortable mattress and storage underneath. We have a front lounge with parallel bench seats plus the rotated cab seats which makes a very comfortable and roomy lounge, quite capable of seating up to 7 people. One of our priorities was plenty of lounging room as we planned to go touring for months at a time and wanted plenty of space. To get this we had to go to 7m in length, which actually didn't feature in our research but has not turned out to be a problem - the only important "mod" was upgrading the MAUW as we had difficulty staying under 3500kg.

We've had this (our first) van for 12 years and have done over 115,000 miles all over Europe and Morocco, 1000+ nights away and although it's not quite as pristeen as when we bought it we have seen nothing that would tempt us to change. We did look at an island bed but, not wanting to increase the length of the vehicle, found the transverse bed not big enough and still retain the "island" feature (you couldn't extend the bed properly and still be able to walk round it). These layouts are still available as new, but we see no point in paying many thousands of our hard-earned, just to have the latest model.

Just to offer advice to the OP, or anybody looking for their first purchase, we took around 18months of research, visiting shows and dealers including two hires, before we settled on this layout. Okay, we were not in a rush as it was meant for our retirement, which also provided the funds to pay for it, but it proves that proper research pays off.

 

[Cassidyuk]

Thank you for all your replies its given me a lot to think about and will makes notes during my hire.
I know it takes time to get the right motorhome and with the prices at the moment i shall continue to visit shows and dealers forecourts before committing to anything.
Who knows by this time next week I may consider motor homing isn't for me

I was intending to take my mountain bike and put it on the cycle rack but having read some posts on ebike security its putting me off taking it.

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[Guigsy]

Thank you for all your replies its given me a lot to think about and will makes notes during my hire.
I know it takes time to get the right motorhome and with the prices at the moment i shall continue to visit shows and dealers forecourts before committing to anything.
Who knows by this time next week I may consider motor homing isn't for me

I was intending to take my mountain bike and put it on the cycle rack but having read some posts on ebike security its putting me off taking it.

Advantage of fixed rear beds is some they tend to have a lot of storage underneath. Some of them have enough space to sling a couple of bikes in the garage.

 

[Boris7]

Welcome,

My advise on layout, ignore ALL advise.

We hired first, spent a week on the road and then worked out what was best for us, that lead us to the right van first time, not all people like or need the same thing.

Easy for me to give advise, but I’ve no idea what works for you.

Just think about a few things...

Sleeping space - French beds are great if one of you is short, do you want to make a bed up each night?
Kitchen - (ovens are a must for some and a waste of space for others, same with microwaves) and worktop space may be important or not.
Fresh water tank size - if your going to use sites all the time it’s not as important as it is for wild camping.
Size - I’m competent with really large vehicles but an American RV ain’t what I’d want wild camping in rural areas, but if your going to motorsport meets for days on end it’s perfect.
Bathroom - is size importan, or if on sites will you not really use it?

My mate hates my van as it just doesn't do what he needs, his is bloody awful as it doesn’t do what I would want.

Theres no right and wrong here, just find the right fit for you.

 

[Cassidyuk]

Well said Boris7

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