Motorhomes are designed for small people! (2 Viewers)

[Minxy]

I think it's down to the driver

... of the other vehicle maybe ... nothing wrong with hubby's driving, its just having a narrower vehicle makes it more pleasurable, less sway/buffeting etc.

 

[Lenny HB]

How tall is the boss? Mine can't reach the central skylight in my current van!

Shower is not as high as I thought it was just measured it. 6'2" to the bottom of the rooflight.
Boss is a staggering 4'10".

 

[fullfat]

At last...
#shortassrule.

Like on planes, I always have loads of leg room.

Downside is trying to get served at a bar

pah !you never go to bar

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[grumps147]

Their is a YouTube vlogger who does a lot of motorhome reviews who has been winding up the number of comments he makes about larger motorhomers to such an extent recently, that I decided after his last comments he was no longer getting my subscription.
I don’t mind, as a larger person, getting the odd jibe - I have to be able to take a joke - but he has in my view become obsessive with his criticism so is now gone.

 

[Northernraider]

... of the other vehicle maybe ... nothing wrong with hubby's driving, its just having a narrower vehicle makes it more pleasurable, less sway/buffeting etc.

Well actually no I meant the driver of the motorhome. Not any particular one mind you but the driver of the other vehicle has nothing to do with it.

It's the confidence and ability of the motorhome driver. I don't feel intimidated by other vehicles , so on narrow roads I command my place on the road I will not under any circumstances attempt to squeeze my big motorhome closer to the wall or trees etc to let other vehicles barge through , I drive aggressively and defensively like I was taught , I've driven double decker buses and 7.5 tonne trucks and I'm a biker so I guess that helps ...the motor home isn't that big in comparison.

There's few places that I won't attempt to take a motorhome and with exception of a few tree branch scratches I've not done any damage to it.
All roads had to be constructed at some point and the trucks used to carry the tar/concrete/ stones or whatever are bigger than the average motorhome.

Not every driver is confident in big vehicles and it's definately a case of the more time spent behind the wheel of it the easier it gets.

That isn't in any way saying someone or anyone is a bad driver....But they may well be less confident.

Otherwise it would not feel better , safer, more comfortable etc driving a smaller narrower vehicle.

I feel the same in whatever I'm driving.

 

[nicholsong]

If I see the oncoming vehicle has a place to pull in I will command the middle of a narrow road, rather than drive in the hedge, to avoid tempting him to squeeze past.

Equally if I have a pull-in I will stop and flash the opposing driver.

Geoff

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[Minxy]

Well actually no I meant the driver of the motorhome. Not any particular one mind you but the driver of the other vehicle has nothing to do with it.

It has if the oncoming vehicle doesn't slow down which DOES happen, we had a bashed mirror a couple of years back from an idiot in a wide coachbuilt MH who was going too fast and over-reacted to a bend in the road with a jutting rock on his side, he came over the white line and we had no-where to go as there was brick wall at the side of us, he was in the wrong not us. We've experienced it in a few places where the oncoming vehicle drivers seem to think that their wide 4x4 is the size of a flipping Smart car, especially in foreign climes where there are a lot of 'damaged' cars on the road already (France, Italy etc).

It's the confidence and ability of the motorhome driver. I don't feel intimidated by other vehicles , so on narrow roads I command my place on the road I will not under any circumstances attempt to squeeze my big motorhome closer to the wall or trees etc to let other vehicles barge through , I drive aggressively and defensively like I was taught , I've driven double decker buses and 7.5 tonne trucks and I'm a biker so I guess that helps ...the motor home isn't that big in comparison.

We're not intimidated by others, we just are aware of them.

There's few places that I won't attempt to take a motorhome and with exception of a few tree branch scratches I've not done any damage to it.

We've taken our MHs and campers to places others might not even want to take a car! If we want to go there and can do so without damage we will.

All roads had to be constructed at some point and the trucks used to carry the tar/concrete/ stones or whatever are bigger than the average motorhome.

Really? Not met 'slap-it and dab-it' in Ireland then! Flatbed small truck, bucket of tarmac on the back with a shovel, stop at pot-hole, throw tarmac in, stomp it down, drive off ... when lots of roads were built they didn't have the overgrown hedges etc at the side which many do now.

Not every driver is confident in big vehicles and it's definately a case of the more time spent behind the wheel of it the easier it gets.
That isn't in any way saying someone or anyone is a bad driver....But they may well be less confident.
Otherwise it would not feel better , safer, more comfortable etc driving a smaller narrower vehicle.

Gee wiz, so the fact that we've been driving MHs since 1995 in one form or another seems to counts for nothing? If you truly feel that then can you tell me why driving a narrow car compared to a wider one is easier? Its not about confidence, its about being aware and having to make more 'allowances' for a wider vehicle than a narrower one.

 

[Northernraider]

It has if the oncoming vehicle doesn't slow down which DOES happen, we had a bashed mirror a couple of years back from an idiot in a wide coachbuilt MH who was going too fast and over-reacted to a bend in the road with a jutting rock on his side, he came over the white line and we had no-where to go as there was brick wall at the side of us, he was in the wrong not us. We've experienced it in a few places where the oncoming vehicle drivers seem to think that their wide 4x4 is the size of a flipping Smart car, especially in foreign climes where there are a lot of 'damaged' cars on the road already (France, Italy etc).


We're not intimidated by others, we just are aware of them.


We've taken our MHs and campers to places others might not even want to take a car! If we want to go there and can do so without damage we will.


Really? Not met 'slap-it and dab-it' in Ireland then! Flatbed small truck, bucket of tarmac on the back with a shovel, stop at pot-hole, throw tarmac in, stomp it down, drive off ... when lots of roads were built they didn't have the overgrown hedges etc at the side which many do now.


Gee wiz, so the fact that we've been driving MHs since 1995 in one form or another seems to counts for nothing? If you truly feel that then can you tell me why driving a narrow car compared to a wider one is easier? Its not about confidence, its about being aware and having to make more 'allowances' for a wider vehicle than a narrower one.

Simple answer is

If a vehicle is coming towards you too fast on a narrow road don't pull in pull further out and stop so it's impossible for them to speed past they then have to stop or slow down.

If you pull in to give them more space they have no reason to slow down and they can then hit and run.

I've not yet had a mirror damaged by another vehicle as they simply do not get to speed past me.


As for the rest of the rant

Take it personally if you wish as you seem to be doing but any professional lorry driver or bus driver will tell you exactly the same thing.

It is entirely about having the confidence to take your place on the road it's how they are taught.
Big vehicles need more room to move , if you allow every dafty on the road to speed around past you and you move for them they have no reason to slow down. If you are stationary and the other vehicle hits you it's their fault not yours.

I don't care if I bring the road to a standstill if it's narrow I'm taking the space I need so I don't get hit. If they come speeding towards me they will have to stop


As for narrower cars it really isn't


I passed my driving test in 1990 in a kia pride at 13.26pm by 15.00 I was behind the wheel of my 6 litre Pontiac driving it.

I've had cars of every size you can imagine

Every day for 12 years I drove 4 different sizes of forklift trucks in a warehouse I also drove cherry pickers , scissor lifts and ladder lifts around that warehouse with alleyways measuring 2.5 metres.
There's nothing out there I don't have the confidence to drive

Yet I admit for the first hour after I bought my Frankia it felt a little strange as the sitting position was different from anything else I'd driven. But there was few places I didn't take that van in Spain and never bothered about it.

 

[eddie]

I have always assumed that people that buy little vans that are too small for them really have bought vans to reflect their driving capability?

That certainly seems to be the case watching people manoeuver on our campsite

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[nicholsong]

I have always assumed that people that buy little vans that are too small for them really have bought vans to reflect their driving capability?

That certainly seems to be the case watching people manoeuver on our campsite

That post should make bigger MHs more attracted to your campsite.

Then bigger, richer, MHs might be a good business plan for Vanbitz.

8/10 for good marketing post.

Stick the other leg out Eddie so that I can pull that too.

Geoff

 

[eddie]

Well it is Motorhome FUN

It's just that some people forget that sometimes!

 

[Lenny HB]

If a vehicle is coming towards you too fast on a narrow road don't pull in pull further out and stop so it's impossible for them to speed past they then have to stop or slow down.

Been there done that, about 8 years ago French woman came hurtling out from a bend. Like a fool I dived to the right and of course being a biggish vehicle with a long overhang the front end was nearer the side of the road but the back end was sticking out further so she hit my back end. Never made that mistake again.

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[Northernraider]

Been there done that, about 8 years ago French woman came hurtling out from a bend. Like a fool I dived to the right and of course being a biggish vehicle with a long overhang the front end was nearer the side of the road but the back end was sticking out further so she hit my back end. Never made that mistake again.

Aye it's quite common I see lots of folk with motorhomes swerve in to the side nearly crashing my sister is the worst for it. ...It's like she feels guilty for driving a big vehicle.

You won't see bus , coach or lorry drivers doing that ...a bigger vehicle should actually make you feel safer not the other way round.

It's little puddle jumpers I feel intimidated in its why I couldn't use my mum's picanto when I was home for the few months

Those wee things are death traps lol

 

[Feltwell]

Anyway...……….

It's what the individual wants at the end of the day. I too have driven many vehicles of all shapes and sizes for many years, including HGVs, and I enjoy driving my current MH and have taken it to many a daft place that many car drivers would have palpitations at - but - as a personal preference, for relaxed driving on narrow roads, something slimmer would be good. But the same width inside of course

Personal preference is what it's all about, which is why some want hulking great American RVs, and others want titchy little Romahomes, and neither is right and neither is wrong.

Shower is not as high as I thought it was just measured it. 6'2" to the bottom of the rooflight.
Boss is a staggering 4'10".

Hmm, at 4'10" I don't think headroom is the biggest stress factor in life! 6'2" to the bottom of the rooflight is just daft for what is a mass market vehicle, you need a few inches above your head for the shower head - it's not as if Hymer were constricted by the base vehicle like in a PVC - you would have thought they'd either have found a way to have the shower tray recessed further into the floor, or just built the van 6" taller!

 

[Minxy]

Simple answer is

If a vehicle is coming towards you too fast on a narrow road don't pull in pull further out and stop so it's impossible for them to speed past they then have to stop or slow down. If you pull in to give them more space they have no reason to slow down and they can then hit and run. I've not yet had a mirror damaged by another vehicle as they simply do not get to speed past me.

If we hadn't done what we had we'd have lost the side of the camper as the idiot in the MH was going too fast and wouldn't have been able to stop at all. If we'd pulled out further in to the road in this situation we'd have had a head-on collision. If there is clearly room for the other party to stop that's one thing but you have to know they can purposely placing your vehicle more in the 'line of fire' could actually mean you get done for causing the collision!

As for the rest of the rant
Take it personally if you wish as you seem to be doing but any professional lorry driver or bus driver will tell you exactly the same thing.

It wasn't a rant, just my view you appear to think you know how we drive and why - you haven't got a camper van and without driving one in the places we go to you can't possibly know how much easier and relaxing it is to drive than a wider MH. No amount of car driving can compare.

It is entirely about having the confidence to take your place on the road it's how they are taught. Big vehicles need more room to move , if you allow every dafty on the road to speed around past you and you move for them they have no reason to slow down. If you are stationary and the other vehicle hits you it's their fault not yours.

... I understand that, but having a narrower vehicle means you have less of these situations in the first place ...

I don't care if I bring the road to a standstill if it's narrow I'm taking the space I need so I don't get hit. If they come speeding towards me they will have to stop

See reply above ... didn't want our camper making even narrower!

As for narrower cars it really isn't
I passed my driving test in 1990 in a kia pride at 13.26pm by 15.00 I was behind the wheel of my 6 litre Pontiac driving it. I've had cars of every size you can imagine
Every day for 12 years I drove 4 different sizes of forklift trucks in a warehouse I also drove cherry pickers , scissor lifts and ladder lifts around that warehouse with alleyways measuring 2.5 metres.
There's nothing out there I don't have the confidence to drive

That's not the same at all! We have had large estate cars and narrow Smart cars and there is no comparison ... the smaller the car the easier it is to get around in it.

Yet I admit for the first hour after I bought my Frankia it felt a little strange as the sitting position was different from anything else I'd driven. But there was few places I didn't take that van in Spain and never bothered about it.

And that, my dear chap, is the reason we HAVE a narrow camper ... we like to go to these places without being restricted due to the size of the vehicle ...

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[Northernraider]

If we hadn't done what we had we'd have lost the side of the camper as the idiot in the MH was going too fast and wouldn't have been able to stop at all. If we'd pulled out further in to the road in this situation we'd have had a head-on collision. If there is clearly room for the other party to stop that's one thing but you have to know they can purposely placing your vehicle more in the 'line of fire' could actually mean you get done for causing the collision!


It wasn't a rant, just my view you appear to think you know how we drive and why - you haven't got a camper van and without driving one in the places we go to you can't possibly know how much easier and relaxing it is to drive than a wider MH. No amount of car driving can compare.


... I understand that, but having a narrower vehicle means you have less of these situations in the first place ...

See reply above ... didn't want our camper making even narrower!


That's not the same at all! We have had large estate cars and narrow Smart cars and there is no comparison ... the smaller the car the easier it is to get around in it.


And that, my dear chap, is the reason we HAVE a narrow camper ... we like to go to these places without being restricted due to the size of the vehicle ...

I really can't be bothered arguing with you but

I've had over 30 vw camper vans and a Merc sprinter camper van so yes I have had one and like I said before I didn't feel more comfortable driving any of them than I do driving my motor home as the size of vehicle does not change my confidence in driving.

The very point you find driving one "easier" and "relaxing" is my point

That in a nutshell is confidence in your driving.


When you have driven larger vehicles a motor home no longer is a large vehicle.


P.s your last quote does not make sense
The part you highlighted stated there was no restriction where I took it.

I took that Frankia everywhere

 

[Minxy]

I really can't be bothered arguing with you but
I've had over 30 vw camper vans and a Merc sprinter camper van so yes I have had one and like I said before I didn't feel more comfortable driving any of them than I do driving my motor home as the size of vehicle does not change my confidence in driving.
The very point you find driving one "easier" and "relaxing" is my point
That in a nutshell is confidence in your driving.

Who's arguing? It's nothing to do with confidence, we are confident in driving, just prefer not having to think about it as much as we would if we had a wider vehicle and the extra care that it sometimes needs, as Lenny said, his 'bottom' stuck out, with a larger MH this is something you have to consider, eg when turning, so you don't whack anything with it, or have it whacked ... with a PVC etc this is less 'necessary'.

P.s your last quote does not make sense
The part you highlighted stated there was no restriction where I took it.
I took that Frankia everywhere

... actually you didn't, that's why I highlighted it ... you said:

But there was few places I didn't take that van in Spain and never bothered about it.

So having a larger MH prevented you going so some places I assume ... places which we can go due to us having a narrower PVC.

Round Three ... or is it Four ...

 

[Northernraider]

Who's arguing? It's nothing to do with confidence, we are confident in driving, just prefer not having to think about it as much as we would if we had a wider vehicle and the extra care that it sometimes needs, as Lenny said, his 'bottom' stuck out, with a larger MH this is something you have to consider, eg when turning, so you don't whack anything with it, or have it whacked ... with a PVC etc this is less 'necessary'.


... actually you didn't, that's why I highlighted it ... you said:

So having a larger MH prevented you going so some places I assume ... places which we can go due to us having a narrower PVC.

Round Three ... or is it Four ...

No if I had said there were a few places that would have meant I was restricted

But what I said was " there were few places "

As in few and far between ...in fact so few I can't remember any.

The only time I've been restricted is due to overhang ground clearance or because of a low bridge.

Never because of width not once and length I can't remember any.

Certainly not because a road was narrow

And that was my initial response to the op that width rarely caused problems it's length that's the key factor ....and even then it say it was more overhang and ground clearance of that overhang that's the issue and not the actual length.

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[SpeedyDux]

Back on topic, being smaller people does have one advantage. Yippee!

 

[Northernraider]

Back on topic, being smaller people does have one advantage. Yippee!

That certainly helps ...being 6 foot 4 and not the thinnest makes my choice of vehicle very important.

 

[Grianan]

We came at this wanting a small van which we could park easily and which we felt was appropriate for the NW Highlands.

O H is 6’3” and at one point we despaired of finding a suitable van. We ended up with a Campscout with longitudinal beds. The Revolution would have given more headroom but OH didn’t complain loudly enough.

It’s enough of a squeeze for me to start the 800 cal diet .... 8 weeks in now. I’m hoping that by the summer I’ll be gliding around it gracefully.

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[gus-lopez]

Have a conversion done on a extra high Peugeot or Fiat van.

Why would a pvc builder , apart from VW, use anything other than a full height van ? defies reason. I've been looking at pvc's to buy/convert for a long while & nothing under a full height/ jumbo would even be considered. & I've had to walk away from some I'd have loved but the roof is too low. Decided now that only an Iveco high top will do.

As others have said I never give an opportunity to someone to squeeze through at any speed .I will always move over on them to prevent any chance of them passing, preferring a head on to a runner.

 

[Mikeco]

Why would a pvc builder , apart from VW, use anything other than a full height van ? defies reason. I've been looking at pvc's to buy/convert for a long while & nothing under a full height/ jumbo would even be considered. & I've had to walk away from some I'd have loved but the roof is too low. Decided now that only an Iveco high top will do.

As others have said I never give an opportunity to someone to squeeze through at any speed .I will always move over on them to prevent any chance of them passing, preferring a head on to a runner.

I don’t think that the extra high Boxer/Ducatto looks as good as the normal H2 one which is plenty high enough inside for most people.

 

[Rosemary1]

I'm 6ft 6 just learn to duck, lean, dodge and divert.....gotta be done..but feel your pain

My hubby is 6 ft 5 inches - we just avoid certain manufacturers due to head height. Usually struggle getting a bed that’s long enough too

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[Steve N Tracy]

We have Pegaso 590 6m A class and Tracy who is 5ft 7in has to stand on steps to look in the lockers lol

 

[Feltwell]

I don’t think that the extra high Boxer/Ducatto looks as good as the normal H2 one which is plenty high enough inside for most people.

I'd quibble on that one a little Mike - at 6'2" my head was brushing the ceiling and hitting the light fittings in an H2 and even if you're a bit shorter, only having an inch or two above your head makes a van feel a lot more cramped. People are getting taller - the average Dutch man is now 6', Mr Average in the UK is now 5'10", and I bet if you looked at just younger people you'd find it's well above that. So you're right, *most* as in more than half will be OK, but that's still excluding a lot of potential customers!

In the interest of being PC - yes I know the overwhelming majority of women will be fine! Plus of course those of either gender at the other end of the scale face all the "can't reach it / see over it" challenges...….

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36888541

 

[Langtoftlad]

Well I for one have no problem in admitting I'm not as confident driving my MH as I am my car...
For me getting a PVC has helped - but I don't know whether that's due to a better driving position [thanks to the lowered seat boxes] or that the van is narrower.
What makes me less than 100% is visibility... I just don't have the same 360 degrees as I do in the car. Yes mirrors but just not as comfortable. Yes experience, getting there but car mileage is 4x 5x that of MH.

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[Grianan]

Well I for one have no problem in admitting I'm not as confident driving my MH as I am my car...
For me getting a PVC has helped - but I don't know whether that's due to a better driving position [thanks to the lowered seat boxes] or that the van is narrower.
What makes me less than 100% is visibility... I just don't have the same 360 degrees as I do in the car. Yes mirrors but just not as comfortable. Yes experience, getting there but car mileage is 4x 5x that of MH.

Do you have a reversing camera which doubles as rear view ‘mirror’. We find that it really helps.

 

[Langtoftlad]

Do you have a reversing camera which doubles as rear view ‘mirror’. We find that it really helps.

I have a reversing camera... on my old coachbuilt I had a rear view camera... yes they help, but has never felt as natural as being able to look around...
I don't want to give the impression that I'm timid or not competent - just I'm happy to admit, not as confident as in a car.

 

[Chockswahay]

Haha, my son is 6 ft 10 ins.......... the best excuse yet to say NO when he asks to borrow our 5.4m HymerCar

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