Opinion - next Motorhome -

Rjcamper

Rjcamper

Joined
Jul 26, 2019
Posts
480
Likes collected
556
Location
Devon / Cornish border
Funster No
62,726
MH
Mobilvetta Kimu 122
Exp
2019
Well, after search long and hard for the right good condition Motorhome, 6 months of holidays and weekend away, we have decided that we want something bigger.

Having visited a couple of dealers (Just to look) we have decided to get a fixed French bed, we are too unfit to use a bed over the cab, trust me we have tried, not a pretty sight... ;-)

Now the Motorhome we had before was 5.5m - 6m long, now the one I have my eye on is 7.5m. We loved the freedom and the off gridding and my question is with the wealth of experience on this forum will the extra length hamper anything? I dont want to tow a car behind as we ended up moving on each day and plan no more than 2 nights in one place.

Previously drove long wheel base vans etc so not issue with the main road driving.

I have seen one that is shorter with similar layout with side washroom, but like the rear washroom layout as gives more room and the plan is to be able to go away for 2 - 3 months

Thoughts or any issues I need to be aware of?

Thanks in advance
 
Ours is 7.5 and it doesn’t stop us going anywhere! We’ve just had eight weeks away in Spain, currently driving back through France. We love the luxury of the space we have. Go for it!
 
Ours is 8.6 mt and I didn't find the length an issue to drive or go to places. It's more the width and height I've found to be the difference to get used to - in our case beware low tree branches! :)
 
Thanks, as we wont need to overhead bed, I am looking at the lower profile, so it will be slightly lower than before

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We’ve had two 7.5 metre vans and never had a problem going anywhere you might struggle to park in UK supermarket car parks but not in France or Spain.
Are you sure about the French bed! It generally involves one climbing over the other and sometimes cold feet as they hang over the rather sharply angled cut away corner and most come with a narrow bathroom next to the bed.
Some French beds are bigger than others, so you may need to try a few before you find one that suits.
My recommendation would be for an island bed.
Plenty of vans available with that layout in a 7.5 metre van and a good sized bathroom.
 
Hi We have a Swift Bolero 684, 7.1m with a French bed & side wash room, I am 6.2, my wife is 5ft and a Yorkshire terrier who claims the bit down the bottom by my wife's feet. It does get a bit cosy sometimes and more often than not we make the lounge bed up with a duvalay on top so we don't annoy each other, it can get a bit tight and you will get cabin fever when you sleep on your side as you are facing walls.
So our next motorhome will probably be twin singles over a garage at the back to give us a bit more room, or like others have said a fixed bed so you don't have to climb over each other but then we loose the large lounge because most now have a fixed table.
So for now we fold the lounge bed up which works for us.
We have used it for over 60 nights this year in UK & Europe
Hope that helps with you decision.
 
Tried all the bed options, looked at the island bed but didn't like the washroom layout there came with (Ones that where in our price range), the french bed option with rear washroom gave us the best option and maximising living space for the dogs ;-)
 
Looked at the two single beds over the garage today, we both banged our heads going up the 3 steps :LOL:

I tend to sleep on my side in the van with my face into the wall and sleep like a baby, must have had a bedroom under the stairs in a former life :-)
 
We've previously had French beds in a couple of motorhomes, but now have fixed twins (which can be converted to a giant double).

It is a huge improvement for us, and means we don't disturb each other when making nocturnal visits to the bathroom.

And having a cuddle in a single bed takes us back to our teenage years... ;)

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mikebeaches said:
We've previously had French beds in a couple of motorhomes, but now have fixed twins (which can be converted to a giant double).

It is a huge improvement for us, and means we don't disturb each other when making nocturnal visits to the bathroom.

And having a cuddle in a single bed takes us back to our teenage years... ;)
Click to expand...
???????
 
Allanm said:
We’ve had two 7.5 metre vans and never had a problem going anywhere you might struggle to park in UK supermarket car parks but not in France or Spain.
Are you sure about the French bed! It generally involves one climbing over the other and sometimes cold feet as they hang over the rather sharply angled cut away corner and most come with a narrow bathroom next to the bed.
Some French beds are bigger than others, so you may need to try a few before you find one that suits.
My recommendation would be for an island bed.
Plenty of vans available with that layout in a 7.5 metre van and a good sized bathroom.
Click to expand...
Why is it called a french bed
 
We have a French bed with a washroom across the back, but I have seen one with two singles and still a washroom across the back. Cant remember what it was though.
It didnt provide a full width garage as the aisle between the beds to the washroom door cut it in half, but still lots of underbed storage.
Our present mh is over 7.5m and we don't find the length any problem as it has a fairly short overhang.
 
I think it’s just a term to describe the layout, it’s usually a small double up against a wall with a corner cut off.
it may also be called a French bed because years ago in France, beds were placed with their sides against a wall
Or not.....

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I have a 7.2m motorhome which I am happy to drive on narrow, gravel roads and over mountain ranges, BUT speaking as someone who has just struggled to negotiate the busy country lanes of Cornwall in a Volvo saloon I would not want to be driving my van over there. Having said that, we had many happy months touring the length and breadth of the UK, Ireland and Eastern Europe in a 6.5m motorhome and rarely encountered any problems. Admittedly, that van didn’t have a French bed. I think you would be compromising your driving route with a van over 7m and consequently you will miss out on some of the “off the beaten track” routes. I realise that I seem to have contradicted myself in this post and haven’t really helped you. I suspect, like me, you have reached a stage in life where comfort wins over adventure. In conclusion, my advice would be, yes, go for the larger, French bed Motorhome.
 
We just Bought a 7 mm Chausson 640 premier - for these reasons .

diesel heating
Drop down bed over the lounge - massive bed and very comfy - and easy to get into
Proper separate shower and toilet
Very roomy layout ( 2 adults and 2 large dogs)
Massive garage on the end
Had a gasglow fitted and bigger than normal sat dish but otherwise everything else was standard
cant state that we are long term professionals but so far it’s lived up to expectation
 
Jewellbags said:
We just Bought a 7 mm Chausson 640 premier - for these reasons .

diesel heating
Drop down bed over the lounge - massive bed and very comfy - and easy to get into
Proper separate shower and toilet
Very roomy layout ( 2 adults and 2 large dogs)
Massive garage on the end
Had a gasglow fitted and bigger than normal sat dish but otherwise everything else was standard
cant state that we are long term professionals but so far it’s lived up to expectation
Click to expand...

Looked at same model, didn't give me the head room when bed was up. Shame as loved everything else
 
Allanm said:
I think it’s just a term to describe the layout, it’s usually a small double up against a wall with a corner cut off.
it may also be called a French bed because years ago in France, beds were placed with their sides against a wall
Or not.....
Click to expand...
Probably the brainwave of some ten year old meedyar studdees graduate to make a bed with a bit missing seem sexy. A bit like the estate agents' prose: 'Family bathroom'.

or maybe because, like some French knickers, they're not all that easy to get into. Or so I'm told.
 
Yep if your 6ft plus you might find it a little low . I’m 5 11 so I find it fine
 
We’ve got an Autocruise Gleneagle with a fabulous rear washroom, 2 berth- either two singles or a massive queen size bed. Just over 7 metres, low profile. 21761 miles on the clock. 3 litre. We’ve had two 6 weeks tours France’ Spain and a dip into Portugal over the past 2 years.... amazing experience. We now have a dog so this Moho not suitable. If any interest do contact me for details. It will be advertised in next few days. Located in Reading.
 
Regarding length, I think the discussion should be split into Driving and Parking.

Let's start with parking, almost no MH will fit into a standard parking space where all dimensions are critical ...and finable. However in other circumstances, e.g. S/Markets there is usually space on the peripheries.

For driving, I write as a driver of 7.5 tonners, including long removal vans, with long overhangs.

Driving. There is little difference according to the overall length. Maybe some difference according to the wheelbase and the overhang, for two reasons. Firstly, the overhang may 'sweep' out on a tight lock, so needs to be watched in the mirrors. Secondly, the overhang and its ground clearance has to be carefully managed on acute changes of slope and ferries.

Apart from the above, length makes little difference even on narrow roads etc.

Geoff
 
Our van 7.5 m, doesn't cause us any, more problematical off grid is ground clearance. We fair much better since we had air suspension fitted & can raise the van a few inches.

Our first van was a French bed layout it was OK for 6 years but much prefer twin singles we have had in the last two vans. Also with the singles you get a nice big garage.
 
pelican said:
Why is it called a french bed
Click to expand...
Rjcamper said:
Not sure why its called a French bed, anyone know?
Click to expand...
I believe it is called a 'French bed' simply because it was the French who started using that layout first in their MHs, hence stuck as an easy way to describe that specific type of layout.

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We are both pretty unfit too and had a french bed in the caravan for about 7 years. Worked OK, but the width of the bed was really the minimum tolerable for us. It was 1.35 m.

The problem is if they fit the washroom besides the french bed, there is no way to make the bed wide.
 
I would suggest you rent one with a French bed before you buy.

We rented a French bed version.
We then rented a twin rear bed version

We bought a twin rear bed version!
 

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