Pull down bed (1 Viewer)

[SteveB123]

Hi All I am considering buying an A class van with a rear lounge and drop down bed in the front. The bed is 6ft.2ins wide and I am 5ft 10 has anyone experience of using a pull down bed regularly. The fact one of us would have to climb over the other to get out is also worrying me a little.

 

[Alistair33]

No we went for the A class with fixed rear bed for the very same reasons of your concerns. Must say initially we did look at the configuration you mention, but they are so few and far between we changed our expectations.......... to our benefit in the end we feel

 

[Hettie's Crew]

We went from a fixed bed in our Bessacarr E450 to our drop down bed in our Hymer B544 and would not go back. The minor niggle of one person being on the inside is vastly outweighed by the shear comfort and the space available when it's put away.
It also comes down low enough to make a ladder unnecessary.

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[Wh05apk]

We recently bought a dethleffs i6767 which has a drop down bed, massive front lounge and rear washroom, we find this a good compromise I am slightly taller but find the drop down bed fine, even in use we still have a large lounge, and can carry occasional passengers. Can't see the benefit of a rear lounge in an a class which has great vision and room up front, for lounging and viewing tv the cab seats are always the first choice anyway.

 

[SteveB123]

We recently bought a dethleffs i6767 which has a drop down bed, massive front lounge and rear washroom, we find this a good compromise I am slightly taller but find the drop down bed fine, even in use we still have a large lounge, and can carry occasional passengers. Can't see the benefit of a rear lounge in an a class which has great vision and room up front, for lounging and viewing tv the cab seats are always the first choice anyway.

I have 2 teenagers who want their own space so 2 lounges works well.

 

[two]

We chose cupboards instead of the drop-down bed.
Nice excuse for being unable to invite visitors to stay.
In the earlier days, when more athletic and fewer toilet visits, the drop-down was fine (and very large) but we never used one that required a ladder.
If you're of "advancing years" I'd suggest that you reconsider your options. Twin singles at the rear is the most practical IMO, although we eventually settled for an island bed. We spend little time in it during the day. Daylight is for getting about and exploring.

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[tonyidle]

We went from a fixed bed in our Bessacarr E450 to our drop down bed in our Hymer B544 and would not go back. The minor niggle of one person being on the inside is vastly outweighed by the shear comfort and the space available when it's put away.
It also comes down low enough to make a ladder unnecessary.

I have the B584 and agree entirely (I'm 6' + a little).

 

[MillieMoocher]

Well they reckon it takes a couple of goes to get the best layout for you...

We started with a fixed single bed A class because we also thought that climbing over each other and having to pull down the bed and go up a ladder would be a pain.

Then came across a layout as the OP describes and thought it would be better for us.

As other have said, the fact you have to drop the bed down is a small price to pay for the more useful interior space afforded by the rear lounge layout.

Ours drop down bed also makes into 2 singles, which completely gets round the climbing over each other problem.

So in our experience, the drop down and rear lounge is more suited to our needs than two fixed singles and a small dinette type lounge area.

 

[SteveB123]

Well they reckon it takes a couple of goes to get the best layout for you...

We started with a fixed single bed A class because we also thought that climbing over each other and having to pull down the bed and go up a ladder would be a pain.

Then came across a layout as the OP describes and thought it would be better for us.

As other have said, the fact you have to drop the bed down is a small price to pay for the more useful interior space afforded by the rear lounge layout.

Ours drop down bed also makes into 2 singles, which completely gets round the climbing over each other problem.

So in our experience, the drop down and rear lounge is more suited to our needs than two fixed singles and a small dinette type lounge area.

Sounds good what van have you got.

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[RowleyBirkinQC]

We have a Burstner A class with drop down bed, front/mid lounge and end kitchen/washroom. I think I’m just over 6’2 (no clue after recent hip op) and the bed works well for us. We needed the hab/floor space to accommodate the dogs, plus the drop down bed also acts as sanctuary from them!

 

[BusyBuilder]

B544 best layout for two if you want bed and lounge and easy access to kitchen and bathroom. You can even sit up in bed with a morning cuppa.

 

[MillieMoocher]

Sounds good what van have you got.

We went for the Hymer Duomobile 534.

They do 2 sizes, the bigger being a 634.

Ours is 6.9m long by 2.2 wide, whereas the bigger one is (I think) 7.9m long and 2.35 wide and too big for our drive...

Layout is basically the same on both sizes, the bigger is (obviously) more spacious and has some additional features.

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[138go]

If it's got a ladder to climb up you need to take some crocs to bed with you. Those ladders kill your feet. We have a Liaka and the side seat is just the right hight for hoping into bed. I use the front and SWMBO uses the back. Don't know about two sleeping up there its a bit cramped with me. At 6ft I have to sleep across the bed as my feet catch the metal bars. You also need to check what the bed loading is .... I also find that you cannot sit up straight in bed so you may have trouble climbing over someone without waking them up.

 

[The Dudess]

We have an A class Frankia i740 Plus. It has a huge lounge at the rear and an electric drop down bed over the cab which can either be 2 singles or a transverse double. Husband is 6 feet tall and he has plenty of room to stretch out. There are only 2 steps leading up to it which just pull out when you want to use them and there is a useful storage area inside one of them. This is our 4th van and this layout definitely works best for us.

 

[teddybear]

Our first van had a drop down bed and as you say we found one having to climb over the other very difficult. Our 2nd van had a rear island bed and a front lounge . When we decided to downsize, we have gone back to a drop down bed, but,it also slides out so we can sleep down the length of the van,it is also low enough that a ladder is unnecessary

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[Bailey 15]

Our first van had a drop down bed and as you say we found one having to climb over the other very difficult. Our 2nd van had a rear island bed and a front lounge . When we decided to downsize, we have gone back to a drop down bed, but,it also slides out so we can sleep down the length of the van,it is also low enough that a ladder is unnecessary

Sounds nice what van is this pls

 

[teddybear]

Frankia i640 with the pull out bed option
I think they call it s duo bed

 

[pandas]

Hymer B544, drop down bed - no fixed bed. We find it works brilliantly for us; king size bed, very comfortable, good headroom, we are fortunate in that it is not an issue for us getting in and out of bed AND the big benefit is we have 1.8m of extra space when not in bed. This makes a significant difference to the circulation space and in our view our 6.5m allows for a better living and kitchen area than an equivalent 7.5 model. A shorter vehicle has other advantages of course. However we do not have a large garage which is usually located under a fixed bed but we have really not found this to be an issue even though we are often away 2 months at a time. As always personal choice.

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[Larrynwin]

We are now on our second B544 and the drop down bed works well for us, a comfortable made up bed at night then helps create a large lounging area to get your feet up or entertain up to around 8 people , something not possible in a great deal of the modern front dinette mhomes.

 

[Shrimp]

7 years of using the Hymer B584 drop down bed every night and we still like it.
I sleep on the outside edge as I seem to need to 'go' more than hubby, I just pull my legs up when he needs to 'go'! Got used to it and I almost move my legs in my sleep now!

 

[Hagstrom]

The Frankia A Class Duo Bett front drop-down extends to 2m x 2m so that you can sleep north-south rather than east-west.

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