Video of our hired 6 metre Van and our thoughts. (1 Viewer)

[Jac Sprat]

Thought people might be interested in our ongoing research to find the right van under 6 metres. We hired this for £375 from Capricorn Campers Norwich for 3 days (should have waited for off season).

No vegan stuff in this blog entry at all. Just pure research on the Wheels part

Lessons learned:
~If you do this - rent off season haha (needed to move my son to Brighton so it had to be now )
~Size probably ok to live in... just.... Would have to go very minimalist - no musical instruments, probably no bikes or camping gear (for if the kids fly out to join us)
~ draft coming through that back door into the bed. We would want excellent insulation there. Winterisation is a priority.
~ as is a comfy bed..... 4 long cushions are never going to make a good bed to lie on at our age.
~With my accident prone-ness I could see myself stepping backwards out of that open side . Definitely a hazard (for me)
~Horrible sucker-pad thermal internal blinds arrangement for windscreen and side windows of the cab. Prefer the pull across concertina Hymer ones even though they can be a pain too.
~Fabulous handling. Backed reversing into small space with one hand and no semaphore from behind needed from hubby.
~Much niftier acceleration on the road than the Hymer - cruised at 65-70 rather than 55-60.
~Loo water action stronger, window blinds less fragile, cabinets good size but few
~Overall feel of van - much tackier than a Hymer. (This was two years old; our Hymer is 11) Drawers broke quickly on a sharpish braking (owner had said no need to lock them - wrong!!) screws just fell out of the thin chipboard sides which split easily. That wouldn't have happened on a Hymer.
~We need some sort of through garage for skis. This might involve steps up to a bed which we prefer not to have to do (me with my clumsiness) We are reconsidering a drop down again if it comes all the way down (see the Hymer B444DL)
~ I forgot to say there is an option for putting in a third small bed where in the front with the table going down to make the base.
~ huge pros and huge cons....
Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Jac Sprat]

This is the aforementioned small hymer. Most likely out of our range but the kitchen of my dreams!

 

[jezport]

Have you looked at the Globecar range

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

 

[2657]

Have you looked at the Globecar range

Ditto

 

[Jac Sprat]

Have you looked at the Globecar range

Trying to research them now. Having trouble finding them in YouTube as there are multiple of the same name. Are they German and winterised?

 

[Jac Sprat]

Any specific models?

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

 

[MR. FUSION]

Thought people might be interested in our ongoing research to find the right van under 6 metres. We hired this for £375 from Capricorn Campers Norwich for 3 days (should have waited for off season).

No vegan stuff in this blog entry at all. Just pure research on the Wheels part

Lessons learned:
~If you do this - rent off season haha (needed to move my son to Brighton so it had to be now )
~Size probably ok to live in... just.... Would have to go very minimalist - no musical instruments, probably no bikes or camping gear (for if the kids fly out to join us)
~ draft coming through that back door into the bed. We would want excellent insulation there. Winterisation is a priority.
~ as is a comfy bed..... 4 long cushions are never going to make a good bed to lie on at our age.
~With my accident prone-ness I could see myself stepping backwards out of that open side . Definitely a hazard (for me)
~Fabulous handling. Backed reversing into small space with one hand and no semaphore from behind needed from hubby.
~Much niftier acceleration on the road than the Hymer - cruised at 65-70 rather than 55-60.
~Loo water action stronger, window blinds less fragile, cabinets good size but few
~Overall feel of van - much tackier than a Hymer. (This was two years old; our Hymer is 11) Drawers broke quickly on a sharpish braking (owner had said no need to lock them - wrong!!) screws just fell out of the thin chipboard sides which split easily. That wouldn't have happened on a Hymer.
~We need some sort of through garage for skis. This might involve steps up to a bed which we prefer not to have to do (me with my clumsiness) We are reconsidering a drop down again if it comes all the way down (see the Hymer B444DL)
~ I forgot to say there is an option for putting in a third small bed where in the front with the table going down to make the base.
~ huge pros and huge cons....
Any thoughts or suggestions?

I think you need a sub 6 meter coach built with a proper garage and fixed bed above.

Also whatever Hymer you get will have a 'premium' attached. Hymer also have subsidiaries such as Sunlight and Carado who make excellent well made vehicles. We toured a solid 9 months (14000 miles) around Europe in our Carado and nothing fell off or broke.
There are even cheaper versions of the above made in the same factory, you could (before the pound crashed) get a brand new left hand drive MH like similar to mine in Germany for around £27k.

 

[Northernraider]

Thought people might be interested in our ongoing research to find the right van under 6 metres. We hired this for £375 from Capricorn Campers Norwich for 3 days (should have waited for off season).

No vegan stuff in this blog entry at all. Just pure research on the Wheels part

Lessons learned:
~If you do this - rent off season haha (needed to move my son to Brighton so it had to be now )
~Size probably ok to live in... just.... Would have to go very minimalist - no musical instruments, probably no bikes or camping gear (for if the kids fly out to join us)
~ draft coming through that back door into the bed. We would want excellent insulation there. Winterisation is a priority.
~ as is a comfy bed..... 4 long cushions are never going to make a good bed to lie on at our age.
~With my accident prone-ness I could see myself stepping backwards out of that open side . Definitely a hazard (for me)
~Horrible sucker-pad thermal internal blinds arrangement for windscreen and side windows of the cab. Prefer the pull across concertina Hymer ones even though they can be a pain too.
~Fabulous handling. Backed reversing into small space with one hand and no semaphore from behind needed from hubby.
~Much niftier acceleration on the road than the Hymer - cruised at 65-70 rather than 55-60.
~Loo water action stronger, window blinds less fragile, cabinets good size but few
~Overall feel of van - much tackier than a Hymer. (This was two years old; our Hymer is 11) Drawers broke quickly on a sharpish braking (owner had said no need to lock them - wrong!!) screws just fell out of the thin chipboard sides which split easily. That wouldn't have happened on a Hymer.
~We need some sort of through garage for skis. This might involve steps up to a bed which we prefer not to have to do (me with my clumsiness) We are reconsidering a drop down again if it comes all the way down (see the Hymer B444DL)
~ I forgot to say there is an option for putting in a third small bed where in the front with the table going down to make the base.
~ huge pros and huge cons....
Any thoughts or suggestions?

I think an afternoon picnic would be my limit in that I'd get seriously claustrophobic.

 

[Northernraider]

This is the aforementioned small hymer. Most likely out of our range but the kitchen of my dreams!

Lot of wasted space in that one too, cramped seating area

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

 

[2657]

Any specific models?

Globestar 600L would be ideal for us, I think some of the revolution models have an electric drop down bed at the rear which gives a tremendous storage space for bikes etc but I think only on 6.36m models.
I can't post links at the moment but I would think googling Globecar would come up with their web site.

 

[jezport]

Trying to research them now. Having trouble finding them in YouTube as there are multiple of the same name. Are they German and winterised?

Yes and yes.

Model wise Im not sure what layout you are looking for. I have a Campscout Revolution 3.33m it is a bigger van than you are looking at but has masses of storage plus a good payload which I have upgraded.

 

[jezport]

Globestar 600L would be ideal for us, I think some of the revolution models have an electric drop down bed at the rear which gives a tremendous storage space for bikes etc but I think only on 6.36m models.
I can't post links at the moment but I would think googling Globecar would come up with their web site.

They do a 600L Revolution

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

 

[Jac Sprat]

Thanks. Want to be able to leave it as a fixed bed but don't mind it can go into couches if we can put a topper on it. Can't use a step ladder.
Also will have to be older model as our budget will be £30,000

 

[2657]

They do a 600L Revolution

That is one superb machine, higher roof than the standard, wish we could afford one!

I am not sure about the standard of winterisation on standard Globecars, we have an older version of the Globestar but we don't do winters in cold places so could not give a practical opinion, ours has an internal fresh water tank though.

 

[2657]

Thanks. Want to be able to leave it as a fixed bed but don't mind it can go into couches if we can put a topper on it. Can't use a step ladder.
Also will have to be older model as our budget will be £30,000

If you look at the 600L it does not have a step ladder but proper short steps cleverly built in between the single beds, not many s/h Globecars about of any description even the ex hire ones are usually snapped up well before the end of the hire season.

We are very happy with ours even though the layout is a little unusual, we did manage to pick it up for less than your budget at 3 years old with only 4000 miles on the clock.

Good luck with your search.

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

 

[gerry mcg]

They do a 600L Revolution

We have a 600L Revolution very happy with it. It's a 5.99m / 3500kg chassis

 

[DBK]

Trying to research them now. Having trouble finding them in YouTube as there are multiple of the same name. Are they German and winterised?

Yes, but sold in Germany as Possel, with an umlaut over the O.

 

[gerry mcg]

Pössl. https://www.poessl-mobile.de/ the 600L Revolution has a stepladder, but as previously said, the regular 600L has a mid step arrangement between the beds.
It us Fully winterised, (most German vans are AFAIK. With internal fresh water and I have heated waste water tank. I understand most PVCs are poorly insulated in the back doors. Something to do with corrosion from condensation if the doors are packed with insulation.
We have a full height thermal screen for the back door in winter (which we have not had to use yet) and we added a blind to cut out drafts from around the door which seems to be really effective

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

 

[PhilG]

Its a great idea to rent , things you had no idea would bug you to death , that you find before , rather than after purchase.

Personally, the whole PVC thing is a bit hard to follow, folk paying loads of money to cram stuff into something that wasn't designed to be anything other than a van.. Small coachbuilts can be far more practical IMO , but no 2 people have the same needs,which makes speccing one a mare.

Could you not mount a ski box vertically on one of the rear doors?

 

[Jac Sprat]

Very happy to do coach build.
It's all about the price. Thought PVCs were a lot cheaper?

 

[Langtoftlad]

Very happy to do coach build.
It's all about the price. Thought PVCs were a lot cheaper?

No certainly not... .
Probably more expensive.
Allegedly due higher production costs & smaller volumes.

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

 

[gerry mcg]

^ I would agree. Production costs for fitting out a PVC are likely to be higher due to the limitations placed by having to work with an existing chassis where every surface is curved. I would suspect coach built is simpler as the interior is essentially a box with right angles.

@PhilG , the PVC suits us better than a coach built as our driveway is 2.4m wide. We can (just!) get a 2m wide Ducato PVC in beside our house but would not get a 2.4m wide coach built in.

So ETTO when choosing between a PVC or coach built. There is no right or wrong answer, each style has pros and cons

 

[2657]

^ I would agree. Production costs for fitting out a PVC are likely to be higher due to the limitations placed by having to work with an existing chassis where every surface is curved. I would suspect coach built is simpler as the interior is essentially a box with right angles.

@PhilG , the PVC suits us better than a coach built as our driveway is 2.4m wide. We can (just!) get a 2m wide Ducato PVC in beside our house but would not get a 2.4m wide coach built in.

So ETTO when choosing between a PVC or coach built. There is no right or wrong answer, each style has pros and cons

I would echo the width as being a deciding factor, ours is our only vehicle so going to 6m long was more than we really wanted but anything shorter was just too much of a compromise.

As the saying goes ours was in the right place at the right time and at what I considered to be an extremely good price.

 

[jezport]

Weve gone from a massive Tag axle van to a large PVC.
For us the benefits of the PVC outweigh the negatives.
We generally travel places to get out in the great outdoors not sit inside much, a PVC can take you places a coachbuilt cant get and gets there with less driving stress.
We have had to shop around for clever accessories that are more easily packed up small but we still have all the bits we need.

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

 

[PhilG]

^ I would agree. Production costs for fitting out a PVC are likely to be higher due to the limitations placed by having to work with an existing chassis where every surface is curved. I would suspect coach built is simpler as the interior is essentially a box with right angles.

@PhilG , the PVC suits us better than a coach built as our driveway is 2.4m wide. We can (just!) get a 2m wide Ducato PVC in beside our house but would not get a 2.4m wide coach built in.

So ETTO when choosing between a PVC or coach built. There is no right or wrong answer, each style has pros and cons

Its a bugger when you buying decisions are governed by factors that have no part of the enjoyment.

My dad bought a PVC, using the ' we only want one vehicle ' justification, but you still cant get in car parks with it, or park in a single space, so half the arguments are dead in the water before you start. He now has a car as well because ' it was getting too many miles on it '

 

[Northernraider]

Its a bugger when you buying decisions are governed by factors that have no part of the enjoyment.

My dad bought a PVC, using the ' we only want one vehicle ' justification, but you still cant get in car parks with it, or park in a single space, so half the arguments are dead in the water before you start. He now has a car as well because ' it was getting too many miles on it '

Been there done that..... A few times
That said I wouldn't have bought the size of van I have now if I wasn't planning to full time for the next 12-18 months

 

[gerry mcg]

Its a bugger when you buying decisions are governed by factors that have no part of the enjoyment.
'

it's not entirely the case into our decision making. Being able to keep it in the driveway means we are able to pack and go at the drop of a hat, rather than having to plan ahead and get to a storage facility to get our van.
We use it pretty frequently / even for a day trip mountain biking, and we would not use a larger van so readily.
But that is just our usage profile...

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

 

[mikebeaches]

Thought people might be interested in our ongoing research to find the right van under 6 metres. We hired this for £375 from Capricorn Campers Norwich for 3 days (should have waited for off season).

No vegan stuff in this blog entry at all. Just pure research on the Wheels part

Lessons learned:
~If you do this - rent off season haha (needed to move my son to Brighton so it had to be now )
~Size probably ok to live in... just.... Would have to go very minimalist - no musical instruments, probably no bikes or camping gear (for if the kids fly out to join us)
~ draft coming through that back door into the bed. We would want excellent insulation there. Winterisation is a priority.
~ as is a comfy bed..... 4 long cushions are never going to make a good bed to lie on at our age.
~With my accident prone-ness I could see myself stepping backwards out of that open side . Definitely a hazard (for me)
~Horrible sucker-pad thermal internal blinds arrangement for windscreen and side windows of the cab. Prefer the pull across concertina Hymer ones even though they can be a pain too.
~Fabulous handling. Backed reversing into small space with one hand and no semaphore from behind needed from hubby.
~Much niftier acceleration on the road than the Hymer - cruised at 65-70 rather than 55-60.
~Loo water action stronger, window blinds less fragile, cabinets good size but few
~Overall feel of van - much tackier than a Hymer. (This was two years old; our Hymer is 11) Drawers broke quickly on a sharpish braking (owner had said no need to lock them - wrong!!) screws just fell out of the thin chipboard sides which split easily. That wouldn't have happened on a Hymer.
~We need some sort of through garage for skis. This might involve steps up to a bed which we prefer not to have to do (me with my clumsiness) We are reconsidering a drop down again if it comes all the way down (see the Hymer B444DL)
~ I forgot to say there is an option for putting in a third small bed where in the front with the table going down to make the base.
~ huge pros and huge cons....
Any thoughts or suggestions?

Enjoyed your video and review on what I think was a Tribute van.

We've got a Rapido V68, which is 6.36m long.

http://www.rapido-motorhome.co.uk/motorhome_vans_vans_v68.chtml

We bought it because:

1. It has twin fixed beds, so easy to add toppers. Facilitates nocturnal visits to the bathroom without disturbing each other. (Also makes into a giant double if required.)

2. It goes like the clappers on the motorway, compared to previous coachbuilt

3. It glides down country lanes and through narrow streets with ease

4. When pitched, the big sliding side door lets the outside in

5. And with the barn doors at the back open too, really gets the air through in hot weather

6. It has a 135 litre fridge (biggest in a pvc I believe)

7. It has a comfortmatic auto gearbox

8. Great storage all over the place, including the flexible garage at the back

9. It shouldn't leak or suffer water ingress in the way coachbuilts can be susceptible

Additionally, although not important to us, it has dedicated ski storage (which we use for windshields and large sun umbrella etc - which is handy)

But you may struggle to find a used one for £30k; and it's 14 inches longer than a 6-metre van (which has proved not to be an issue for us).

 

[Jac Sprat]

Thanks. I'd be fine with a touch over 6 m . It's the width that is the main issue I think

 

[Jac Sprat]

I think my video was a Trigana van. Auto trail I think.

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