Motorhomes with drop down double beds

[BeeTrees]

So with everything going on we have decided to look more seriously at getting a Motorhome, looking at the ones around 6m with a drop down double bed, so the bed is always ready and available and no sleep on 3000 lumpy cushion parts.

I’ve found the t-line 590 and the swift 614, what else do I want to look at? Trying before buying is proving difficult atm as everywhere is fair enough booked out through the holidays. Any forums good to join for advice?

Do I want a brand new one or second hand?

Or do I want a camper van/day van?

Main reasons for wanting the Motorhome are for the toilet facilities, possibly the shower but being able to stand up and not bent over. Will be used mainly for day trips out and then a few nights away to start with.

I’ve looked at some of the more van conversion ones, and I think I want the drop down bed ones and the ones that have more the sofa style options and table that can be removed for relaxing in, rather than just the 2 seater bench seat and permanent table.

DH wants to wait, but I want to crack on as life is very short.

@Tinyhumansurvivalist which model do your parents have?

@BeeTrees not a scooby! They are away on it at the moment so I can't even ask them. I can tell you it's 7.5m long, has a bathroom across the back then 2 fixed single bunks, then a kitchen with fridge and freezer, seating area and then the driving seats. Will try and find a pic

We've just traded in a VW California for this www.campersales.co.uk/camper-guide/westfalia/kepler/ because of the need for a loo and a better lounge area.

Rejected a panel van or motorhome simply on the basis that the VW is easily a daily runner and gets into carparks less than 2m in height.

It's always a trade off but most vans/MHs will retain a significant chunk of their value if you get it wrong and need to sell.

www.adria.co.uk/motorhomes/matrix/supreme/670-slt

I'm not sure that thus is the exact one but thus is the same layout

Bloody hell, I’ve just had a look at the P&O site to see how much a ferry crossing to France would cost. Put in a car, £200 return. But in the 6.2 Motorhome and ........£2200! Is it normal that much or is it an exodus of campervans to Europe and supply and emend with covid? I put in late September dates too!

Have a look at Chausson motorhome. We have one and it's really well thought out.

I think you must have made a mistake! I've just put in 6.2 length and 2.4 height and it's come out £150 one way.

@Clymene I put in 2.85m tall and 6.2m length. Is it the extra height that’s a problem?

@Yewtown which one do you have?

We have the 708. It has a king size bed and a double drop down bed. We saw the smaller vans when we bought ours but we needed more space. The storage is well thought out and there are usually very good videos on you tube which let you see the space.

Thanks @Yewtown I hadn’t seen them before, I think that is the layout style van I would go for. I like the food in half tables to give the table more height and space to walk down.
Just need to work out the 6 or 6.2/6.4m thing. I think we do need the “boot” space to transport our equipment. Just whether need the stand alone shower or the swing across shower like in the pilote.

I’m guessing most people prefer an automatic if travelling any distance for holidays.

I thoroughly recommend joining motorhomefun.co.uk, you will not regret the fee, I think it’s £15 a year. You will get the benefit of Valuable advice from some of the most experienced motorhomes in the country. Bear in mind whatever you eventually go for, it will always be a compromise of some sort. We’ve got an 8m long motorhome and love it, it’s the best, but most expensive item after our house we’ve ever bought! I would say, don’t buy brand new, especially on your first mh. There are some fantastic older models, but do your research thoroughly (ask lots of questions on the forum, the people on there are very generous with their time and guidance) before you jump in. Good luck!

** motorhomers, not motorhomes, 😂🤣

Thanks @Kizzywiz will take a look.

I think there is always going to be a payoff, and I think for us it’s going to be the height as back problems mean I’m really uncomfortable not standing up Straight move around/seats So as ideal as a VW would be for town parking I need the Motorhome I think. But then as I can’t walk far that stops us from parking in a town to visit! So countryside only.

We have a 7’8” motorhome. It’s our fourth one. First one was bought second hand but we encountered all sorts of problems with it as, good as it looked, it hadn’t been maintained very well.
Ever since we have bought new. Wouldn’t be without one now, made such a difference to our lives. We have a couple of dogs so far better than hotels.
Never had a problem parking it either in towns or on supermarket car parks. Just need to avoid height restricted car parks, parking spaces are fine. Supermarkets don’t mind you taking up the length of two slots across a double row & it fits in the width of one slot. Surprisingly many towns, especially in tourist areas, have designated motor home parking slots, if not you just use the coach ones, never been a problem in all the years we’ve been travelling.
Drop down beds, personally I wouldn’t have one after being on a campsite near a Hymer that had one. Morning they wanted to leave the mechanism jammed & they couldn’t raise it no matter what they tried. As it dropped down over the cab section, driver’s seat, they were completely stuck. I have heard several times on the forums of it happening since.
Modern motor homes aren’t built of wood so you don’t get the damp problem, even with previous ones that did have wood you have a ten year warranty against damp.
A friend of mine has a panel van conversion & prefers our van as they get dreadful problems with condensation, with it being made of metal, & says it’s very cold whereas our central heating is wonderful.

We have a seven-metre Knaus Sun Ti. I would not have a drop-down bed whatever the configuration as I have seen at least two beds that have been stuck throughout our travels. Usually, they can be wound manually though. The problem with the bed being over the lounge depending on model and make would be a huge problem for us.

Also, I cannot walk and it's easier to be lifted onto the fixed double bed at the back of the motorhome than to be lifted onto the dropdown.

We are at present on a campsite in mid wales and right across from us is a VW T5 with a toilet tent outside the van. It looks fine.

Sorry, not 7’8”, would be twee...7.8 metres. It’s an Autotrail. We’ve had Swifts, Adria & Hymer in the past but this is the best of all of them, we think.

The great advantage with a self contained motorhome is that you don’t actually have to stay on a designated campsite which opens up huge possibilities. It’s still possible to “ wild camp” in some areas, seen motor homes overnighting in the outposts of Rannoch Moor, Glencoe, West of John O’ Groats on the dry north coast of Scotland. We are in Britstops, which is a great organisation, only for motor homes & campervans not caravans. It’s a scheme whereby you can overnight at all sorts of venues, pubs, farm shops for example free of charge. All they ask is that you spend a little bit with the host, a meal or just a few drinks, fruit & veg, chutneys etc at the farm shops. For that you get to use their facilities, a parking place, often fresh water to top up . The pub ones can be great if you’re travelling, a hot meal & a drink so an evening out in fact & a very warm welcome. The farm shop ones can be in stunning locations & we've often been the only van there overnight.
We’re off up to Scotland tomorrow. Inverness & all points north. No plan as to when we’ll be back. That’s the joy of it, freedom, just take off & who knows where you can end up, knowing you don’t have to book ahead.

@BeeTrees

Bloody hell, I’ve just had a look at the P&O site to see how much a ferry crossing to France would cost. Put in a car, £200 return. But in the 6.2 Motorhome and ........£2200! Is it normal that much or is it an exodus of campervans to Europe and supply and emend with covid? I put in late September dates too!

We used to have a Tesco Credit card and rack up points and spend them on the Eurotunnel - you get x 3 value on your vouchers. and we used to be able to get sometimes a couple of trips a year.

We had a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40g9CCgXrdk
Globecar Campscout]] - like this one, it has a fixed bed at the back but was quite compact so went anywhere, but also had the toilet and shower.

but it sounds like something like a swift rio would tick alot of your boxes? they do a couple of different variations on that, but that is the general idea

We have a VW California Ocean, which is the VW factory fit camper van, we love it, it’s used as a day vehicle, days out and festivals and holidays, UK, Spain and France, not having a loo doesn’t bother us, we’d rather use camp site facilities, DH didn’t want to spend holidays emptying toilets, having something smaller makes us take less stuff. It’s all about spontaneity for us, just pack a few things and go. We went for the factory fit camper as because we are using it as a day vehicle, the height of it still allows you to enter most car parks as it’s just under 2 metres tall, be careful of conversions as may be taller. We have a leisure battery which means hook up isn’t needed for approx 3 days, we have a hydraulic roof which makes life very easy. We did have an awning but never really used as was a faff to put up and down, DS is a bit older now so last year in France decided he wanted his own space in a small pop up tent. There’s an awful lot to think about, finding what suits your family, but whatever you go with am sure you will love it. Good Luck.

@Darklane britstops sounds like a lovely idea, I’ll definitely have to remember that one.

Old thread I know, but wondering about any other suggestions.
Those with a traditional MH, how do you find parking at supermarkets etc? Say if you’re 6/6.5m and 2.3 wide

@GratedRed I've been watching the "Motorhoming with Paul Merton" or whatever it's called on Channel 5. It's put me off having a wide MH, simply from watching them drive it around narrow country lanes!

Might be worth watching to get an idea.

Interesting to see so many mentions of the Adria. We hired one over the summer and the layout and facilities were far better than any other van I’ve seen. I liked the bench seat being immediately behind the drivers seat so it didn’t feel like DD4 was stuck in the back on her own. I loved having plenty of storage space under the bed and not needing to fold it up saved lots of time with not needing to move luggage around or repack everyday. I liked having a toilet and shower on board so we could be self-sufficient and more choice over campsites that might not have full facilities. It was 6m long and perfect for 3 of us. I’m surprised there aren’t more similar style vans on the market. The shower/toilet in a campervan seems to be fairly unique (as far as I can tell from hire sites).