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clucker1

Motorhome/Van conversion

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Not sure where to put this, anyway....we are at very very early days of thinking about a holiday in a motorhome/van conversion. It would be me, OH and YS age 13 plus one well behaved dog. We like our space. So far on the motor homes we like the island bed and think parking camera would be helpful. Does anyone have any experience or tips on these? We hope to go to a show in the next month or so to compare them. Hopefully in July, we want to hire one out for a trial. Ideally short and longer term, plan is to holiday in the UK and France/Italy /Switzerland 8)

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My dad used to have a converted VW van with a pop top (roof could be popped up to give head space).

He now has a converted Peugot with pop top.

 

Those are really too small for three people and a dog, although a colleague used to have one and take it for holidays with his family (2 kids and 2 adults). The two kids slept on the roof of the van below the pop top roof.

 

The main advantage is that the vans are relatively small and you can drive it around town and park it anywere.

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In terms of space, you will probably have more room in a motorhome (we had a 6 berth one for three of us when I was younger) than in most converted vans.

Our first converted van was a Fiat Scudo which we managed to take away to Europe for 6 weeks with the two of us and our puppy, but we did have a tent to 'dump' all the excess stuff at the campsite! We now have bought a VW T4 which we are in the process of converting, as our puppy is now a full grown springer and is too big to comfortably fit in the Scudo at night in his cage. This van should do us nicely with a roof box for a 9 week trip around Europe this summer.

 

We did the conversions ourself on both vans, and am more than happy to share information with you on how we did it/what we wouldn't do again if you decide to convert a van!

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I give this advice as a caravaner with friends with a motor home.

 

You definitely need to go and look around to get a feel for what would work for your situation. You may find that being in them and seeing the reality of space alters your idea of what you want. It did for us when we bought or first van. Particularly as you mention that you like your space. Generally speaking your MH would be very big to give you useable day space - friends that have changed from a caravan to a MH have made this comment. I would also comment that a fixed bed wastes an awful lot of space so if you want a spacey feel in the day a fixed bed may not be the best for you - that said we have fixed beds so it is a matter of preference and what works for you. You get an idea as soon as you walk in one, there were a number we saw that we walked straight out of, so go somewhere with a lot of choice so you can compare.

 

Hiring is a good idea as we ended up changing our first van after about 18 months as we worked out what we liked and what worked for us. We've had our current van now for 3 or 4 years and the layout really works for us.

 

How exciting. Enjoy.

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I haven't posted for ages but have continued to lurk from time to time and this topic is dear to my heart. We have been motor homers for 8 years and love it, and still have the same 'van'.

Payload can be an issue. By the time you have included bicycles, barbecue, picnic table, chairs and all the necessary stuff you will use, the van is soon overloaded. The limit in some vans is exceeded with very little added.

Our van sleeps 4 but there is usually only just the two of us. There is an over cab double bed which can be left made up and pulled down at night. The two single beds are fixed, and can be converted into a double. I use one of the singles as an extension to to the kitchen work top by placing a thin length of plywood on top :)

Space can be a problem but what you gain with one type of layout means you lose in other ways, I would hate to have to make up the bed every night for example.

We have a 'garage' at the rear which is brilliant for carrying and storing stuff that would otherwise be brought inside the van :D

 

Look at loads of different vans to find the layout that suits you, hiring seems a good idea too. It will be steep learning curve that's for sure.

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We went to the motorhome show at Peterorough at the weekend and saw loads. Have decided it's definitely a motorhome we are after with a fixed bed at rear, either island or French. The van conversions are too small for us....we like our space. Next thing is to hire one, this is all very exciting! The other thing we found is seatbelts aren't in all of them so you could have a 4 berth and only 2 seatbelts which is no good for us as we will be carrying up to 4 people.

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Rules have changed about seats. Seats that are used to transport people in should have a seatbelt, but also be adjustable in distance to front seats. There is a maximum distance that these can be away from the front seats, which most motorvan (and conversions) far exceed. Then it is quite expensive to install adjustable seats, so most simply don't have them.

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