What Is a Medium Motorhome

[PeterMR]

Can anyone clarify what a medium motorhome is? Does it go on length, weight or type of axel? I see that there are restrictions on large motorhomes at campsites so will be looking to buy a medium size motorhome.

 

Thanks in advance.

[flyboyprowler]

This is a difficult one to answer, and I am sure you will get a large variety of answers.

 

From my point of view, I wouldn't set yourself a target of a particular size or type of motorhome. I would set myself a list of things that my future home must, or should have, and then go from there. Do you want sleeping for 2 or more, decent kitchen or bathroom. Will you be abroad more than in the UK (ie LHD) Will you be spending more time on site than off (wild camping or Aires in France etc)

 

Make yourself a shortlist and go from there. It should be a fun journey and a steep learning curve. Rent a couple of vans of different types to try before you buy. Travelling becomes addictive, so you may want to use the van a lot, throughout the year, and comfort is really, in my opinion, one of the most important factors.

 

Welcome to this site, so much help here, you should get all the information you want.

[PeterMR]

Many thanks for the advice.

[Caddies104]

Hi and welcome

Could try either going to a show or a showroom, to have a look around various style Motohomes but don’t take any Credit cards with you so cannot be pressured into buying ;-)

Although we never regretted buying one in 2007, even though now on our 4th, but definitely keeping this one for a long time.

(lol)

[EJB]

Motorhomes start at around 6 mtrs and go to about 9 mtrs

I would guess that a medium one is 7 to 8 mtrs!

However that is fairly irrelevant and suggest you take the sensible advice offered in the previous posts :-)

[Billggski]

I assume the naming is:

Van conversion = small

Up to 3500kg= medium

Over 3500kg = large ?

[malc d]

I suggest you visit a number of motorhome shows so you can see a large variety of vans - local dealerships will be very limited compared to shows.

 

Also note that larger vans will cost more on ferries - and - if very large - owners sometimes find it difficult to find garages that can cope with size when it comes to servicing and / or MoT.

 

I prefer those that are not too cluttered with furniture - sometimes you can be shut in all day - so it's nice to be able to move around easily.

 

Good luck with the search..

 

;-)

[Brock]

flyboyprowler and his large, and lovely, Flair is right in that you should think about what motorhome will suit your style of motorhoming. His Flair liner is probably 3m+ longer than my 6m Hymer A-class. Mine is fine for trips of 3 weeks away we do in the UK but I doubt we'd manage months away on the Continent in it.

 

Service providers will have their own definition of large. A hire firm may consider a 6 berth 7m long motorhome to be large. Many campsites have a limit of 8m whilst one I stayed on thought 6m was large (site was mainly for campers and tents).

 

Some restrictions exist because of the local roads being unable to cope with large vehicles, such as weight restrictions, 'not suitable for large vehicle signs', so you will not be able to get to a site.

 

To me, choosing a motorhome is about eliminating options and then focusing on those that are left. For example I can only store a 6.5m motorhome on my drive unless I do major landscaping work.

[colin]

At 6.36m (7m with the bikes on) I always consider our PVC a medium sized van.

As a newbie it might be difficult to judge how much internal size you want with how convenient the outside size is to use, ours is the smallest internal layout we are happy with and the largest outside size to fit a couple of our favourite campsites.

[stevec176]

My van is 7.5mts long and never had a problem getting onto a site. The answer is to get the smallest van you can get that gives you the space you need. Don't try squeezing a quart into a pint pot, you'll soon regret it.

[Brian Kirby]

PeterMR - 2019-04-05 9:59 AM

 

Can anyone clarify what a medium motorhome is? Does it go on length, weight or type of axel? I see that there are restrictions on large motorhomes at campsites so will be looking to buy a medium size motorhome.

 

Thanks in advance.

Large, medium, and small are merely relative terms. As you've noticed the restriction on "large" motorhomes, would it be practical to ring the sites concerned an ask them where they draw their lines?

 

But, as you haven't committed to any van at present, you have complete freedom of choice in what you buy.

 

I think your best guide to the right size for you will emerge from considering the two conflicting constraints of internal space versus external size. Loads of space inside can be seductive, but getting the resulting van down narrow roads or into supermarket car parks, for example, can be very, er, counter-seductive. Steve has already said stay as small as you can live with, and I think that sound advice. Ditto Malc's advice re ferry prices.

 

Beyond the comfort versus on the road convenience considerations, I would suggest considering where you might go. If your main objective is to over-winter in Spain on campsites, then, providing you are prepared to pay to cruise down the French toll Autoroutes etc (remembering that vans over 3.0 metres high will seriously increase the tolls!) then size isn't too much of a consideration.

 

OTOH, if you think you want to explore less visited corners of UK/Europe, size is likely to become quite a consideration. Look to keep width below 2.3 metres, height comfortably below 3.0 metres, and be wary of lengths exceeding 6.5 metres. It is not just site restrictions that cause difficulties: consider also the occasional need to turn around (because you miss a turning, or a road has been closed!), that there are surprisingly narrow arches and gates at the entrance of some small towns, and that some access roads in remoter areas can be quite surprisingly narrow.

 

Best of all, to help consolidate your opinion on what would suit you, would be to hire a van (even for a week) and see how what you think might suit when in a showroom, actually suits when used in anger. They aren't cheap to hire, but that are a lot cheaper to hire than to change if you get it wrong first time (and many do :-))! Hope this helps a bit.