Half Dinettes

[Guest Tracker]

Or Euro Lounges as I believe they are sometimes called.

 

How do those of you who have this layout get on with lounging?

 

The seats seem far too upright and narrow for comfortable sitting and, by their very nature, feet up lounging on a long cold winter evening - or even on a short warm summer evening - is an absolute no no.

 

Having often sat in the drivers seat all day I don't feel inclined to sit in at all evening as well no matter how well designed the makers might think it is.

 

The trade off is generally a fixed bed with obvious benefits - but how do you all get on with the generally narrower bed and the cut away foot end?

 

Do they irritate you or do you not notice when you are asleep - until one of you needs to clamber out for a nocturnal perambulation?

 

 

[trooper]

Hi Tracker,

We have a burstner elegance with a euro lounge and fixed bed.

We love the lounge, as bench seats recline slightly, but best of all the drivers and passenger seats are ideal, I sit in driving seat with my feet on the side bench and can watch tele all night or have a doze during the day

While other half lays on the bed.

we love the whole layout after over 10000 miles, wouldnt want to change.

 

Cheers

[Mel B]

It depends on the quality of the seating and how you want to use it. When we had our Rapido it had a euro lounge, the problem we had, though was that the drivers seat didn't swivel fully round and there was a step down from the cab to the rear which meant my little leggies were always dangling! I got round this by using a plastic step with a cusion on to put my feet on. If we wanted to lounge about we just used the bed, propped up with large cushions and pillows (some extra large cushions that lived in the cab overnight out of the way). It made for a really nice place to lounge about on a night after a hard day's 'holidaying' and running around with the dogs ... they loved to snuggle up with us for an hour or two, much nicer than trying to share a settee with them!

8-)

 

In our Rimor, we have a double dinette which, if we want, we can extend each seat outwards and lounge but we still prefer to slob out on the fixed transverse bed in the rear.:D

 

As for the cut-off corner of the bed, in the Rapido my hubby never had a problem with it at all, some are much more severe than others and ours wasn't bad, the width of the bed was quite good for a small motorhome as well so that wasn't a problem, but they do differ quite dramatically between makes. Also, one thing to watch out for on fixed lengthways rear beds - where the toilet compartment is in the corner next to it, sometimes getting in and out of the toilet compartment can be an absolute pain as the space left to get through is very tight, especially when the bed has a duvet on it. Also make sure that the cab seats are easy to swivel round, again, our Rapido's seats weren't the easiest as the arms used to catch on the doors and the drivers seats was a pain to get turn round due to the steering wheel. :-|

[Randonneur]

I agree with Mel B. We had a Rapido with a double dinette but to lounge you had to sit with your back to the window with your legs stretched out on the seat, no problem. Our fixed bed in the Rapido was a lot narrower than the fixed bed in the Laika which we have now and it is also longer. We have an L shaped seat as a dinette and both cab seats swivel, the passenger one is easy if you open the door first and then swivel it but the drivers seat is another matter. We have only had the Laika for a few weeks so haven't mastered the techniques yet.

[Mr. Grumpy]

We have had our m/h for 4 years and find the swivel seats comfortable for lounging as they are very adjustable and we also have a fixed bed so the combination suits the two of us very well. However I don't think a third or forth person would be very comfortable if they had to spend all evening sitting upright on the forward facing dinette seat.

[Brian Kirby]

I think you just have to look and try.  Really, there is no such thing as a "Eurolounge" in that the half dinettes all vary, not only between makes, but also between models and ranges within makes.  Ditto, really, the truncated bed.  As Mel says, some are abruptly truncated, others less so, some are a straight cut, where others curve, and the starting point of the cut away also varies.  They all differ considerably, just as do the dinettes above.

The biggest influence on bed comfort, in my opinion, is it's length and width, however it is truncated.  There really is just so much variation that generalising doesn't help.

We had a Burstner with half dinette and a truncated longitudinal bed; we now have a Hobby with half dinette and a "square" transverse bed.  The Hobby table is smaller, which affects eating compared to the Burstner, and the van is narrower and so, in consequence, is the dinette.  However, the Hobby has a small sofa where the Burstner had its kitchen block, and that makes loafing on the passenger's seat (LHD) with feet on the sofa very comfortable.  Better than could be achieved with the Burstner.  The dinette seating is roughly comparable, though I think the Burstner dinette was a bit wider.

The truncated bed was no problem, because Carole is smaller then me, and she slept on the "short" side.  Length, however, was adequate, albeit just adequate.  We both agree that the Hobby bed is better overall, and a bit bigger, but you have to climb up into it, and you both have to get up together, whatever time of day or night that happens.  And so on, and so on.  Compromise, compromise, compromise!

Both transverse and longitudinal layouts are very popular, with the longitudinal ones being longest established in mass market vans, so there is a lot of choice of both new and used.  You might also like to consider an A class with a drop down bed.  Some hate them, others love them.  However, by using the space right at the front, above the driver's and passenger's seats, they do free up valuable space to the rear.  There is/was a very nifty little 6 metre Hymer with side lounge, side kitchen block opposite, and a very spacious rear washroom.

I think, in the end, you just have to go to a major show somewhere, look at what is available, and decide what will work best for you.

[Guest Tracker]

Thanks everyone - I started this thread mainly to give newcomers an insight into the benefits and perils of different layouts.

 

That said, we do quite fancy the large and wide overcab bed of an 'A' class, but we have considerable concerns about clambering up and over the bed with the lack of headroom that many of them have.

 

We also like our feet 'tucked in' in bed and this is difficult when your bed end is a curtain - as is, I assume sitting up in bed when the headroom is so limited.

 

Failing that the transverse bed appeals but then again you need to go into clambering mode in so many - but at least with many there is plenty of headroom and we can tuck the bedding in to keep us tootsies toasty.

 

Then again a fixed bed = extra van length - specially if you want a decent lounge as well, and extra length = some restrictions on where you can take it and where you can park it.

 

So yer pays yer money, takes yer pick, then changes yer mind and buys another one - and so on ad infinitum for ever searching for the elusive ideal van.

 

The ideal van is an illusion for what is ideal this year for long haul exploring becomes less than ideal next year for a different holiday pattern - and so on.

 

Hey Ho! It's only money!

[davenewellhome]

Your last paragraph sums it up perfectly Rich, there is no such thing as the "ideal van". What suits us today is not ideal next week, month, year etc.

 

D.

[Guest JudgeMental]

We have the L shaped lounge incorporating the cab seats to accommodate the 4 of us. This arrangement is OK for eating, but not so great for the 4th person for lounging, perched on the narrower section of the L. Some layouts offer an extra seat opposite the L and this would probably work better for us but that is where our door is.

 

The cab seats are fine for lounging and very comfortable. What tends to happen with us is that if we are watching the TV, one uses the comfortable main part of L and two use the cabs while the 4th sprawls out on over cab bed and watches from there.....

 

what is the alternative? I think not to use cab seats as part of lounge area is a waste of available space and personally I have never liked the double dinette not utilizing the cab seats because of this. Plus we have two large permanent beds to lounge on as well. Just make sure that cab seats are comfortable (mine were an upgrade from standard ford seats) and that they turn without restriction.