Fixed rear bed over a garage & 1/2 dinette.

[rolandrat]

I always thought that Motorhoming was all about stressless relaxation once parked up or am I missing something. How can you put your feet up and watch television or stretch out and read a book in a half or full dinette layout where you have to sit bolt upright or do you retire to the over garage bed to relax? No wonder the dealers forcourts have plenty of them on show. Although I don't own one I think the rear lounge layout takes some beating.

[colin]

Here we go again, how many times do I have to explain this *-)

 

With a fixed bed plus 1/2 dinette, you get as much if not more space than any other layout, it's how you (or in this case we) use it, i.e. you just relax on the bed, of cause if this style of relaxing doen't suit you then don't get one.

[Guest Tracker]

I'm inclined to agree Roland but having had a couple of end lounge vans we prefer the end washroom layout as in Autocruise Starburst as it gives super feet up lounging with a panoramic view out through the untinted windscreen, a choice of two good singles or one huge double bed, room to wash and ablute, a decent size kitchen which when in use the cook does not block access to the door, and best of all a good ride on the Alko chassis. As you say, bed making with duvalay takes but a couple of minutes.

 

That said there are advantages in a fixed bed - probably, but not always a more comfortable night's sleep - although usually less bed width or an uphill clamber as trade off. But then again it should be easy to source a suitably comfortable mattress if the supplied one is too hard or soft? Best of all the bed is always ready for whatever you wish to do with it with no making up!

 

Storage is where the fixed bed really scores and there is almost certain to be room under the bed for as much clutter as you can cram in within the payload. The downside is that as you can only use the space once the lounges are none too comfortable for lounging!

 

But I think on balance we will stay with what we have!

[rolandrat]

The Autocruise with the rear bathroom seams a very good layout and the side benches with the dropdown television is a good way of relaxing as well. I know there are good and not so good points about the over garage and half dinette. When out and about I see some of the garages loaded to the gunnels with all sorts of gear and sometimes wonder what the rear axle would weigh if checked on a weighbridge.

[chris]

Well each to their own. We use our van about 90 nights a year and our 4th van is coming Saturday and we have gone for a "Fixed rear bed over a garage & 1/2 dinette."

 

Personaly I would not get a van unless it had a fixed bed and I would never buy one that did not have rear seatbelts so rear lounge and side facing benches are a no no.

 

I curl up at the table to read and drink my glass of wine. We make sure that there is a side settee opposite the dinette so that is where we lounge and the other person sits in cab seat with feet up on the other cab seat.

 

The thought of making up a bed every night puts shooting pains in my back.

 

That is why there are so many models on the market as we all have different choices :-D

chris

[Mel B]

My van is a fixed rear bed with a 1/2 dinette and the layout suits us perfectly:

 

1) A nice large and comfy ready-made bed to flop into after a hard day's 'holidaying'.

2) Lots of storage in the garage for our bicycles, tables, chairs etc, plus our inflatable canoes and all the associated gear (and we have a very good payload so that's not an issue).

3) Two rear passenger seats for when we need them, in our van at least they are quite comfy, but I know some are not.

4) An always available and usable table - no pratting around having to get it out of a locker/wardrobe etc.

5) Hubby can go in and out of the van without having to go past me whilst I'm cooking so I can use the kitchen without hindrence (I also use the bathroom sink immediately opposite so can leave the kitchen sink top down as extra workspace).

 

Whilst in France in August/September we found it very useful to have this arrangement - I sprawled out in the passenger seat with my feet across on the drivers seat and hubby lounged on the fixed rear bed watching a DVD of Top Gear. I was happy as there was enough 'space' between us so that I could do my puzzlebook in peace and he could have the TV volume up sufficiently to be able to enjoy the programme. Had we had just the one lounging area, that could have been a problem, especailly as rear lounge models often do not have swivels seats at the front.

 

We've had the traditional dinette with side sofa layout before but it wasn't great as everytime hubby wanted to go outside, he'd have to go past me whilst I was cooking, and always wanted to come back in just as I was cooking something that needed attention ... not good!

 

Basically, the layout we have works very well for us, and how we choose to use the van and how we spend our holiday time, if you like to lounge around on site more and don't want to have 2 separate areas, then I can see the appeal of a rear lounge, or even just a front lounge as Tracker has, but for us those layouts just wouldn't work.

 

It's a good job we all have our own requirements otherwise it would be very boring if we were all the same! :D

[flicka]

Like Mel B, we have a transverse fixed bed over the garage & 1/2 dinette.

It suits our requirements admirably. Garage holds wife's mobility scooter & wheelchair, loungers, ramps, cables & hoses, fishing gear & other gear, but still plenty of payload to play with. We can also reduce the fixed bed to half it's width, freeing up more floor space during daytime.

For feet-up lounging one of us will use the haf dinette longways with a cushion against the van wall, other will use either cab seats swivelled to face each other or the passenger seat & side "jockey" seat.

We find it just as comfortable as our previous Bessacarr 410 with front inward facing lounge.

 

BUT wherever & whenever possible we prefer to be outside getting a few rays.

Suits us & some others, but some it won't, yeh pays yeh money, etc..

[Guest JudgeMental]

Fixed rear bed over a garage & 1/2 dinette as well. and I would not have it any other way, far more practical and comfortable. Even with 4 of us, the kids would invariably sprawl in over cab bed, peering over the edge to watch a movie, while we lounged comfortable below...ours is L shaped and plenty or room. I have never understood the need for the twin sofas and no permanent bed ,,,bonkers IMO, like I said elsewhere, would you like to sleep on the sofa at home

 

Ours up for sale in classified :-D

[ips]

chris - 2010-09-28 8:42 PM

 

Well each to their own. We use our van about 90 nights a year and our 4th van is coming Saturday and we have gone for a "Fixed rear bed over a garage & 1/2 dinette."

 

Personaly I would not get a van unless it had a fixed bed and I would never buy one that did not have rear seatbelts so rear lounge and side facing benches are a no no.

 

I curl up at the table to read and drink my glass of wine. We make sure that there is a side settee opposite the dinette so that is where we lounge and the other person sits in cab seat with feet up on the other cab seat.

 

The thought of making up a bed every night puts shooting pains in my back.

 

That is why there are so many models on the market as we all have different choices :-D

chris

 

 

Totally agree with all the above.. :-D

[lennyhb]

We have a fixed French bed & ½ dinette & find it the perfect layout. Lounge has L shaped sofa on one side with 2 travel seats & small sofa on the other. The ISRS Capitan seats are fully adjustable & great for lounging, nice solid fixed table which slides forward & back, side to side to make easy access. Good L shaped kitchen with loads of storage.

 

Would never buy any van without a fixed bed, who wants do do a jigsaw of bed bases & cushions before going to bed, especially after a few gin & tonics & a bottle of wine. As for a table that has to be folded up and put away YUCK.

 

Jigsaws before you go to bed is mainly a British invention carried over from caravans saved the manufacturer the bother of having to design a Motorhome.

[AliB]

Sitting at our full dinette is like sitting at the kitchen table - not very comfortable. Lounging in the rear lounge is the way to go.

This also allows the cook to use all the kitchen area while the kids have free access through the habitation door to the lounge.

I cannot see the problem with making beds at night. It only takes a few minutes and it seems such a waste of space to have permanent beds.

 

If this is the British style of layout it works well when the weather is poor.

Admittedly on continental travels when the weather is good we are mainly outdoors and a comfy lounge is not so essential.

 

Any layout is a compromise so you choose which disadvantage you can best live with.

[rolandrat]

AliB, thats a good way of putting it, my wifes top priority is the kitchen area and then its all about relaxation. If I'd said I was interested in a fixed bed over a garage with a half dinette world war three would have started. It's no problem at all to make up our bed to sleep in. We also like the drop down television in the cab area which is easy to watch.

[Guest JudgeMental]

lennyhb - 2010-09-29 10:19 AM

 

We have a French bed .

 

Oh! You dirty devil! *-)

[Guest Tracker]

It matters not to us where we sleep as long as it's comfortable as when asleep we don't know whether it's a fixed bed or a made up bed?

 

On the other hand when we are awake we certainly prefer the space and comfort afforded by proper comfortable lounging sofas!

[Tony Jones]

As always, it seems to depend to a large extent on how you use your van.

 

For us at present, a fixed bed is a complete non-starter, as "Roxie" is our main vehicle, so lugging an extra 6'x4' of van around every day would be silly.

However, once we retire most of our mileage will be for leisure, so we may well change to a fixed bed then as we'll be too old and decrepit to do the "jigsaw" thing.

 

As with all these motorhoming compromises, we each have to decide, at each stage of our lives, what sacrifices are worthwhile for other benefits.

 

Think there's a sermon there somewhere! :D

[Petra]

It was interesting at Lincoln SHow to listen to peoples comments exiting from vans, some people discounted fixed beds immediately whereas us and others would not dream of buying anything else. Hubby goes to bed early so a seperate lounge is important for me. I tend to sit in the passenger seat with my legs up on the side sofa and it is very comfortable. We tested a van with twin front sofas and found it really difficult to lounge as there was nothing to lean on at the ends of the sofa. Iff you sit normally the backs are very straight and where do you put you cuppa?

 

[lennyhb]

JudgeMental - 2010-09-29 2:47 PM

 

lennyhb - 2010-09-29 10:19 AM

 

We have a French bed .

 

Oh! You dirty devil! *-)

 

Trying to keep up with the Judges.

 

(lol) (lol) (lol)

[colin]

Tony Jones - 2010-09-29 4:17 PM

For us at present, a fixed bed is a complete non-starter, as "Roxie" is our main vehicle, so lugging an extra 6'x4' of van around every day would be silly.

 

On our old/present van the bed is normaly left as a fixed bed 6'x4'6", as we find we like lounging on that rather than sitting on 'coaches', it also has a sepperate 'room' for whoever doesn't want to watch/listen to tv, or indeed if one wants to watch tv whilst other goes to sleep, and all this in a T25, a bit smaller than Roxie!

[Mel B]

Tony Jones - 2010-09-29 4:17 PM

 

..... As with all these motorhoming compromises, we each have to decide, at each stage of our lives, what sacrifices are worthwhile for other benefits.

 

Think there's a sermon there somewhere! :D

 

As an aside to this thread Tony ... have you EVER used anything off the forum in one of your sermons? And if so, was it to give an example of being good :-D or bad >:-) .

 

:-S

[Tony Jones]

Not that I remember - I'll give it some thought and let you know if I recall anything.

[colin]

Tony Jones - 2010-09-29 9:33 PM

 

Not that I remember - I'll give it some thought and let you know if I recall anything.

 

I'll give you something so that you can say campervanners are evil non believers.

"It is my opinion that man is decended from apes" :D

[Tony Jones]

Want to start a new thread with this?

[Mel B]

Oooooo-er! FIGHT!!!!!!! Ding, ding, round one!!!! :D

[colin]

Tony Jones - 2010-09-30 9:28 AM

 

Want to start a new thread with this?

 

No I only usualy discus religion face to face, and I already have regular chats to a baptist minister, but couldn't resist that one.

[bigal]

JudgeMental - 2010-09-29 2:47 PM

 

lennyhb - 2010-09-29 10:19 AM

 

We have a French bed .

 

Oh! You dirty devil! *-)

 

Should that be lucky? :-) B-)