Drop down bed or fixed bed

[Davos191]

Hi looking at changing my van and due to where we park it need 6mr or less van .was looking at electric beds from bailey chaussion etc but now not so sure and looking as well at fixed bed options. Any feed back about drop down beds would be useful.

[lennyhb]

Drop down beds are usually better implemented in A Class vans so worth having a look at a few. In A Class vans they tend to be large and comfortable but you do have the problem if the inside person need to get out during the night as they have to scrabble over the other person. Also if it is the only bed in some vans it may prevent one of you goining to bed and the other staying up a while, again not so bad in A class as the bed is further forward with the sofa still avalable.

Should not need electric assistance if has been designed correctly.

[Guest Peter James]

I've made a bed that sits across the wheel arches, suspended on a ratchet strap at each corner. So when parked on a hill, you can have the bed perfectly level, front to back and side to side, in a few seconds.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Depends on your needs and style of travel. To me drop down beds have never appealed. they look claustrophobic, awkward access, lack enough ventilation..probably stuffy in hotter climate.....That's my take, you may get on with one many do....

[Brock]

Would off site storage solve your length problem? Have a look at CASSOA storage facilities.

 

Length is an issue for us and so we're on our third A-class. First one was 6m, second 6.3m and this one's a centimetre or two below 6m. Very comfortable. Downsides include they can rattle, they have weight limits but unless both of you are very hefty you should be OK, check the width because some A-classes have curved windscreens which restrict the bed width, you can just about store your bedding in them when the bed is up, they are not common at 6m, you'll need to clamber up a ladder, and it can get hot for the one sleeping nearest the windscreen.

 

We've looked at the coachbuilts with drop down beds and are unimpressed. Having a clunking great bed over the habitation area seems illogical when you can have the bed in the cab. We sometimes leave the bed down during the day. However, at least you are both pinned in at the sides!

 

Be sure you can live in 6m. The compromises necessary may be too much if you are used to lots of space. Bathrooms can be tight.

 

Our Hymer 504 A class has a drop down bed and a single bed over the rear garage. It's compact but the layout works for two of us We comfortably manage stints of 3 weeks away at a time plus occasional spells on CLs and wild camping.

 

[Stitches]

We are trading in a 6m drop down bed CB for a A class fixed bed due to mobility issues. The drop down bed gave us a good sized living area so that was a plus point.

 

[flicka]

Other options for drop down beds are the Adria Matrix & Bustner Ixeos. There is also a Bailey Autograph (not sure of model no) which has a drop down along off side only. One of the new Swift Rio's has a transverse double dropdown bed across the rear, (@6m long)

[multiplamum]

We were dead set on a fixed bed - didn't want the hassle of nightly bed building - but also due to bad back issues couldn't climb into beds and French beds too short as we are both tall. Looked at chausson with electric bed which required serious rejigging of furniture before it could be lowered. Have just spent 10 weeks in a Bessacarr e510 which is just under 6m and has two singles or a double which are so easy to set up. Glad we didn't go down fixed route.

[Derek Uzzell]

As far as I’m aware all ‘drop-down bed’ arrangements end up with a bed quite a way above the motorhome’s floor and, with low-profile models, this is exacerbated when storage lockers are attached to the underside of the bed.

 

The drop-down bed approach offers an alternative to the overcab bed and allows the complete floor-area of a compact-length motorhome to be utilised for non-sleeping activities. A recent example is Rapido’s 600FF

 

http://www.rapido-motorhome.co.uk/prod.php?ref=600ff&serie=6

 

http://www.brownhills.co.uk/17182-fiat-rapido-600ff-130bhp.html

 

where it should be apparent that the lounge, kitchen and bathroom spaces are exceptionally generously-sized for a 5.99m-long low-profile coachbuilt design. The 600FF’s bed can be fully or partially lowered, allowing a 2nd double bed to be constructed beneath if necessary. In principle, then, the Rapido can carry 4 people in belted seats, dine 6 and sleep 4, all in a sub-6m motorhome with a lot of airy living-space.

 

The negatives should be self-evident, with the main one (as lennyhb has said) being the lounge becoming unusable when the bed is lowered. (This is really little different, though, from a design where the motorhome’s only bed is made up from the lounge seating.)

 

Any up-to-6m-long motorhome (be it panel-van conversion or ‘coachbuilt’) with a fixed bed will suffer when it comes to interior ‘roominess’ compared to a design with an overcab, high-level, or drop-down bed. It’s unavoidable – the former mimics a bungalow while the latter a two-storey house.

[robertandjean]

To be honest trying to stay below 6m means always going to be a compromise on living space/bed space. Our Rapido 691ff offers both a fixed Island bed and drop down centre bed, when required for grandchildren, plus really good living space, but does mean van length of almost 7.5m. But having now driven past Loire, on our way to the Med, we find extra length no problem. With all vans we think it is, as the bishop said to the actress, width not length that's important!

[colin]

About 5 years ago looked at a La Strada Regent L, I was very impressed, but gf has claustrophobia and didn't get on with the bed, not so much because of room, it's plenty big enough, but because she couldn't bail out of it easily (she has same problem with transverse beds where I 'trap' her in). The lounge is usable with bed down as long as your not too tall, as shown in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDunw7-b3do

[Retread24800]

Living in sub 6m vans will always require compromises, we find the A class drop down fits the bill, The bed is large enough to be an advance over a rear French bed and folds away with a push upwards. Down side is the height above the floor, ventilation is via another 40cm2 roof vent, too hot? use the silver screens to keep the sun out!

Wind down beds in low profile vans usually result in the profile changing to something approaching or exceeding 3m high, so much for the 'low' On PVC's the transverse bed layout which can be converted to carry long stuff seems like a good compromise though how comfortable a 3 piece mattress is I do not know. 

[Derek Uzzell]

Retread24800 - 2014-09-24 12:32 PM

 

Wind down beds in low profile vans usually result in the profile changing to something approaching or exceeding 3m high, so much for the 'low'

 

It depends on the size of the bed and on the chassis on which the motorhome is built.

 

All current Rapido ‘low profile’ models with an “FF” suffix (eg. 600FF, 7090FF) have a double-size drop-down roof bed and the overall height of these vehicles is around 6.9m. But Rapido ‘low profile’ models with a “B” suffix (eg. 640B, 681B) with a single-size drop-down roof-bed have a height of 2.76m - the same height as the version without the roof-bed. Plainly it should be expected that, on a like-for-like basis, a roof-bed will reduce headroom within the motorhome, but it doesn’t automatically result in a skyscraper design.

 

The motorhome term “low profile” is a UK conceit, presumably instigated by a UK journalist entertaining himself (I’m sure a male was involved!) years ago when coachbuilt motorhomes with no overcab sleeping accommodation and an above-cab shape that extended the line of the windscreen began to be imported in significant numbers to this country. It probably came from the French usage of the word “profilé” (streamlined) to describe this design of motorhome, but there’s no impllcation in the French word that the vehicle should be particulary low in height.

[robertandjean]

Derek Uzzell - 2014-09-24 1:47 PM

 

Retread24800 - 2014-09-24 12:32 PM

 

Wind down beds in low profile vans usually result in the profile changing to something approaching or exceeding 3m high, so much for the 'low'

 

It depends on the size of the bed and on the chassis on which the motorhome is built.

 

All current Rapido ‘low profile’ models with an “FF” suffix (eg. 600FF, 7090FF) have a double-size drop-down roof bed and the overall height of these vehicles is around 6.9m. But Rapido ‘low profile’ models with a “B” suffix (eg. 640B, 681B) with a single-size drop-down roof-bed have a height of 2.76m - the same height as the version without the roof-bed. Plainly it should be expected that, on a like-for-like basis, a roof-bed will reduce headroom within the motorhome, but it doesn’t automatically result in a skyscraper design.

 

The motorhome term “low profile” is a UK conceit, presumably instigated by a UK journalist entertaining himself (I’m sure a male was involved!) years ago when coachbuilt motorhomes with no overcab sleeping accommodation and an above-cab shape that extended the line of the windscreen began to be imported in significant numbers to this country. It probably came from the French usage of the word “profilé” (streamlined) to describe this design of motorhome, but there’s no impllcation in the French word that the vehicle should be particulary low in height.

 

Derek, Sat in our Rapido 691ff in sun on aire at Ange, and can assure you it is not 6.9m high, in fact it is 2.87m high and has a drop down double bed as well as fixed Island bed. To be fully correct ours is a little higher as have satellite dome on top but still no where near your suggested height!

[Guest machra]

We have an Ixeo 585 with drop down bed. As usual there are pluses and minuses. Pluses are that we get a big lounge, lots of kitchen space, a good size bathroom and a large and comfortable bed, all in a van under 6 m. Comparing the last two vans we have owned (a rear lounge panel van and a French bed CB) the downsides are:- less overhead lockers and the pillows will not store in bed when it is away. If we were older then access to the bed could be a problem as it is a fair height off the ground, and as it is a heavy lump to push back up in the morning you need to be fairly strong to manage this. The caveat to the last point is that ours is a manual mechanism and this would not be so if you bought an electric option.

[Guest Had Enough]

robertandjean - 2014-09-24 4:01 PM

 

Derek, Sat in our Rapido 691ff in sun on aire at Ange, and can assure you it is not 6.9m high, in fact it is 2.87m high and has a drop down double bed as well as fixed Island bed. To be fully correct ours is a little higher as have satellite dome on top but still no where near your suggested height!

 

Mmmm, with Derek Uzzell's vast knowledge of motorhomes do you really think that he was suggesting that a motorhome my be almost 23 feet high?

 

Quite clearly it was a typo and he meant 2.9 metres, which is more or less the same as yours.

 

[robertandjean]

Had Enough - 2014-09-25 11:20 AM

 

robertandjean - 2014-09-24 4:01 PM

 

Derek, Sat in our Rapido 691ff in sun on aire at Ange, and can assure you it is not 6.9m high, in fact it is 2.87m high and has a drop down double bed as well as fixed Island bed. To be fully correct ours is a little higher as have satellite dome on top but still no where near your suggested height!

 

Mmmm, with Derek Uzzell's vast knowledge of motorhomes do you really think that he was suggesting that a motorhome my be almost 23 feet high?

 

Quite clearly it was a typo and he meant 2.9 metres, which is more or less the same as yours.

 

Of course knew that Derek a long-term and experienced motorhomer like ourselves, had made an error so response was tongue in cheek as sure Derek would take in good part. Weather still nice and sunny in mid France, so if chance Frank worth a return trip.

[mikebeaches]

A different approach - a semi-fixed bed!

 

We looked at drop down beds and didn't fancy one. And fully fixed in a sub-6m van does take up quite a chunk of space - though it's doable. But the Chausson Flash S2 - albeit a budget van - did it for us with a semi-fixed bed.

 

The bed permanently made up, but just fold the bedclothes over at the foot of the bed when the dinette rear seat squab is raised - whole process takes 10 seconds. And to make the bed up again in the evening for sleeping takes less than 5 seconds. And the captains cab seats remain usable.

 

An added advantage, the angle of the rear dinette seat squab can be adjusted to any angle for comfort when sitting on it, just like the cab seats. See pics in review:

 

http://www.caravanguard.co.uk/news/chausson-flash-2-motorhome-review-938/

 

Small downside - one of the rear seat belts (offside) is only a lap type ie 2 fixing points, the other one is a standard 3-point fixing.

 

Mike

[candapack]

I quite fancy a bit of both. Fixed rear transverse double and, as they tend to be a bit narrow, a drop down double over the cab. Giving 2 instant big singles in a relatively short van.

Anyone know of likely models?

[Mathew1]

well I am a fan of drop down beds for many reasons. But still, the choice of beds also depends on the time of travelling you go to. Lot of people just go around for 100 to 200 miles for caming and they dont really mind anyt ype of beds. But the ones who travel far or across the country, they tend to have drop down beds. as they are comfotbale and they make up space for other stuff as well.

[StuartO]

There might have been a big leap forward in design this year with the introduction of a drop down bed at the front end of a Hymer A Class which becomes a pair of fore and aft singles rather than a double. It's called a DuoMobil.

 

The idea came from a motorhoming couple and the story (in German but with lots of pictures) is here:

 

www.duo2mobil.de

 

I'm hoping it will be shown at the NEC Show when we go next weekend.

[Guest peter]

They probably copied Frankia. :D

Our 6.5 Mtr Frankia van has a drop down bed that has a pull out section when dropped, that extends it a further two feet or so. Thus you can sleep any way round you want, with a 2Mtr+ square bed.

Frankia call it the Duo Bed.

[StuartO]

I haven't seen a production version yet, but I think the clever bit is the way they have provided for access to the single beds once it has dropped down, i.e. the ladder bit, so that individuals can get out in the night for a pee. Even if they haven't got that bit right first time, this design concpt will hopefully be capable of development in that way.

 

 

[colin]

If we are talking a longitudinal bed, then La Strada have been doing this for years.

[Tracker]

Drop down beds are supremely comfortable to sleep on but with limited headroom not much fun for sitting up for reading or a morning cuppa and can be an issue for nocturnal perambulations when half asleep and in the dark.

 

Fixed beds, unless you opt for a huge island bed in a longer van, tend to be narrow and often have a cut off bottom corner. You can get a van with cross ways bed, but although square ended they too tend to be narrow, which is fine if you are not too big and do not need a lot of space but a real pain if you do. Fixed beds often lead to a severely compromised washroom and living space with uncomfortable lounging areas.

 

Beds you make up either as singles or a huge double give the best use of space and comfortable foot up lounging if that is your like, but tend not to be quite so comfortable to sleep on and of course you have the daily faff of assembly and dis-assembly. But then again even fixed beds have to be made and tidied and that too is sometimes not so easy.

 

Horses for courses - it's all a compromise and it all depends on your own tastes and priorities especially in a 6 mtr van.