LTJ7 Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 Hi We are thinking of getting a MH later in the year. We're a couple with a 7 yr old boy and 3 yr old girl and trying to identify the best layout for us. We like the idea of the overcab bed for us but are unsure whether to go for bunks for the kids, or rear lounge for them to share. Ideally there'd be a dinette set up at the front. Our budget is around £30K. I'd welcome any advice. Thanks very much in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 I ideally you would have the option to put the kids to bed and still have somewhere to lounge yourselves, rather than assume everyone will retire at the same time. We bought our Hymer B674 with the idea of allowing our grown-up children and their children to borrow it. It has twin singles at the rear (which we normally use when we're on our own) and a drop down double at the front. We haven't tried it with grandchildren yet but I'm still hopeful it would work - they would have their own bedroom behind a curtain and we or their parent would lounge and later sleep up front. Our 2006 B674 is worth around £30K. MHs with single beds sell easily, so if you get it wrong you could probably sell without too much loss. Not sure about the resale value of bunk layouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibsy Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 After much contemplation we (2 adults, 2 teenage boys) went for the bunk bed option. They quite like being able to get away in their cubby hole and being able to ignore everyone else occasionally. But if you are looking at bunks check their size; some of the beds are smaller than others and may not be long/wide enough as your children get older. We did look at the rear lounge/single bed with a diner in the middle option but decided the vans were just too big. In the end we went for a Pilote Atlantis A5 (2003) but with your budget you could get something newer/nicer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 Hi LTJ7 We;come to the forum One thing you need to establish , is that your licence will allow you to drive over 3500. It appears that you need a larger van, for your family, and weight could be an issue.With young children there will always be extras that you may want to carry, Bikes ? Make sure that you have enough spare capacity , if you have to stick to 3500. Check your licence before you make a decision. Also have you tried a motorhome? Always a good idea to hire before you commit all that money to a purchase. Come back and ask as many questions as you like. We have all been in your situation at some time PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 Separate bunks every time, I put in iPad charger points and separate curtains, they tuck themselves away then we have the over cab to ourselves. As said, this is a six berth, and weight can be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 After hiring a bunk bed layout we went for a twin single bed layout. On wet days the rear lounge with table is great for board games and similar entertainment. The layout also gives 2 distinct areas - lounge and kitchen. Easy access to the lounge without disturbing the kitchen proceedings and vice versa. I would be happy if someone offered £30K for my Swift 630L so you should have plenty of choice with that budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTJ7 Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share Posted June 13, 2016 Goodness, thanks, everyone, for taking the time to share your thoughts. We've a caravan atm but feel it's not as get up and go as we'd like. The caravan has bunks with a side dinette and a lounge so lots of space. Luckily we're old enough (ahem) to be able to drive a big van with our licences. We're going round and round in circles as to what size of van would suffice. We'd like space, sure, but then we appreciate the flexibility around moving it, with a smaller van. Currently we're thinking of the Swift Escape 644 versus the Escape 696, but I've thrown a spanner in the works by suggesting maybe we could get away with a panel van of less than 6m?! We were tenters pre kids so kind of feel we could rough it a bit..... BTW love the comment re the walkie talkie! That made us laugh! Thanks very much again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 Don't think realistically that a panel van would be big enough. Think of when it rains. You have more freedom to tour around in a MH, but when it comes to sightseeing ,a car is more useful , than a van, parking can be a problem, especially height barriers !! With small children I do not suppose that bikes would be practical (What a lot of MH rely on) Think carefully about the pros and cons of Mh verses Caravan! As long as you don't mind towing, I would stick with a caravan, much easier to park up and go off in car. Lot's of sites are not within easy distance of shops, etc, as IMO sites in UK are designed for caravans, away from civilisation in some cases! The majority of Motorhomers are retired folk, and can wander at will, you will be restricted for many years with school holidays! PJay PS don't forget that your £30, 000 will be parked up for a lot of time, and needs road tax and insurance, and services, and you will still need a car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle1852 Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 I have just been in a similar dilemma myself so fully understand how difficult it is to make a choice on the layout. Maybe as others have suggested you should try to rent a motorhome for a week to get a feel for how it is different versus your caravan? We rented before we decided to buy, in particular to get a feel for what we liked/didnt like with the layout, get a feel for if we felt comfortable driving around with the size of the vehicle and what it would be like being on campsites without a car. I am so glad we did because it did confirm to us that we actually the layout we thought we would like (overcab bed and rear transverse double) didn't work for us. We have now just bought one with a double dropdown bed instead of overcab and twin singles in the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peewee_Pete Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 I always prefer rear lounge rather than bunks, but I suppose it depends on where you are going to be touring, in the UK we get a lot of rainy days and I think Bunks can be wasted space during the day, and prefer a lounge. Also be careful with the overcab beds that they are roomy enough, we had the older shape Autoquest 180 as our first van and the wife and I intended to use the bed above the cab, but it was too claustrophobic up there as it wasn't high enough and we hated it. Our second van is an Autoroller 600 and the bed above the cab is huge, you can easily sit up and watch TV or read a book etc, far more comfortable.. what we actually ended up doing though is letting our daughter use that space, so we could put her to bed first as it has curtains on it, we could then use the rear lounge and convert to a bed very easily when we went to bed. A lot is personal preference obviously, I can only share what works for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTJ7 Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 This is great, getting everyone's thoughts, thank you. We haven't had the caravan long and are just not comfortable with the towing and faffing about at set off and set up. I agree about hiring of MH before the buy; I think we'll do that. We do like the idea of the overcab bed for ourselves, and I can appreciate the bunks possibly being dead space. We plan to use it as much as possible so envisage times where we are stuck in the van with the rain, and on those occasions, a rear lounge set up would come into its own. We're considering the Swift Escape 644 but what other models woukd you recommend we consider for around £30k pre loved, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildi Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 LTJ7 - 2016-06-13 4:06 PM Goodness, thanks, everyone, for taking the time to share your thoughts. We've a caravan atm but feel it's not as get up and go as we'd like. The caravan has bunks with a side dinette and a lounge so lots of space. Luckily we're old enough (ahem) to be able to drive a big van with our licences. We're going round and round in circles as to what size of van would suffice. We'd like space, sure, but then we appreciate the flexibility around moving it, with a smaller van. Currently we're thinking of the Swift Escape 644 versus the Escape 696, but I've thrown a spanner in the works by suggesting maybe we could get away with a panel van of less than 6m?! We were tenters pre kids so kind of feel we could rough it a bit..... BTW love the comment re the walkie talkie! That made us laugh! Thanks very much again Hi, Try looking at a Adria Coral 640sp, very good build quality and will be in your budget. We had one before with the rear bunks. Happy hunting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 LTJ7 - 2016-06-12 7:55 PM Hi We are thinking of getting a MH later in the year. We're a couple with a 7 yr old boy and 3 yr old girl and trying to identify the best layout for us. We like the idea of the overcab bed for us but are unsure whether to go for bunks for the kids, or rear lounge for them to share. Ideally there'd be a dinette set up at the front. Our budget is around £30K. I'd welcome any advice. Thanks very much in advance. whilst you have young chìldren, I would opt for a caravan/car combination, rather than a motorhome.. yes you have the set up on site, hassle of towing, etc, but when setup with awning, there is plenty of space for children. If you are limited to 3500 size van, then with 2 kids and all their clutter, it is too small. Remember when travelling, they must have seatbelts, and that implies a dinette arrangement to get rear seat belts. hiring before buying would give you a chance to check out the motorhome idea. Overcab beds never leave enough headroom, and get hot as hot air rises, so sleeping up there is nowhere near as comfortable, and nightime visits to the little room are unwelcome. hope the comments help tonyg3nwl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 tonyg3nwl - 2016-06-18 7:39 PM LTJ7 - 2016-06-12 7:55 PM Hi We are thinking of getting a MH later in the year. We're a couple with a 7 yr old boy and 3 yr old girl and trying to identify the best layout for us. We like the idea of the overcab bed for us but are unsure whether to go for bunks for the kids, or rear lounge for them to share. Ideally there'd be a dinette set up at the front. Our budget is around £30K. I'd welcome any advice. Thanks very much in advance. whilst you have young chìldren, I would opt for a caravan/car combination, rather than a motorhome.. yes you have the set up on site, hassle of towing, etc, but when setup with awning, there is plenty of space for children. If you are limited to 3500 size van, then with 2 kids and all their clutter, it is too small. Remember when travelling, they must have seatbelts, and that implies a dinette arrangement to get rear seat belts. hiring before buying would give you a chance to check out the motorhome idea. Overcab beds never leave enough headroom, and get hot as hot air rises, so sleeping up there is nowhere near as comfortable, and nightime visits to the little room are unwelcome. hope the comments help tonyg3nwl. My view exactly Tony. Certainly try before you buy, and for at least a couple of weeks, as that is probably the amout of time you will spend in any one traip PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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