All down to personal choice Gareth. But be very careful you don't buy too small as it's very expensive to change it for a larger one a few months down the road.

My personal preference is 39ft and above but just recently we are having to make do and compromise with a 7.8m. A bit cramped in places but still very manoeuvrable.

Ray.

 

For me more important than length is the 'habitation' area.

Our first one was 6.5m and had a dinette [two seat bench facing windscreen.] This is fine as long as you like to sit up and beg... or use your van in summer when you will be outside sunning yourself!

Our second van is 7.4m that too has dinette but also another bench [1 and half seat wide, facing across the van.]
This isn't our first choice, but the cost was right.
Also it's an A Class van [body and cab one unit], so a lot larger inside than a 'low-profile' [body joined to van front end].

Hopefully our next truck will have two sofas... or u shaped lounge.
These are hard to come by when you have a list of 'must haves'.

And yes we spent a few months away at a time.
And we are mostly 'out'.

Good luck with your decision...

PS I would say it doesn't really matter, just give it a go

w

PPS from a driving point of view, it makes little difference.

 

Space inside is great, length outside can be awkward. Shame the one comes with the other.

I tend to go more for small is beatiful than bigger is better, within reason. Our van is a A-class at just over 6m length. This means sreasonable space inside. Certainly plenty for 2 people, we have two kinds, and that can get a bit cramped.

It also means you can park at quite a few normal parking spaces, e.g. in super market car parks.

Pieter

 

Gareth
I am not as wealthy as Ray and make myself and Lady p comfortable in a 6.5 metre cheyenne that has a fixed bed.
We are outside of it more than in it.
We did set out to purchase a PVC. That would have been a disaster with all the kit we carry.

Find something that you are comfortable with and remember the length is always going to follow you.

Dave p

 

An alternative to the plus 7 metres

Ours is 5.5 metres, Uk king size fixed bed, settee and dinette, 6 seat belts and goes almost anywhere when it comes to parking

some photos >here<

We have had it for almost 4 years and have no intention to change, but it would most certainly not suit everyone.

Have a look at as many has you can before you buy!

 

I fully agree with those that say the internal layout is more important than length. Try to get one with front seats that swivel. This means you will have so much more internal usable space.

For us a fixed bed is a must as is a large fridge and freezer. Our Adria is 6.8m

Do a list of must haves, nice to have and not bothered. This will narrow the list substantially.

Perhaps the best thing you could do is to join Motorhomefacts. All you will ever need to know and much more is available. Probably be the best £10 you will spend on anything to do with motorhomes 8)

All the best with what ever you choose.

Sue

 

Our first van was 7m our current van is 8.7m. We dont have any problems with roads etc (weve just spent 2 weeks in northern Scotland on signle track roads). however you do have to think about parking a bit more.

A lot of people go for <6m vans as over this length cost more on ferries (about £30 per metre).

We changed to a larger van as we wanted more room and comfort. If the sun shone every day it wouldnt be an issue but as we use the van all year round you need space when its chucking down all day.

We also have a full garage in which we can put bikes, awnings, wet clothes etc.

Weight is also an issue as you are limited at 70 to 3500kg unless you have a medical.

Payload is very important and you generally (but not always) get a bigger payload with a bigger van

Just some points, but everyone has their own take on this. At the end of the day buy whats right for you after trying as many vans as possible (sit in them get in and out of bed etc) and take your time. Also ask to drive various vans as you will spend most of your time either driving or sitting in the lounge eating / watching TV etc

Hope this helps

Andy

 

how long is yours

Ours is 6.8mtr I would suggest that an A class makes more use of space...............imo .... before anyone shouts dont forget tho they all look the same in the mirror

 

My! Are'nt you all big boys!
I'm quite happy with my little tiddler (and so is the Mrs.)

Ours is a 5m PVC and suits us down to the ground, plenty big enough on our 3 month European trip last year. It's all a matter of personal preference.
Good luck with your search and remember, size is not everything

 

As others have said the internal layout in many ways is far more important as this has to be usable for you.

I have owned 3 A class motorhomes and we now have a 7.4m Rapido that is a low-profile, but this has the drivers and passenger seats that swivel.

Our first and third were Hymers, the first was 18ft 6in (a 564 but the older model 1990) we had from 6 months old. This has a side kitchen and a very large and separate shower which was quite unusual in small mhs in those days, and a drop down bed. This also had an L-shaped seating area, this worked fine for several years.

We traded up to a 32ft RV and this was great, size wasn't a problem, except we could no longer go into the towns and find somewhere to park, so we tended to drive the car as well, great vehicles for full-timing or long stays on sites but you need another form of transport as well. This had a fixed corner bed.

I next purchased a LHD German Hymer privately in Germany and drove it back (I think the revue is still in the downloads section) and this had an end kitchen and what was known as a bar-layout - they no longer do this, but it was a great layout if you do not require a fixed bed. That was the Starline 640B - but we were getting older and decided we needed a fixed bed, why, well if you require the bathroom at night, you find perhaps you have to climb over the person on the outside, (it also goes for the corner beds and the garage beds), so we started searching again.

We have ended up with the 7090 which has an island bed, which means we do not disturb each other during the night, and it has a central kitchen.

It isn't perfect, I don't think many motorhomes are, they are always a compromise - we have a large fixed table in the front, I keep threatening to take out, but haven't as yet worked out a different solution....

BUT, another thing to think seriously about, BESIDES layout and length is payload..... older vans generally seem to have less payload, and you must realise what it is, and then work out if it is enough for you.

We go away in the UK in the summer to the CCC Holiday Sites, from end of May to end of August, and then to France for 2 months in September and October, and it gets used the rest of the time for odd weeks or so.... so sounds like the same sort of use as you envisage.

Any other questions you have, ask away, but I would suggest you sign up and pay your £10, as you will only have 5 posts in total otherwise.

Whatever you choose, I wish you many happy camping trips in it.

Carol

 

When you choose to live 24/7 in a motor home space is everything.

We found this out when we stayed in Spain in our 8metre twin axle with full sized awning and tall annex, after 7 months that set-up became quite claustrophobic for both of us.

So when we sold our house and flew to the USA at the top of our shopping list was a maximum length 39 ft A class RV with either 3 or 4 slide-outs.

We purchased a 39ft Fleetwood Discovery with 3 slides and after a two year tour of the US & Canada we shipped the RV and car back to the UK.

That was back in Aug 2009 and we can BOTH honestly say that after living in her for 2½ years each day is like the very first.......GREAT

Okay we accept that there will be some sites and locations that we cannot access with the RV, but that's what the car is for.

Mick

 

Welcome to the forum, Gareth

As others have said, definitely look at layouts before you think about length. Do you want / need a fixed bed? Can you sleep in an overcab bed? Do you want 6ft lounging space? Do you want a large bathroom / dressing area, or do you want a small washroom?

Perhaps a good first step is to read through the Beginners' Guides .: LINK :. as they discuss some of the compromises and gives you some information on types of van.

Gerald

 

Hi & welcome,

This time last year we went to the Peterborough Motorhome Show. It was packed with every type of van and we spent the whole day sitting in them and imagining living in them. It's well worth going to a show near you to get a feel for what you want.

We ended up going for a panel van conversion, but at one point I was dead set on an old Hymer with a rear u shaped lounge.

Lesley

 

There has been some good advice given over lengths (we made the mistake on on our first van by going short, changing over from a c/van we didnt take into account the amount of stuff that went into a Volvo Estate!!) the second van was just under 6m the current just over.
Think the 6m thingy is a break point in Ferry charges as we seem to pay more now.

Think also on width, our last change took us wider and whilst I can get it ibnto the space where we park at home, its not as easy as the last van

 

Not sure yet about forum etiquette here but many thanks to all who have relied so far. Some really useful insights. Keep them coming!

Will have to pay my £10!

 

8.4

Ours is 8.4 Metres, just over 9 with bikes on the back.

We discussed this here recently (legnth). To me as I said then, if you are driving a 6 metre A class, does not make much difference driving an 8m, just dragging more along.

Only difference size has made to us is pi55 the jealous bitter neighbours off more. This has caused us problems with access which they restrict willfully.

™

 

So glad you asked the question Gareth I was just about to put the same question on the forum lol. The ones we are looking at are around 22/23/24 feet and I wandered if people struggled when parking and on country roads etc etc???


Shell

 

A different view ...

The Optare Solo is one of the smallest modern buses on the UK market. It can be found in many rural areas. It's minimum length is 7.1m, maximum 10.2m; width 2.34m. So, if rural charm is what you are looking for, and you do not want to carry bikes or tow a car, then perhaps the smallest Optare is a good guide to the ideal external dimensions.

Turning circle might be important. Rear wheel drive vans tend to have a tighter turning circle. Check access to your drive or wherever you will park it. My drive will take 8.4m, but the angle of approach would make anything longer than 7m a bit of a pain to park.

Personally, I've never seen the need to go above 6.7m (22'). We have a Hymer 544 with a drop down bed, an L-shaped sofa opposite a bench sofa, both long enough to sleep on. A bit like a u-shaped lounge with a walk through! Kitchen's a bit small but we don't spend much time cooking. Bathroom's great.

 

Whatever size you get, just make sure you have enough seat belts for the number of berths you are likely to use.
We wanted to change from a fixed bed (got to that age when we have to get out in the middle of the night once or twice ) we wanted a van with two single beds, and a double over cab.

We saw some lovely vans at the price we could afford but with only 2 seat belts, which was a big NO NO as we take our grandaughter away with us,sometimes.

We have ended up with a large 6 berth with 6 seatbelts. We can now take all the neighbours with us

 

The lovely Delores is 6m and is perfect for the 2 of us. We have a rear U shaped lounge which converts to a bed in under 5 mins. Being U shaped also means we have ample 'slobbing out' space for sprawling around in during the evenings when it's to cold to sit outside. We also have an over cab bed which is snug for 2 and a bit warm on occasion, but gives us the space to sleep separately should we need to - he's an owl and I'm a lark! (We just keep a sleeping bag on board for such eventualities.)

It's our first van, we've used it loads and it suits us perfectly!

Like others have said shop around, climb on and off as many as you can and if you're thinking of an over cab bed make sure you both climb up there and try it - essential and a bit of a giggle to boot! :lol:

 

we got our 8m roadstar in december, its our first motorhome and its a fixed bed 6 berth. We find we have we have all the space we need for the two of us. We don't usually have problems parking. Take your time choosing as its important to make the right decision. Happy hunting.

 

Liberty is approx 28.5 foot long, twin rear axle and we find is perefct for the two of us.

Ok got in a few narrow roads but thats the fun of m/h life.

You can never have too much room!!!

 

Not sure yet about forum etiquette here but many thanks to all who have replied so far. Some really useful insights. Keep them coming!

Will have to pay my £10!

You got it spot on Doc.

Wish everybody was as courteous! :roll:

Yes - fork out your tenner and get access to the whole forum . . . and the discounts!!

Dave