Hi folks, as you can see Im a new member and would just like to say helloooo to everyone. We will be looking to purchase our first motorhome, do you have any recommendations at all? Thanks.
New Member
- Thread starter Shepherd2112
- Start date
Firstly welcome, I hope you have a great time ..... We started 12 months ago and love it !
Try different types and sizes, different layouts and see what works for you to help narrow your search and converge on something that works for you !
Van type (Camper / Panel van conversion / coach built / A type)
Van size & berths / permanent bed or fold away / bunk beds ?
Floor plan / arrangement
Features (bike rack ? )
Fittings & fixtures etc (oven / grill / microwave)
Definitely recommend to borrow, hire or get to try a few out and trawl a few dealers to look at as many as you can !
Draw up a list
Like / Don't like
Must have features
Nice to have features
Try different types and sizes, different layouts and see what works for you to help narrow your search and converge on something that works for you !
Van type (Camper / Panel van conversion / coach built / A type)
Van size & berths / permanent bed or fold away / bunk beds ?
Floor plan / arrangement
Features (bike rack ? )
Fittings & fixtures etc (oven / grill / microwave)
Definitely recommend to borrow, hire or get to try a few out and trawl a few dealers to look at as many as you can !
Draw up a list
Like / Don't like
Must have features
Nice to have features
Hi Michael, and welcome.
As Colin says, there's a TREMENDOUS range of different vans out there, so you need to do some whittling down.
A few really important questions.
How many of you are there? (watch out for vans which have lots of berths, but not enough travel seats)
What sort of use do you plan to make of your van? If you'll mostly be staying on full-facility campsites, your requirements will be a bit different from if you intend to wild-camp, or use "aires" on the Continent.
Are you happy to make up the bed every night, in order to get more into a smaller vehicle, or would you put up wiith a bigger van to avoid that chore?
There are lots more, which is why Colin rightly advises you to do a lot of looking around dealers (and maybe shows), and possibly hire before you buy.
But once you're up and running, it's a TERRIFIC lifestyle. Enjoy!
As Colin says, there's a TREMENDOUS range of different vans out there, so you need to do some whittling down.
A few really important questions.
How many of you are there? (watch out for vans which have lots of berths, but not enough travel seats)
What sort of use do you plan to make of your van? If you'll mostly be staying on full-facility campsites, your requirements will be a bit different from if you intend to wild-camp, or use "aires" on the Continent.
Are you happy to make up the bed every night, in order to get more into a smaller vehicle, or would you put up wiith a bigger van to avoid that chore?
There are lots more, which is why Colin rightly advises you to do a lot of looking around dealers (and maybe shows), and possibly hire before you buy.
But once you're up and running, it's a TERRIFIC lifestyle. Enjoy!
I agree with Tony
We have a 2013 Escape 686, its a 6 berth, 6 travelling seats and mostly has only 2 of us - we are pleased to have the generous space on offer when we are away together on our own.
We did consider a permanent bed model but that does seem to sterilise about 1/3 of the space in the van but that's another choice and a personal matter. Having a 'U' shaped lounge means 5 minutes to set up and pack away so not a major hassle really but we often leave it as a bed if we have drive-away awning erected.
We do have a nephew with young family who borrow the van and manage very nicely too so works well for a young family of 5 or 6, I would say an older family with teens would struggle with 6 from a logistics perspective .... 4 would seem more sensible.
My next van will certainly have a generous garage too for awning, chairs etc ....... I may even let the Mrs get a fixed bed if she plays her cards right !
My parting shot for the moments would be vehicle weight ..... look at who will be driving the van, for vans above 3,500 kG it may need an additional class on your license unless you passed your test before 1997. Quite a few modest sized vans (Autotrail Apache ) are nudging up to 3,850 kG or 4,250 kG
A factor you should be aware of is the payload available for personal effects. There are some good articles in the site about weights which I would definitely check out ....
We have a 2013 Escape 686, its a 6 berth, 6 travelling seats and mostly has only 2 of us - we are pleased to have the generous space on offer when we are away together on our own.
We did consider a permanent bed model but that does seem to sterilise about 1/3 of the space in the van but that's another choice and a personal matter. Having a 'U' shaped lounge means 5 minutes to set up and pack away so not a major hassle really but we often leave it as a bed if we have drive-away awning erected.
We do have a nephew with young family who borrow the van and manage very nicely too so works well for a young family of 5 or 6, I would say an older family with teens would struggle with 6 from a logistics perspective .... 4 would seem more sensible.
My next van will certainly have a generous garage too for awning, chairs etc ....... I may even let the Mrs get a fixed bed if she plays her cards right !
My parting shot for the moments would be vehicle weight ..... look at who will be driving the van, for vans above 3,500 kG it may need an additional class on your license unless you passed your test before 1997. Quite a few modest sized vans (Autotrail Apache ) are nudging up to 3,850 kG or 4,250 kG
A factor you should be aware of is the payload available for personal effects. There are some good articles in the site about weights which I would definitely check out ....
Shepherd2112 said:
Hi! Welcome to the Practical Motorhome forum, thank you for posting and keep asking questions!
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Another newbie needing towing weight advice sorry!
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