What is your ideal caravan layout ?

[Rubix]

By this I mean floor plan.

We don't currently own a 'van, but are doing extensive research to find "the one" that suits our needs and I was wondering if I could ask for your opinnions/advice/comments as all of you have had infinitely more experience than me.

At the mo' there is me and my wife, we have a 13 month old Son and maybe extending our family in a year or so. I would rather have more space in the form of storage, rather than luxury (such as fixed beds or full bathrooms). We would probably use on-site facilities more than the 'vans (bathroom/shower).

The layout I prefer is the front and rear dinnete (either 4 or 5 berth).

What do you believe are the pros/cons for this layout with my family circumstances ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ThePlotter]

Rubix

After 32 years of caravanning I know that layout is very much down to personal preference and I suspect this thread will have input on just about every possible option.

From a personal point of view I like my present set up which is the usual double dinette at the front with a further side dinette giving 4 berths (one being a bunk) this allows in your case a double for you and a single for the toddler and option to use the bunk as well .This arrangement also means that you have the extra seating and little table for the toddlers to use.At the back is washroom with beam me up scotty shower,the van is a 2004 Abbey Vogue GTS 416 so the next consideration is size and what you have to pull it with.Whatever option you choose enjoy your holidays and I know the toddlers will.

 

[Rubix]

Thanks "The Plotter", I appreciate there may be many replies with everyones own opinions, but that is what I am after, then I can make my own choice.

As I have so little (read NONE) experience, so far all I have to go by is people's opinions. As so many of you have been doing this for decades, I can hopefully avoid making regrettable and maybe costly mistakes by buying the wrong (layout) caravan.

One question for you, you have opted for the side dinnete. Is it true that with this layout you tend to get a full bathroom rather than a wetroom, and hence a longer (and hence heavier) 'van, rather than the end dinnete ?

 

[ThePlotter]

On my van it does have full width washroom with seperate shower loo etc which is really great if you can get a van of the right length and weight to suit your personal circumstances.There are vans with this layout that are shorter and therefore lighter than say mine equally if you are buying used then they are generally lighter as they did not have loads of 'extras' for example the 2007 version of my van is around 100kg heavier than mine and as such too heavy for me.

The layout I now have is by far the best of all the ones I have had over the years,another benefit is that if you have friends round for drinks etc you can seat 8 close together rather than some at each end so far more sociable.

 

[ThePlotter]

continued,

I have just looked in PC mag at vans with layout 's' ( side dinette) and the smallest there is 4 berth Bailey RangerSS470/4 which is 6.24m long overall,MPTLM of 1179kg and miro of 967kg both of which are around 300kg lighter than mine and 1m shorter and I think has more of a wet room,there are of course others .Hope this helps.

 

[Alexander_374295091]

Again it is all down to personal preference. We have a 5 berth Coachman Highlander/Amara 500/5 with front and rear bench style seating, both front and back make up into double beds with the addition of the extra 5th bunk that folds up over the rear double. We looked at every british van on the market in 2006 and as soon as the better half went into the coachman she new it was the van for us, but there are loads at different priced ranges to choose from in this layout.

We have a two year old who currently sleeps on one of the side seats with the back cushion removed and with the addition of a bed guard from Argos, when she was younger we made up the double and put the travel cot on top away from drafts. The benefit is the sliding doors that shut her off from us in the evening, some vans only have a concertina style divider but ours is proper panels which do add extra weight but we felt more secure with those. Our daughter is now beginning to get too big for the single bench so we intend to start putting her back onto the full double bed again. We are due another child in a few months time and intend to make up the extra single bunk over the double for the baby. The other thing I would look for in a van is removeable carpets, a godsend. The only downside we have found with our current layout is that when the rear section is shut off it can get a bit cold as we have no heater vents at the back, the nearest is in the toilet however I do intend to fit one later by ducting out under the van in the same way that Coachman have done on the new 550/5. With regard to the van's bathroom/shower, we have never had to use the shower so far and make full use of the on-site facilities, and used to carry a baby bath, but the shower head is always there should a baby sick incident arise. We have freinds that have a side dinette but we don't feel they have the same freedom as us when their toddler is asleep behind a curtain and they creep around and spend the whole time in their awning. We feel that we can still sit and entertain if need be in the front of our van. When we trade in in a few years time and the children are older we will then probably look at side or rear double bunks.

 

[Andrew_5105555]

Again it is all down to personal preference. We have a 5 berth Coachman Highlander/Amara 500/5 with front and rear bench style seating, both front and back make up into double beds with the addition of the extra 5th bunk that folds up over the rear double. We looked at every british van on the market in 2006 and as soon as the better half went into the coachman she new it was the van for us, but there are loads at different priced ranges to choose from in this layout.

We have a two year old who currently sleeps on one of the side seats with the back cushion removed and with the addition of a bed guard from Argos, when she was younger we made up the double and put the travel cot on top away from drafts. The benefit is the sliding doors that shut her off from us in the evening, some vans only have a concertina style divider but ours is proper panels which do add extra weight but we felt more secure with those. Our daughter is now beginning to get too big for the single bench so we intend to start putting her back onto the full double bed again. We are due another child in a few months time and intend to make up the extra single bunk over the double for the baby. The other thing I would look for in a van is removeable carpets, a godsend. The only downside we have found with our current layout is that when the rear section is shut off it can get a bit cold as we have no heater vents at the back, the nearest is in the toilet however I do intend to fit one later by ducting out under the van in the same way that Coachman have done on the new 550/5. With regard to the van's bathroom/shower, we have never had to use the shower so far and make full use of the on-site facilities, and used to carry a baby bath, but the shower head is always there should a baby sick incident arise. We have freinds that have a side dinette but we don't feel they have the same freedom as us when their toddler is asleep behind a curtain and they creep around and spend the whole time in their awning. We feel that we can still sit and entertain if need be in the front of our van. When we trade in in a few years time and the children are older we will then probably look at side or rear double bunks.

Hi Rubix

We have a stirling with front converting to a double for us,the side dinnete and end bathroom,it isn't a big heavy van.We bought this layout because we stay in Cornwall for 3 weeks and thought we would benefit from the end bathroom layout more.In hindsight we wish we had gone for a rear dinnete 4 or 5 berth layout we hardly use the end bathroom prefering to use site facilities,we also have 2 children age 2+10 the little one goes on the bottom bunk and the older on top,the down side to this is trying to get my little girl to sleep at night when we have tv on or chatting in front,also when she wakes (always early)it would be nice for my wife or me to be able to climb into a rear bead and close the divide,instead of us all getting up at the crack of dawn.The only benifit we find of this set up is that if my little girl wakes up in the night we can just reach over to settle her.Hope this helps you make your mind up,

Andrew+Nicola

 

[Guest]

Hi Rubix,

Our Sterling Europa 540 has proved to be suberb in providing ideal accommodation for our young family. We have fixed bunks at the back, a side dinette to one side and the bathroom, cooking etc on the other, with the standard parallel seating in the front.

This means our boys (4 and 6) get thier own space to sleep and come and go as they please with a place to draw, colour, eat etc at the side dinette.

This leaves the front seating for me and the wife.

We had our concerns that it was possibly over kill with just the 4 of us but we wouldn't want it any other way now.

Good luck in finding your perfect combination, welcome to the caravanning fraternity and enjoy your 'vanning breaks.

Regards,

Simon and Sally

 

[Ewan_5130997]

Hi Rubix,

Similarly to Simon, (in layout) we have a Bailey Ranger 550/6. Fixed bunks at the rear, with side dinette which converts to bunks if the kids have friends staying. The van is also very light, 1298kg MPTLM., and very reasonably priced. This is our first van and would recommend it as a starter van.

 

[johnstafford]

Rubix, the one thing that puts me off a side dinette layout is that when child/children are in bed with curtain around they are only a couple of feet from where parents are watching tv/sleeping/chatting etc.

Having kids at other end of the van is the option for me.

Bailey pageant Provence is caravan, we love the L-shape lounge.

 

[spj]

Hi Rubix,

Various things need to be considered when buying a caravan, obviously price is a big issue but other things need carefull thought, if you are only using fully equiped sites then the washroom is not a main consideration, our van was new in late November last year and out of 20 nights away so far only one was on a site with any facilities or mains electric, so our needs are different to yours as we always use the vans facilities wherever we are, previusly we had an end washroom side dinette and we really liked the layout which made the van seem wide and spacious, and as mentioned above 8 people can be seated close together, but kids will be near when in bed. This time we went for a fixed bed across the rear, it has seperate shower, large fridge freezer and central heating and this suits our needs well, fixed beds are good in a big van that is used a lot, 3 or 4 weeks a year in a smaller van and I would not buy a fixed bed as you do lose a lot of space. Double dinettes always feel like a corridor to me but they do give two living areas which obviously suit a lot of families. Bailey's caravans are a good budget range and excellent for starters with a spec to match a lot of more expensive vans but the best thing to do is go to a dealer who stocks more than one make, have a good look inside and see what you like, a big dealer will also have a lot of used vans with warranties on them too. All layouts are a compromise on something, ours is a big twin axle but only has a small kitchen, it just depends what you can compromise on as everyone is different.

spj.

 

[DaveB1]

We love our fixed bed

We have 2 children, (1 & 4) and find it very useful to put the to sleep on the main bed which then can be separated with wooden doors.

We used to have a large rear bathroom and side bunks and a main bed at the front but found it a bit of a hassel putting the beds up every night and didn't find them very comfortable to sleep on. Our fixed bed is more comfortable than our bed at home and makes for lots of good nights sleep which is partly why we go on Holiday !!

You also get loads of storage underneath the bed which is great for bulky kids stuff etc

 

[cris_408518]

Twin end dinettes, compact side bathroom.

We have maximum useable space and can do difernt things at either end of the van rather than being crammed into one end and it offers the choice of two huge double beds.

 

[Rubix]

cris,

Sorry, what do you mean by twin end dinnetes, do you mean a 5 berth with a double bottom bunk bed ?

Apologies, but as I am new to this, some of the yoke-al, local speak (ie, from people in the know) is foreign to me. It took me ages to find out what the term "knee-roll" meant !!

Thanks

 

[cris_408518]

Sorry Rubix. Yes dinette at each end. Out last van was 4/5 birth Senator. We ditched the 5th bed bunk and had the choice of two huge beds. If eating in the van yoiu can relax at one end and eat at the other.

Others love their fixed beds and huge bathrooms, we've tried those type of vans but prefer the living space. The fixed beds to us are a waste of space most of the time as are large bathrooms.

When are children were young all we ever wanted was space but had a limited budget.

Cooped up at one end of a caravan and shuffling around to pass one another is not our idea of fun.

 

[cris_408518]

Just re read your initial post Rubix.

Having had 3 children within 4 years we found having ones own space made for more peaceful pleasant holiday.

We inherited our first van so had no choice about it being a largish 2 / double bed model. We worked out how to fit the kids in if the weather was really bad. But had an awning extended to 3 metres out to provide good space with an internal inner sleeping tent for the children. They had their own compartments so had there own space to keep their teddies and toys and the younger boy could go to sleep without being disturbed by his big sisters.

My aunt and uncle have the same sort out of layout and take my cousins boys away with them. They have one end to entertain the boys whilst the other end is there for for food and the telly. One lad likes to build Lego and Knex or be entertained by a grandparent whilst the othere one wants to watch CBBC, so the twin end van gives them space to do their own thing and the younger boy can go off to bed when needed.

 

[CarolineSimon]

Hi Rubix,

For the last 4yrs, initially prior to children we have had an ABI 5 berth twin dinette with small side bathroom.

When it was just us we made up the rear dinette into a fixed bed & pulled the door accross it in the day & lived in the front of the van. We usually use site facilities but wanted a shower as sometimes go to rallys & CL's.

Since having children who are now 3 yrs & 18mths old we have struggled with the layout. Initially we put the children on the seats each side in the rear dinette with Tomy Bedguards on the edge which worked fine as we can shut the door & planned to put the oldest up on the bunk about now,BUT in reality the problem was that while we had to make up the front to a bed every night (it could be a bit noisy pulling out the wooden slats)it was was very difficult in the morning when the children woke up & wanted somewhere to sit & watch tv/eat breakfast. We obviously had to get up pronto & unmake the bed so we all had somewhere to sit.

To be honest we got pretty cheesed off with this so have bought a Brand new European van(only bough new as hard to find this layout secondhand) with a fixed double bed & fixed end bunks and a side 4 seater dinette. The shower & loo are in the front bedroom area & the basin is ensuite in the bedroom. This all can be shut off from rest of van by divider.

Usual side kitchen, oven, extracter fan, 3 ring burner, sink etc.etc.

Not to everyones taste but we get our space & the children get theirs. We also have a full awning for playspace.

Anyway welcome to Caravanning & hope you find a van soon.

Caroline

 

[CarolineSimon]

I forgot to say that we hate Knee rolls with a passion especially when trying to get a decent nights sleep hence the fixed bed and that a baby bath is an essential bit of kit to take when vanning with little ones.

Last summer we bathed ours either in the awning or out on the grass(water was poured into grey water waste point when finished with!)when it was really hot - they loved it and got plenty of admiring parents & grandparents coming to see them at bath time to show off to.

 

[Denise4]

I forgot to say that we hate Knee rolls with a passion especially when trying to get a decent nights sleep hence the fixed bed and that a baby bath is an essential bit of kit to take when vanning with little ones.

Last summer we bathed ours either in the awning or out on the grass(water was poured into grey water waste point when finished with!)when it was really hot - they loved it and got plenty of admiring parents & grandparents coming to see them at bath time to show off to.

Hi Caroline and Simon. like the sound of your van. What is the make and model please? Denise

 

[Rubix]

Well we bit the bullet and bought a 'van at the weekend.

It is a '98 crown sovereign, 4 berth with side dinette and sort of end wet room (but it is offside, and wardrobe is nearside).

Although my wife has 'vanned for 5 or 6 years as a kid, I have only camped in a tent. Even though this is the case I have been doing a lot of extensive research into what layout I would like, what kit we need etc.

So we decided to go looking this weekend, and saw a van that had only been brought in the day before, so it didn't even have a price tag on it. Well we both got excited and felt it was the right layout for us, lightweight enough for my current car to tow and the right price, so we are now the proud owners of a new (to us anyway) 'van.

I don't think we thought we'd honestly find a 'van there an then, I was only trying to get a feel of prices and layouts of older 'vans (as the magazine reviews tend to be layouts no older than a year or so).

We were normally only a one holiday a year family, but we are already planning a second holiday (after our already planned in a static) around our wedding anniversary and a trip to the great Dorset steam fair in Sept ... and we haven't even picked it up yet.

I no longer feel like a fraud posting on here now !

TTFN

 

[Moth_5041363]

There is so many to choose from , but unless you plan to change on a regular basis , you need to look ahead, as your needs change.

we have a Bailey Ranger 470/4 which we like alot it has a end bathroom, which is great because as the kids grow they like to be able tho dress in private.

 

[Angie_374313887]

Hi Rubix,

For the last 4yrs, initially prior to children we have had an ABI 5 berth twin dinette with small side bathroom.

When it was just us we made up the rear dinette into a fixed bed & pulled the door accross it in the day & lived in the front of the van. We usually use site facilities but wanted a shower as sometimes go to rallys & CL's.

Since having children who are now 3 yrs & 18mths old we have struggled with the layout. Initially we put the children on the seats each side in the rear dinette with Tomy Bedguards on the edge which worked fine as we can shut the door & planned to put the oldest up on the bunk about now,BUT in reality the problem was that while we had to make up the front to a bed every night (it could be a bit noisy pulling out the wooden slats)it was was very difficult in the morning when the children woke up & wanted somewhere to sit & watch tv/eat breakfast. We obviously had to get up pronto & unmake the bed so we all had somewhere to sit.

To be honest we got pretty cheesed off with this so have bought a Brand new European van(only bough new as hard to find this layout secondhand) with a fixed double bed & fixed end bunks and a side 4 seater dinette. The shower & loo are in the front bedroom area & the basin is ensuite in the bedroom. This all can be shut off from rest of van by divider.

Usual side kitchen, oven, extracter fan, 3 ring burner, sink etc.etc.

Not to everyones taste but we get our space & the children get theirs. We also have a full awning for playspace.

Anyway welcome to Caravanning & hope you find a van soon.

Caroline

Hi.

This layout sounds great-what type of van is it?