# Fixed bed or not?



## mariesnowgoose (Apr 24, 2018)

Do you prefer a fixed bed or not?


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## Nesting Zombie (Apr 24, 2018)

Fixed


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## mariesnowgoose (Apr 24, 2018)

Nesting Zombie said:


> Fixed


You need to tick the wee poll button at the top of the first page NZ - glad it's not just me whose brain is still asleep this morning!


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## Snapster (Apr 24, 2018)

Fixed, as long as it isn’t one with a corner cut off! 
Our last two vans had fixed beds, our current van has a U shaped lounge that makes up into a large double and although it is extremely comfortable, it’s a pain to make up every night.
Our next van will have a fixed bed, or at least an easy to enter with plenty of headroom, over cab bed.


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## Nesting Zombie (Apr 24, 2018)

mariesnowgoose said:


> You need to tick the wee poll button at the top of the first page NZ - glad it's not just me whose brain is still asleep this morning!



Oops,,,

Done !


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## oldish hippy (Apr 24, 2018)

itwasnt simple enough for zombie to understand you must remember his brain has gone not a great loss to him lol


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## Nesting Zombie (Apr 24, 2018)

oldish hippy said:


> itwasnt simple enough for zombie to understand you must remember his brain has gone not a great loss to him lol



I didn’t have enough Coffee Hip, Something I immediately Rectified, EVEN if I DID have to make it Myself,,,Oh well I suppose I should actually Get Up now then !.


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## mariesnowgoose (Apr 24, 2018)

Are you still in bed, NZ?! 

Huh!


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## Nesting Zombie (Apr 24, 2018)

mariesnowgoose said:


> Are you still in bed, NZ?!
> 
> Huh!



Well you have heard of the saying 
‘No Rest for the Wicked’
Well I’m Proof Positive that I must have been a Saint !.


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## oldish hippy (Apr 24, 2018)

when igo and se marie i alway get coffee made for me and if istoip the night geet flask of coffe and eletric for the heater lol


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## mariesnowgoose (Apr 24, 2018)

Well, you're always welcome any time OH.

NZ could call round too, but if his rig's longer that 25 feet he won't be able to park it on the drive 

My old merc was 24 feet and JUST fit on without poking nose onto pavement.

Still got the evidence of the length where Neil reversed her in one day, misjudged it and managed to put a dent in the garage door with the tow plate on the back.

:mad1: :lol-053:


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## Hen on the Nest (Apr 24, 2018)

Nesting Zombie said:


> Well you have heard of the saying
> ‘No Rest for the Wicked’
> Well I’m Proof Positive that I must have been a Saint !.






Mind your halo doesn’t slip & trip you up dear....!


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## Deleted user 48797 (Apr 25, 2018)

I think this poll is fixed..


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## Nabsim (Apr 25, 2018)

Yep fixed for us, had enough of making up beds and taking down in caravan, we ended up leaving bed up and living in the awning. Much prefer being able to just go to bed whenever you want and all you have to do is get on it


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## barryd (Apr 25, 2018)

Well Im gobsmacked at the results.  Worra bunch of lazy buggers you all are!  Whats wrong with staggering around at 1am after too much beer trying to not let the slats fall down the gap where they can never be retrieved until you are sober and then getting entangled in a bed sheet and duvet as you drunkenly try and fit it down each corner before giving up and passing out in a heap in the middle bit in some kind of mangled Duvet and half made up bed pie?

You are forgetting what camping is all about. 

I guess I shouldnt be surprised as you can count the number of rear lounge motorhomes on an Aire on one hand usually and most continental vans have fixed beds.


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## mark61 (Apr 25, 2018)

I think the rear lounge set up makes lots of sense.. Choice of big seating area, two single beds, which barring bedding are made up, and option of double bed. 

Ok, you do lose the huge rear garage area, and thats the main reason a lot of MH's are overloaded at the rear.

Oh, and if your bed takes mote than a minute to set up, it's badly designed.


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## Pauljenny (Apr 25, 2018)

We only use the bed for less than ⅓ of the day. 
It seems a waste to have a dedicated fixed bedroom and makes having a bigger MH a must.
So much difficulty in parking, exploring and going off at a whim.
Our bedding packs away, like a parachute. It takes 90 seconds, drunk, to set up the king size bed... 2 min when sober.


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## oldish hippy (Apr 25, 2018)

think the best answer is a drop down bed press button bed drops down ready made just put on pj befopre you drop the bed otherwise there isnt a lot of room to get pj s on


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## Colinsmiff (Apr 29, 2018)

*Fixed bed for me.*

In our current van we have to make the bed up every night, and it’s beginning to get a bit tedious. We are now looking to upgrade our van and have seen a few 6m A class vans with a drop down bed that seems to fit all our requirements, bed tucks away during the day, and drops down at night and is ready made with little fuss. Also washroom and shower aren’t compromised giving the best of both worlds. A class appear a bit more expensive but as we are now retired and intend to spend quite some time touring Europe it seems worth it.


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## mjvw (Jul 17, 2018)

Wish i could afford a van with a fixed bed :sad:


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## trevskoda (Jul 17, 2018)

oldish hippy said:


> think the best answer is a drop down bed press button bed drops down ready made just put on pj befopre you drop the bed otherwise there isnt a lot of room to get pj s on



Pj s gave them up when a kid,go commando for me.


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## wildebus (Jul 17, 2018)

At the time I voted on this poll I don't think I actually had a bed in place at all, but I knew it was going to be fixed.

Now I have built the bed and been away quite a few times I am even more convinced FIXED is the way to go when possible. Super comfortable bed ready to flop into whenever you want.  What's not to like :sleep-027:


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## n brown (Jul 17, 2018)

depends on the size of the van and the layout . if you have a 9metre van then a fixed bed is an easy choice. some smaller vans have layouts where the bed , when out , interferes with access to cupboards or appliances
i have a MWB  panel van without a fixed bed , but once it's up , i can leave it up as long as i want as it doesn't obstruct anything and i can still use it to lounge about on .plus , importantly , when the bed's away , i can still load sheets of ply,furniture etc
so -  it depends , so there is no definitive answer


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## colinm (Jul 17, 2018)

n brown said:


> depends on the size of the van and the layout . if you have a 9metre van then a fixed bed is an easy choice. some smaller vans have layouts where the bed , when out , interferes with access to cupboards or appliances
> i have a MWB  panel van without a fixed bed , but once it's up , i can leave it up as long as i want as it doesn't obstruct anything and i can still use it to lounge about on .plus , importantly , when the bed's away , i can still load sheets of ply,furniture etc
> so -  it depends , so there is no definitive answer



Our Campscout is classed as having a fixed bed, but it is easily lifted out of way, or removed completely from van. I've carried sheet material, fridgefreezers, washing machines, armchairs etc


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## Nabsim (Jul 18, 2018)

On vans you are more likely to use them for everyday use and carrying stuff as Nigel says but you would have to use cab or hab doors to get things in ours so less likely and useless as a load carrier really. It is what suits though and at different stages of life you want different things, maybe Caz would prefer the bed a little lower so she can get in with a step but I dont think so because it 'looks' right as it is, (loads of storage under even with 140ltr tank, eberspacher and calorifier).

There isn't a right or wrong answer as its what suits you, there are downsides to most things and its finding what meets your needs and wants best


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## angelaa (Jul 18, 2018)

Ideally would love a fixed bed, but we are limited to length for going in the driveway.  So feel for us it’s better to go for more daytime room as we use it more in the winter months.


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## Beemer (Jul 18, 2018)

This is something you really need to consider.. fixed or not.
Our first motorhome had a U shaped rear lounge where the main bed had to made up every night.
"No problem" said my wife, "I will do that".
 2 and a half years later "I am sick of making the bed every night".
So, an expensive motorhome exchange took place, and now we have a fixed bed,


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## Mick H (Jul 18, 2018)

wildebus said:


> At the time I voted on this poll I don't think I actually had a bed in place at all, but I knew it was going to be fixed.
> 
> Now I have built the bed and been away quite a few times I am even more convinced FIXED is the way to go when possible. Super comfortable bed ready to flop into whenever you want.  What's not to like :sleep-027:



I'll tell you what's not to like.
Because we like to be tidy, it takes me longer to straighten out the duvet, pillows and bottom sheet, on the fixed bed, as it did to put away the "made up" bed, in our previous motorhome.

We could, of course, be like slobs, and just pull the curtain around it, but we do have standards, which we both like to adhere to.

As regards "A" class motorhomes, they wouldn't be for me, 'cos I like an afternoons kip.
Also, most "A" class, are a pain to work on, because of the restricted access, under the bonnet, which means you pay more for professional servicing/repairs, due to the extra time that it takes, or you suffer the pain, if you carry out your own maintenance.

Think, before you buy one!


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## Beemer (Jul 18, 2018)

Mick H said:


> I'll tell you what's not to like.
> Because we like to be tidy, it takes me longer to straighten out the duvet, pillows and bottom sheet, on the fixed bed, as it did to put away the "made up" bed, in our previous motorhome.
> 
> We could, of course, be like slobs, and just pull the curtain around it, but we do have standards, which we both like to adhere to.
> ...



I would have thought an "A" class motorhome would be ideal for an afternoons kip.  Why would it not be suitable?


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## Caz (Jul 18, 2018)

I voted for fixed bed but to me any seat long enough to lie on comfortably is a fixed bed as I travel solo - so if there's two seats one is a fixed bed and the other is for sitting on. Just a shame my van doesn't have any seats that long and the dog chooses the longest one to lay on so I'm stuck with the swivel passenger seat and it makes it difficult for a kip in the afternoon. :sleep-040:


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## Mick H (Jul 18, 2018)

Beemer said:


> I would have thought an "A" class motorhome would be ideal for an afternoons kip.  Why would it not be suitable?



Because, in most of the "A" class that I have seen, the pull down bed, restricts the living area, when it's in use.

I did seriously consider a new one, specifying NO pull down bed, but had concerns about possible resale issues, so didn't go ahead.
The one that I was really interested in, was a Belgian built Maess, which had a monocoque, and for the cab, a "stretched" either Fiat, or Merc front, that looked like a traditional van, so avoiding the under bonnet access problems.


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## Carrerasax (Jul 18, 2018)

Fixed, after our first 3mobth trip couldn’t be arsed to make up bed every day.
 We manage with corner cut off
I snuggle up against the wall and she who needs to get out at least once every night curls up on the edge.
We both find it ok.
Reduces length of van to 7m.


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## phillybarbour (Jul 18, 2018)

Fixed bed is always no1 on our wish list. Most people spend roughly 50% of there time in the van in bed. A bed made up from a seat is a compromise on what’s needed for a good bed.

Fixed is often drop down on newer vans though.


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## molly 2 (Jul 18, 2018)

We use 2 singles, roll out the duvalys job done .


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## Deleted member 58274 (Jul 19, 2018)

*Preference/suitably*

As title....down to blah blah.....convenience v size of van wanted/fits on driveway. Not sure why you would spend 50% of time in a bed (2 posts up) ??  We have 6m U-shaped lounge van which just fits on drive but we love the versatility of where it can go where longer ones won't. (Oh...happily spend 4 months + in it wintering in Spain)  The "just being able to flop into fixed bed" err...well, we lob our quilts onto bench seats in less than 2 mins and actually relax on top still enjoying the view through the large windows as we chill !!
Then TV when darkness....Each can nod off/ go to loo without disturbing the other. When waking up we both have panoramic views which some fixed bed scenarios don't. One of us can get up and go for walk/shower whilst the other nods on. People in bigger vans have admitted ours is a better use of space.
Having said all that........fully appreciate how others value their layout/fixed bed.....but can honestly say if money and driveway were no object.....wouldn't have longer van or fixed bed. Can manage without the garage too !!!    Maja07


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## cmvrgr (May 7, 2019)

Fixed for sure. It is a great hassle to do and undo your bed especially if you like to have short naps during the day.


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## REC (May 7, 2019)

Fixed bed for us too! But with centre section completely removable for when it is needed for carrying 8x4 sheets, pipes etc! The conversion was also done so the the centre slats can be removed to enable large items to be put in the garage and then replaced & bed put back over the top. Suits us and means we still have a mwb van with the benefits of being shorter.


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