Is bigger always better?

[gratefulj]

I was parked up whilst using a launderette on the outskirts of Worthing and this guy pulled up behind me.
I was staggered by the difference in size of our vehicles and initially quite envious as I'm sure he had a full size bathroom/bedroom/kitchen/dining area but then I got to thinking that all that size comes at a cost.
For starters the initial purchase price (it was a Mercedes) would be huge.
Fuel consumption has got to be relative as well.
Driving anywhere other than on main roads has got to be a challenge and what about parking????

So as I sit here tonight in my mk1 Trafic in a little rural carpark picked off the POI map with the heater on and the dog sprawled out on the bed...... I wouldn't swap would you?

 

[Jeff G]

No coincidence that it tends to be the larger vans that tow a car.We like the wilder places and a large vehicle would have seen us miss out on visiting these spots.

 

[colinm]

Different people have different needs and expectations.

 

[oppy]

We have a titchy one too, it has everything that we need and takes two of us everywhere

 

[2cv]

Size doesn’t matter. It’s what you do with it that counts.

 

[Goggles]

Horrendous overhang.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

My view is the size of your home & The Comfort it provides is probably directly connected to the Time you spend aboard, & How you fund & use it in your lifestyle choice.
I use to have a Self converted LDV Luton & it was BRILLIANT for that time of my life, doing what I was doing at that time in my lifestyle choice.
I now have a Peugeot Chieftain Tag & it’s BRILLIANT for this time of my life doing what I am doing at this time of my lifestyle choice.

Be happy with what you have, Change it when you want or need to.

In regards to space & Size The same could be said for Houses, How many Houses do you see with a Porch, Then a Conservatery, Then a Loft conversion, Then an Extention, Then a Bigger Shed to Put all the Garden furniture in etc etc

 

[Moped]

Depending on type of trip we either wild camp or stay on a site. We have what we consider to be an appropriate sized MH small enough to manouvre and park up in UK car parks and POIs and large enough with reasonable water and gas capacities to make for comfortable extended wild camping living. When touring we wild camp if possible. When in a fixed urban location for weeks on end we stop on a site. If we define large as being over 8m then we rarely see vans of this size wild camping in the UK but more so in continental Europe. What we struggle with is the idea that you need to spend big money on a massive tag axle motorhome to stay on a pitch in Benidorm or Marbella or Malaga for 6 months at a time. And you have towed your smart car or whatever all the way there and back. Why do people do this when a twin axle caravan would surely be a better much lower cost option for a long term stay, and you have your normal sized car for local trips?

 

[Wooie1958]

The wife reckons the bigger the better :dance:

 

[Nabsim]

That is a Geist Matterhorn and the overhang is not as big as it looks there, I think it’s not much different to ours. I have noticed it is the angle a picture is taken that exaggerates it.

As NZ says it’s what suits how you want to use it at the time, everyone wants something different and has different needs. Smaller vans have better access and can get in tighter places, bigger vans have more space inside.

Main thing is enjoy what you have and unlike most vans I see don’t leave them parked up, that’s the real wonder to me, how someone can spend tens or even hundreds of thousands and leave it parked up for weeks or months on end.

 

[Channa]

My view is the size of your home & The Comfort it provides is probably directly connected to the Time you spend aboard, & How you fund & use it in your lifestyle choice.
I use to have a Self converted LDV Luton & it was BRILLIANT for that time of my life, doing what I was doing at that time in my lifestyle choice.
I now have a Peugeot Chieftain Tag & it’s BRILLIANT for this time of my life doing what I am doing at this time of my lifestyle choice.

Be happy with what you have, Change it when you want or need to.

In regards to space & Size The same could be said for Houses, How many Houses do you see with a Porch, Then a Conservatery, Then a Loft conversion, Then an Extention, Then a Bigger Shed to Put all the Garden furniture in etc etc

I think you have hit the nail on the head, horses for courses,

When I first looked at vans, I considered a self converted 7,5 tonne box van not everyones cup of tea but plenty of storage for tools in the belly etc which would have been handy as I was working at the time, Was it practical for trips around the Lakes (my spiritual home in the UK ) Well not really,My favourite campsite a farmers field with a tap trough and toilet it transpired I couldn't get through his gate when I had the 5.5 m Ducato, He gave me special dispensation to park in his yard £3 per night.

Channa

 

[Channa]

Main thing is enjoy what you have and unlike most vans I see don’t leave them parked up, that’s the real wonder to me, how someone can spend tens or even hundreds of thousands and leave it parked up for weeks or months on end.

Wildcampers perhaps we are some weird minority, I am amazed on the tugger pages particularly at the moment folk putting exupensive caravans t o bed for the winter, Arguably better equipped than a van for the colder season, Our achilles heel often the vans have commercial cabs.

The colder months offer a new opportunity to camp with less visitors as a rule at the busier locations it is a different type of holidaying which can be extremely enjoyable if you are prepared and that doesn't always involve vast sums of money

It is far easier to be comfortable in late autumn and winter than it cracking the flags at 38 degrees in the blistering sun summer months abroad

Channa

 

[Mick H]

Claims, by people, that larger motorhomes don't make life more difficult, are simply being economical with the truth!

If we were to change, then it would certainly be to a shorter M/H, so that I could tour Devon/Cornwall/Lake District etc, more easily than with our current 6.86M van.

 

[Borders2]

Having bought our Burstner in the last 6 weeks we have been on the forecourts of a number of vendors and have looked at literally hundreds of vans. Being reasonably experienced having owned a MH for 20 odd years we had a list written out which had matters that were fixed in stone (or so we thought) and others that were possible fudges. The vehicke that we bought is not an automatic which was one non negociable issue but the reality was that the autos are so few that it was pretty impossible to find one that had the configuration we really wanted.

It's all about compromise. And there is only one person who can work out that for them selves.

As for size well like many have said big is too big for us as we know some of the most wonderful places just wont allow by the nature of the terrain a large vehickle to get to them, and then there are the ferry costs to sonsider too.

We are just about to go off for two nights and test the various systems for real. Its one thing to play with it all on the drive and quite another to see it for real.

B2

 

[maingate]

Claims, by people, that larger motorhomes don't make life more difficult, are simply being economical with the truth!

If we were to change, then it would certainly be to a shorter M/H, so that I could tour Devon/Cornwall/Lake District etc, more easily than with our current 6.86M van.

I would have found life very difficult cramming 4 Whippets and 2 Pugs into a small van. :lol-049:

That was my choice and they meant more to us than a nice sunset. You might also be surprised where you can get to in a Tag Axle van.

 

[wildebus]

I was parked up whilst using a launderette on the outskirts of Worthing and this guy pulled up behind me.
I was staggered by the difference in size of our vehicles and initially quite envious as I'm sure he had a full size bathroom/bedroom/kitchen/dining area but then I got to thinking that all that size comes at a cost.
For starters the initial purchase price (it was a Mercedes) would be huge.
Fuel consumption has got to be relative as well.
Driving anywhere other than on main roads has got to be a challenge and what about parking????

So as I sit here tonight in my mk1 Trafic in a little rural carpark picked off the POI map with the heater on and the dog sprawled out on the bed...... I wouldn't swap would you?

Swap?
Well, probably yes, to answer the question.

Why? I would find the Trafic too low to stand up in, and would get fed up having to break down the bed in order to use it, out it away in order to make a bite to eat.
But this is why I sold my VW LWB T5 Transporter (so similar in size to trafic - maybe a foot longer or so inside in the T5?) and bought a LWB LT and would have gone another metre longer if possible (e.g Extended LWB MK2 Sprinter/Crafter).

But I am not keen on that overhang I have to say. That will make life awkward trying to park in many compact car parks and negotiating side streets. Give me a long wheelbase over a long overhang anyday.

 

[mark61]

I could do with more space, getting a low roof was a bit of a mistake. Haven't seen anything I'd swap it with so I'll have to do another. :lol-053: It certainly wont have a rear hangover like that one.

 

[gratefulj]

Swap?
Well, probably yes, to answer the question.

Why? I would find the Trafic too low to stand up in, and would get fed up having to break down the bed in order to use it, out it away in order to make a bite to eat.
But this is why I sold my VW LWB T5 Transporter (so similar in size to trafic - maybe a foot longer or so inside in the T5?) and bought a LWB LT and would have gone another metre longer if possible (e.g Extended LWB MK2 Sprinter/Crafter).

But I am not keen on that overhang I have to say. That will make life awkward trying to park in many compact car parks and negotiating side streets. Give me a long wheelbase over a long overhang anyday.

I have a pop top on the Trafic which gives me ample headroom at 6 feet tall but I agree about the bed. I've actually left it made up for the last week which hasn't been too bad though would be different if I were travelling with someone.

 

[izwozral]

We went from a 21' to a 18' losing a garage along the way so we bought a back box, we now have a 21' again. DOH. Worse MH decision we have ever made.

 

[Mick H]

Having had BIG and small, neither are better or worse!
Bigger requires, can, and I say, can, require a better driver but a lot depends on where and how a person uses their van.
If a person is comfortable with a small truck 3500/7500kg then a large M/H is just the same, the driver selects the roads to use. If a drivers previous experience has only been with a small car, or even a larger family car, then a large M/H could be a little daunting. You see this every day when drivers struggle in a supermarket car park!
For us, a larger van is better for winter time if a person is spending more time in the van, but whichever size we had, we would require things such as a good shower. Another person may not!
We all use our vans different and there is no right or wrong, there is just what suits you!

Whilst I agree that we all use our vans differently, larger vans are simply more difficult to use for touring/parking! It's so obvious!
The physical size makes the difference. I speak as an experienced ex HGV driver, myself, and remember squeezing down numerous narrow roads, but I wasn't bothered about scratching the sides. It didn't belong to me.
I certainly remember how easy it was, motorhoming in my first short wheelbase Transit van, compared with our current low profile coachbuilt.
On our trip, last week, the dedicated motorhome parking spaces, just weren't adequate for large vans.
Smaller vans, are much easier to use, and park, than larger ones. Living in them, is more difficult, but that is where an experienced motorhomer can use their expertise, to still enjoy this wonderful hobby.