IS OUR POTENTIAL PURCHASE TO LONG (?!)

[Mtbcol]

Good evening wild overnight sleepers (trying to be politically correct here) after our last potential purchase fell through (RAC report chassis rotten away underneath) we are now looking at something else. This is a 7 meter rig whereas at the moment we have a 6 meters self built campervan, and the rust bucket would have been a 6 meter unit. Just asking, are we likely to encounter any more problems with wild sleeping if we go for the 7 meter motorhome? I'm thinking less room for the smaller park ups etc. What are peoples experiences with 7 meter units?
Thank you.

 

[RichardHelen262]

We are 7.5 meters and never found the length to be a problem

 

[Boris7]

8m no issues (well not with wild camping spots at least)

 

[Mtbcol]

Thank you both

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Hi ya,
It shouldn’t be a problem at all, like everything you choose your park ups to suit.
It’s Ground Clearance, Hight & Width that are often MORE of an issue than the length.

 

[barryd]

8.5m and no problems but obviously you have to pick spots with a fair bit of space. As above the biggest thing I have to watch out for is grounding with an extended Alko chassis and underslung tanks or hitting the scooter rack on something. The lowest thing is the bloody exhaust though where it comes out the side of the van. 7m should be fine.

 

[Mtbcol]

Thanks Zombie and good point. Or transit is ex Scottish and British gas with 16" original wheels, so it's pretty good on ground clearance compared to others. It will definitely be taller and wider than the transit as well. If we get it I can see I may need to stock up on T cut.

 

[Mtbcol]

8.5m and no problems but obviously you have to pick spots with a fair bit of space. As above the biggest thing I have to watch out for is grounding with an extended Alko chassis and underslung tanks or hitting the scooter rack on something. The lowest thing is the bloody exhaust though where it comes out the side of the van. 7m should be fine.

Thanks barryd. We would have liked something shorter but we wanted a fixed bed, and also now people are looking for more compact units it seems so they are rarer now than ever. I've no problem driving the size of the vehicle regards confidence ( used to drive the old British Rail P way 7.5 t Dodge wagons and am NEPTS ambulance crew now). It'll be just remembering when I'm not at work our truck will be longer lower and wider than the Transit. From what everyone is saying, looks like we'll still be ok for wild cam.....overnight sleeping

 

[barryd]

Thanks barryd. We would have liked something shorter but we wanted a fixed bed, and also now people are looking for more compact units it seems so they are rarer now than ever. I've no problem driving the size of the vehicle regards confidence ( used to drive the old British Rail P way 7.5 t Dodge wagons and am NEPTS ambulance crew now). It'll be just remembering when I'm not at work our truck will be longer lower and wider than the Transit. From what everyone is saying, looks like we'll still be ok for wild cam.....overnight sleeping

7m is a good size. Plenty of space for a long trip yet still not humongous. We thought about downsizing at one point to a PVC after our last 7.5m van was getting long in the tooth but ended up a metre longer. No regrets. We still manage to fill every locker and there are only two of us but we do go off for up to six months at a time.

 

[Mtbcol]

Yes I think your right. Eventually we'll be going away for longer periods as well......and the two of us could fill a 12 bedroom mansion no problem . Like most things once we've done a few trips well soon get the hang of it, and a few scratches adds to the character they say

 

[Thistle]

If it’s not on a lwb chassis then having a massive overhang and potentially a low departure angle could make for some entertaining driving!

Also if it’s got a significant overhang watch the weight distribution always 100% worth weighing vans before purchase it is very very easy to exceed the plated weight of a rear axle.

My latest project in my avatar is 7.5M, much taller and a bit wider than my current Crafter.
It will absolutely not be suitable for some of the stupid routes google maps takes us down!

 

[Murraj]

I've got motorhome over 7 metres. The only downside is you pay higher ferry prices for a vehicle over 6 metres. Likewise if you ever go to festivals with your motorhome.

 

[Geek]

The length is unlikely to be an issue, except on wet grass.
Any FWD van may get less and less traction as the body gets longer.

 

[Sharon the Cat]

Wild Camping no problem.
Supermarket car park if you run out of bread - Nightmare!!

 

[barryd]

Wild Camping no problem.
Supermarket car park if you run out of bread - Nightmare!!

The solution I find is to either take up four spaces giving you enough room to swing out or park further back longways and take up more making sure you leave enough space between you and the car in front but not enough for another car to squeeze in. Obviously this don't work if it's a busy car park.

I noticed in France this year a lot of height barriers on supermarket car parks. Mainly E. leclerc. Probably sick of motorhomes taking up four or six spaces.

 

[jann]

There are plenty of supermarkets on France with motorhome size spaces.Some allow overnight parking

 

[RoaminRog]

We are 7.4m plus a box on the back, so realistically 8m.
Our main problem is parking in towns, but the upside is we have ROOM.
We’ve been in Norway for two months now, and avoided town centres for parking, in favour of Aires and Picnic areas.
Parking instead at supermarkets and large diy stores. We have a large rear overhang, which we try to reverse over grass wherever possible, Generally we enjoy the generous personal space and are happy to park wherever we can, instead where we would perhaps like to.

 

[Boris7]

8m and a long overhang, supermarkets not really a big issue. You do need to think ahead a bit but you’ll soon work it out. Biggest thing is before you park plan your way out.

 

[YeoBlade]

8m and a long overhang, supermarkets not really a big issue. You do need to think ahead a bit but you’ll soon work it out. Biggest thing is before you park plan your way out.

SO true plan your way out, Early days I parked up in the back far corner at a Welsh steam train, almost empty, car park quite early in the morning, 6 hrs later we return to an overflowing carpark! Two hrs after that there was just enough of a route to get back out again.
Now, Park nearest to and facing the exit

 

[wildebus]

Not sure about those supermarket comments
I don't have any issue parking in my ~6.7M Motorhome ..... Tesco Berwick