Permanent bed v drop down bed - A-class type

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Robmac said:
Hi Anne.

May be worth a PM to Lee and Linda who, as you probably know, have a Pilote Galaxy with drop down bed.

Bearing in mind that Lee is 6' 7", I'm sure they can give you some good advice on the comfort and practicalities. x
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Hi Rob, no I didn't know that and that's a great idea, I will do it now, thanks! Wasn't your previous van a Pilote? And if so were you happy with build quality etc? :)
 
Our Euromobil has a drop down bed that is quite low. I can sit on it from the floor and it is an easy step off the adjacent seats.
Some of the new A class MH have a drop down bed that is transverse but also extends to allow 2 longitudinal single beds. I think the make was Frankia bit sure they will all do soon.
Enjoy looking
Rod
 
lotusanne said:
Hi Rob, no I didn't know that and that's a great idea, I will do it now, thanks! Wasn't your previous van a Pilote? And if so were you happy with build quality etc? :)
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No mine was a Compass Drifter Anne. But I've been in Lee and Linda's Pilote as well as Gina and Ron's. They are lovely vans.
 
Rod said:
Our Euromobil has a drop down bed that is quite low. I can sit on it from the floor and it is an easy step off the adjacent seats.
Some of the new A class MH have a drop down bed that is transverse but also extends to allow 2 longitudinal single beds. I think the make was Frankia bit sure they will all do soon.
Enjoy looking
Rod
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Thanks Rod, do you happen to know what model it is? I just had a quick look but can only find drop down beds that also have a permanent back bed. :)
 
campervanannie said:
Loving the thread Anne i am currently driving myself nuts with the same dilemma going down the coach built route prefer 2 x single beds but not discounting anything just when I find the perfect van it's either deposit taken or left hand drive or I love Sue's new van if I could remove the fixed bed and replace with a lounging sofa lol there is just too much choice out there good luck with your search.
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Could sell you mine Annie!! I know what you mean about the choice out there. do you remember the old days when you had buy an Autotrader on a Thursday and that just had local stuff in it! Once we wanted a diesel VW to convert and we got up early and drove from Manchester to somewhere way down south stopping to buy each regional Autotrader - and we got one! Much easier now!! :)
 
Robmac said:
If you (or Annie) want a seriously well built motorhome, have a look at the Euro Yachts like Jim used to have. One of the best builds I have ever seen.

https://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/for-sale-wanted/51333-mobilvetta-euroyacht.html?highlight=

I can't remember the length though.
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Thanks Rob, checked them out and they look amazing and get top write up for quality, but the shortest one is 6.85 m which is a bit too big for us to fit in.
BtW I got an awful shock when I saw that, I missed the bit about it being their old van and thought Rossi was ill again :sad:
 
lotusanne said:
Thanks to all for all the replies, lots of useful information and things to think about. Nobody seems to be leaping up and down in favour of the drop down beds which worries me, but better to hear these things from all angles! I didn't know about the show in Harrowgate so will look into that, thanks Yelto. We definitely don't want to go any longer than around 20 ft as we would have problems parking it in the small shared carpark at the back of our terrace as well as out an about. The van is hopefully to be our Forever Van, currently we go away lots of weekends as well as 2 weeks in summer but I am approaching retirement and there is a good chance of getting redundancy before then, so after that we will use it loads, so yes to all who said a good bed is important!! If the drop down bed (plus thermal blinds!) turns out to be be a no go I think we will stick to making up a bed rather than sacrifice a large part of the van space to a permanent bed (probably another Autosleeper) - though open to persuasion! I have seen some vans under 6 ft with fixed bed, but the living accomodation tends to be quite cramped, usually the cab seats and one or 2 more, which doesn't give the option of having grandkids to stay. I am very grateful for the time everyone has given to tell me their thoughts, it has been really interesting reading. Still hoping someone out there will start singing the praises of the drop down beds!! :)
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I am currently looking at the
Autosleeper Ravenna
Autosleeper Nuevo 4 birth
Autosleeper Sigma
Compass avantgarde 130
To name a few.
 
Thanks David, very interesting , and sounds like a thumbs up for the drop down bed being good for two. Yes you are right I need to see some actual vans, am also wondering if some beds drop more than others, making them easier to get in and out of, plus more head room, so the research will continue! :)
 
colinmd said:
It is a common misconception that you need an A class to have a dropdown and also that they are transverse.
This is one of the best van layouts i've seen, trouble is gf's claustrophobia kicked even though it is longitudinal bed.
https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/u...ADA REGENT L ON MERCEDES SPRINTER 313CDI .pdf
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Hi Colin, have just checked out the La Strada Regent L and have to agree it is a fantastic use of the space and very novel design, great reviews too. It is not quite big enough for us with up to 3 grandkids plus dog unfortunately but a very impressive conversion :)
 
We used our Hymer 580 with just a drop down bed for six years when we were doing shorter trips of a couple of weeks. The only downside to them that I found is that it was a case of "one up, both up". On the longer trips that we do now in the Hymer 700 we would not be without the (massive) fixed bed.
 
Skar said:
We used our Hymer 580 with just a drop down bed for six years when we were doing shorter trips of a couple of weeks. The only downside to them that I found is that it was a case of "one up, both up". On the longer trips that we do now in the Hymer 700 we would not be without the (massive) fixed bed.
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Hi Skar, thanks for that, just wondering why that was, i had assumed that the rest of the van would still be usable when the bed was down? - apart from the cab seats, is that not the case?
 
Skar said:
We used our Hymer 580 with just a drop down bed for six years when we were doing shorter trips of a couple of weeks. The only downside to them that I found is that it was a case of "one up, both up". On the longer trips that we do now in the Hymer 700 we would not be without the (massive) fixed bed.
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Yes,I have found that with increasing age and decreasing mobility a fixed bed becomes a more attractive option.In our previous ''forever''motorhome which we kept for 6 years the L shaped rear lounge had to be made up into a double every night.When making the bed up became a problem we eventually slept on the 2 settees in single sleeping bags.The settees weren't really long enough for this so then we started to look around for a suitable layout that would suit our needs.

We now have another''forever''motorhome which is perfect for our requirements,I wouldn't like to be without a fixed bed now,it's great to just flop into a double bed with a warm and very comfortable duvet when you are exhausted or the worse for wear.I used to dread trying to make up the jigsaw puzzle of a bed in the last van especially when I had had a few.
 
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wakk44 said:
Yes,I have found that with increasing age and decreasing mobility a fixed bed becomes a more attractive option.In our previous ''forever''motorhome which we kept for 6 years the L shaped rear lounge had to be made up into a double every night.When making the bed up became a problem we eventually slept on the 2 settees in single sleeping bags.The settees weren't really long enough for this so then we started to look around for a suitable layout that would suit our needs.

We now have another''forever''motorhome which is perfect for our requirements,I wouldn't like to be without a fixed bed now,it's great to just flop into a double bed with a warm and very comfortable duvet when you are exhausted or the worse for wear.I used to dread trying to make up the jigsaw puzzle of a bed in the last van especially when I had had a few.
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Haha, know exactly what you mean, the drunken stumbling around the van whilst other half has to take dog for a walk!! What did you get as your next Forever van Steve?
 
lotusanne said:
Haha, know exactly what you mean, the drunken stumbling around the van whilst other half has to take dog for a walk!! What did you get as your next Forever van Steve?
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It's a Hymer B644 A class,just less than 7m long,MGVW 3900kg,fixed longitudinal rear bed over a garage,pull down over cab bed and centre dinette.It is officially a 6 berth as the table makes another double bed which is a bit daft as there are only 3 seatbelts.I have removed the huge table as most B644 owners seem to do which has improved space.German manufacturers do seem to go a bit OTT with the dinette tables.
The dog now has nowhere to rest his chin.:D




 
We have a Laika which has both. Fixed bed in the back and a pull down one over the front cab seats. Had a Pilote 716 before with electric bed that lived in the ceiling. If not completely flat front to back and sideways then they can jam. Either they won't go back up which makes driving difficult or they won't come down. Notice that the latest Pilote has a different arrangement. Would not go near anything that has electric motors on anything that you rely on like a bed.We went to Lowdhams the other year and the salesman tried to show us how easy it was to get the bed down. After he had tried reseting it and then complaining someone must have been playing we moved on.

Laika is an A Class just over 7m long and 2.3m wide.
 
QFour said:
We have a Laika which has both. Fixed bed in the back and a pull down one over the front cab seats. Had a Pilote 716 before with electric bed that lived in the ceiling. If not completely flat front to back and sideways then they can jam. Either they won't go back up which makes driving difficult or they won't come down. Notice that the latest Pilote has a different arrangement. Would not go near anything that has electric motors on anything that you rely on like a bed.We went to Lowdhams the other year and the salesman tried to show us how easy it was to get the bed down. After he had tried reseting it and then complaining someone must have been playing we moved on.

Laika is an A Class just over 7m long and 2.3m wide.
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Thanks for the warning - sounds a real pain, I will def bear that in mind!
 
That is very true,but you must also consider the benefits.A rear fixed double where you have to climb steps to get in means you have a large garage underneath to store essential items.In that we have 2 full sized electric bikes and an inflatable awning which makes our touring a lot more comfortable.The option to cycle to local towns and villages or use some scenic cycle routes is much appreciated and allows us to stay further away from interesting places where there is no public transport.

If stopping long term the awning also comes into it's own,in there we have a portable kitchen unit and 2 ring gas hob supplied from the external BBQ point,very useful if long terming over the winter for example.The overall length is only slightly more at 6.95m so the extra length on the ferries is not really a factor,it is slightly more expensive but certainly not prohibitive.
 
May I just point out that this depends on how you use the bed, if you only sleep on it you comments would be correct to some extent, although under the bed will be storage which is often(always?) handy.
If on the otherhand you also use the bed for lounging there is no wasted space.
 
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