Bailey 70-6 storage question
Hello everyone,
My wife and I are new to motorhoming - so new, we don't even have a motorhome as yet! However, we are just about to jump in with both feet and, after much searching, have located a 2018 plate Bailey 70-6...
Looks great, and has (nearly) all that we're looking for, but my wife in particular is worried about what appears to be a lack of decent storage space. I was just wondering if there are any 70-6 happy campers out there who could give us some tips on how they have managed the storage question.
We like the layout as it gives us two separate sitting areas, in the dinette and an end lounge. A lot of the time it will be just my wife and I, but she'll bring her golf clubs and I'll bring my guitar plus all the other stuff a couple needs...and at times we'll be joined by our 2 grandkids - currently 6 and 3. For a 6 berth, the storage looks tight...
Thanks in advance
Chris
Comments
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I suggest that before parting with your hard earned you consider the available payload weight rather than the storage space. I don't know this particular model of MH but it strikes me that you'll be wanting it to carry a lot of gear plus people and the payload may not be adequate. Be very careful.
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Hello and welcome.
I echo Tinwheeler's comments.
I would also add
- Check seats can take ISO or other child seats
- The payload included by the manufacturer- they've got crafty and don't always allow full tank of fuel or water or passenger. Check driver's weight against your own
- Consider how you'll travel once on site. Will you use bikes, buses, trains, walk? If its public transport you're limited to sites
- We always drove ours off site for visits, need to think about paking. Height barriers are obvious but length is another. We need 1.5 Bay length, picking a car park and the overhang fitting over grassesd area is best. But needs to be available in the car park and empty!
We love motorhoming and were lucky, we got it right first time, many don't!
There's lots of experienced folk who'll help on here, certainly not being negative, but trying to save heartache and money loss.
Actually you'd be surprised how little you actually need once bedding, cooking and eating stuff is there. Again think weight it all adds up very quickly.
Do let us know your further thoughts and ask away.
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I echo TW comments. I had a look at it on the Bailey website and the 610 kg payload means you will have to be careful, as we are, in our similarly sized van and slightly larger payload. It doesn’t seem to come with a solar panel or wind out awning, so bear in mind if you had those fitted it would come off your weight allowance.
I agree about storage, space seems to have been optimised to fit 6 people. Looking at the pictures and spec, it doesn’t seem to have any outside lockers whatsoever, so presumably if you want to take outside tables and chairs, BBQ, walking boots etc, they have to travel in the living space. Inside storage also looks tight, as you are going to have to find space for the bedding / sleeping bags during the day, as well as clothes and other essentials. It very much depends on how you intend to use the MH, take it off site / leave it parked, but another thing to consider is the size of the fridge, which looks very small. We find our large one very useful in avoiding shopping, except when moving between stops, meaning the MH can stay on site, which is what we prefer.
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The Bailey Advance range have pretty good payloads compared to many on the market although with any six berth it's always going to be a challenge. Because they are cramming so much into a sub 7 metre motorhome storage is bound to be compromised. Would you not be better looking at the 76-4 if you are concerned about storage? Fractionally less payload but a lot more room. The two single bunks will have a lot of storage under them. Golf Clubs would probably fit in the shower when travelling. We have a Bailey Advance 66-2 and have been pleased with it. If you are on Facebook you could join the Bailey Motorhome Owners Group which is a good source of information.
David
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Morning everyone,
Wow! Such great (and quick!) responses...thanks to you all for responding...some really good advice there.
Indeed, as well as the lack of storage, the available payload looks tight - when you consider awning, BBQ, chairs etc etc...
The 76-4 does look nice, but I was trying to keep to a max 7 metres...not sure my wife and I are comfortable driving anything bigger - as well as the challenges of parking and little windy lanes...
What we are recognising (and you could all have told us this before we started), finding exactly what's right for us will take some hard thinking, and probably a compromise or two along the way.
Chris
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There's always a compromise where MHs are concerned.
We've given you food for thought and I can see you're pondering the pros and cons which is good.
I was surprised to see you want an awning. Is it a necessity as it will hinder the 'get up and go' nature of MH as well as needing storage for travelling? Most vans have wind out canopies anyway.
You are right about size as big vans can be a problem in some locations. Small is beautiful, as they say🙂
Good hunting.👍
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Chris
Selecting any motorhome is always going to be based on the best guess, particularly if it's your first one. It's not just about the size but also about the style of motorhoming you intend to do. If you are happy to use campsites as a base and explore of foot/public transport/car then the size won't matter as much. However if you intend to use the motorhome for visiting attractions and towns then the smaller the more versatile it will be. We tend to be a bit minimalist in what we take with us - no BBQ's or awnings (just a wind out canopy). We did miss the space we had in our previous van but we partially got over that by adding a Fiamma Back Box to the rear which takes the outdoor chairs and other bits and pieces. If it's any help to you I have a Blog here on our current motorhome (with a link to the previous larger model) if it's any help to you.
David
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As Wallis Simpson almost said "you can never be too thin, too rich or have too much payload". No-one has mentioned C1 licence as it will be well nigh impossible to run a 7 metre van at 3500Kg. Two weight savers are a lithium battery and a safe fill gas cylinder - every little helps.
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It is 3500kg GVW, CY. Goodness knows how.
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