October NEC - what were your best bits?
The October NEC show is over for another year; hope you all enjoyed the show!
What were some of your best bits?
Comments
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Morello Empire....though a tad too large....
the Carthago stand, consistently high std models across the range...
the Swift 'lifestyle-type' caravan.....and the one built by Adria...
the IH motorhome stand, but way too expensive for a PVC...
the Westfalia stand.....in the PVC arena, definitely 'how to do it'
the small Pilote 600L, quart in a pint pot (A class, drop down bed)
the small Rapido 600, another quart in a pint pot (low profile coachbuilt, drop down bed)
the three A class Mobilvetta TeknoYacht models on the Marquis stand, stonking value at a smidge under £65k
the Hymer Nova caravan we stumbled across while looking at the Hymer MHs.
yes, some pretty good stuff about....but didn't visit any major UK stands (swift, bailey, autotrail) as had seen their 2017 models and nothing was that inspiring...
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Had a very average show in truth
-- didn't see anybody I knew, not even a corner of the C.C. Stand for C.T. to
congregate. The two good bits of this Curate's Egg were ;-- seeing the delightful young Meeks on the Q & A session with Mr Allwright, and , of course, the Snowdonia Cheese Stalls !At least I got to save a bundle by only buying one D & C !!
Brian A B M
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Best bit was finding out that we didn't have to change vans as ours is more preferable (to us) than those models that we saw at the show.
Did like the Vantage EOS motorhome at £55,000+. Might have to consider a relatively small motorhome in the future if we want to stay with small outfits so we had a stroll around the M/Hs. At least there was more choice for us there.
The caravans on show were a big (in every way) disappointment for us.
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I was happy to see an increasing number of innovative caravan designs within a small floorplan although apart from the Swift Basecamp most of them were of non-uk origin.
It was a shame that the caravan section was dominated by the big uk manufacturers and caravans from other countries and smaller concerns were dotted around the various halls.
I thought there were fewer accessory stalls and fewer quirky stalls this year.
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As in previous years there is the ever increasing number of fixed bed caravans aimed at the older market shall we say.
As a father of growing children I have realised that there are no layouts from the usual manufacturers for the growing family i.e teenagers which are too tall for the fixed bunks which we have at the moment
Family layouts at the moment are for the smaller children and I believe that this gap needs to be filled.
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Family layouts at the moment are for the smaller children and I believe that this gap needs to be filled.
I couldn't agree more. There is a real shortage of vans suitable for growing families and I haven't seen one with a fixed bed that could accommodate a family with a couple of young teenagers. A fixed double and a made up double does not make a four berth
family van. Most children do not want to share a bed with a sibling. A couple of the 6 berths aren't bad but they are generally long, expensive vans.The usual answer is to say to put them in the awning or a pup tent but some sites don't allow sleeping in the awning and it's not much use for a quick overnighter to break the journey.
There are some non-UK offerings that achieve family friendly layouts but the UK manufacturers clearly know their market and don't need to attract the next generation
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Family layouts at the moment are for the smaller children and I believe that this gap needs to be filled.
I couldn't agree more. There is a real shortage of vans suitable for growing families and I haven't seen one with a fixed bed that could accommodate a family with a couple of young teenagers. A fixed double and a made up double does not make a four berth
family van. Most children do not want to share a bed with a sibling. A couple of the 6 berths aren't bad but they are generally long, expensive vans.The usual answer is to say to put them in the awning or a pup tent but some sites don't allow sleeping in the awning and it's not much use for a quick overnighter to break the journey.
There are some non-UK offerings that achieve family friendly layouts but the UK manufacturers clearly know their market and don't need to attract the next generation
...a popular solution to this issue, in MH design, is to have the two bunks (singles) set transversely at the rear, one above the other, so this gives a bed length of over 2m. by also making them (say) 80cm wide, they would then
be adult friendly, should they be required for 'full sized' guests.also, its usually possible to fold the lower bunk up against the back wall to reveal a full sized, bike-swallowing garage.
the other two berths would usually be accommodated in a drop down bed (say) over the lounge.
this actually results in a not too long van, probably less than 7m.
considering that there is a 1.5m length 'allowance/penalty' for the engine and dashboard in every MH, a caravan 'should' be able to replicate this layout in 5.5m....
however, i guess the main issue is likely to be weight...drop down beds and garages (heavy contents at the rear) don't sit well with usually tiny payloads.
still, the small Knaus 'lifestyle' caravan had a raising bed and large garage doors at the front, so it can be done with a bit of thinking.....
a slightly longer version (modified with 2 extra bunks) of this caravan might fulfil the brief?
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Family layouts at the moment are for the smaller children and I believe that this gap needs to be filled.
I couldn't agree more. There is a real shortage of vans suitable for growing families and I haven't seen one with a fixed bed that could accommodate a family with a couple of young teenagers. A fixed double and a made up double does not make a four berth family van. Most children do not want to share a bed with a sibling. A couple of the 6 berths aren't bad but they are generally long, expensive vans.
The usual answer is to say to put them in the awning or a pup tent but some sites don't allow sleeping in the awning and it's not much use for a quick overnighter to break the journey.
There are some non-UK offerings that achieve family friendly layouts but the UK manufacturers clearly know their market and don't need to attract the next generation
..Elddis made a layout with two bunks across the rear, of which the lower could be lifted which with a large rear acces hatch with windows gave a garage type rear access,but it was short lived
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considering that there is a 1.5m length 'allowance/penalty' for the engine and dashboard in every MH, a caravan 'should' be able to replicate this layout in 5.5m.
BB - I agree. They 'should' be able to. What we discovered when we were looking to replace our 4 berth side dinette model was that most bunks weren't much improvement on the 1700mm or so we already had. It may have changed now but we ended up with a two
berth and an awning bedroom annex.Do you mean the Knaus
Deseo with the raising bed? (The
Lifestyle certainly delivers decent sized bunks and an unusual layout in a caravan but doesn't quite tick the boxes for us)0 -
sorry, i probably confused by using the term 'lifestyle'....i meant it generically as i couldnt remember the name of the Knaus...
it was the Sport and Fun, which has a front double bed which raises (im sure ive seen a crank handle in the garage) to increase the, already large, front garage.
no doubt, with this being at the front, as long as the towhitch weight is not exceeded, the stoage can be useful.
again, this could easily be two bunks rather than the double, and would retain the storage area and give two good, long singles with no rear weight issues.
however, this would need a rear lounge/bed arrangement, but ive seen plenty of these (hobby/hymer) which seem to work.
the issue with uk vans is that, by having the bedroom at the rear, any decently utilised underbed storage works badly for balance and nose weight.
moving the load area (and therefore bunks) to the front seems a way to acheiving the required bunk space, plus good load area and, perhaps, the capacity to make use of it.
thinking about it, it might not be that uk vanners like a rear bed...they might just like a front lounge.....?
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The S&F has a (possibly optional) hammock bed over the double which can indeed be at different heights. The dinette makes up into a bed as well. I think you're right and a bit of tweaking could get a workable layout.
Hobby had something similar a few years ago. A lot of German vans have a front bed which does seem to be an issue for some
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Family layouts at the moment are for the smaller children and I believe that this gap needs to be filled.
I couldn't agree more. There is a real shortage of vans suitable for growing families and I haven't seen one with a fixed bed that could accommodate a family with a couple of young teenagers. A fixed double and a made up double does not make a four berth
family van. Most children do not want to share a bed with a sibling. A couple of the 6 berths aren't bad but they are generally long, expensive vans.The usual answer is to say to put them in the awning or a pup tent but some sites don't allow sleeping in the awning and it's not much use for a quick overnighter to break the journey.
There are some non-UK offerings that achieve family friendly layouts but the UK manufacturers clearly know their market and don't need to attract the next generation
...a popular solution to this issue, in MH design, is to have the two bunks (singles) set transversely at the rear, one above the other, so this gives a bed length of over 2m. by also making them (say) 80cm wide, they would then
be adult friendly, should they be required for 'full sized' guests.also, its usually possible to fold the lower bunk up against the back wall to reveal a full sized, bike-swallowing garage.
the other two berths would usually be accommodated in a drop down bed (say) over the lounge.
this actually results in a not too long van, probably less than 7m.
considering that there is a 1.5m length 'allowance/penalty' for the engine and dashboard in every MH, a caravan 'should' be able to replicate this layout in 5.5m....
however, i guess the main issue is likely to be weight...drop down beds and garages (heavy contents at the rear) don't sit well with usually tiny payloads.
still, the small Knaus 'lifestyle' caravan had a raising bed and large garage doors at the front, so it can be done with a bit of thinking.....
a slightly longer version (modified with 2 extra bunks) of this caravan might fulfil the brief?
That's possibly might be ok, but what if said teenagers are of differant sex, they may not like sharing the same room area. When we used to travel with our teenage boys it didn't matter if they shared, it usually was just for the overnight stops as once
on site Italy/Spain they slept in a tent, (by choice) the caravan we had then was a Rambler 4/4 there was 2 long couches that could be used as singles by the boys when traveling, we then used these as a huge king bed once on site. At the other end was 2 shorter
couches that made up into a double bed that we used while traveling. Then on site it became a table and benches should any one want to sit in the van or for playing games etc. youngest boy always had a pad and pencil on the go sketching, still does.As J says these type of vans are rare these days.
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Tammy - I have a teenage daughter and an 8 year lad. They don't want to share beds and my daughter likes privacy.
Our current van is a 6 berth Coachman 640/6 with end bathroom,side dinette ( now used as a bed for daughter) and fixed beds on the side wall. It has been an ideal van for the past 6 years but we ,or they,are growing out of it !!!
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TG, 'not sure' is probably the answer....
does this mean that, with (say) a teenage boy and girl, three sleeping areas would be required?.....like in a 6 berth van?
ours, one boy, one girl, never came away in a van with us, we didnt take this lark up till we retired, but in hols abroad they would have been in a 2 bedroom + lounge bed apartment, so each happy...
blooming kids, eh?
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With 2 boys we never had that problem but both sets of granchildren are boy/girl, its not been a problem taking them with us while they are young but the eldest girl is now 10 brother 8 so it won't be long before they will not want to share. We have no intention
of going to a 6 berth van so they can have seperate sleeping areas, so it will either be 1 at a time or they will not come with us in the future. Doesn't apply at the moment as we only have a 2 berth0 -
Tammy - I have a teenage daughter and an 8 year lad. They don't want to share beds and my daughter likes privacy.
Our current van is a 6 berth Coachman 640/6 with end bathroom,side dinette ( now used as a bed for daughter) and fixed beds on the side wall. It has been an ideal van for the past 6 years but we ,or they,are growing out of it !!!
This is exactly what I was refering to. I remember going away with my parents and brother and sister, we had a 6 berth van but I'm the youngest sis the eldest there is 8 years between us. Big sis got fed up of having to share with a KID and of course I couldn't
share with my brother.How do families with growing children/teenagers and more than say 2 or 3 cope.
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Tammy - I have a teenage daughter and an 8 year lad. They don't want to share beds and my daughter likes privacy.
Our current van is a 6 berth Coachman 640/6 with end bathroom,side dinette ( now used as a bed for daughter) and fixed beds on the side wall. It has been an ideal van for the past 6 years but we ,or they,are growing out of it !!!
This is exactly what I was refering to. I remember going away with my parents and brother and sister, we had a 6 berth van but I'm the youngest sis the eldest there is 8 years between us. Big sis got fed up of having to share with a KID and of course I couldn't
share with my brother.How do families with growing children/teenagers and more than say 2 or 3 cope.
...Bung them in the awning,
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Some sites don't allow sleeping in the awning or in a pup tent although both clubs do..
It also means that a quick overnight stop on the way somewhere else becomes far more complicated than it needs to be - all because the UK manufacturers don't seem to recognise that kids grow
We have lads but they like a bit of privacy for getting changed and certainly wouldn't share a double. We've always had a decent sized washroom which helps
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Dear CT,
I had my Chimney swept the other week & was darned surprised when the sweep turned up with mechanical aids to do the job. Whatever happened to the excellent practice of sending a child up the chimney, they don't know they're born these days.
I think the CC should be campaigning to get us back to the Victorian era, the good old days without a doubt.yours faithfully colonel(ex Punjabi rifles) cholmondly-Smythe(DFS, MFI, MRSA)
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