Advice on buying a caravan
We are currently looking to buy a caravan and are unsure wether to go for a van with a fixed bed or a table that turns into a bed.
Any advice would be welcomed to the pros and cons
Amanda & Neil
Comments
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Think you have to consider how and where you're likely to be using your van. If you plan to take it to Europe for example, you might prefer the fixed bed and smaller front lounge as you'll most likely spend more time outdoors.
I still prefer the full length sofas at the front and it's not a problem making up a bed each night.
Fixed bed/layout is really a personal choice.
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Pop along to a dealer and have a look about at what there is on show. Not all the good ideas are new.
Then visit a caravan site and speak to a few people about their vans. It does indeed depend on how you see yourself using it.
I like the fixed bed as we can sit up late with a few glasses and nibbles and then hop into bed without any hassle, plus be able to get up and leisurely make breakfast and leave bedmaking untill later.
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We chose fixed bed because we wanted to be comfortable and did not want to have to make up the bed every night. Good advice from Naivagateur, go look at the options, it was only by doing that that we worked out what we wanted. Good luck!
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Lots of things to consider, some good advice already mentioned. Most put up beds take only a few minutes to sort out, and you do get the advantage of a larger lounge area, and you are not lugging a bedroom around all the time, which is a bonus if you like
to move around. We have used put up beds for the last 32 years without any issues. One bonus you get is three options, a large double when put up, two long singles if you want to hop into bed in seconds, or do as we do and if the weather is nice (contrary
to some myths on here, it can be lovely in Summer here as well!) we leave our bed up as we spend lots of time outside. You look on the younger side as well, still lithe and fit, so putting a bed up probably won't be an issue.But if all you want to do is pitch up and stay on a site for quite a while say a week plus, then fixed bed might suit you better. Bathrooms tend to be a bit smaller in fixed beds, unless you go for a very big van, which is another factor. As others have
said, you need to decide how and where you want to holiday, then go and look at a lot of vans, imagine spending time in them in all weathers. Your tow car needs to be considered as well. Good luck, happy hunting!
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I think I must have that "very big van" as there is a huge washroom as well as the full size fixed double. (And a lounge and a galley kitchen). It won't suit everyone, so do go and look at many vans and talk to as many owners as you can until you
start to see what can be done.0 -
It is realy down to how you look at it. If you are happy making up a bed each night and taking it down again next morning then caravans where you do that give you more room. If you do not feel you can be bothered then a fixed bed is for you.
There is a third option with the lounge that converts to a bed at the front and a two seater dinette at the side. This gives you the option of leaving the bed down if you are going to be out all day or take it down if you will not. It is a compromise but
can work well for many.0 -
Remember that the fixed bed has the corner chopped off. So your feet are pushed together.Thats not for me. It takes about 5m to make up the bed in my van. No table. Just to pull out the slide and drop the cushions onto it. Not really a problem. You get a
bigger bed for your money. Personel choice in the end.0 -
Lots of good advice already given, but having the choice I would go for a fixed bed every time. I have a transverse bed (across the van width) which most people would perhaps consider extravagant for one person but it provides luxury for me. My dogs can
sleep in the lounge area and I have my own, very comfortable bed. It's made up neatly during the daytime and there is plenty of space in the lounge if the other half does decide he will accompany me! It wouldn't perhaps suit a family with kids but I find it
suits me/us perfectly. It also has a good sized end bathroom and shower.0 -
thanks for the advice. we prefer more living area than sleeping area, and was worried that the made up beds might be a squeeze compared to fixed And not so comfy. We've noticed most modern vans cater for fixed beds too. Amanda doesn't mind making up the
bed each night either0 -
thanks for the advice. we prefer more living area than sleeping area, and was worried that the made up beds might be a squeeze compared to fixed And not so comfy. We've noticed most modern vans cater for fixed beds too. Amanda doesn't mind making up the
bed each night eitherWrite your comments here...We watched and tried a bed makeup on the Bailey stand at the Birmingham show ,it took less than a minute + bedding
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other than the excellent point made by Jill and Another David, i think the main issue is....what bedding are your used to sleeping on/in (comfortable with)....
for those that are happy to be in an unrolled sleeping bag tossed onto a sofa, then making up the bed 'takes no time'.
definitely not for us, nor probably someone who is used to a proper sheet and duvet...
similarly, turning a pair of sofas into a proper bed with sheets and a duvet isnt 'the work of seconds'....we had a made up bed van for a year.....first long (4 week) trip to France and soon got fed up with that......fixed bed van was imminent.
the other issue is storage....sleeping bags, pillows, duvets etc take up plenty of space, whereas a fixed bed provides a place for your bedding to remain in situ and to provide a large storage area underneath for other 'stuff'....
if you spend lots of time inside the van, perhaps the emphasis should be lounge space, but if you are more akin to being out and about a lovely bed to flop into might be the order of the day....
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thanks for the advice. we prefer more living area than sleeping area, and was worried that the made up beds might be a squeeze compared to fixed And not so comfy. We've noticed most modern vans cater for fixed beds too. Amanda doesn't mind making up the
bed each night eitherWrite your comments here...We watched and tried a bed makeup on the Bailey stand at the Birmingham show ,it took less than a minute + bedding
Write your comments here...That truly is how simple it is,then you have the benifit of the space. In our books that is the plus.
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When my husband and I started out in our late twenties we bought what we could afford and could tow - this was a 2 berth end kitchen. It was a good starter caravan and the bed make up meant we could sleep as two singles or a double. If we came back late
at night we would sleep as two singles as it can be quite noisy making up a double (we still hear people doing this nowadays late at night). Everyone has their favourite layout, just look about and see what suits you best. Take your time. Our choices of layout
have changed due to family.0 -
One additional advantage of the fixed double that many people overlook is the storage. Not the total scace, but the fact you can store something far bigger than will go under a single.
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We have a fixed bed - for all the reasons above but you do need to wander around a lot, talk to people, and imagine how you might live in them
But for us the main points are:.
Making up a bed with proper bedding, including mattress protector etc., takes a lot longer than a minute and becomes an absolute pain night after night, especially as you get older.
There is room for our loungers and a plastic table and two folding chairs (all lightweight so no loading issues) under the fixed bed, ensuring that the caravan can be used 'in transit'. I've seen caravans of other layouts cluttered with 'stuff' for which there is no storage space because one locker is full of bedding.
For those who go to bed at different times (but still like to sleep together) a fixed bed allows one of you to go to bed earlier whilst the other can stay up in the lounge. Similarly if you have different times for getting up then one can be up and sitting down having breakfast leaving the other sleeping on.
Most front 'sofas' in fixed bed layouts are still long enough to get your feet up, and 'lounge' or to entertain. They just aren't long enough to sleep on.
You still have the option of making up the front bed if you have visitors. Most fixed beds are used by couples, though, as the layout isn't good if you have children or grandchildren with you (until they're old enough to be going to bed later than you do in which case they can sleep at the front!)
I have heard as one argument that people wouldn't buy a fixed bed because 'they wouldn't like a second-hand mattress'. The original surface of our mattress is protected by a separate cover, a mattress topper, a mattress protector, and our sheet. Most people never give a thought to sleeping in a hotel bed where the mattress is used by many more people.
I've also read the point of the corner of the bed being chopped off, but in practical terms your feet aren't pushed together, there is plenty of space unless you're both over six feet tall. Also the 'climbing over each' other bit crops up, if you have to get out of bed to go to the look, but if you make up the front bed transversely then one still has to climb over the other.
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We are fans of the fixed double too. Val pretty well sums up our ideas. We've just ordered a new van - it was a toss up between the two fixed singles and the fixed double. The fixed double won again for us - mainly because of the large storeage area below
and the fact that it was very slightly cheaper than the equivalent in singles.We are not fans of the 'fixed double' that you have to pull out from the wall. For us, it means that it is extremely difficult for the person furthest from the toilet, to get to it in the night, should they want too, and equally difficult for the person
on the 'toilet side' to be late to bed or to get up early etc.In the end of the day it is a compromise and it depends on you, where you go, and how you use the van. The same thing also applies to choice of awnings.
Just read what many say and in the end, hopefully, you will find what is right for you.
David
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We have a Lunar Venus two birth which we use with a sleeping bag and mattress topper. The dog sleeps in the middle on the floor. When we bought the van we were restricted in weight as we only had a peugeot too tow.
If we got another new van we would probably go for fixed twin beds layout. Whilst it is not a massive hassled to make the beds up. It would give us a bit more space to get up at different times.
Whilst we are happy sleeping on the seats of our twin bed two birth, I wouldn't fancy making the full double up every night.
As everyone has said it is a personal choice. We could live with our two or a four birth twin. The thig wecouldn't compromise on is having a seperate shower.
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