Help - what else haven't we thought about...

Sid

The first hurdle is the make and size of the van conversion, we recently moved from a coach built MH to an Adria 6.4 twin, it has a large garage beneath the single beds and will take all our stuff but we do try to travel as light as possible. plus no worries about leaks, fits down narrow lanes, can be used to collect stuff from DIY stores and flat pack furniture, works as a 2nd vehicle and no waving to other MH drivers you meet going the other way.

decent storage (or usually the lack of it) in a PVC is often a result of the type of layout....

rear washroom, front lounge vans struggle once the underneath side sofa is full.....rear lounge vans have two under benches, but many fit Combi heaters, water pumps, PSU and batteries under one....or even spread it over both and compromise them.....

continental style rear bedded (singles or transverse) provide under bed 'garages' offering a place for heavy, outside stuff.....including bikes if the seats are tilted.....as in Bob's post above.

however, this type of layout better suits those who travel in regular good weather and spend much more time outside....the rear lounge layouts are great for sitting inside when it's not so nice, but the compromise is that there's often not enough space for the stuff many wish to take with them.....bikes, levellers, BBQ, tables, chairs, tools to add to the usual list of clothes, shoes, boots, coats, food, books, electrical items and, of course bedding which in a fixed bed van lives on the bed, whereas with seats and beds being the same space, the bedding has to be stored somewhere too.....all adds to the fun of fitting everything into a small space....

enjoy your new van. 

Earlier this week I posted details of a firm in North Yorkshire who are hiring motorhomes during November and December for just £50 per day.  This would give you chance to hire for a couple of days and try it out............. and find any other bits and pieces that you think are necessary.  They have a variety of makes and models - many more than are shown on their website.   I think my post was removed because it was considered advertising, but was actually only a genuine recommendation. 

Each motorhome comes with the following included in the £50 per day:

Fully comprehensive insurance
Breakdown cover
Unlimited Mileage
Two drivers
(aged 25 – 75 with full UK/EU licence for 2 years or more, not more than 2 x 3 point convictions and one no-fault claim per driver in the last 3 years – additional premium or security deposit/excess may be payable for exceptions)
Temporary membership of the a Club
Bike rack (mountain bikes & bike lock available as an optional extra)
Dual-fuel central heating system (operates on either electric hook-up or gas)
Digital LCD TV/DVD/CD player with Freeview
Fully equipped kitchen including all crockery, utensils and cooking equipment
Dual-fuel fridge with freezer compartment
Gas cooker with grill and hob
Bathroom with hot and cold running water and shower
Water flushing cassette toilet with toilet chemical
Wardrobe
Pair of levelling ramps
Fire extinguisher
Mains hook-up lead
Fresh water fill-up hose
Full propane gas cylinder
Full induction
Telephone support
CCTV, Alarmed, controlled secure parking for your own car while you are away (At own risk)

There is a returnable deposit (inevitably)!

Email me at valdaathome@gmail.com for details if you're interested.

We went through this “conversion” process and ended up selling quite a bit of the extra equipment we bought e.g. picnic table, water carrier. It is refreshing to downsize and get rid of the stuff which we used to cart around in the caravan and didn’t need. One thing we did buy was a couple of Quest picnic chairs. We transport these by securing them to the back of the driver and passenger seats with bungee straps. This means that you cannot swivel the seats but we don’t do that anyway. Works for us but you need to find what works for you.

Well, in case anyone is still interested, all your comments have helped us make up our minds.  And the answer is ... we've ordered a Wildax Constellation, due for delivery next spring, but that is just according to legend!  We won't hold our breath.

I'm sure you will love it. We are still settling in to our Autotrail V line 635SE having changed from a caravan. Loving it so far and still learning from every trip. Happy travels.

I have found this thread very enlightening, we have just moved back to a caravan after 6 years with a 6.6m Coachbuild MH.

We know in the future we will more than likely move to a PVC (not yet) lots of research into which one to be done. 

Interesting to hear PVC users explain where they store all the items they take. 

Tinny, not sure what I would do if I could only take 2 weeks worth of clothes on a 3 month trip  where would the washing machine go 

Seriously though we used to travel with the chairs on the floor of the van at the back end, the ramps went just inside the hab door along with the EHU cable. The bikes on the rear carrier, we had a PWS towbar so the groundsheet was rolled up and placed behind it and held in place with bunges. We didn't have any outside lockers and under the rear seats/beds had a lot of equipment (like BB said) so the majority of stuff had to go in the overhead lockers. The saving grace was the nice big cupboard between the cooker and fridge. The Silver screens went in the shower along with 2 folding buckets and various other bits and pieces. 

When we first bought it I thought there was noway we would get everything in, then we moved back to a caravan with loads of cupboards and space but no payload to speak of, so yet again the cry of where are we going to put everything. Its amazing what you get used to doing without 

“Tinny, not sure what I would do if I could only take 2 weeks worth of clothes on a 3 month trip laughing where would the washing machine go”

I’m afraid you’ll have to revert to a washtub and mangle, TG,

It surprises me just how much clothes those o/h lockers held thanks to the diy shelves. I reckon it was a generous 2 weeks worth of clothes we packed. Probably 16-18 days worth.

Hope you'll come back on here and let us know what you think of the van, happy travels from me too. 

Most campsites have sinks for washing clothes and many have washing machines so what is the problem on a 3 months long trip?

Perhaps you were making a little joke! Having said that we did once meet a caravanning couple who were on a two week trip with a twin axle caravan, full length and width awning, full size domestic fridge and 3 different sets of easy chairs amongst other "essentials".