That was a breath of fresh air after all the sanctimonious, condescending old codgers that inhabit many of the forums! Thank you😊

Great tips - as a couple, we love the fixed bed. We have it in a day position which is ideal for reading and lounging around when the weather is bad, and it's super-comfy at night with loads of space. Also, no faffing around in the evening or morning putting it up and stowing away. Another benefit is if one of you wants to go to bed early, or lie in, you're not gettingn in the way and have the peace and quiet of a bedroom. If we had kids with us, I would agree that the space it takes up could be used better. But for those who tour as a couple, I can't praise it highly enough!

Love the fixed bed, perfect at the back, opening the doors and taking in the views, plus sunrises, sunsets best most relaxing set up ever!!!

This was the best video. Think about what you need. Myself, I need one with an eating area, a fixed bed, and a wet bath. But I am old and can’t make up a bed/lounge everyday and need to sit when I take a bath. So climbing a ladder to my bed is not an option and neither is a 30 inch by 30 inch standing shower. These work perfectly for people in good physical condition. I’m glad that now you can get small motor homes with two fixed single beds. Don’t have to convert the bed every day but still have place to sit on rainy days.

Good advice !! Well done you 😂😊 sooo, having dragged around caravans, that leaked, had indoor swimming facilities etc. interesting upholstery choices , made by a colourblind, clown….. and had a lot of laughs! . We decided on a motorhome. Firstly: you see one that seems to be a bargain, get to dealership, the one you came for is right at the back, so you walk past all the beautiful shiny ones, to the beaut you’ve set your heart on, and it has green stuff growing on it, and smells of piss and biscuits. It’s had twenty owners, and none of them were particularly house proud. Excellent plan dear dealers ! Because IMMEDIATELY, you decide to add £10k to budget, and look at shinier ones. So we bought a van. ( £20 k over budget…) there’s just 2 of us, it was grey and PURPLE… and like sitting on a very narrow tube train. Just sitting there, facing each other, on two purple, uncomfortable park benches. With the table installed, I had a sudden understanding of why kids shoved in ‘ high chairs’ suddenly loose the plot. This was followed by paying a twat £1000 a year to store it, panicking about it being insured for meteorite strikes…. And wondering how yer grandad would feel about having FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS standing on a bit of soggy tarmac 3 miles away from where you live! 😳 We sold it, Covid had made everyone think living in a tin box was a good idea, got allllll our money back ( that was a fluke! ) we spent less than half of that on older, simpler one, that isn’t run from an app on a phone, or require a phd in computer sciences…. It has knobs, and switches… that just click on or off when you poke them ! I was able to remove the strange smell, ( eventually) and managed to prise the dinner plate sized ‘barometer’ and matching clock with a crowbar off the walls! made new curtains, after removing the numerous dead flies…. And we Love love love it ! …. And can slouch and curl up …. All over the place! ( and have elbow room to hitch your pants back up in the loo! ) … as you say, it takes a while, it’s personal… but eventually, hopefully, you find the one for you and yours !! 😊😊

Excellent video with lots of sensible and thought provoking comments.👍🏻👌🏻

Knowing its just gonna be me and a dog, and I'm only 5'3 I really like the look of the vans that have little loft bed areas

Always great to hear from somebody who gives proper advice from experience. Great video. Just subscribed.

Been looking/reading everything for two-months for our first motorhome, however, your video made me think differently and l’m immensely grateful to you for sharing experience. What a breath of fresh air, you’re brilliant, subscribed with notifications, many thanks again. 😊❤

Thank you so much for this video. I have been looking at motor homes for the past 6 months. Isn't it nteresting that the first thing they show you is the storage! Sod the storage look at the bed scenario, it is the most important. I have changed my mind on the layout about 10 times already. My advise is not to rush into it. Yes you are also right about people saying you shouldn't buy this make or that. There has been a problem with Ford in the past and Fiat had a problem with the gear box etc etc. They are all out there on the roads so whatever it is is a personal choice. Thank you once again for this video it makes great sense to newbies like me!

Brilliant, like how you got your points over. Been looking at motorhomes for a while now, struggling to decide what exactly is important to us. You make a great point about expensive mistakes. We have had caravans with fixed and make up beds in the past and thought we wanted a fixed bed again, not so sure now. Thank you for making this, its really taxing the brain now 😂😂

Crystal clear. Thank you for your precious advices 😊

Thankyou for this. I am looking for my first (hopefully only!) MH and this info has really helped.

Thank you for the advice. I stay in Scotland and you have made me rethink the motorhome options I had been looking at. Cheers.

Great chat! As a couple who aren’t overly tall, we don’t have too much to worry about. We chose a panel van type with fixed bed and loads of storage underneath for gubbins, e-bikes etc. We’d love a rear lounge and wouldn’t mind making the bed but where would all the stuff go 😅? When I watch van vlogs I’m always looking for how they manage the storage problem.

Thanks so much. Off to look at some . Added thoughts much appreciated.

Viewed one with a drop down bed - so glad I watched this. I decided to go with a Vw camper converted T30 for now - solid as a rock! It cost a third of the price ! Thank you

Thank you for your help snd advice😊

I watch loads of these types of videos. Rarely do I see cascaded logic that does not have some sort of bias. Loved it and also liked you so well done

This is a brilliant video. I picked up lots of tips. Thanks so much.

Thankyou - practical, relevant advice! Well said!

Spot on. This is why we're doing our own panel van conversion. Fixed bed. Loads of storage, sofa/csptains seats for rainy days. You talk total sense 👏

I've got a small 1992 hymer put in a small wood burner...i love it it's brilliant...€ 12.000

Very good. Very useful. I have been hankering after one since we sold our caravan. The one thing, a big thing, that has put me off, is parking up when going out to visit places, do some shopping etc. That alone has put me off, so therefore Im out! We are now using places like Haven, did two last year, just one week booked for this year so far, but it’s worked for us fine. Really good video! Thanks for posting.

Thank you for this. Very good all bits of information are useful

All good advice, thank you 👍👍👍

Fantastic advice, thanks so much for sharing.

Great PRACTICAL content. Thanks.

Appreciate your sharing. After about a year of researching, we purchased a used camper van. It checked all the boxes of what we felt we needed. Our van is 22 feet, which in the US means we can park it in our driveway and don’t need to store it and we can use as a regular vehicle. Being a retired couple, I love the fact that we can go anywhere and we have our water closet on board and don’t HAVE to stop or pull over. We shopped for our house in the same manner. You seldom ever get a 100% what you WANT so it’s important to know what your priorities are for what you want. We love our camper van and keep it maintained especially because she’s an older model, 2009!

Great advice. We started with a brand new 6 berth (go large or go home approach) and found it a challenge to take to Scotland, The Lakes, The Peaks because it was just too big. We now have a self-converted SWB Vito and its perfect...for us.

Great video! Very useful. Thank you!!!

Thanks for this video

What a great video. You have opened my eyes

Hey… Thanks very much. That was very interesting sound advice 😊

What a brilliant video,very good advice,we have caravans for 30+years,and bought a new one in 2021, usual thing went to browse ended up buying,worse decision couldn't live with the small bathroom,end up taking it back a year later, didn't loose to much thankfully,so your advice is spot on,thanks for the video.

Good points you made, planning on a motorhome/ van and at age 61 had planned on a fixed bed, just spent a week in a caravan in Achmelvic and to be honest the rain shouldn’t keep you stuck in a van, be prepared, our national dress should be a goretex not a friggin kilt😄

Thank you, very informative. Just looking to buy our first motorhome so all advice more than welcome. Thanks again

Thank you for your candid review here, we've just bought a Bailey Autograph 79-4t, after looking at many for 3 years we kept coming back to this one, I like the separate bedroom, so don't have to look at the made beds, our lounge is wide and table stows in floor when need to relax, we've not even taken delivery yet but we did what you said and made everything up along with measuring every nook and cranny... 🤞👍

Excellent video,gave me some pointers,many thanks

Thanks for sharing your experience with your motorhome, we will be sure to test all the things we would need and use in our next motorhome, we didn't really know with the one we have because being first time motorhomers never had the advice given so thank you.

I appreciate this video because me and my wife are looking for a new motorhome. Very good advice.

Superb video,great points and advice too

An excellent video for anybody thinking of buying a motor home. A great watch.

Great advice. Very helpful. Cheers.

Good honest review.

The best vlog of buying a Motorhome I’ve seen. We bought a 20 year old Kontiki 660 with a fixed bed and a decent front lounge area. There are only the 2 of us and a small dog so it suits us. Thank you for sharing and being so thoughtful and helpful. Brilliant! 🤩

Many Thankx! Im going to live in one when I Buy it and Now I have to Truely consider all options!

Brilliant presentation , I've motor homeed 30 yrs . Your advice is spot on . Wish I'd known this 30 yr ago. I luv that people. E are now building their own custom vans. So easy to do , and cheaper . Thank for your advice which is spot on

That was a brilliant video. Thank you. Only thinking about camper vans/mobile homes. So very helpful. 👍👍

We are entire newbies & have just purchased our first Motorhome, we haven’t gone anywhere yet but found your video by chance & have subscribed & liked. So nice to be chatted to than talked at even with all your experience. Can’t wait to see more. Thanks for your time & happy travelling Julie & Jack 🫶🏼

Thank you. I'm right at the beginning. Your video has helped. Considerations, that will save both money and time. Nottingham.

Great advice. I'm in the middle of getting a motorhome so I'll take on board your advice. We're only going around UK.

Great watch mate, i am in the middle of looking for my first, an absolute head buster ( only because of the vast amount you are about to part with ) but good pointers to consider 👍

Thinking of buying a motor home,that was vert helpful thank you

Wise words and some good advice.

This is very informative thank you 🙏🏼 we are looking at selling our T5 swb as we want a fix bed & more space to ‘live in’ for us n the pooches so this really helps x

We bought a California when I retired. It is perfect for day trips holidays and every day use. It is a delight to drive and parking is very easy. We enjoy the freedom of having a small campervan.😊🚐🇩🇰

I had an Augusta, lounge at the front a separate two single bed bedroom for the kids, it was my 3rd but favourite motorhome!!

Thank you for this, we are looking for a van after camping for many years. I want the seating area for the reasons you’ve mentioned, been trying to explain this to hubby, he now gets it 😀

Brilliant Vlog I’m now a subscriber!

You have just talked me in to keeping my motor home. Ps I have had it for over 25 years and it still works great. Great vid👍

Great advice. I will be hiring a MH of the model I'm considering buying before I buy, for exactly the reasons you're covering here

Thank you, for your honesty, we are trying before we buy and renting. Worst van was one with bed coming down in the middle! Best is twin beds, good mattresses and if possible those rubber type springs under. Very handy if the twin beds can lift up in the middle and you can access cupboards easier. Must have windows that you can open each side. Usb sockets each side and place to put phone. 2 solar panels and a lithium battery. We had a van with electric stabilization rather than calles, that was great. Good heating, good insulation. An a store/awing. Cupboards that are rounded off, banging heads is horrible!

Fantastic advice 👍

Interesting subject with good helpful tips highlighted. There is never the perfect Motorhome/Campervan. In our humble experience, my Wife and i check-off the following considerations check list, as it works for us. The moral of the story, choose a vehicle that works for you and within your budget. 1. TOTAL BUDGET = Motorhome/Campervan (New/Used) + additional upgrades (Batteries/Solar Panels/Additional Cameras/Additional Lights/Spare Wheel, additional Awnings & Windbreaks, etc, etc) + equipment/kit to make it functional & workable (Levelling chocks for wheels, Gas bottles. bedding, plates/KFS, etc, etc) + yearly driving insurance (Where it is Parked/Stored, Size/Weight/Value of vehicle) + running costs (Yearly fuel used, servicing charges, tyre changes). 2. HOW IT IS USED = On or Off Campsites (Wild Camping), On tarmac roads or off on gravel tracks, fields, beaches, etc. 3. WHEN IT IS USED = Seasonal (Hot summer months - Air-con?) or all year round (Winter months in snow/ice - Winter Tyres or in heavy rain/high winds/storm chasing - Heating & Thermal vehicle insulation with a winter-pack/winterisation. 4. WHERE IT IS USED = UK, Southern Europe or Northern Europe or All of the three. 5. LAYOUT = Belted Seats (Just the 2 of us, or all the family), available beds (Just us/Family), Living space (Summer/Winter use, Dinner tables, seats), Storage (Requiring a Garage - Motorbikes/Electric folding Bikes/Bikes, Surf Boards, etc), Kitchen work area size (Cook in vehicle or rely on eating out/take-aways). 6. FEELING = Openness of layout or inclosed layout with feeling of space (Can/Cannot see from front to back inside the vehicle), colour scheme inside/outside. 7. SIZE = Campervan versus Motorhome (Width of roads travelled on & length + height of vehicle) & legality with drivers license to drive (Weight) 8. WARRANTIES & SERVICING = Manufactures (Vehicle & Habitation Area), duration, coverage of everything, nearest Dealership/Garage for servicing 9. SECURITY = How doors & windows lock (Double additional locks), tracker, alarms, immobilisers, internal/external cameras recording to a cloud storage on your phone, etc. 10. DURATION OF LIFESTYLE = How long you will do this for (Your Age/Young/Old/Love of lifestyle), how long till changing/renewing/updating the vehicle (Costs of old vehicle with repairs versus new, milage on the engine/gearbox). We have found this 10 point list helpful, yet it is still difficult to choose. We have also always hired different makes and models, as a way to confirm or discount certain vehicles before choosing our vehicle, which has saved us from making a wrong decision on a few occasion's. Best of luck & remember always use the 7x P's (Prior Planning, Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance!)

Great advice 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This has gave me a lot to think about as a possible first time buyer …cheers

Brilliant video ! Anyone buying a motor home for the 1st time should watch this.

Good advice.

Top man ...😊

Wish I had seen this 24 hrs ago. All good sound advice and very well put over! Hopefully my purchase works out for us but I do now have doubts 🙄🤔👍

A heartfelt rant about interesting choices.

Brilliant great advice 👏 thinking of buying a motor home definitely will take some of your advice

Had caravans, narrowboats, then motorhomes. Various combinations.....after a lot of experience we have settled for a t5 vw campervan and a caravan. Campervan for 1 possibly 2 nights and then vw towing a caravan for longer. Big motorhomes bring a multitude of problems.

Did that make me subscriber 1000, hope so, just found this by chance and really enjoyed it.

Well, that was a great use of 15 minutes thank you! So encouraging to see someone talking about their experiences and passing those on rather than saying you need this and your need that etc. We too were looking for a permanent bed, No. 1 on the list that was! Until we saw a few and then thought, do you know what, we could be spending a lot of time in here and it’s taking up almost half the space! Thank you! 😊

Great video well done 👍🏼

Thanks for your comments we are thinking about buying a motorhome so greener than green so any helpful hints are great 👍

Great advice, I've got a Bilbos 2013 VW T5.1 fixed hightop LWB camper which you can stand up in straight away from behind the front seats to the back where the built in toilet is. When I looked at Ford Transit equivalents I could only stand up fully under the roof light window. Ok the VW sides curve in more, but for me the VW fixed high top wins hands down.

Great informative video. I’m going to hire one first,to see what works for me.

Great information matey

Best advice I’ve ever been given before buying, It saved my bacon. Excellent.

Very useful thankyou

Good video.I’m sticking to my caravan.😊

Best advise is to rent a couple of different types to find out what suits you and your life style. Everyone wants something different.

Now that's what I call an imformative video .... great job mate .

Great advice from an honest person, well done matey. I’ve had three in the passed so I relate to what your talking about.

I agree about trying everything in the show room. We're in the process of buying our 3rd van and the salesman said he'd never seen customers be more thorough!

Great advice , you are correct about trying stuff out . A big problem with quality of fittings is weight and lightness , I had a canal boat , everything was built solid as no problem it weighs 18 Ton , a motor home and caravan has to be as light as possible hence the use of plastic and lightweight wood . Your advice will come in useful as we search .

Great video

Great advice

Great advice....we have been and are caravaners for the last 20 years and enjoy the fixed bed luxury experience. But....we have always wondered about motorhome life....we spent some time having a look around the specifications we thought we needed. So a few weeks ago we decided to rent one of a similar layout and size to the one we were interested in. It cost us £1200 for 2 weeks ( £800 for first week + £400 second week in October 2023). It turned out we couldn't complete our intended journey to the Highlands due to adverse weather, flooding and land slides. We only made it to Pitlochry and then scooted south to Hadrian's Wall...Lake District....Peak District then home. The motorhome performed admirably in getting us around and we were able to pull in to attractions and towns on the way to our next site due to only being 5.95m long....something that's not really possible with an SUV and a 7m caravan. Also going 200+ miles in a single hop is nothing at all in a motorhome, not that comfortable towing a caravan. So...what did we finally think? We will be getting a motorhome at some stage in the future....we now know what is PRACTICALLY important to us and have identified the actual motorhome we will be getting. We still have some areas we need to drop the caravan for a couple of weeks to explore the area via car ( mainly Devon/Cornwall)...but then it will be time to change to the motorhome. My advice would be to rent first even just a weekend will cost £300....a lot cheaper than buying the wrong motorhome which will cost you £5,000 minimum to change out!!.....I hope this helps.

Mate you are spot on with everything you said, I don't think there is the perfect motorhome, there will always be some compromise, it's just working out which ones you can live with👍

We have a fixed bed and although it does use up a lot of space we use the bed as part of our lounge. So if pouring down in rain we can chill out on the bed watching TV etc, plus we have3 a lot of storage space under the bed.

Thanks, great Vlog. We had a 7.5 MH with a lovely fixed bed /bedroom and a living area with a drop down double that we rarely used, you could also make up a single below, which was used once. The dogs liked that as they could jump into bed with the guest. Our MH with the fixed bed was our sanctuary, we loved it, it was relaxing. We had it for 9 years. Made lots of memories which ended last year due to picking up debris on the M6, which came through the floor, all 6 layers including two areas of insulation. We are staring our next adventures next month in a 6m panel van professional conversion with a unique design that gives us more floor space for the dogs etc. Not as luxury as our previous Chausson, but practical so let’s see how we go. Only 2seatbelts and 2 berth …. Plus 3 dogs 😂

Had a six berth originally which was great. Bunks at the back and overhead double which meant for the four of us the beds were always set up. Second Motorhome we went smaller because I decided to use it as my everyday vehicle too. So that had an over an bed and the table and chairs converted to a double. I loved that the table and chairs was right behind the drivers seat so the kids could talk to us in transit. I also had two extra seatbelts fitted so I could sit in the back and play games with the kids on long journeys. Had that for eight years. We sort of out grew the van as my son went off to high school, and now university, so we sold it. I’m actually thinking about getting one again in a few years as I miss it so much. Loved the convenience of our own toilet and kitchen while we were out. Being able to get changed if we got soaked. I always had it packed and ready to go. If we went somewhere we could always stop over if the weather turned for example. I would actually buy the same van again I think I loved it that much. 😊. Great advice from you re testing everything out. We basically winged it but touched lucky both times I think!😊

Had two motorhomes with fixed beds over a garage and now looking for our third with again fixed bed over garage . Always made sure enough payload and rear axle loading capability.. Used in the uk, all parts and all over europe and would not have the faff of making up beds. Drop down bed looses head room and a rooflight normally so that also a no no for us. As you say not all peoples needs the same but i always recommend fixed beds and have 6 sets of friends all with fixed beds and none would not not have them.

I have a caravan at the moment with a fixed bed and I am thinking of buying a motorhome next spring and getting rid of the caravan and I was thinking of getting a motorhome with a fixed bed until I just seen this video of yours and I 100% agree with you of what you said about fixed beds which I never thought of in that way before and you are right it takes up a lot of room and you only use it at night if you had long seat for settees whatever you want to call them you would be able to use them all day with a fixed bait you can't unless you want to lie down but my partner and I would never make the beds up because I think you can use them as to single beds and I know making that bears up can be a pain in the ass so now I am not looking for a motorhome with fixed bed I will be looking for one with a different layout so thank you for the video it was great and entertaining and some bloody good advice

After owning lots of caravans and campers we bought a new motorhome in early 21 and have to say it’s perfect for us. Facing settees in the lounge which convert into travel seats,drop down double above which doesn’t rattle. Drop down island bed in the rear over double his and hers sinks. Separate shower opposite toilet and nighttime basin. Huge garage, truma combi 6DE heater which is a game changer. Also have a VW T5 lwb with a pop top for going away to VW festivals. Retired early and loving life. Chausson 778 on a fiat Ducato cab. We are so lucky 👌🏽👌🏽😉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Tow a small car behind the motorhome on an A frame too so not stuck on site

This is great advice. I started with a tent, met the wife who also had a tent, we had a boy and a great dane, we got a big tent, we started buying camping kit to make it comfy but had no boot space to transport anything due to dog. Got a trailer, then got a trailer tent, then a caravan, tow car broke, needed something to hold us all plus an additional dog, couldn't find a big enough car and opted for a vwt6 camper, 4 berth, swivel seats, I'm 6feet 4 and 300lbs so the boy got the roof and wife and I squeezed onto rock n roll bed, Dane and other dog used floor and front seats. for longer trips we added an air hex awning, new dog was an escape artist, van didn't have hot water and wife didn't want to use more already limited space by carrying a cassette toilet so we had to use sites. No more wild camping. I used the vw as my daily driver but was getting fed up with long commutes in the underpowered van and wanted a car. The Dane had passed so I could use a normal estate but started looking at larger vans with hot water and toilets. Saw and fell in love with an Adria matrix 670slt (iirc and can't be bothered looking to check) salesman gave us an amazing deal on the vw (half way through lock down when folk couldn't go abroad but wanted to go on holiday). It's 7.5m 6berth. 2 single "hospital" beds for me and boy, drop down double for the wife (she occasionally takes a single and I use the double but I'm too big to share it), the lounge converts into a double but we haven't figured out the cushion jigsaw yet so the only thing that's slept there is the dog and he struggles as the drop down comes so low i wouldn't fit anyway. We've used it more in a year than I used the vw in 4yrs(camping). The big downside is the carry weight. 2 adults, child, dog, gas and water (120litre)and we are over weight, before adding bikes and everything else for a trip. Next test will be sleeping arrangements when mother in law joins us. She will need a single, wife in single, my in drop down doesn't leave room for boy who might need to use the cramped lounge area. Also there's no solar panel to trickle charge and no aircon for hot weather but we might add these which means even more over weight.