Motorhomes – A Wish List

Seems that the smaller motorhomes or campervans might have two or three belted seats for passengers whilst the larger campervans or mid sized motorhomes might have just have the two seats in the cab with the standard motorhome layouts might offer no seating for any travelling passengers in the rear.

A practical motorhome layout for me would have seating for travelling passengers and even though friends might not actually expect to be sleeping in the van, at least they could be transported if proper transverse seating with seatbelts is provided to carry the rear space passengers. Any vehicle that precluded passengers would have to be ruled by me as I could never be adamant I would never be carrying rear passengers. If I could be sure then it might be OK but I prefer to have that versatility built-in just in case. It could easily be the case that my partner would prefer to travel in the back for a while and for whatever the reason I just want that flexibility.

I might be an odd ball here, but I would like to see an option for a dedicated workstation as opposed to my having to use a laptop on the dining table, or god forbid, on my lap (don’t let my computer engineer see this). For me, In a practical motorhome somewhere dedicated, as a workspace would also allow me to leave things set up for a while rather than having to keep moving stuff around or packing it away. Out of site is out of mind, so I like to keep things where I can see them until things are sorted and then its good riddance. It’s probably OK if it’s just a couple of people travelling but if you were entertaining then it would be more of a problem and in any case you never know when someone might just turn up!

Another must have for me is a separate bedroom so that a bed could be kept made up rather than the continual “making and breaking down” of a bed-settee type of arrangement. OK that’s me with my Champagne Taste and Beer Money but wouldn’t it be better to allow some extra privacy, a place to retreat to or at least somewhere to sculk away when the mood takes you. OK, I know that the separate bedroom is already an option in a larger more expensive vehicle but as with my dedicated workstation I have said Wishlist! Did I say that my wishlist also lists the vehicle that fits on my driveway as well?

I like the “bad headache” design of the over cab single bed even though I only use it for a bed if necessary and prefer to keep it as a “chuck it up there” kind of space but another thing with the van converters and vehicles based on regular vans rather than coach built jobs is that they tend to have a large side sliding door that is kerbside on a right hooker built for and used in the UK. However and of course when touring on the European Mainland and further afield a LHD vehicle would be easier to drive and would then retain the kerbside rear access and egress. It would be your choice I guess and only you will know which would be most convenient to have. A Left Hooker in the UK is a bit of a pain to drive, on a regular basis but it would come into its own once you get the thing across the channel.

Now I don’t know if you’ve ever been alone in a vehicle and had to negotiate European Toll Booths and the like. In a right-hander, every time and on some motorway stretches they seem to come up every ten minutes or so, you’ve got secure the vehicle and then be nimble enough to scramble across the front seats, avoid crippling yourself on the gear shift and pay the toll or sort out the “whatever paperwork” and then re-organize everything and scramble safely back into the drivers seat and all in a timely manner and trying desperately not to get flustered. Don’t you just love them! But I can tell you it’s a lot easier if you are driving on the booth side OR don’t let your partner travel in the back like I said above.

Now I have never been a fan of auto gearboxes and in that respect, I am probably a bit of a Luddite and have always thought that auto boxes are thirsty and lacking in control. I recently used a LWB Mercedes Sprinter Van for some long distance removals and whilst the vehicle was fine in all respects I did find the manual gear change very heavy and reverse was a two handed affair that was not ideal and did not exactly inspire much confidence when in a tight spot. Perhaps I am just a bit girlie with my hands and upper body strength but I do now think that a more modern solution like a ComfortMatic might have been easier if it had been an option.

Images are courtesy of Murvi Motorcaravans – Plymouth – UK. For more information on their range of Motorhomes and Campervans Click – Murvi