6m or 6.36m pvc?

[WESTY66]

Yes I'm talking about those made by the usual suspects, however even if you manage to stuff yours massively I suspect it still wouldn't match a good quality coachbuilt however I'm sure yours would be better than a lot of the ones that the small build PVCs producers do, even the expensive ones.

Which begs the question Mel, you’ve done enough homework on pvcs, which is the best insulated pvc? I think if I was going for one I’d go for a Malibu, but without the bog seats stuck on the sides

 

[WESTY66]

I’m gonna have to stop watching this vanlife s##t

 

[Northernraider]

Yes I'm talking about those made by the usual suspects, however even if you manage to stuff yours massively I suspect it still wouldn't match a good quality coachbuilt however I'm sure yours would be better than a lot of the ones that the small build PVCs producers do, even the expensive ones.

Ive not seen a coachbuilt or a class with 70mm thick walls or roof though ...the frankia was about 40mm the hymer 25mm ill be using 50mm insulation on walls and roof and 25 on floor sanwiched between 12mm sub floor and 12mm top floor so again near 50mm .it should be toasty. Especially with cab closed off which is where they all lose most of their insulation

 

[WESTY66]

Ive not seen a coachbuilt or a class with 70mm thick walls or roof though ...the frankia was about 40mm the hymer 25mm ill be using 50mm insulation on walls and roof and 25 on floor sanwiched between 12mm sub floor and 12mm top floor so again near 50mm .it should be toasty. Especially with cab closed off which is where they all lose most of their insulation

Ah but will it be as good as “Custard” from Kinging it fame

 

[Russell's Dad]

6'3 and fit in my Globescout transverse bed ( neat but comfy). The Globie was the only one out of about a dozen vans that I tried that I fitted in. It's 5.99 meters long, my Globie. It's great! Not without it's faults, but great.

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[Northernraider]

Ah but will it be as good as “Custard” from Kinging it fame

It will be 100 times better ....i don't know how any of these folk manage in these vans with all the single glazing ...thats why they had to redo it after a year as it had serious damp and mould problems

 

[WESTY66]

It will be 100 times better ....i don't know how any of these folk manage in these vans with all the single glazing ...thats why they had to redo it after a year as it had serious damp and mould problems

Yes I’d have gone the way of blocking the windows out, it’s still like a bus with all the heat loss, it’s not a bad bus inside but they’ve had help both labour wise and money wise I have concluded, but hey ho fair play, they’re out there doing it not sat at home looking at it like me at the moment

 

[iandsm]

Re length 6m/ 6.35
We've just downsized from a 7.41m Swift coachbuilt to a 6.35 PVC. I never bothered about driving a van the size it was but we wanted to get to smaller places etc.

The biggest surprise we've found ( its a 2 long bench seats at the back layout) that there is plenty of storage and just requires a few changes on some of the larger stuff ie we have a collapsible watering can instead of a 23l blue water container and a trolly, we have 2 expanding hoses instead of a large reel version, but on the whole we've not compromised much.

Another factor with a PVC is I don't carry a large box of straps, clamps, Gaffer tape and mini saws and waterproof sheeting that may be required if you have meeting with a wall or somebody hits you up the rear whilst abroad and you have to carry temporary repairs so that got rid of 2 plastic boxes right there.

I would also say that an underslung tank is pretty much a must as it frees up a large cupboard or under sink storage that gas bottles take up ie our kitchen has 4 drawers AND 2 large Cupboards more than in the coachbuilt, and we have 8 overhead lockers we had 5 in our old van.

But I suppose the biggest change has been has been visiting a place or event and parking at the venue something we didn't feel comfortable with a coachbuilt as it was larger and in a car park we worried about other parked cars and doors, people who do not RV have no idea how delicate a coachbuilt is compared to a car door. So we have found we are going places in it as a stop off on the journey which adds to things we can do on the trip not just when we get there. I also feel less tired when doing the same miles or can do more miles - as I think whilst not having an issue with the coachbuilt my brain was doing extra processes managing the overall physical envelope, in a PVC you are basically a large SUV plus a bit of length so you just drive rather than process so this has been great

I will say that we enjoy the extra 10 inches of length ( ooh Matron !!!!!) and don't find parking a problem - but 6m van would statistically fit onto 20% more car parks than we would but we fit in 75% more parking scenarios than a coachbuilt so were happy. ( an example is in the photo below we had to hang the back over the grass a 6 m would have just fit, so if the car park had walls instead of grass and kerb - we would have had to pass up on going to the museum in the van. ( cant post pic - i will solve that later

That has been our experience as well changing fro ma Rapido A class to the Warwick XL. We were concerned that storage would be a problem that that has not proved to be the case and it is easier to park.

 

[Lucky]

Possibly echoing comments by others but size matters.

Transverse beds might work for some, especially single travellers, but we found the climb over for a pee to be an absolute pain. If the PVC has side windows at the rear and blinds that come with them there's also the worry they'll get damaged if you kick them in your sleep. Suffice to say, if we bought another PVC it would need longitudinal beds, which more typically comes with the 6.4m body.

Next there's matter of loungjng space, which is often very limited in continental/ fixed rear bed layouts. What might seem fine when you perch at the half dinette in the showroom could prove less than ideal after a fortnight on tour.

Personally I think your choice should be driven by how much comfort you want. Bigger is better in my opinion, but I would say that after changing a 6m PVC for a 7.4m coach built...

 

[CazPaul]

No way Jose!!! We had a 7.24m coachbuilt and despite it being one of the narrower bodied ones the rear end swing was a nightmare at times as was trying to park it with its bum over in normal car park spots due to the longer wheelbase so it still stuck out a fair bit. We're 6.41m and don't have these issues.

Yes I agree there ours is 6.48 metres no way would I want an 8metre one again.

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[Guigsy]

I've gone from a 5.4m PVC with a rear transverse bed to a 6m a-class with a drop-down bed over the cab. We now have loads of room inside, it feels 3 times bigger. I've not had too many issues with the length. I don't have a car, so it's my only motorised transport. I don't need to use it much, but when I do, it's a lot harder to park. With the PVC, I could drive into most car parks (without a height barrier) and normally find somewhere to squeeze. The length and width were nearly car like. Not so much with a coachbuilt, it's rare you can squeeze between cars. And on-street parking, you stick out sideways a lot. Out on the roads, there's not much difference most of the time. But on narrow country lanes and passing parked cars, the extra 30cm of width is much more work.

 

[cyberyacht]

The turning circle on my 6.4 Carthago is slightly better than my previous 5.99 Marquis and both being slimline at 2.12 and 2.14 has made them reasonably nimble with no significant difference to a PVC apart from internal space.

 

[Coolcats]

At a lanky 6,1”, I wouldn’t expect to comfortably fit in a pvc transverse bed. An Adria Compact transverse possibly. Or should I be looking at longitudinal beds only for pvc’s and compact width vans? I expect the answer to this will help me decide on the 6m v 6.36m dilemma due to available layouts

At 6'2 I do fit in the transverse bed in the HymerCar I suspect the Adria would be similar, the HymerCar Mercedes have the side pods fitted which give more room for the transverse bed as they are a narrower van than the Fiat.

 

[Coolcats]

Possibly echoing comments by others but size matters.

Transverse beds might work for some, especially single travellers, but we found the climb over for a pee to be an absolute pain. If the PVC has side windows at the rear and blinds that come with them there's also the worry they'll get damaged if you kick them in your sleep. Suffice to say, if we bought another PVC it would need longitudinal beds, which more typically comes with the 6.4m body.

Next there's matter of loungjng space, which is often very limited in continental/ fixed rear bed layouts. What might seem fine when you perch at the half dinette in the showroom could prove less than ideal after a fortnight on tour.

Personally I think your choice should be driven by how much comfort you want. Bigger is better in my opinion, but I would say that after changing a 6m PVC for a 7.4m coach built...

Its an interesting dilemma, neither my wife or I have problems climbing over each other for some it may be and understand this, probably the biggest concern is if one is unwell when travelling there is no where else to sleep and that is where even for two people traveling a separate bed would be good.

 

[Grianan]

At a lanky 6,1”, I wouldn’t expect to comfortably fit in a pvc transverse bed. An Adria Compact transverse possibly. Or should I be looking at longitudinal beds only for pvc’s and compact width vans? I expect the answer to this will help me decide on the 6m v 6.36m dilemma due to available layouts

We had this problem as OH is 6’3. The 6m longitudinal beds weren’t long enough - the 6.4m longitudinal beds are - just. Another option is a low level fridge like the Globecar Campscout B - that would allow the person on the bed in the fridge side to stretch out over the fridge.

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