Fixed double or two singles ?

The laird

The laird

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Looking for advice ,have you got experience/advice regarding what you feel is the best ie,double island bed or two singles with infill to make a double
Not interested in french bed
All replies greatly appreciated in advance
 
I have a Fixed transverse double bed over a large garage and suggest that it is the best use of space on a motorhome and this is whatI would want in my next new camper

Queen island or singles take up a lot of space so less room for living kitchen and bathroom space

Though the manufacturers have been dropping the transverse bed in recent years in favour of singles or queen island bed
 
Each to their own !

identical length Frankia’s have less internal furniture and seating on the single bed and island bed versions than the transverse double bed I know this as I cannot get the layout I want to replace what I have


Transverse double bed is the best use of space , it may not be the best layout for everyone but its what i want

But its obvious that manufacturers are dropping this layout as people are buying the singles or islands
 
Have to say I like a fixed double as I find it much more comfortable you have the advantage of one mattress instead of various cushions that almost fit together,and I guarantee you will always find the join always comes in an uncomfortable position, yes you can get over this with a topper but still a compromise.
 
Our 20+ year old 5.77 mtr has the option, but we prefer singles, and because Sue raunges about more than me, I have fabricated a slide out extension on her side, but there's still space to stagger to the loo without disturbing each other. The upshot of this is to go with what suits and if you are wealthy enough to be able to afford a new van, surely you are in the position of being able to dictate what kind of pit you want.
ps. Have you thought about a bunk on the roof? :p:eek:
 
oppy said:
Our 20+ year old 5.77 mtr has the option, but we prefer singles, and because Sue raunges about more than me, I have fabricated a slide out extension on her side, but there's still space to stagger to the loo without disturbing each other. The upshot of this is to go with what suits and if you are wealthy enough to be able to afford a new van, surely you are in the position of being able to dictate what kind of pit you want.
ps. Have you thought about a bunk on the roof? :p:eek:
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Peter you know how petite I am ,think I shall stop here?
 
Ours is an island bed. Chosen deliberately to avoid the climbing over in the night scenario. It also is at standard bed height which is at the expense of a high garage. We use folding bikes as a work around.

Of course the island bed means that 50% of the van is permanent bedroom which restricts the versatility of the van. We factored all of this into our choice. I suspect the single beds can be a bit restrictive too. Especially if they are high up in the rear of the van with limited headroom.

Davy
 
Based on your dislike of a French bed, it depends on whether either of you need to visit the loo at night, and whether you can scrabble over each other without waking your partner.

We have two singles. We both visit. Case closed. :) :) :)
 
We have the large double over the cab, we also have two bunk bed in the back over the smaller garage, we find its much more comfortable and warmer. Getting up in the night is never a problem as I get up so many times she just fits in when needed. The bunks are used as storage, two fold up bikes in the garage.
 
My self build has a 4ft fixed transverse in it's own partitioned room. Has around 1ft walk round space down each side & across the bottom. Wouldn't even consider a part time make up every night kind of bed, just too much fuss. My bus is a 5.5t men I've go & is 17ft from back of driving seat to rear doors. Bedroom is 6ft & table will take down to form an occasional single berth if needed. Would rather have more wheelbase than less bedroom!
 
HurricaneSmith said:
Based on your dislike of a French bed, it depends on whether either of you need to visit the loo at night, and whether you can scrabble over each other without waking your partner.

We have two singles. We both visit. Case closed. :) :) :)
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That's our reasoning too, for preferring two singles. Maybe it's an age thing ;):rolleyes::)
 
I was thinking two singles as I get up early due to body alarm and could leave the good lady catching beauty sleep even though she doesn’t need it and I can have a drink and take the dog out without disturbing her
 
A double is a proper bed,singles are a compromise,I have a small transverse double with inner sprung mattress and find it so much more comfy than my previous van with odd shaped thin foam squabs. I also find that a dedicated mattress is designed to "breathe" whereas foam on a solid base doesn't and over time can trap moisture and result in mould if not turned (some can't) and aired regularly.
 
Ideally I'd like each area of the van to take up space proportional to the amount of time spent in it each day. Therefore a small bathroom is ideal, as I spend about 10 minutes a day in there I don't want a huge bathroom taking up 20% of the living area. Considering you spend approximately a third of the day in bed, in a reasonable sized (say 6-6.5m) MH a transverse double bed would take up around a third of the total living space. On the other hand bed/s fitted lengthways will typically take up a greater proportion of the living area than you spend in it per 24 hours. I see lots of quite large MHs with massive bedrooms leaving only space for a poky little dinette at the front. Each to their own of course, but that's why my preference is for a fixed transverse bed and a decent sized lounge.
 
The laird said:
Looking for advice ,have you got experience/advice regarding what you feel is the best ie,double island bed or two singles with infill to make a double
Not interested in french bed
All replies greatly appreciated in advance
Click to expand...
Island double for us, transverse beds are ok until the one on the inside needs to get up in the night, then the trouble starts.
 
I pondered this for a good long time, Gordon.

Think singles might be a good way for you to go, maybe?
If you're happy driving much longer vans then you're kinda spoilt by choice! :)
My personal maximum length van is 24 feet (various logical/practical reasons and not because I can't or won't drive anything longer).

I'm currently only looking at vans that have pull down double over cab beds, like older Hymers, Pilotes and Laikas have.
But I'm not bothered about scrambling over Neil in the night to go to the loo, or vice versa ;)

Plenty of seating space is a bigger priority for me. If you get nice long bench seats/settees they also usually make up a single bed if required as a back up to the pull down cab bed from time to time - but I definitely don't want to go back to having to make up a bed out of seating every night as the only option!

PS. Unlike Shaun I would prefer a separate shower too, the older all-in-one 'wet room' type setup is not ideal, imho.
Fortunately there are a few vans around that fit that criteria :)
 
We have two singles and also an infill to make the bed a super king size, we tried it out as two singles first but have now opted to have it as one big bed, the only problem we find though is it is a lot harder to make the bed when we have laundered the bedding, it was a lot easier as two singles. I think I would prefer a queen size island bed with Rome to walk down both sides.
 
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