Hello Mike and Kirsty Your at our favourite site Pinewoods aren't you. Lovely layout just like our Autotrail apache 634u lowline, you know the one you reviewed and we brought one the day after, we had a Bolero before and couldn't live with the layout and the mechanical and electrical issues . We looked at motorhomes with ready-made beds and the compromise was the space, it takes 5 minutes to make up the pull out bed, we love the layout. Enjoy every moment in your new pride and joy and we're forever grateful for introducing us to Pinewoods. Love Paul and Alison
hi paul / alison , yes it was pinewoods ! they decided to open it for the winter all except the facilities, but through lack of bookings , they have now decided close it until march , we are loving the rear lounge layout it’s what we always wanted , and as you say not much effort to make up the beds , we are slowly getting used to it all , thanks for watching the video all the best mike & kirsty
I prefer motor homes with a ready made bed but this change from sofa to bed is the easiest I've seen so far on the videos I've seen. It's really good and I love the lounge. It's a difficult choice I'm gonna have to make when I can afford my own van. Nice video. Thanks for sharing 👍🏼
yes it’s actually quite easy to make up , a bit of getting used too but once you’ve mastered it , it really takes no time at all , thanks for watching the video much appreciated 👍
Brilliant tour as always Mike, really pleased for you both. Van looks lovely and actually very spacious - making beds is tedious after a while but it gives you so much more I think it’s well worth it. Enjoy 😉
thanks geoff hopefully we’ve made the right choice we are slowly getting used to it and i think it will do us fine , more to report as we go along , again , thanks for watching 👍 mike
Hi Mike and Kirsty. After seeing this vlog, I'll back track a bit.🤔 Like the layout, bit tight in the middle. With Kirsty on the wash room, just a matter of getting used too. As for making the bed up, no problem there we have always done that. Gives you more usable room. Lots of storage and well thought out. Think all 4 of you are going to enjoy it. Well done mucker and look after yourselves. Pete and Su.
hi pete & su yes we are definitely trying to stick to the one up one down rule in this van , it’s not as cramped as we’d first thought we seem to be managing well , so far so good 👍
thanks mik we needed something more manageable and manoeuvrable to enable us to get to those smaller more rural places , still getting used to it but we’ve made the right choice , thanks for watching the video 👍 mike & kirsty
Great looking van, the quality comes through very well in the video, lounge looks perfect for a wet afternoon. We are waiting for our pilote 626d in the new year, if we find it too fat the vantage is where we will look next, enjoy.
cheers david we are slowly getting used to it , easy to drive and minimal rattles compared to the bolero , hope you enjoy your new pilote when you get it thanks for watching the video
Hi Mike and Kirsty, I do hope you enjoy your new Vantage Neo, I know that the conversion is well made and the carpentry and woodwork is brilliant, I have a Vantage Vue, the same year as yours, mine being the centre lounge, a word of warning regarding keeping your bedding above the cab though, it's fine during the warmer weather, but if the weather is cold and your not using the van say during January to March it can promote mildew, I had a pillow stowed up there in mine and it ruined it. Anyway I hope you have some great outings you and the dogs. Cheers Alan.
hi alan , we are loving it , we looked at the vue model & were very impressed , we noticed the other night how cold the bedding was up there we thought it was wet ! thanks for the advice we may have to keep it elsewhere now , thanks for watching the video all the best mike & kirsty
Beautiful van, health to enjoy it & happy travels. Nice to see the dogs are settling in too, I'm sure Kirsty will soon have everything in order but make sure you get that "man drawer" Mike!
oh yes definitely not going to let her have her way with that drawer ! , i’ll slowly fill it up , yes dogs are getting used to as are we slowly but surely , think it will take time but hopefully we’ve made the right decision again , thanks for watching the video mike 👍
Lovely example of a cracking van, I think the plus points far outweigh any compromises. Great food prep area and, super relaxing space in the u shape lounge. We have to make our beds up every night but it soon became routine, and the one up/one down rule works for us! Thanks for the look around, and for the explanation for the change. You've done well I think :)
thanks rob it was a big decision and hopefully it was for the best , i feel like i’m driving a car compared to the last van , making the beds seems easy enough , we are slowly getting used to it again , thanks for watching all the best mike & kirsty
Hi Mike and Kirsty, Congratulations on the new van - it looks terrific, great quality and with lots of clever additional features we've not seen on motorhomes/campervans before. It looks as if it will give you great service and be a wee bit easier to use in narrow places. Enjoy it - we're looking forward to more vlogs from the new one ! Thanks for sharing. George and Trish - CaravanningMacs
hi george and trish , hope you are both well , yes we are still getting used to it but hopefully it was the right decision, we just want the ability to leave site and tour around knowing we can park almost anywhere , then return to our pitch , please accept my apologies ive just subscribed to your channel and thought i’d already had , but i hadn’t 😬 thanks for watching the video and commenting 👍😀 mike & kirsty
Looks like you had good reasons for a change and what a great choice you made😀. We are so looking forward to our 6 metre Consort van with its U shape rear lounge having previously had a fixed rear bed in a continental van. Just really envious you have your fabulous van already but really pleased for you👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Lots of common ground with our van conversion there Mike and Kirsty. Looks like you have most of the transition sorted. Love your van, it suits you and will definitely get down the little lanes 😃👍🏻🚐 Trev n Sue
it’s just what we wanted trev something more manageable and easier to manoeuvre with the ability to park almost anywhere , thanks for watching mike & kirsty 👍😀
We have recently bought an Autotrail 635 Sport which, as you know, has a very similar layout. We love the U-shaped lounge and the kitchen area is great too. However, like you, when we first bought the van we were always banging our heads when moving in and out of the cab area - got used to it now though - we'd rather have the storage area than the panoramic roof! No regrets - love the van conversion - in my opinion its much more versatile than a big coach built motorhome
hi john yes the 635 sport was the other one we really liked , same layout etc , we are still getting used to it but glad we made the decision, we are looking forward to getting to some more smaller rural locations now and having the ability to park almost anywhere , thanks for watching the video and commenting all the best mike
Had never heard of that conversion until now and what a conversion, looks absolutely fantastic great storage and the rear lounge would be a great place to spend time in, your slight concern in regards space I think I told you this before do as I do, let the other half pack it then take 50% out it works perfect, once again great looking moho. Oh on a vlog you done a while back you showed a 500w small radiator you use , well I bought that exact one and i just used it in Scotland the last week in October and it worked a treat.
yes i remember what you said and she’s still in the process of packing it , and i’m still in the process of removing it 😂😂👍 that’s handy you bought that radiator we use ours when it’s gets below zero at night and works a treat and takes up no space , thanks again Stephen for watching and commenting on the video 👍
Very nice van. Personally I love this layout. I'm getting my first Van conversion in 4 weeks time from Autotrail. Been waiting a while for this. It's only the 6m van on the new Ducato version 8 chassis not a wrap at the back but 2 long 1.91 metre beds or one very big double so no transverse sleeping in a ball. I'm sure you will love it more every trip and be happier with the manoeuvrability and ease of parking even in a supermarket. Looking forward to seeing how you get on.
thanks andrew yes i’m familiar with the layout you are getting with the long bench seats and you can use the back doors aswell as the sliding door which is a bonus , a great choice , yes we are definitely looking forward to being able to park in most places now 😀👍 thanks for watching the video
Lovely van,bet less stressful to get about in. We've just downsized from a 6m ducato to a 5.4m...just hope we haven't shrunk too much,to be fair it's the width more than the length that makes for an easier drive.Enjoy.
thanks guys yes much easier to manage than the 8m swift , we did consider a 6m van conversion but would have been too much of a jump i think , although we are now getting used to the 6.4m one and enjoying it , in your new one you can literally park up anywhere ! totally agree with the width , that’s what i’m noticing the most , no more holding my breath to oncoming traffic on narrow lanes , thanks for watching the video all the best mike & kirsty
We all have to make compromises, you don’t have to make the beds up as you’ve been used to singles, can understand your reasons totally , East Anglia has an abundance of park ups which you can try (park4night will be your favourite) Good luck in your future travels & yes we’ll wave if we see you 👋👋😊
yes definitely some compromises we’ve had a look at park4night there seems to be some decent looking park ups around , again , thanks for watching the video mike 👍
A really lovely van ,I think you both made a good choice. Kirsty is right when she said the whole van is being used, to my mind fixed beds or bed is dead space two thirds of the day . The compromises you’ve made seem very small compared to the benefits you are going to have . So glad you’ve had the fish and chips,just to christen it , made me chuckle. Now for the rack for the ET a bike 👍Good video , thanks . 🚐👍
yes eric now for the bike rack , couldn’t believe the price of them new 😂 , but we definitely need one , can’t not have fish n chip videos ! ET is looking all sad at the moment unused in the garage waiting for the next run 😂👍 thanks for watching the video mike & kirsty
We changed from a 7.4 Mir Bailey to a ih Nclass 630RL in 2017 and have never looked back , as you say once you get a system going it all works well , we think its more of an adventure going away in this van the others were just hard work , we use a collapsible canvas bin with a plastic bag liner, we soon got use to not bumping our heads , good luck , just relax
thanks graham it’s always interesting hearing from other people that have done the same as us & as you know it’s a huge decision but it was necessary one , we are still getting used to it but loving the fact that we can now almost fit in any parking space and no more worrying about a huge overhang on the bolero , we also love the ih but like vantage , hardly ever see used ones for sale thanks for watching the video and commenting 👍 mike
Hi Mike and Kirsty Your new motorhome is really lovely and I’m so pleased for you both . We put our bin between the front seats and when we travel it sits in the shower tray . I see lots of similarities between your new moho and ours :0)
thanks sue i think that’s a good idea and where it will end up going , we love our rear lounge as you do too it’s perfect and it’s so easy to drive 😀 hope you are both well take care mike & kirsty
Lovely van - can’t wait for my new van with u-shape rear lounge. My last van (Adria - just gone yesterday) had panoramic roof over the cab, so I may also need to invest in a hard hat for the cab area🤪
i do like the adria’s , lovley looking vans with that panoramic roof , apart from the head banging in ours the over cab storage is perfect and takes quite a bit in there , hard hat definitely recommend 😂😂👍
Yes, I struggle with cleaning the Kon-Tiki and the shape of the kitchen. The table is a pain too. We're not ready for down sizing yet, but we'd definitely look at rear lounges. Ironically a lot of the Bailey appeals to us, apart from the drop down bed. We will be doing a two year review soon.
we still need to watch your bailey series yet bob we’ve got a lot of catching up to do , we just needed something more manageable , the rear lounge is ideal for us , compact yes but still roomy if that makes sense , 2 years in the kontiki?? where’s that gone!!
lovely van, great thing with the compressor fridges they can work at a lot higher ambient temperature which is great when in Spain, no more removing fridge grills to try a cool the rear fins down on the evaporator fridges. Also you can leave them running when on a ferry. Only down side is the power they pull on your battery.
cheers mate yeah i remember seeing your video a while back in your old van in spain trying to keep the fridge cool with those computer fans , good idea really
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel That was long time ago. Still waiting to get back to Spain, Hoping next year we will be able to travel more easily through Europe
Lovely van. The U shape lounge is on our radar when we eventually change, we liked the Devon Aztec? you reviewed a bit ago but also the Vantage Eos was a nice van when we saw one earlier this year. Thanks for showing us round 👍
cheers guys yes the U shape bit is ideal for one of the dogs to lay on , the aztec was the other contender i’d forgot to mention but none about used , ours is 4 years old but luckily it was looked after well , was the eos like the aztec with the large boot ? same layout i think cheers guys👍
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel Eos doesn’t have the larder but has a big shelf behind the u shape and a bit more room in the boot (very similar to the Devon I think)
That is a really lovely van and your fridge is so much better than Madge’s. I love the rear lounge (Madge has a rear lounge but the seats are much shorter). The kitchen worktop space is making me green with envy 😂. Sadly it is not suitable for us as we like having 4 belted seats for day trips or holidays with our family. (We have an air awning with 2 double bedroom annexes for our grown up children and partners). We call the man cupboard “The really useful drawer” we also have one in the house where Steve puts his stuff. I bought 2 big cooler seats over 15 years ago when we were still tent camping. I paid £9.99 each and Steve thought we would never use them. We take them on every holiday. They are a seat with a cooler lining that collapse. We use them to carry things into Madge each 2ltr bottles of pop and they go behind the drivers seat until we arrive on a site. We then use them as our bins normal and recycling. We store them between the driver and passenger seat so as not to trip over them. We sit on them when we use the tapenyaki or BBQ. As I have arthritis I also use them with my camping chair as a footstool. Take care Gill
hi gill hopefully the drawer will soon become the man drawer 😂 , yes the kitchen top space is handy and even bigger than our coachbuilt so that was a bonus , forgive me i’ve forgotten what van madge is ? i’m sure you told me ages ago
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel Hi I’ve just edited my previous message as I forget to tell you what we use as a bin. We have a Majestic 135 on a 17 plate. Gill
yes we love it , it seems to have enough storage if you can manage without all the stuff you think you need like we did , and don’t need , thanks for watching the video 👍
Great van folks hope it works out well for you both. Me and my better half are thinking of doing the same but we are going to wait until Europe opens up more freely and this crappy covid buggers off well easy's off then we will make the move. Great video keep them coming 👍👍👍
Thanks yes we feel the same with regards to Europe at the moment , don’t like all this testing feel like a lab rat , but once it all gets back to some form of normality we’d like to hopefully get over there in the smaller van and sample some small rural sites or stopovers Thanks for watching the video 👍😃
It's an excellent Motorhome. I love the 'U'shaped lounge wish we had that. Not so keen on the bathroom area being in the middle but guessing that's a compromise for having a bigger lounge area. I'm looking forward to see you both on your travels. Would you now consider getting an awning just to give you extra space? Wish you lots of fun and enjoyable memories. Take care Wend and Rog.
hi wend / rog , yes always a compromise no matter what layout , we have been looking at drive away awnings and utility tents and can’t decide which way to go , the tent to chuck odds and sods in or the full awning as extra living space , thanks for watching the video and commenting and hopefully we’ll have lots more content to bring you from the new van all the best mike & kirsty
Not all about size 😆 lovely van I’m sure you will both settle soon enough . Fixed bed is a waste of usable daytime space so in a way you have more room 👍🏼 happy camping 🚐🥂
😂 cheers darren yeah we are slowly getting used to it but we appreciate the fact that we can now get to smaller more rural locations without me stressing ! all the best mate mike & kirsty
haha yes a man drawer it will be ! the aztec was the other contender as you knew , but i got brain freeze when i was saying it on camera and forgot to mention it !
Great van you were lucky to find one .I also have a van conversion and would not swap it for anything so practical and economical, the more space you have the more rubbish you take. I am sure you won’t go back to coach built, personally don’t understand all the fuss about making up the bed only takes a couple of minutes Only downside you do keep banging your head in cab I would advise a little more padding required 😀I am a baldy so even worse for me . Will watch your future videos with great interest, Enjoy.
thanks chris yes it was a big decision but we are glad we finally did it , we are carrying a lot less & still getting used to it and somebody who lives in theirs full time said if you don’t need anything after 3 weeks then you don’t need it at all , so true , we are looking forward to getting to more rural sites now and being able to park almost anywhere ! 😀 thanks for watching the video and commenting all the best mike 👍
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel Strange exactly what we do , where as we always used to use club sites we now rarely do , much preferring to use smaller sites or wild camping.
Nice one, good honest review/content. We downsized last month to a Warwick XL for pretty much the same reasons. The slightly narrower van makes it far less stressful on smaller roads. Rear lounge is great. We considered Autotrail 636 Sport and Wildax. So far, loving it. I hope you have many more exciting adventures 🙂
we looked at the warwick xl and love them , but none around that were a few years old to suit our budget , all new or a year old , lovely vans love the decor in them and the dark flush windows , great choice glad you are enjoying it again, thanks for watching the video 👍
We've been waiting for your review so thank you! It's very helpful! Beautiful Van hope you enjoy it. We have it down to two contenders. This one the Neo and the wildax Europa. We'll hopefully decide once we've been to the NEC in Feb. Can we ask what was your final deciding factor between the two? Cheers Gary and Lynzie 👍🏻
hi guys well first it was the fact that a used van came up as we couldn’t afford new and the others were new ones but the wildax europa ( the citoren / fiat based europa ) has the huge fridge and a window in the bathroom which we loved , but the downside for us was it has a floating wardrobe on the drivers side rear of the van which stuck out a bit far but other than that we love it , it was only because a used vantage came up really that made it the decider 👍
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel it’s such a close call between the two vans. Think we’d be happy with either one like yourselves. Enjoy your travels and looking forward to seeing your next video. Take care 👍🏻
When is Kirsty having her van Mike that van is full of your stuff ha ha spare shoes, camera equipment, mans draw tut tut, ha ha ha poor Kirsty Fair play plenty of storage tho x
hahaha 🤣, very funny chrissey , i won’t get the man drawer but it was worth a try tho 😂 , yes not bad storage but it soon gets filled , thanks for watching again
iv had my autocruise vista for a few years know and dont think ill go bigger, its perfect for parking around towns so we are never restricted to camp sites.
Hi yes we have a large fleece throw we lay on top of , then a thin single duvet each & that’s it , very quick to make it up & all stored above the cab , we set the thermostat to about 18 and usually find that’s plenty enough to keep warm , back doors are fully insulated with vantage vans & we’ve never been cold
Nice van. Unless you have a custom built van (& you’d need a lottery win for that) there will always be something you’d change - even then bet you’d fine something that could’ve been done better 🙂
thanks john yes we’ll hopefully start some wild camping in the new year we’ve downloaded the park4night app and seems very interesting, thanks for watching the video and commenting 👍😀
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel as you said, there’s no wasted space. I’ve always steered away from separate lounge/bedroom as you can only be in one place at a time. Would be good to catch up with you sometime to compare notes. As you may know we are in Felixstowe and my motorhome is adapted for my wheelchair
@@RohanTheBT yes i remember you saying a while back, we are not too far from felixstowe about an hour , no doubt we’ll bump into each other at some stage and have a chat
The person who owned vantage sold the company and he now he has started another can't think of the name but thay are very similar did think about one but the wife chose to have one converted by nu venture to our spec
yes your thinking of consort motorhomes , same guy same vans pretty much , nu venture are brilliant converters i’ve heard lots of good stuff about them 👍
Hello Mike and Kirsty
Your at our favourite site Pinewoods aren't you.
Lovely layout just like our Autotrail apache 634u lowline, you know the one you reviewed and we brought one the day after, we had a Bolero before and couldn't live with the layout and the mechanical and electrical issues .
We looked at motorhomes with ready-made beds and the compromise was the space, it takes 5 minutes to make up the pull out bed, we love the layout.
Enjoy every moment in your new pride and joy and we're forever grateful for introducing us to Pinewoods.
Love
Paul and Alison
hi paul / alison , yes it was pinewoods ! they decided to open it for the winter all except the facilities, but through lack of bookings , they have now decided close it until march , we are loving the rear lounge layout it’s what we always wanted , and as you say not much effort to make up the beds , we are slowly getting used to it all ,
thanks for watching the video
all the best
mike & kirsty
I prefer motor homes with a ready made bed but this change from sofa to bed is the easiest I've seen so far on the videos I've seen. It's really good and I love the lounge. It's a difficult choice I'm gonna have to make when I can afford my own van. Nice video. Thanks for sharing 👍🏼
yes it’s actually quite easy to make up , a bit of getting used too but once you’ve mastered it , it really takes no time at all , thanks for watching the video
much appreciated 👍
I like the storage in the van
Brilliant tour as always Mike, really pleased for you both. Van looks lovely and actually very spacious - making beds is tedious after a while but it gives you so much more I think it’s well worth it. Enjoy 😉
thanks geoff hopefully we’ve made the right choice we are slowly getting used to it and i think it will do us fine , more to report as we go along , again , thanks for watching 👍
mike
Hi Mike and Kirsty, a great tour of your new van. It’s really lovely, will enjoy watching your next travels x
thanks julie , still getting used to the size difference , take care
mike & kirsty
Great looking motorhome, hope you enjoy it as much as your last one.👍
thanks yes we really hope we get on with it , A big difference, but we are slowly adjusting, thanks for watching, much appreciated 👍
Absolutely gorgeous! Love the rear lounge xx Enjoy xx
thanks michelle yes it’s nice to finally have a rear lounge , thanks for watching the video 👍😀
Hi Mike and Kirsty.
After seeing this vlog, I'll back track a bit.🤔
Like the layout, bit tight in the middle. With Kirsty on the wash room, just a matter of getting used too.
As for making the bed up, no problem there we have always done that. Gives you more usable room.
Lots of storage and well thought out.
Think all 4 of you are going to enjoy it.
Well done mucker and look after yourselves.
Pete and Su.
hi pete & su yes we are definitely trying to stick to the one up one down rule in this van , it’s not as cramped as we’d first thought we seem to be managing well , so far so good 👍
Another awesome piece of footage
What a superb video Mike, an impressive van with very little space unused, be fine when everything is in the correct place for you.
thanks mik we needed something more manageable and manoeuvrable to enable us to get to those smaller more rural places , still getting used to it but we’ve made the right choice , thanks for watching the video 👍
mike &
kirsty
Lovely van, thanks for sharing - hope you have many happy trips
thank you shirley
That's a really nice van! 🤩 💯 We wish you many happy adventures! 😁👌
thanks guys much appreciated, we are slowly getting used to it , taking a while though 😂 , thanks for watching the video 👍😀
Great looking van, the quality comes through very well in the video, lounge looks perfect for a wet afternoon. We are waiting for our pilote 626d in the new year, if we find it too fat the vantage is where we will look next, enjoy.
cheers david we are slowly getting used to it , easy to drive and minimal rattles compared to the bolero , hope you enjoy your new pilote when you get it
thanks for watching the video
Lovely new home. Health to enjoy 😉👍
thank you 👍😀
A nice van and I can understand you not being at ease driving that great big Motorhome, we are looking forward to our new V line 610 Sport Automatic
nice one bet you can’t wait , 2 long rear bench seats in a 6M van , great choice , hope you enjoy it , happy camping 👍
all the best
mike
Looks like a great van. Hope you enjoy lots of adventures in it.
thanks jo & thanks for watching the video
Hi Mike and Kirsty, I do hope you enjoy your new Vantage Neo, I know that the conversion is well made and the carpentry and woodwork is brilliant, I have a Vantage Vue, the same year as yours, mine being the centre lounge, a word of warning regarding keeping your bedding above the cab though, it's fine during the warmer weather, but if the weather is cold and your not using the van say during January to March it can promote mildew, I had a pillow stowed up there in mine and it ruined it. Anyway I hope you have some great outings you and the dogs. Cheers Alan.
hi alan , we are loving it , we looked at the vue model & were very impressed , we noticed the other night how cold the bedding was up there we thought it was wet ! thanks for the advice we may have to keep it elsewhere now , thanks for watching the video
all the best
mike & kirsty
Beautiful van, health to enjoy it & happy travels. Nice to see the dogs are settling in too, I'm sure Kirsty will soon have everything in order but make sure you get that "man drawer" Mike!
oh yes definitely not going to let her have her way with that drawer ! , i’ll slowly fill it up , yes dogs are getting used to as are we slowly but surely , think it will take time but hopefully we’ve made the right decision
again , thanks for watching the video
mike 👍
Excellent van, happy travels
thanks jane
Lovely example of a cracking van, I think the plus points far outweigh any compromises. Great food prep area and, super relaxing space in the u shape lounge.
We have to make our beds up every night but it soon became routine, and the one up/one down rule works for us!
Thanks for the look around, and for the explanation for the change. You've done well I think :)
thanks rob it was a big decision and hopefully it was for the best , i feel like i’m driving a car compared to the last van , making the beds seems easy enough , we are slowly getting used to it
again , thanks for watching
all the best
mike & kirsty
Very nice van, great condition, like the layout 👍
thanks andrew we love it but slowly getting used to the smaller space 👍
Hi Mike and Kirsty, Congratulations on the new van - it looks terrific, great quality and with lots of clever additional features we've not seen on motorhomes/campervans before. It looks as if it will give you great service and be a wee bit easier to use in narrow places. Enjoy it - we're looking forward to more vlogs from the new one ! Thanks for sharing. George and Trish - CaravanningMacs
hi george and trish , hope you are both well , yes we are still getting used to it but hopefully it was the right decision, we just want the ability to leave site and tour around knowing we can park almost anywhere , then return to our pitch , please accept my apologies ive just subscribed to your channel and thought i’d already had , but i hadn’t 😬
thanks for watching the video and commenting 👍😀
mike & kirsty
Hi. Thanks for your message - much appreciated. Looking forward to following the new adventures 1@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel
First time we have watched, enjoyed your "Honest" appraisal.
thanks and thank you for watching the video 👍
Great looking van, hope you enjoy 😀
thanks richard we are slowly getting used to it 😀
Looks like you had good reasons for a change and what a great choice you made😀. We are so looking forward to our 6 metre Consort van with its U shape rear lounge having previously had a fixed rear bed in a continental van. Just really envious you have your fabulous van already but really pleased for you👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
thanks yes the lounge is brilliant, nice and open with plenty of room , bed making is pretty simple 👍😀
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel 👍🏽we have a Hallbar bin from IKEA with a lid and move it around the van. Cheap n cheerful🙂
thanks for letting me know i’ll take a look
Lovely van Mike! Nice rear seating area for chilling. You will get into our passing places in Scotland now!! lol 😂👍 Graeme
yes graeme exactly what we plan to do now get back up to Scotland 🏴, wish we had those passing places down here !
Lots of common ground with our van conversion there Mike and Kirsty. Looks like you have most of the transition sorted. Love your van, it suits you and will definitely get down the little lanes 😃👍🏻🚐 Trev n Sue
it’s just what we wanted trev something more manageable and easier to manoeuvre with the ability to park almost anywhere , thanks for watching
mike & kirsty 👍😀
We have recently bought an Autotrail 635 Sport which, as you know, has a very similar layout. We love the U-shaped lounge and the kitchen area is great too. However, like you, when we first bought the van we were always banging our heads when moving in and out of the cab area - got used to it now though - we'd rather have the storage area than the panoramic roof! No regrets - love the van conversion - in my opinion its much more versatile than a big coach built motorhome
hi john yes the 635 sport was the other one we really liked , same layout etc , we are still getting used to it but glad we made the decision, we are looking forward to getting to some more smaller rural locations now and having the ability to park almost anywhere , thanks for watching the video and commenting
all the best
mike
Had never heard of that conversion until now and what a conversion, looks absolutely fantastic great storage and the rear lounge would be a great place to spend time in, your slight concern in regards space I think I told you this before do as I do, let the other half pack it then take 50% out it works perfect, once again great looking moho. Oh on a vlog you done a while back you showed a 500w small radiator you use , well I bought that exact one and i just used it in Scotland the last week in October and it worked a treat.
yes i remember what you said and she’s still in the process of packing it , and i’m still in the process of removing it 😂😂👍
that’s handy you bought that radiator we use ours when it’s gets below zero at night and works a treat and takes up no space , thanks again Stephen for watching and commenting on the video 👍
Very nice van. Personally I love this layout.
I'm getting my first Van conversion in 4 weeks time from Autotrail. Been waiting a while for this.
It's only the 6m van on the new Ducato version 8 chassis not a wrap at the back but 2 long 1.91 metre beds or one very big double so no transverse sleeping in a ball.
I'm sure you will love it more every trip and be happier with the manoeuvrability and ease of parking even in a supermarket.
Looking forward to seeing how you get on.
thanks andrew yes i’m familiar with the layout you are getting with the long bench seats and you can use the back doors aswell as the sliding door which is a bonus , a great choice , yes we are definitely looking forward to being able to park in most places now 😀👍
thanks for watching the video
Looks lovely 👍🏻👍🏻
cheers gary 👍👍
Lovely van,bet less stressful to get about in.
We've just downsized from a 6m ducato to a 5.4m...just hope we haven't shrunk too much,to be fair it's the width more than the length that makes for an easier drive.Enjoy.
thanks guys yes much easier to manage than the 8m swift , we did consider a 6m van conversion but would have been too much of a jump i think , although we are now getting used to the 6.4m one and enjoying it , in your new one you can literally park up anywhere ! totally agree with the width , that’s what i’m noticing the most , no more holding my breath to oncoming traffic on narrow lanes , thanks for watching the video
all the best
mike & kirsty
Looks amazing you two, big difference but it ticks all the boxes for you both.happy holidays 👍
thanks, getting used to it slowly but i’m sure we made the right decision, thanks for watching the video 👍
Good vlog, enjoyed it.
thank you
We all have to make compromises, you don’t have to make the beds up as you’ve been used to singles, can understand your reasons totally , East Anglia has an abundance of park ups which you can try (park4night will be your favourite) Good luck in your future travels & yes we’ll wave if we see you 👋👋😊
yes definitely some compromises we’ve had a look at park4night there seems to be some decent looking park ups around , again , thanks for watching the video
mike 👍
A really lovely van ,I think you both made a good choice. Kirsty is right when she said the whole van is being used, to my mind fixed beds or bed is dead space two thirds of the day . The compromises you’ve made seem very small compared to the benefits you are going to have . So glad you’ve had the fish and chips,just to christen it , made me chuckle. Now for the rack for the ET a bike 👍Good video , thanks . 🚐👍
yes eric now for the bike rack , couldn’t believe the price of them new 😂 , but we definitely need one , can’t not have fish n chip videos ! ET is looking all sad at the moment unused in the garage waiting for the next run 😂👍 thanks for watching the video
mike & kirsty
We changed from a 7.4 Mir Bailey to a ih Nclass 630RL in 2017 and have never looked back , as you say once you get a system going it all works well , we think its more of an adventure going away in this van the others were just hard work , we use a collapsible canvas bin with a plastic bag liner, we soon got use to not bumping our heads , good luck , just relax
thanks graham it’s always interesting hearing from other people that have done the same as us & as you know it’s a huge decision but it was necessary one , we are still getting used to it but loving the fact that we can now almost fit in any parking space and no more worrying about a huge overhang on the bolero , we also love the ih but like vantage , hardly ever see used ones for sale
thanks for watching the video and commenting 👍
mike
Hi Mike and Kirsty
Your new motorhome is really lovely and I’m so pleased for you both . We put our bin between the front seats and when we travel it sits in the shower tray . I see lots of similarities between your new moho and ours :0)
thanks sue i think that’s a good idea and where it will end up going , we love our rear lounge as you do too it’s perfect and it’s so easy to drive 😀 hope you are both well take care
mike & kirsty
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel thank you Mike and Kirsty . You both take care too :0)
Absolutely beautiful ❤️ ❤️ xx
thank you
That’s a nice van good choice
thanks very much
Lovely van - can’t wait for my new van with u-shape rear lounge. My last van (Adria - just gone yesterday) had panoramic roof over the cab, so I may also need to invest in a hard hat for the cab area🤪
i do like the adria’s , lovley looking vans with that panoramic roof , apart from the head banging in ours the over cab storage is perfect and takes quite a bit in there , hard hat definitely recommend 😂😂👍
Yes, I struggle with cleaning the Kon-Tiki and the shape of the kitchen. The table is a pain too. We're not ready for down sizing yet, but we'd definitely look at rear lounges. Ironically a lot of the Bailey appeals to us, apart from the drop down bed. We will be doing a two year review soon.
we still need to watch your bailey series yet bob we’ve got a lot of catching up to do , we just needed something more manageable , the rear lounge is ideal for us , compact yes but still roomy if that makes sense , 2 years in the kontiki?? where’s that gone!!
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel one year seemed to be in Lockdown!
lovely van, great thing with the compressor fridges they can work at a lot higher ambient temperature which is great when in Spain, no more removing fridge grills to try a cool the rear fins down on the evaporator fridges. Also you can leave them running when on a ferry. Only down side is the power they pull on your battery.
cheers mate yeah i remember seeing your video a while back in your old van in spain trying to keep the fridge cool with those computer fans , good idea really
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel That was long time ago. Still waiting to get back to Spain, Hoping next year we will be able to travel more easily through Europe
Lovely van. The U shape lounge is on our radar when we eventually change, we liked the Devon Aztec? you reviewed a bit ago but also the Vantage Eos was a nice van when we saw one earlier this year. Thanks for showing us round 👍
cheers guys yes the U shape bit is ideal for one of the dogs to lay on , the aztec was the other contender i’d forgot to mention but none about used , ours is 4 years old but luckily it was looked after well , was the eos like the aztec with the large boot ? same layout i think
cheers guys👍
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel Eos doesn’t have the larder but has a big shelf behind the u shape and a bit more room in the boot (very similar to the Devon I think)
Lovely van, congrats, enjoy 😉
thank you
That is a really lovely van and your fridge is so much better than Madge’s. I love the rear lounge (Madge has a rear lounge but the seats are much shorter). The kitchen worktop space is making me green with envy 😂. Sadly it is not suitable for us as we like having 4 belted seats for day trips or holidays with our family. (We have an air awning with 2 double bedroom annexes for our grown up children and partners). We call the man cupboard “The really useful drawer” we also have one in the house where Steve puts his stuff. I bought 2 big cooler seats over 15 years ago when we were still tent camping. I paid £9.99 each and Steve thought we would never use them. We take them on every holiday. They are a seat with a cooler lining that collapse. We use them to carry things into Madge each 2ltr bottles of pop and they go behind the drivers seat until we arrive on a site. We then use them as our bins normal and recycling. We store them between the driver and passenger seat so as not to trip over them. We sit on them when we use the tapenyaki or BBQ. As I have arthritis I also use them with my camping chair as a footstool. Take care Gill
hi gill hopefully the drawer will soon become the man drawer 😂 , yes the kitchen top space is handy and even bigger than our coachbuilt so that was a bonus , forgive me i’ve forgotten what van madge is ? i’m sure you told me ages ago
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel Hi I’ve just edited my previous message as I forget to tell you what we use as a bin. We have a Majestic 135 on a 17 plate. Gill
That does seem like a very well laid out van. I rather like it 👍
thanks alex feels a bit strange at the mo but slowly getting used to it 👍
That van has a lot going for it, I like it. 👍. I’m looking to trade the caravan in for a van conversion and this one ticks all the boxes.
yes we love it , it seems to have enough storage if you can manage without all the stuff you think you need like we did , and don’t need , thanks for watching the video
👍
Great van folks hope it works out well for you both. Me and my better half are thinking of doing the same but we are going to wait until Europe opens up more freely and this crappy covid buggers off well easy's off then we will make the move. Great video keep them coming 👍👍👍
Thanks yes we feel the same with regards to Europe at the moment , don’t like all this testing feel like a lab rat , but once it all gets back to some form of normality we’d like to hopefully get over there in the smaller van and sample some small rural sites or stopovers
Thanks for watching the video 👍😃
It's an excellent Motorhome. I love the 'U'shaped lounge wish we had that. Not so keen on the bathroom area being in the middle but guessing that's a compromise for having a bigger lounge area. I'm looking forward to see you both on your travels. Would you now consider getting an awning just to give you extra space? Wish you lots of fun and enjoyable memories. Take care Wend and Rog.
hi wend / rog , yes always a compromise no matter what layout , we have been looking at drive away awnings and utility tents and can’t decide which way to go , the tent to chuck odds and sods in or the full awning as extra living space , thanks for watching the video and commenting and hopefully we’ll have lots more content to bring you from the new van
all the best
mike & kirsty
Not all about size 😆 lovely van I’m sure you will both settle soon enough . Fixed bed is a waste of usable daytime space so in a way you have more room 👍🏼 happy camping 🚐🥂
😂 cheers darren yeah we are slowly getting used to it but we appreciate the fact that we can now get to smaller more rural locations without me stressing !
all the best mate
mike & kirsty
Cracking van, same as our Devon Aztec. Stand your ground on the man-draw!
haha yes a man drawer it will be ! the aztec was the other contender as you knew , but i got brain freeze when i was saying it on camera and forgot to mention it !
Great van you were lucky to find one .I also have a van conversion and would not swap it for anything so practical and economical, the more space you have the more rubbish you take.
I am sure you won’t go back to coach built, personally don’t understand all the fuss about making up the bed only takes a couple of minutes
Only downside you do keep banging your head in cab I would advise a little more padding required 😀I am a baldy so even worse for me .
Will watch your future videos with great interest, Enjoy.
thanks chris yes it was a big decision but we are glad we finally did it , we are carrying a lot less & still getting used to it and somebody who lives in theirs full time said if you don’t need anything after 3 weeks then you don’t need it at all , so true , we are looking forward to getting to more rural sites now and being able to park almost anywhere ! 😀
thanks for watching the video and commenting
all the best
mike 👍
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel Strange exactly what we do , where as we always used to use club sites we now rarely do , much preferring to use smaller sites or wild camping.
Yup, I have a Elddis Autoquest CV60 and I smack my head getting into the cab.
it’s so easy isn’t it ! we can’t stop doing it
Love the video we stop the head banging in our CV20 by Sue putting up bunting so you need to duck never banged head since.
i like the idea of that ! think i’ll mention it to kirsty ! thanks for watching and commenting
Such a cracking little van,, for me ( I'm on my own ) size wise I think it would be ideal,,
thanks yes we love it , ideal even for the 2 of us with 2 little dogs
thanks for watching the video
Nice one, good honest review/content. We downsized last month to a Warwick XL for pretty much the same reasons. The slightly narrower van makes it far less stressful on smaller roads. Rear lounge is great. We considered Autotrail 636 Sport and Wildax. So far, loving it. I hope you have many more exciting adventures 🙂
we looked at the warwick xl and love them , but none around that were a few years old to suit our budget , all new or a year old , lovely vans love the decor in them and the dark flush windows , great choice glad you are enjoying it
again, thanks for watching the video 👍
Look a beaut Mike and hey, you gotta do what’s right for you, I should know that
You gonna have a great time in her
cheers si did you get my email reply ? yes hopefully we’ve made the right decision , time will tell 😀
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel morning Mike, yeah got the mail mate 👍
We've been waiting for your review so thank you! It's very helpful! Beautiful Van hope you enjoy it. We have it down to two contenders. This one the Neo and the wildax Europa. We'll hopefully decide once we've been to the NEC in Feb. Can we ask what was your final deciding factor between the two? Cheers Gary and Lynzie 👍🏻
hi guys well first it was the fact that a used van came up as we couldn’t afford new and the others were new ones but the wildax europa ( the citoren / fiat based europa ) has the huge fridge and a window in the bathroom which we loved , but the downside for us was it has a floating wardrobe on the drivers side rear of the van which stuck out a bit far but other than that we love it , it was only because a used vantage came up really that made it the decider
👍
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel it’s such a close call between the two vans. Think we’d be happy with either one like yourselves. Enjoy your travels and looking forward to seeing your next video. Take care 👍🏻
When is Kirsty having her van Mike that van is full of your stuff ha ha spare shoes, camera equipment, mans draw tut tut, ha ha ha poor Kirsty
Fair play plenty of storage tho x
hahaha 🤣, very funny chrissey , i won’t get the man drawer but it was worth a try tho 😂 , yes not bad storage but it soon gets filled , thanks for watching again
iv had my autocruise vista for a few years know and dont think ill go bigger, its perfect for parking around towns so we are never restricted to camp sites.
i’ve seen the vista on site lovely little vans can park them anywhere , thanks for watching the video
All valid reasons to downsize, we’re looking for a 2 berth caravan & the smaller the better.
sometimes smaller does work , the more space we have , the more we tend to fill it , we are slowly getting used to it
thanks for watching the video
Can i ask what you are doing for bedding in the Neo? Are you fitting a fitted sheet each night, rolling out something or using duvalays? Thanks!
Hi yes we have a large fleece throw we lay on top of , then a thin single duvet each & that’s it , very quick to make it up & all stored above the cab , we set the thermostat to about 18 and usually find that’s plenty enough to keep warm , back doors are fully insulated with vantage vans & we’ve never been cold
Thank you very much!
Welcome !
That is one very nice motorhome! Do you plan to use it as your daily vehicle?
Thanks we really love it, no i won’t be as we want to keep the mileage low. thanks for watching 👍
Nice van.
Unless you have a custom built van (& you’d need a lottery win for that) there will always be something you’d change -
even then bet you’d fine something that could’ve been done better 🙂
very true yes the perfect layout would be a tag axle A Class inside a 6M van conversion, never going to happen , always a compromise isn’t there 😳
Best of luck with your new campervan...you no its easier for wildcamping..🐕🐕🐕
thanks john yes we’ll hopefully start some wild camping in the new year we’ve downloaded the park4night app and seems very interesting, thanks for watching the video and commenting 👍😀
Great.....👍🙂
thanks
I have a Bailey 816 with front and rear u shape lounge and drop down bed but make the rear lounge into a bed easier than the drop down bed
that’s interesting to know as i get a few people ask me about drop down beds vs making a bed up
how comfy to you find the make up beds ?
it’s actually quite easy , much better than we thought it would be
Other than the width the layout is identical to my Swift Sundance
we love the rear lounge
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel as you said, there’s no wasted space. I’ve always steered away from separate lounge/bedroom as you can only be in one place at a time. Would be good to catch up with you sometime to compare notes. As you may know we are in Felixstowe and my motorhome is adapted for my wheelchair
@@RohanTheBT yes i remember you saying a while back, we are not too far from felixstowe about an hour , no doubt we’ll bump into each other at some stage and have a chat
The person who owned vantage sold the company and he now he has started another can't think of the name but thay are very similar did think about one but the wife chose to have one converted by nu venture to our spec
yes your thinking of consort motorhomes , same guy same vans pretty much , nu venture are brilliant converters i’ve heard lots of good stuff about them 👍
Pinewoods!
yes ! 😂👍
Come visit Scotland at
#DandBvanlife
cheers mate we love it there need to return , just subbed 👍
@@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel thank you we have been subed and been watching you guys for a long time stay safe