Two caravans the same length outside can feel completely different inside. The layout is what you actually live with, so it is worth thinking about before you get attached to a particular brand or year.
Berths: what the number means
A berth is a sleeping space, not a comfortable seat at dinner. A 6 berth van sleeps six, but usually only four can sit around the table at once. Be honest about how often the extra beds get used.
- 2 berth: one bed, more storage and bench space. The most relaxed layout for a couple.
- 4 berth: a main bed plus either bunks or a dinette that folds into a bed.
- 6 berth: a main bed, bunks and a convertible dinette. Roomy for a family, but it is a big van to tow and to store.
Fixed bed or convertible bed
This is the biggest single decision inside a caravan.
A fixed bed stays made up all the time. You climb in and go to sleep. The cost is floor space: the bed takes up one end of the van permanently, and storage often sits underneath it.
A convertible bed is a dinette or lounge that folds down at night. You get a much bigger living area during the day, and you get a small job to do every evening and every morning. Some people never mind it. Some people are sick of it by the third night.
A simple test: if your trips are mostly a week or more in one spot, a fixed bed usually wins. If you move on most days and want space to sit inside on a wet afternoon, a convertible layout earns its keep.
Common layouts you will see
- Rear fixed bed, front lounge. The classic couples layout. Bed across or along the back, kitchen and bathroom in the middle, a lounge at the front that stays a lounge.
- Island bed. A fixed bed you can walk around both sides of. Lovely, and it needs a wider or longer van.
- Front bed, rear bathroom. Puts a full width bathroom across the back, which usually means a bigger shower.
- Rear bunks. The standard family answer. Bunks down one end, main bed at the other, so children and adults are not on top of each other.
- Café dinette. Two bench seats facing each other with a table between. Folds into a double.
- L-shaped or club lounge. More comfortable to sit in, takes up more room.
Couples against families
For two people, look for: a fixed bed, a decent bench in the kitchen, a place you can both sit comfortably, and good storage. You will value a shorter, lighter van every time you tow, park or store it.
For a family, look for: separate sleeping spaces so bedtimes can differ, a table big enough for everyone, somewhere for wet coats and boots, and enough payload left over once the family's gear is on board. Bunks with a decent weight rating matter as children grow.
Practical things to check when you walk through
- Stand where you would cook. Can someone get past you to the door.
- Sit on the bed and swing your legs out. Is there room, or do you hit a wall.
- Open the bathroom door. Does it block the corridor while open.
- Lie down. Beds in older vans can be shorter than a bed at home.
- Look at where the storage is, not just how much. Storage under a bed that lifts is only useful if you can lift it easily.
- Check that the layout still works with an awning out, because that is where you will spend a lot of your time in good weather.
Come and walk through a few. Fifteen minutes standing in a van tells you more than an hour of reading floor plans.