Choosing the right layout.

This article will look into how to decide which layout will best suit your needs.

 How do you use the caravan?

The first thing to ask when a customer is unsure what layout to go for is "How do you use your caravan?" 

 This is important because the answer will provide information on which layout is the best for the situation you mainly find yourself in, so let's go through some of the common different uses.

 The weekender.

Typically the weekender will, as the title suggests, use the caravan to get away for the weekend and occasionally get away for the odd longer stay somewhere. These people will use the caravan to return to an area perhaps not too far away that has the type of activities they enjoy. This type of caravanning opens up all the main different layout types.

 When customers go away for the weekend their sleep patterns are generally in sync so will retire at the same time. This means that the two berth layout or four berth layout with a side dinette and without a fixed bed may be ok as the need of one of the party to retire early isn't an issue. Also due to the short break, normally just a few nights at a time, the monotony of making the bed up and down doesn't become an issue and is forgotten by the time the caravan is used again.

 The two berth and four berth non fixed bed layout have a distinct space advantage over the fixed bed layouts, and will suit people who think that a fixed bed is a waste of space. These people generally value the feeling of space and the open feel that a non fixed bed allows.        

 The Long Tripper.

Again as the name suggests, these people will go away for long periods of time, perhaps taking the caravan onto the continent, staying away for months at a time. Or holiday of two to three weeks taking advantage of a trip further away from home. When customers choose this type of holiday, inevitably at some point one of the party will want to retire early, or have a bit of a lie in.

This is where a fixed bed comes into its own. A fixed bed will leave the front lounge area free so the bed doesn't have to be made to have breakfast or watch TV which lends itself to this type of caravanning.   

 Of course the situation may change, or you may do both types of touring but I would suggest that if you are thinking of long trips away then  the benefit of the fixed bed may outweigh the negatives.

Seasonal Pitches.

 If you use your caravan on a seasonal pitch then the weight and length of caravan normally won't factor into the decision making process as once the caravan is on site it will not be towed. 

Most customers in this situation go for a large twin axle caravan purely because it gives them as much space as possible. 

It is then only a decision on budget and where the fixed bed should be. Island beds are popular on seasonal pitches as there give that close to home feel. Also the continental type caravans such as Hobby and Fendt are popular, that tend to be wider and longer than the UK vans, although we now do have 8' wide caravans on offer in the UK market.     

Children?

 The choice of layout narrows down a bit when you have a family that includes young children.
My advice in this situation is to put the children's sleeping area first. If that are happy and have their own space, then things tend to go a bit smother at bed time, especially if they are younger and need to go to bed earlier than the rest of the family.

 If you have older children then the age and size of them will be a factor in the decision on layout.
It is best to think of the likely ownership time scale of the caravan. It would be unwise to buy a caravan with fixed bunks if the children will grow out of them within the anticipated ownership of the caravan, you need to think for or five years ahead, unless you don't mind changing the caravan before that time.        

 Also when you have children the likely hood of using the on site facilities goes up just because of the sheer amount of water needed to shower them. Don't forget that most of the time you will need to transport all the water needed to and away from the caravan, this can become an issue if the whole family is using the shower in the van.

 It becomes much easier to use the toilet block and there for if you have a caravan with a large washroom that is not being used, the space could have been used more wisely to provide living space that you may see more use for.

Tow weights and storage.

This of course can be a large factor in the layout choice you can ultimately make. You may want a big twin axle with a fixed island bed and end washroom, but if you tow with a limit of 1300Kgs then it is just not possible. 

 There may well be storage issues that need to be taken into consideration, especially if you want to store the caravan at home. 

There may be restrictions on the length of driveway, or access problems that may limit the length and wight of the caravan which then effect the layout choice available to you.

Family Situation?

Of course the personal situation the each customer finds themselves in vary greatly and what will be ideal for one may not suit another. This is why we have so many different layouts that cover a variety of different situations.

 I recommend making a list of the criteria that you want the caravan to have with the "definitely need to have" at the top, going down to the "Can live without" at the bottom.

If you defiantly need to have an end washroom, then this may effect what fixed bed layout you can achieve when you include the budget you have. If you are looking at newer caravans then there is a greater level of choice.

 A large part of my job is insuring the the customer gets the right layout to suite their needs.
I have fifteen years experience doing this and can narrow the choice down to a few particular layouts fairly quickly once I understand the customers situation. If you have any questions about layout choice, please feel free to ask below.