Whilst at Catterick we had a look at Venus caravans and I must admit the layout of the 500/4 with the fixed single beds quite appealed.
Venus Caravans
If they did that sort of layout in the Orion we might be tempted to swap as I must admit I still like the idea of the Alu-Tech construction compared to other methods and we can't tow anything heavier.
Ian
We also like the fixed single beds, seems popular at the moment, we might see that lay out in a Orion (I might also get tempted to change).
ReplyDeleteI brought my Vans carpets home yesterday, as thinking about getting a second set made. I,m fed up chasing Rugs around the van + we could go a little bit darker. The idea is the second carpet could just be used without rugs etc,
Dave,
ReplyDeleteYes single fixed beds seem very practical,no climbing over each other,leave made up.
I think they would suit the Orion.
Yes we also have the "chasing rugs syndrome".
A full new set of carpets from Bailey is £227,could you have some made less than that ?
https://www.bailey-parts.co.uk/Product.aspx?PartNumber=2220121
Thinking of labour etc.
Ian
My 430 carpet is cheaper that the 440, so wondering about just using the carpet with only a door mat and replacing when needed. We always take our shoes off but fed up with the as u say "chasing rugs syndrome". I thought Bailey would have been more expensive, I could get a set made for around £110 if I found a suitable end of roll.
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeleteYes I thought the carpet set would be dearer than that knowing Bailey's prices.
Ian
When we had a room in the house carpeted there was a large spare piece in basically the right colour (Light brown). Using the supplied carpets as a template I cut out a new set from the offcut. I then sealed all the raw edges with Copydex, so at the beginning of the season when its muddy I use the set I made which look nearly as good as the originals, (if they get too mucky , throw them and make a new set). The originals are kept for drier times and when I trade in the Van !
ReplyDeleteI was rather surprised to see carpet down in our Eriba when we bought it last Autumn. It's a sort of greeny grey to match the predominant colour in the furnishings. There are only two pieces, one that goes from front to back up the middle and a small square at the entrance door which we cover with an absorbent mat.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to stay in place very well, even though there's about half an inch clearance all round. At first I thought we'd take it up to avoid the dog making a mess of it, but drying him down on the absorbent mat seems to have kept things clean. I must say that Mrs SDA and myself agree that there's not many things so luxurious in a van as stepping out of bed onto a carpet rather than a cold, hard wipe clean floor.
Andy,
ReplyDeleteWhen we were browsing around the second hand vans in Catterick I noticed that most of them had fully fitted carpets that were,presumably,very difficult or impossible to remove for cleaning or to replace if need be.
Some were in a pretty bad state but I suppose there is little that can be done above hoovering if you can't remove them.
Much better to have the drop-in removable ones.
Ian
Oh yes I don't think I would go for fully fitted.
DeleteIncidentally here's a Michael Caine moment - not a lot of people know that Autotrail motorhomes used to be built with carpet fitted over the whole floor before fitting out commenced. Apparently the theory was that it muffled any squeaks and rattles. I'm not sure if they still make them that way?
Andy,
DeleteOne thing I don't like though is carpets in bathrooms,both at home and in the van.
Give me a wipeable floor surface any day.
Ian
On the subject of the Venus 500/4 I notice that internally it's the same length as the 430/440 but its shipping length is 0.5m more. Presumably accounted for by the gas locker.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit narrower and 2ins lower inside, but whilst I'd love singles (in fact that's what we have now)they'd have to be a few inches longer than 6ft to allow me to stretch the gammy knee. Mrs SDA's side can be 5ft 3ins and she'd be happy.
Andy,
ReplyDeleteI think we will see two single fixed beds on an Orion eventually.
,perhaps next year.
They brought out three ( I think )new models for this year.
I shouldn't imagine it is that hard to shuffle furniture round using CAD.
Ian
In a way they've almost got it already Ian with the new 460-5 which has a bench one side at the back that makes into a bunk and a single dinette the other side that makes into a single bed. But it's a longer van all round.
ReplyDeleteThe other new layout was the 530-6.
very good site Second Hand Vans
ReplyDelete