Hi all, thinking of upgrading our Elddis Xplore 304 to something with a fixed bed for a bit more comfort on longer (2 month or more) stays.
Has anyone got any recommendations for a light (no more than around 1350kg MTPLM), fixed bed van, preferably 2 berth (though 4 berth where the seats make up a bed would be fine, as long as its not a bunk).
Currently in pole position is the Elddis Avante 454, this is preferred to both
a/ the Compass Casita 454 (which I believe is the same van with a different badge) but we prefer the lighter wood Avante finishing to the darker wood Casita
b/ the Xplore 554 which is 0.5m longer (we have a long thin driveway to reverse the van down so the thinner and shorter the van is the better) and has twin opposite seats, I think we'd prefer the L shaped lounge of the Avante that we're used to in our Xplore 304. In the Xplore 554's favour though is the pull out table so no need to put up / down a table each meal time, and it has a rear washroom (hence the extra length presumably), not midships, so it's not a done deal for the Avante yet. Having said that, the Avante is a step up in quality, with little comforts like pull out shelves beside the bed, a drawer for keys, quiet night time heating, dual fuel hob, microwave, etc.
So has anyone any further alternative recommendations for us to look at that aren't from the Elddis stable ? Budget somewhere in the mid £20,000s new, and the more quality the better, this purchase will be our last one and so will have to last (hopefully !) decades.
Luxury and light in terms of caravan manufacture don’t usually go together. The more luxurious a caravan, the higher quality the components and the more stuff they include all add to the weight.
Several years ago we wanted a fixed bed caravan but needed it to be under 1300kg. We found that it was generally the entry level ranges by each manufacturer which had the lighter caravans and at that time, we ended up with a Bailey Orion which was a great wee caravan. After a few years we changed our car and got a more luxurious and therefore heavier caravan but I still think the Orion was better, even if it didn’t have some of the little touches the more expensive caravan had.
I suppose it is all about balancing weight against extras and deciding what is most important for you. The reason we changed was to get Alde heating as we weren’t able to use the blown air heating in our previous van as it triggered off my asthma every time we put it on so we had to carry an oil filled radiator around with us which was a nuisance. The Alde heating was the most important feature for us and therefore we had to go heavier and more expensive to get it. I would advise deciding on what is key for you and what you are prepared to or not prepared to go without and then look at what every manufacturer is offering within your weight limit.
Additionally, if you have to get it up a long narrow drive, definitely get a motor mover. We have an extremely narrow gap to fit our caravan into and the motor mover makes manoeuvring it so simple and stress free.
Thanks Pixie - thats another feature of the fixed bed, one of the very few issues with our 304 is that the heating is prone to get confused about the temperature when the bed is made up, but has no problem when the bed is not made up - something that wouldnt happen with a fixed bed. Like you, but for different reasons, we also carry a small oil filled radiator.
We do actually have a mover lol, and would get one again - but there is a steep lip on the driveway so I like to reverse it over that before using the mover.
We have an Avante 454 and like it. We wanted a fixed bed and a caravan that was short enough to fit in our driveway. Our's has an upgraded plate so is 1500kg which suits us.
------------- We camped for years. In 2019 we bought an Elddis Avante 454. We like it as it is short (6.9m) and fits in our driveway and has a fixed bed.
We had 127 nights away in the caravan in 2023.
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Topic: Light, fixed bed, 2 berth recommendations
