Things to consider when choosing a Classic Hymer - how big? Which layout?

Things to consider when choosing a Hymer layout.

There is much discussion and passion expressed in Classic Hymers about layout. If you get it wrong, as I did in 1999, you are faced with changing your van, because once you realise it, if you are honest with yourself, you will never fully realise the enjoyment you originally envisioned.

So here I will attempt to guide you through the process of choosing the right Hymer layout - the questions you should be asking and the compromises you have to make.

It is based on 16 years of meeting other owners and hundreds of forum discussions. Where opinions are my own, I will say so, everything else you can take to be the average of what I have seen heard and read. Some of it is stating the obvious - but it has all has to be said for balance.

The first thing you have to do is to take a long hard look at who you are and what do you want from your motorhome? The most obvious thing is are you a family or a couple? 

The next thing to do is to think hard about your lifestyle - and here you have to be really honest - for example if you like a drink and a smoke and spend a lot of time lazing around late at night watching TV - then be honest! If your van doesn't allow this, even if you are a bit shy about it, nobody but you will ever know your frustration at midnight on a Saturday night, arguing with your partner about who is hogging the only available settee when the other has backache from 4 hours sitting in the dinette! This is particularly true for couples - so think long and hard about how the two of you will use the space - not just for the basic functions, but for true relaxation.

For families of course compromise is the name of the game, and in particular the ages of your tribe. Babies and toddlers are actually less of a problem than the 4 to 10's - once they go down you have that lovely couple of hours of tranquility at the end of the day - so do make sure mum and dad can relax in the layout you choose.

Families should never underestimate the stress involved in converting a motorhome (or indeed a caravan) from day use to night use. This is probably the number one reason for eventual disillusionment , and the commonest refrain I have heard everywhere - "We wish we had bought a bigger van". 

So lets tackle this issue right now - because it's actually more complex that it first appears. 

Unfortunately for younger owners, the law changed in 1997 - anybody that passed their test after then can only drive a vehicle up to 3.5t. Before that, and you can drive 7.5t. So it is not just about choosing the right layout - it also depends on your age.

So unless you are doing Gradnma and Grandad duty, I suspect that anybody today with children under 10 is unlikely to be able to drive, and therefore choose, anything over 3.5t. 

Now we are talking Classic Hymers here, not motorhomes in general, and Classic Hymers last so long and their owners love them so much because they are made of real wood and they are tough! But they are also heavy. So the sad truth is that you get less space in a Classic Hymer under 3.5t than you do in a post 97 modern van which has been built for lightness.

So much as it pains me to say, as a complete Hymerholic, the fairest advice to a young family is to be aware of this and factor it into your decision. You will get more space and convenience for a young family from a post 97 bigger, but lighter van.

OK that's the logical truthful bit out of the way....but who cares about logic over style anyway? Otherwise you would never see families of 4 or even more crammed into VW buses would you now! And I have seen all sizes of families in all sizes of Hymer!

And for families there is also this option to think about, especially if you are mainly concerned with summer family holidays. Put the kids in a tent! Most of them love it and will thank you for it. Everybody likes their own little space. This was the only thing that worked for me when I was the proud owner of 3 under 10's plus one surly teenager! And think about awnings and safari rooms in this context.

So having explained the 1997 change in the law and the 3.5t versus 7.5t thing - lets now talk about those of us old enough to drive the full range of Classic Hymers, not just the small ones. (Technical note for newbies - most Hymers that start with a 5 are 3.5t or less, those that start with a 6 or 7 are over - this is roughly true but do check the papers)

Classic Hymers fall into 2 main types - those where the main bed is fixed (usually at the back) and those where the main bed is the famous front "drop down bed" situated over the cab. And of course nearly all fixed bed Hymers are also fitted with the front bed.

So the next big decision faced by potential buyers is to choose between these two styles - usually between a 5 series or a 6/7 series.

When considering a 5 series, do so in the knowledge that the bed, when down, will usually intrude into the living area in some way. So factor this into your thinking - any people  up there - young or old, snoring away, will be less than 3 feet away from any people in the main part of the van. Of course this isn't an issue for couples who go to bed together, but if not - think about it. There is one 5 series design that is the best for this, and that is one where the main eating/lounging area is at the back, the kitchen/bathroom is in the middle, and the drop down bed is of course at the front. This maximises the distance between the bed occupants at the front and the awake people at the rear. It is also good for families with two or less children, as they are as far away as they can be, but with the compromise that the adults have to (quietly) convert their rear lounge into a bed. But for a couple only, this layout works very well, as they can just go straight to bed from the rear to the front.

The next thing to think about if the drop down bed is going to be where you sleep is to try it out....as much as you can. Many owners love the DDB - they find it intimate and cosy, but others find out the hard way that it is either to small, or claustrophobic, or both. failure to get on with the DDB is probably the number one reason people end up dissatisfied with their 5 series. Some vans don't have a roof-light over the DDB - fitting one can help.

So you must think very carefully and do your research to decide if the DDB is for you, because if not, then you must consider a bigger van - a 6 or 7 series.

So lets get the next big bugbear out of the way - "I can't drive that - it's too big". This in particular is uttered when somebody sees a 7 series for the first time, as it has quite a big overhang at the back, and just looks big and ungainly. 

The first argument against this is the basic numbers - 5, 6 or 7, they all have the same engines and gearboxes, and mostly even all have the same wheelbase - so although they look a lot bigger, they are not in reality. A 7 series is only a ton or so heavier and 6 foot longer. But that 6 foot  (2 metres) is crucial - because that's the space in which they can fit a fixed bed, and separate your sleeping space from your living space.

So you have to really think about it, if your first reaction is the size. How much do you want it? It is simple ergonomics - allowing for the fact that most humans are between 1.5 and 2m tall, you need 2m for a bed, 2m for kitchen bathroom and 2m for a living space, so the minimum length for a van of this style is 6m - plus a bit for the engine, so the biggest popular Hymer (they did make a few bigger) is 7m.

So is it too big? Here I have to confess to personal bias, but I will try to be fair. It was me that bought a 5 series in 1999 and traded it for a 7 in 2000. Put a 5 side by side with a 7 in a field and they do look like David and Goliath, but honestly the reality is different. There is nowhere a 5 series can go that a 6/7 can't - it's as simple as that. My rule in the UK and also abroad is this - if the road is tarmaced, and there are no restriction signs, then I can go. The reason for this is simple - all public roads, unless there are restriction signs for width and weight, are designed and maintained to take at least a 7.5t delivery truck, or farm tractors and equipment - so if a farmer can take his tractor and trailer, then you can take your 7m van.

I have never seen myself, or heard a story from others, of a 6 or 7m van being stuck where a 5m van wasn't. I have had my 7 series van up and over nearly all the twisty mountain passes in the UK - an example of this is Hard Knott and Wrynose pass in the lake district. And remember that if you do take your big Hymer on these tiny roads, you will get through, but you will also have to do a lot of squeezing and reversing on single track roads - but no more that the local delivery truck or farmer - you do have a right to be there!

What IS the deciding factor is your own driving ability. Most people at some stage in their lives have driven a Transit van. Not much bigger than a car, and well within the comfort zone. A 5 series has the same feeling. You feel you can make the transition without too much stress. But a 6 or 7m van just seems to be too "HGV"!

There is no easy answer to this - you either want it or you don't. You have to go through exactly the same process I have outlined - define your lifestyle and desires, practically and honestly, and if the result is pointing you at a bigger van, then just think long and hard about whether you can make the transition. Don't forget that 6 and 7 series vans are about as popular as 5 series, and don't forget the pre 97 thing - so the over 45's have less issues with bigger vans.

I have also heard many stories from people who took the plunge, were nervous for the first few trips, but soon got used to it and wondered what all the fuss was about.

So having discussed the layouts of 5 series (DDB only) vans, lets go onto your choices in 6 and 7 series Classic Hymers.

Here your choices are easier, because there are less compromises to be made. You have a separate sleeping, cooking and living area and nothing has to be converted to sleep. But there are still serious choices to be made, but they are more about lifestyle than pure function. Do you want a dinette? Do you want to lounge on settees? There are pretty obvious questions to answer.

Another big issue is how much time you intend to spend in your van - your requirements for permanent living or long expeditions lasting months, will be completely different to those for long weekends and 2 week holidays.

Here are a selection of some of the more obscure ones that you might want to think about - these apply to all vans by the way.

Where do we put our muddy shoes after a walk? Do I want a separate shower? How do I integrate pets? Do I have any special needs? Do I do sport - if so how do I prepare and store my gear. Am I a music fan - can I install a decent sound system that won't annoy me when I use it? Do I watch a lot of TV? Where do my bikes go. What about a motorbike or scooter...or even a tow car? Do I intend to use sites? Or am I a "wildcamper" ... the list is endless, but the point I am trying to make is that you must take the effort to ask these and a hundred more questions before you make your decision.

I have met many people who freely admit that they didn't spend enough time on this before they bought their first van - I was one of them back in 1999!

So think long and hard about who you are, what you want, what is your lifestyle and what compromises are you willingly ready to make - then go and find your van. You will then realise why there are so many different Hymers! Mr Hymer and his team were the best in the business - they spent hundreds of hours at the drawing board, making things work - everything they did was for a reason, and the result is that there is a Classic Hymer for everybody, so take your time in finding yours.

And don't forget that nowadays you can hire Classic Hymers, and that there are meets where you can go and check out all the different styles, and the documents section contains the layouts of pretty much all the Classic Hymers.

Will existing owners please make comments and suggestions to make this article better - I must have missed a few things!