Campervans as a family of 5

[danvan]

Suggestions welcome!

We started with California, slept the three kids downstairs and lugged the 5th seat in and out.
The kids got bigger and outgrew the downstairs bed. We added a bed across the front seats, but that lasted one weekend.
We bought a Nugget because it came with 5 seats and the roof bed is 1.35cm wide (just about big enough for three kids)
The kids have got bigger still (two are now regular female adult size), and now won't all fit in the roof.

I'm not sure where to go next:
- add an awning: but that's hassle setting up, you've got to store it, and having the camper in the first place was to move away from camping in a tent
- bespoke conversion: probably expensive, and I don't like carpet on the walls
- big white motorhome: doesn't really work parked on a central London street (where we live)
- Caravan: can't store it in London and not the image I'm going for

Getting five seats and five berths in a manageable sized van seems impossible. All I've found to date is the 6m Dreamer Family Van, but that comes with a slightly dubious "jump seat sat on top of the gas storage locker" as the 5th seat.

 

[tuono001]

I'm in the same predicament and it's impossible to get a 5 berth with 5 proper seats.
The only solution I have come up with is a conversion of my own. Idea is mwb man tge/crafter fitted with a beach 3 seat bench and pop top, with fixed bed at the back. So 2 in pop top 2 in fixed bed and 1 on bench. What I don't want is 3 up front when driving.
Unfortunately money doesn't allow for me to do this at the moment.
Currently we have a beach that is OK for 1 night with kids sharing up top. Though any longer and the awning comes out.
Good luck trying to find something.

 

[WelshGas]

Suggestions welcome!

We started with California, slept the three kids downstairs and lugged the 5th seat in and out.
The kids got bigger and outgrew the downstairs bed. We added a bed across the front seats, but that lasted one weekend.
We bought a Nugget because it came with 5 seats and the roof bed is 1.35cm wide (just about big enough for three kids)
The kids have got bigger still (two are now regular female adult size), and now won't all fit in the roof.

I'm not sure where to go next:
- add an awning: but that's hassle setting up, you've got to store it, and having the camper in the first place was to move away from camping in a tent
- bespoke conversion: probably expensive, and I don't like carpet on the walls
- big white motorhome: doesn't really work parked on a central London street (where we live)
- Caravan: can't store it in London and not the image I'm going for

Getting five seats and five berths in a manageable sized van seems impossible. All I've found to date is the 6m Dreamer Family Van, but that comes with a slightly dubious "jump seat sat on top of the gas storage locker" as the 5th seat.

Popup tent for 1 or 2 to sleep in?
You need a proper 5 seater to transport the family but sleeping is the problem. Looks like you'll be in the tent.

 

[Dave bee]

Van wise a beach with 3 seat bench, or conversion equivalent, the best for travelling. We did this with 3 kids and used an air beam awning for a while before getting rid and using a Quechua base seconds pop up tent ( cinch hub do a copy now). Much easier to put up and down. It does depend on the age of the kids and if you are happy with them sleeping in a tent.

 

[Camperfamily]

Beach: kids downstairs on the king-size bed, adults upstairs on the double-size bed. This is our long-term plan.

Ps. I think I’ve considered every 5-seat option on the market for our 3-child family and concluded that the Beach was the best option for us - short-term and longer-term.

If you want something bigger, then there is a Norantz Eki 5, but I couldn’t get details from them and expect cost to be well over €100k. There is also the Affinity Five - again probably over €100k

Norantz Eki: https://www.norantz.com/eki
Affinity Five:

 

[Pombear4]

We are family of 5 and have a beach. We were sleeping 3 on the bottom bed but as 9 year is petite she is now on a bed across the front seats as there was a lot of rolling into each other and arguing!
We also considered a Dreamer Family van but I use the Beach as daily drive also so not really an option unless we also get a small run around - which for 3 kids and a dog needs to be a bigger run around! We have a Cinch pop up tent we take to store stuff, luckily only 1 child is still in a booster seat.
We tend to only do good weather weekends now so we can be outside as there is no room to sit inside the van especially with the dog and then be able to set up bed etc. We got the van because we'd had enough setting up tents and air beds etc so wouldn't want to an awning for one of them to sleep in.