[Chris and Susan]

Thanks guys

Very happy to report that the toilet cassette seal is leak-free even when a full tank is stored upright.  To be honest I hadn’t even thought of that potential problem!

And I could also report on the weather in Spain and Portugal over the last few months – but I fear I would make myself very unpopular….!

[Chris and Susan]

We spent the day on the campsite yesterday giving the van a mid-trip spring clean and Marie Kondo-style declutter – it’s about as tidy as it’s ever been since we set off last May! So the pics give a better idea of our new lounge layout:

This is the new USB/12v/240v socket bank on the front of the sofa

And this is our storage ‘cave’ accessible just by lifting off the Ikea cushion

[Chris and Susan]

Absolutely Barry – there are a few good examples (like La Strada Avanti or Regent L) of a how a decent-size lengthways drop-down bed can work in a high-top van.

I just think it’s incredible that all the manufacturers – not just Hymer – offer their own pretty-much-identical version of the same 5.99m rear-transverse bed layout without anyone trying something a bit more different and innovative.

I agree that a conventional high-top would probably be the easiest and most inexpensive way to update the Exsis layout, but in dream ideal-world there’s also a case for a company with Hymer’s expertise and scale developing a proper ground-up A-class design while disciplining themselves to stick to the 5.4m x 2.05m of the Ducato base.  They get so frustratingly close with their new Exsis-i model-

– but as usual they add a few inches to the width and the usual 2 feet to the length, making it just too big.

You can tell that I think about this a lot!!

[Chris and Susan]

Hi again everyone – thanks for the replies and great to see that we’re not the only ones who insist on ‘perfecting’ Hymer’s design!

And great to hear from Keith and Zarita again – you were our first ‘Exsis encounter’ and you never forget your first time… We’re still using the little silicon disc you gave us for steadying the bathroom sink and we think of you every time!

As for jobs at Hymer… oh, dream of dreams!! I’ve already got the van they SHOULD be making all planned out in my head….

Chris

[Chris and Susan]

Hola everyone

(yep we’ve now reached sunny Spain – currently in Barcelona!)

Many thanks for all the replies and the warm welcome to this fantastic community. This is social media in the very best sense of the term!

Mary and Richard – glad to hear you made it home OK and hopefully your Exsis glitch is now sorted. It was fantastic meeting you in Innsbruck (one of our favourite camp sites as well – highly recommended to all – Natterer See in the hills above the city) – as you discovered, we are not early risers… we thought the year in the van might help us go to bed at sunset and get up at dawn – no such luck – in fact I think our lie-ins have got worse! (Or better, depending on your point of view)

As we discovered with Chris and Peter – it’s great fun meeting up again a little bit further on down the road… so anyone heading to Spain, Portugal or France before Easter, it would be fantastic to arrange to cross paths

Thanks for the info Fred that fellow Exsis-ers have managed the full year before us – as you say, the van is so well suited for a longer trip – we’ve never wished for anything bigger – and have frequently had cause to be thankful for our petite dimensions!

(One of my bugbears is when the motorhoming magazines refer to the many 5.99m models now available as ‘compact’ and ‘car park friendly’ – having just about managed to squeeze the 5.4m of the Exsis into spaces, I’d love to know what they manage to do with that extra 59cm…)

Happy travels all

Chris & Susan

[Author]

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