MMM – September 2019

140 outandaboutlive.co.ukSeptember 2019

you come out of the shower.

It’s a clever syst em and one that

allo ws a se parate shower tobe

featured in a campervan (with two

lounges and fourberths, too, don’t

forget). It’s not a huge shower, of

course,but it was big enough for this

72kgtester. No one’s like ly to complain

about headroom (2.09m) butyou’ll

want totry it for size before signing on

the dotted line.

The toilet cu bicle op posite is,

similarly, better suited tothose who

go running in the morning than

anyone that sits down regularly for a

full English. With t he swiv el c assette

toilet mounted on a plinth, it helps to

havelong legs, too. Howev er, there’s a

stylish new rectangular basin, plenty

of practical storage (plus elasticated

straps tohold all your toiletries in

place – ot her manufactur ers take

note!) and agood expanse of worktop

alongside the wa shbasin to complete

retain the wa lk thro ugh, and the rear
cushions aresuch a tight fit that they
don’t tumble out when you openthe
barn doors – ju st make sure no one’s
leaningon them first!
You candine here, too, with
the island leg table storing under
the raised floor of the rear lounge
(requiringyou to gooutside to retrieve
it). Maybe this should be the only
table (but usable inboth lou nge s) or
perhaps a small coffee table would
better serve the back of the ’van?
Either way, I’m not convinced a
vehicl e like this needs two full-sized
tables, although curr ently you do
require the se cond tablet op in order
to make the rear bed. This is created
using the table and two panelsto
support pu ll-outsla ts from either side,
then the backrest cushionssimply slot
into the middleto cr eate a bed that’s
surprisingly big, surprisingly flat and
very comfortable.

So, the Li vingVan canserve

successfully as a four-berth, although

bed-making would be easier if the

pull-outslats forthe rear bed had

their own legs (as in some riva ls).

SEPARATEWAYS

We’re not donewith the Li vingVan’s

USPs, though, for the newcomer

sees the use of Rapido’s patented

Modul’Spacewardrobe/washro om.

First sho wn (to much acclaim) in the

Rapido V55 andsince adopted by

several Dreamers, this design makes

use of the showe r space when you’re

not actually showeri ng by doubling up

as a wardrobe. Don’t worry about your

best gear getting soggy, the clothes

hanging areais fully self-contained

and it simply rotates through 180

degrees when you need to hose

yourself down. It even has two do ors,

so your f resh shirt can be grabbedas

LIKEDLikes/Dislikes

WANTED

DISLIKED

TESTED Dreamer LivingVan

Supremely comfortable drop-downbed

Separate shower in a campervan

‘Privacy gap’ to en suitewashroom

Clashbetween bathroom door and

ladderfor upper bed at night

Smaller rear coffee table, or just one

tablefor both lounges

Built-in supportsfor rear bedslats

The rear lounge can be madeupas a U-shape, too