5 things we HATE about our van...

Buying a motorhome is a compromise- there are things you love and things you don't. The trick is to find a van where the things you dislike you can live with.
Having said that, there are things we HATE about our motorhome- the Swift Escape 685. Here are the 5 worst...

#motorhomes #vanlife #vanlifeuk

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Thanks for watching!

[julian-]

Thanks Kat. We're doing loads of research for our first m/home or campervan so knowing not only what we do want but also what we don't want is most useful. I want to add that all the comments from the community you've created are also SO helpful and valuable with all their real life experiences. Thank you to all of you as well.

[masterbucks]

04:02 ... "when we're 'moving around' on it" 😂

My GF and I are currently umming and arring over RV options. Insightful info, thank you.

[ianmatlock]

Interesting. We chose the scape 684 so we could have fixed beds and a massive garage. No making up beds every day. The snake alarm issue is the same in our van we have to keep moving it to cook. But it is put there by Swift. PS The reason the window can't open I suspect is because it is adjacent to the fridge vents and to ensure CO2 can't enter the van form the top vent.

[Arbitrator]

Thank you so much for saving me from wasting my money on a Swift!

[ianmcconnell]

We’ve only had our for two months so not quite annoyed yet, still too excited! We needed a big garage for our bikes and beds that were all ready made up. Hiring a motorhome for the first holiday was a good thing to do as it showed us what we didn’t want in our van! So as newbies I’d say that hiring is something worth doing for people choosing their first van. Great to see you producing more content Kat and the slant on beginners tips is very welcome !

[standrewpics]

Would be much nice if there was still a ferry from uk to Denmark or Norway, would open up more travel possibilities for motor home owners.

[nigelbartlett]

Hi, just watched your channel. I also have a 685 which we also love and had from new. The smoke alarm is fitted there by swift, the window that doesn't open is this way so the fumes from the boiler don't come into the motorhome.

[FHRider-om]

Very useful, we’re on the hunt for our first van in Sept/Oct, we think we know what we want, your video is very helpful! x

[tomwms]

Some great views, exactly what people like me who are thinking about buying our first motorhome. Excellent!!!!

[charliehill]

Your base bed solution, using shelves, could throw up a potential problem with condensation. Slats allow the mattress/cushions to breath. Laying them directly onto solid wood could cause your body heat to create condensation which could potentially leave you with a damp mattress.

[pageantfd]

Great video . Another point to consider is the depth of the shower tray and if there is more than one drain hole. Our Trigano shower is so shallow and has just the one drain and even when the Motorhome is precisely levelled, the water can run over on to the floor of the washroom.

[aberthinboy]

We have a 2018 Swift Rio and the thing we love most of all is the fully opening tail gate.Where ever we go people think it is great.We can open it and create an outside room inside.It helps to ventilate the motorhome on a warm day, and it allows access from two points in the van.
We use a storage box like yours which we carry inside when travelling and it sits perfectly between the two bench seats in the lounge area.We can use the open tailgate to get it in and out very easily.
The thing I hate is the shower tap which requires you to hold it when showering.Not easy in a very restricted space.
Fire alarm same problem as you.

[umabell]

Always glad to see your post! You give me hope when we eventually go on our first trip!

[mrsc]

We’ve got one of those non opening windows and feel your frustration. Our research revealed it was due to its proximity to the Truma outlet. You’re so right about listing your priories while keeping an open mind. A large garage for my husband’s road bikes was a must but we didn’t want a transverse bed. Guess which was sacrificed? Fortunately we both love our king size, transverse bed 🛌!

[montbrehain]

We must have got ( fairly ) lucky ! We love our ( 2nd hand) Chausson Flash 14 on a Ford chassis. Maybe the kitchen could be a bit bigger ( but I'm going to add some flip up worktops) . Table was too big ( I cut it down) and the shower is a bit small 😅. The best thing about it ? The large twin single beds ! 🛌 and the 140 ps Ford Transit chassis... love it !

[pauljohnson]

Our van has an opening window above the external boiler vent but has a micro switch which turns off the boiler if window is open. Easy fix.

[winkle]

We have an Auto Trail F70. We've done PVC's, blingy A Class & older C Class. Over time you realise what's important and what is simply a waste of payload for two... such as dinette's with travel seats and dropdown beds with little head height... a combined 75-80kg which could be utilised elsewhere.

The compromise for us was losing the inbuilt microwave we had in our previous AT, we now carry one under one of the seats and site it over the cab. Must have's for us are a fully lined shower cubicle, facing bench seats and we possibly couldn't do without a rear garage again now that we have one.

With so many pet hates in your Escape, personally I don't think it's the van for you and your partner especially as you've needed to remove parts of the build which will need refitting prior to resale. Overall not too much of a negative if it's a lifestyle you continue for many years... you now have more insight into what you can live with or without over a prolonged period. Don't worry too much about not having external access to under seat storage as whatever wildlife is attached to EHU leads, water hoses etc is essentially going inside your van anyway.

Swift no longer produce the 685 which, after such a short time in production, speaks volumes and the Escape range is now rapidly disappearing from the hire industry partly due to a couple of topics you've highlighted.


Great vlogs! We need more produced from younger owners.

[MsBernie]

The smoke alarm is a factory fit. Ours is the same on our 684. We’ve changed the fan for a maxxair fan. We put that on when cooking and it really helps.

[whitbyslovinglife]

Hi we love to watch your vlogs. We have just started our motorhome adventures and our channel.

[ianross]

Thanks for this informative vid. All these points I hope, will be used for we get our camper next year