2008 ROMAHOME DUO HYLO
Height barriers are the bane of many motorhomers’ travels. The prospect of finding a delightful country park to discover, a landscape worth a wander, or an attractive town with tantalising shopfronts, only to be ruined by finding a dreaded bar of metal or wood fixed across the entrance to the parking area that prevents any vehicle more than two metres from pulling in.
I own a coachbuilt motorhome (with overcab bed) fit for family adventures, so I know this scenario all too well.
Hence, while I can’t pretend that a height barrier is the only reason why I chose to purchase my little Romahome, it is potentially the most important of several deciding factors. At 1.9 metres high, the camper neatly ducks beneath any height barrier.
WHY SIZE MATTERS
In relation to my work as a travel writer and photographer, I needed a vehicle to transport me around the UK and continental Europe. Our six-berth coachbuilt, while fabulous for a family holiday, was too cumbersome, too thirsty and not nippy enough for quick turnarounds. I needed something far more nimble, economical and compact. So, in 2014, I purchased my Romahome Duo Hylo. Its height – or lack of it – was a major factor for consideration.
If I’m chasing the sun for a photoshoot, I cannot afford the time, unfortunately, to spend too long looking for a suitably sized car park.
With the Romahome I can nip in and out of standard car parks – including multi-storey car parks in the centre of town – without hassle, without forward planning and without needing to park miles away from wherever I need to be, when time might be a priority.
ONE SIZE FITS ALL
Height alone is, potentially, a rather dull reason for purchasing a campervan. But there were many other motives for my Romahome ³
purchase, and they’re all practical. This is a work vehicle, that needs to do its job. Consequently, length and width of the overall campervan were ‘exciting’ reasons for its purchase, too!
Many of my articles involve walking in the countryside, and there may only be a couple of small roadside spaces for vehicles to park safely on a verge along a narrow country lane, before pulling my boots on for a walk.
My little Romahome is neat and compact; it fits into a standard-sized car space and, car-sized, it’s easy to manoeuvre down single-track country lanes, or back up should it be required upon meeting oncoming traffic, or to make a quick U-turn. Unlike our large coachbuilt motorhome, I don’t have to be concerned about where I can travel with it. Neither do I need to concern myself if I meet the local bus at a hairpin bend on some remote mountain road. It’s compact enough to squeeze by or pull across.
SHOPPING FOR ESSENTIALS
When I was looking to purchase in 2014, whichever ’van I chose needed to have some pre-requisites. A sink and toilet were necessities, as much of my touring and camping is off-grid. The ability to access the cab from the living space directly was another; as a female solo traveller, security is paramount and, as I’m frequently wild camping in remote locations, accessing the cab to drive off without stepping outside is essential for peace of mind. However, it did need to have additional seatbelts so that I could carry passengers occasionally, mainly my children, should they come on a trip with me, or for the vehicle to be used as a day van (taking into consideration the overall payload).
A hob was essential for evening meals, plus a three-way fridge so that I could switch between energy supply depending on where I happened to be.
I was also adamant that I needed a table, so that I could sit and work, spread out books, papers and maps (I’m old-fashioned when it comes to maps and love spreading out a large-scale paper map that can be marked up).
All these items are, of course, in most campervans. Hence my shortlist came down to layout – and that’s why I chose a Romahome in place of any other vehicle.
A VERY DIFFERENT LAYOUT
Much as I love the notion of any campervan, most – particularly VWs – tend to stick to a very similar side-furniture layout with a rock ’n’ roll bench seat that becomes the bed.
With my Hylo, the entrance to the living space is at the rear. Hence, there are two settees with a central aisle to reach the cab.
On the offside, there’s one permanent full-length settee (with split base cushions), beneath which is the water tank in one storage area, and a separate storage area alongside.
On the nearside, my Hylo has two options: either a second full-length settee, or a pullman set-up of two (belted) seats and a table that clips to the wall. This, I thought prior to purchase, was essential for my work. As it happens, in practice, I rarely use this layout, preferring to leave the settee made up permanently. This way, there’s extra underseat storage where the footwell beneath the tabletop otherwise is. Plus, I can lay out books and maps more easily.
There are two fold-down flaps that act as laptop tables, coffee cup stands or preparation space for cooking a quick meal.
Meanwhile, unlike a mainstream VW layout, the two-burner hob, grill and fridge are at the rear offside and, nearside, a sink that ‘folds’ up to drain the water, with a dedicated space for my Porta Potti below. The sink is sufficiently deep that, when I’m staying anywhere other than a ³
campsite, I can still wash relatively easily using the swivel tap. And, because the floor is lower in this area, I’m able to stand up without needing to raise the pop-up roof; something I rarely do when I’m travelling alone and staying in remote places.
At bedtime, three support rails sit between the two settees, onto which the seat cushions sit to create a double bed, if not using the settees as single beds. I can’t deny that the cushions are on the firm side, but nothing that a mattress topper doesn’t cure for a very comfortable night’s sleep.
But… and there is a but… at 5ft 3in, I’m not that tall. Hence, the length of the bed is not an issue for me, and it wasn’t for any of my children when I bought the Hylo, either. But, as they have grown (taller than me!) over the years, the length of the beds at 6ft (1.83m) can become an issue. It’s not a huge deal, though, as, the older they get, the less they travel with me.
WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT
I adore spending time in – and out of – the Hylo. I love being able to open the rear door, lie lengthways on the settee and look out at a view while I type away on my laptop. I also love that, if I’m staying at a campsite, I can back up on a pitch and open the rear door while retaining, in most places, some sideways privacy from the neighbouring pitch.
I appreciate that the campervan, despite its diminutive size, has an external gas locker that’s large enough to accommodate a 3.9kg propane bottle, unlike many smaller campervans that can have a tiny Campingaz-sized internal cubbyhole. That easily gets me an off-grid tour around Europe without worrying about running out of gas.
I love, too, its nippiness when I do need to get somewhere quickly – and its car-like fuel economy (by comparison to a coachbuilt), particularly in the current times of ever-increasing fuel costs. So, too, its short length when purchasing ferry or Eurotunnel tickets that price according to size.
It can be a bit light on the front end if I don’t load the living area right. And I miss the Heki opening rooflight in our family coachbuilt.
I didn’t buy the Romahome for its slightly aged-looking creamy beige upholstery and décor.
But that’s just aesthetics and I have easily been able to colour up the camper with extra cushions and throws that keep it snuggly in winter (it doesn’t have a heater, but its monocoque shell is so well insulated, that has never been a problem).
Neither did I buy it for its external style, where a VW or new Ford Custom certainly wins a higher prize. That said, there isn’t a trip in Europe that I do without someone enquiring about the Hylo; it is so different (and small) to anything many on the Continent have seen; it always gleans a wealth of interest and I could have sold it multiple times over!
While I have never plied my Hylo with an affectionate name, my children, with rather derogatory tendencies towards its appearance, nicknamed it ‘the granny van’.
This is not a vehicle they wish to be picked up from school in! At least, that is, until it becomes a useful support vehicle for sporting competitions at weekends, with bed, fridge and hot chocolate making facilities.
But, above any pros and cons, I love – rather smugly – ducking under a height barrier, parking up quickly without hassle and setting off on a long walk over hill and dale.
For that, my little Romahome Duo Hylo is just perfect.
FURTHER READING
Find six reviews of Romahome motorhomes on outandaboutlive.co.uk/reviews/ motorhomes