Advice for someone new to camping.. but desperate for (idea of) a Cali?

[Duncan]

I would not leave our dogs in the Cali either, they are much more visible in a vehicle to be stolen, I would not leave my kids locked in the car either.

 

[Amarillo]

I would not leave our dogs in the Cali either, they are much more visible in a vehicle to be stolen, I would not leave my kids locked in the car either.

I leave my dog in the van in the hope that it will dissuade someone from stealing my van.

If I thought there was a chance of someone stealing my boys from the van I might be tempted to leave them in it.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[Chinmusic]

Watch the excellent California Camping videos on YouTube. They have a big dog (well bigger than my two). Think they’re on here too.

 

[cazmatt]

I think i've seen nearly everything @CaliforniaCamping have put up - another massive inspiration! (so thank you both of you!) Will absolutely put up thoughts from the first trip. Busy jotting notes from all your helpful comments at the moment..

We will have the attached awning, but haven't paid for hiring a drive away awning (for £25). following the "keep it simple" mantra.

Don't plan to leave dog's alone for the hire - we would in our own car but doesn't feel fair in someone else's. Probably would want to if we owned one though!

 

[flying banana]

beer.bbq. burgers.errrrr......I'm stuck after that. enjoy. we have a dog. he loves the cali. every time I open the side door on my drive to do something he jumps in and sits on the seat thinking he's off on an adventure.he then refuses to leave the van. we did a 8hr ferry from kirkwall yo Aberdeen and decided he would be happier in the van than in a ferry kennel
no qualms about leaving him there. leaving a dog locked in a van and leaving a dog locked in a van can be 2 very different things

 

[aBusAndBeyond]

Thanks for the mention guys... we never leave our dog Bentley in the Cali on his own, the main reason we ended up with a Cali was because we didn't want to leave him in kennels whilst going on holiday. We love taking him with us and we always go camping with the intention of it being, essentially, a long dog walk. I know he would be fine left alone and I can see why people do, but we just haven't ever done that with the Cali or any other vehicle.

You're definitely doing the right thing hiring before buying though. Have a fantastic time and let us know how you get on.

 

[Pink Banana]

beer.bbq. burgers.errrrr......I'm stuck after that. enjoy. we have a dog. he loves the cali. every time I open the side door on my drive to do something he jumps in and sits on the seat thinking he's off on an adventure.he then refuses to leave the van. we did a 8hr ferry from kirkwall yo Aberdeen and decided he would be happier in the van than in a ferry kennel
no qualms about leaving him there. leaving a dog locked in a van and leaving a dog locked in a van can be 2 very different things

Love you

 

[flying banana]

love the name. and love you too

 

[GrannyJen]

Love you

love the name. and love you too

Do you two want to get a room on your own?

 

[flying banana]

Do you two want to get a room on your own?

what would pink and yellow make?

 

[Meoncoast]

Do you two want to get a room on your own?

or a Cali pitch together

 

[Pink Banana]

what would pink and yellow make?

Are you making advances towards me?

 

[Amarillo]

what would pink and yellow make?

Pillow.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[flying banana]

Are you making advances towards me?

mmm. I've had few beers

Are you making advances towards me?

I've not advanced towards anyone for a while. as for a room suggested by some matchmaker I think we both have a couple of mobile nice rooms

 

[Pink Banana]

mmm. I've had few beers

I've not advanced towards anyone for a while. as for a room suggested by some matchmaker I think we both have a couple of mobile nice rooms

You do make me laugh, I never thought for one minute I would find love on a motoring forum

 

[flying banana]

You do make me laugh, I never thought for one minute I would find love on a motoring forum

it's got to be easier than those rush hour crushes in the metro. man in blue hat

 

[BikerGran]

You do make me laugh, I never thought for one minute I would find love on a motoring forum

Hey it's not a motoring forum! How very dare you!

 

[BikerGran]

Back to the topic - I think Amarillo covered most of what I would say in his first couple of posts.

Just to add that some if not all Camping and Caravanning club sites have a special area for toileting dogs.

Sleeping upstairs is a good idea as long as the dogs will settle downstairs in an unfamiliar environment, maybe you have a travelling cage or similar that they will feel happier in?

As to the wind-out awning - it's very useful to wind it out a foot or two if it's rainy, it acts like a porch roof and keeps the rain out when you open the side door. But if it's at all windy it definitely needs to be pegged down with tie-down straps - ask if they are provided. And even if it's only out a foot or two, DO drop one end first and make sure it's let all the collected water out before winding it in, it's amazing how much collects even in a partially opened awning - I discovered the hard way, wet from top to toe!

Most importantly, have fun - and if it isn't fun, as someone else said, try a bigger van before giving up on the idea.

 

[Quentin SF]

Haha - this is fun - I'm writing this from a Cali that we've rented for four nights from the awfully nice people at LTH near Leicester, and we're sitting by a harbour on the Norfolk coast with our spaniel, having just had lunch in the van.

We have campervanned before, but in a friend’s rather larger van, so this is to see whether we might possibly purchase a California or something similar (also rather taken with Bilbo's vans). We had a dramatic start because our first night was in heavy rain, and the awning collapsed at 4am because of the size of the lake on top of it - I went out and shortened the poles so it had a much better slope on it, and all was then well!

So far, the biggest surprise was the bed - we had just assumed we would sleep upstairs because it seemed comfortable, was more spacious, and would allow us to leave everything set up downstairs and more room for the dog. But by 4am we both admitted that neither of us had got much sleep at all, and it had turned out to be remarkably uncomfortable, to the extent I was even wondering if the whole small-Campervan thing was a mistake, But then we moved downstairs, which I thought would be too cramped, and it turned out to be exceedingly comfortable, and several hours of sleep rescued the night from being a disaster The dog slept happily in the front footwell, the rain stopped at breakfast time, and we've had a great day so far in the van.

I'm tremendously impressed with the heating system, which does its job brilliantly.

And if you're anywhere near Norfolk, I strongly recommend the Sandringham camping & caravan club site - this is our third visit and it's always been great. There's a Caravan Club one which is just around the corner, and also nice, but less spacious.

Enjoy the experiment - we're enjoying ours!

 

[Quentin SF]

P.S. Two things it took me a while to discover last night and this morning in our van:

1. The upstairs reading lights, which seemed too dim to be useful, change brightness if you press and hold the switch.

2. There are cup holders which pull out below the centre of the dashboard!

 

[LisaKent]

Agree about the upstairs bed, we have just pre ordered the new Zonesleep ultra and hope it's as good as they say it is.

 

[flying banana]

back to the topic that's more interesting. so when's your next camp out pink banana? might make a flying visit.! see what I did there

 

[Pink Banana]

back to the topic that's more interesting. so when's your next camp out pink banana? might make a flying visit.! see what I did there

You just set my gaydar off!

 

[flying banana]

why? are you a bloke?if I was gay I would have a caravan

 

[CampervanTime]

Haha - this is fun - I'm writing this from a Cali that we've rented for four nights from the awfully nice people at LTH near Leicester, and we're sitting by a harbour on the Norfolk coast with our spaniel, having just had lunch in the van.

We have campervanned before, but in a friend’s rather larger van, so this is to see whether we might possibly purchase a California or something similar (also rather taken with Bilbo's vans). We had a dramatic start because our first night was in heavy rain, and the awning collapsed at 4am because of the size of the lake on top of it - I went out and shortened the poles so it had a much better slope on it, and all was then well!

So far, the biggest surprise was the bed - we had just assumed we would sleep upstairs because it seemed comfortable, was more spacious, and would allow us to leave everything set up downstairs and more room for the dog. But by 4am we both admitted that neither of us had got much sleep at all, and it had turned out to be remarkably uncomfortable, to the extent I was even wondering if the whole small-Campervan thing was a mistake, But then we moved downstairs, which I thought would be too cramped, and it turned out to be exceedingly comfortable, and several hours of sleep rescued the night from being a disaster The dog slept happily in the front footwell, the rain stopped at breakfast time, and we've had a great day so far in the van.

I'm tremendously impressed with the heating system, which does its job brilliantly.

And if you're anywhere near Norfolk, I strongly recommend the Sandringham camping & caravan club site - this is our third visit and it's always been great. There's a Caravan Club one which is just around the corner, and also nice, but less spacious.

Enjoy the experiment - we're enjoying ours!

Ahhh you must be in Vanieri then, we hired the LTH Red T6 before we bought ours. If they’ve lent you the 5cm memory foam topper for the downstairs then yes, it is quite comfy. We dragged it upstairs too to try it out up there.

It’s funny, on our first night with it we didn’t dare put the roof up as there were 60mph winds and driving rain. Didn’t get a wink of sleep but still loved every minute.

Have fun !