Best small van with a fixed toliet?

[Jenny H]

I go camping with my friend who has a high top with fixed toilet - she previously had a porta potti - the toilet is still close to the cooker & fridge though but I think its the raised seat that makes it easier for her & hubby with ageing bones.
I find my porta potti ideal it stays in the cab all the time, is spotlessly clean, covered by a pretty cloth which doubles as a privacy screen between the seats which is washed every trip, then doubles as a foot stool. It stays where it is when the bed is pulled out for nightime use.
But saying that only travel with hubby or children so very personal space is fine by us & we're all small which makes using a porta pot much easier!!

 

[Finlay]

I go camping with my friend who has a high top with fixed toilet - she previously had a porta potti - the toilet is still close to the cooker & fridge though but I think its the raised seat that makes it easier for her & hubby with ageing bones.
I find my porta potti ideal it stays in the cab all the time, is spotlessly clean, covered by a pretty cloth which doubles as a privacy screen between the seats which is washed every trip, then doubles as a foot stool. It stays where it is when the bed is pulled out for nightime use.
But saying that only travel with hubby or children so very personal space is fine by us & we're all small which makes using a porta pot much easier!!

Your system seems very practical. How do you hang the cloth to double as a privacy screen?
Also with your Coast do you have any trouble with raisin/ lowering the roof if you are on your own?

 

[Jenny H]

Your system seems very practical. How do you hang the cloth to double as a privacy screen?
Also with your Coast do you have any trouble with raisin/ lowering the roof if you are on your own?

The cloth drapes over all sides of the potti but not touching floor which means its just long enough to push the edges beneath both head rests which are down.
I do manage the manual roof on my own - the hardest part is the last part once lowered of pulling the 1st catch over the hook - but its getting easier as time goes on plus I have the iso top fitted (but dont leave front section in). I always do the roof from the lounge area kneeling on a cushion so have the full force of both arms. But no its not easy albeit I prefer it to having the worry of electric roof failure.

 

[ejmoore]

We have a portapotti which just sits behind the driver's seat covered by one of those Dunelm folding box-stools. We sleep in the roof bed, so it's available for use 'downstairs' at nighttime. The difference between it and a fixed toilet is that it's less easy to use it privately in the daytime (but the fixed ones don't offer that much privacy either). The other person just has to get out of the van for a minute or two. If you wanted more capacity, you could just buy something bigger than the PP335. It won't then fit in the under-sink cupboard but we don't keep it there anyway. If you're the sort of person who's worried about going to the loo near your kitchen/living area, no installation in a small van is going to work anyway.

 

[John Sydenham]

After I sold our Cali we have gone to a six meter Elddis van conversion with fixed double bed and front dinette with shower room not that it's big enough for a comfortable shower but the toilet works well. No more rearranging and after a long day you can just fall straight in to bed. I used to hate making the bed up in the Cali, usually with one of us stood outside.

Yep I agree but decided to go for the Grand Cali, amthinking shoer is usable as my wife I are 8 & 9 stone

 

[Skiver]

I hope this question is suitable to post, I thought forum members would have a wealth of experience they might be able to share.
I love a Cali - I think it is probably the best camper there is, however as time goes on I am probably going to need a fixed toliet especially for those night time visitations (or even when parked up in the day).
I don’t feel that a shower is a necessity.
Preferably 5.4m length could push to 6m.
I know that this has probably been asked before but there may be new options on the market? Thank you!

th

Nearly all ( if not all) major UK VW converters do a conversion with a rear toilet/kitchen configuration.

We nearly went for one of these before we settled on the Cali

I personally like Rolling Homes because of all of the wood cabinets !

 

[Wildcamper]

Nearly all ( if not all) major UK VW converters do a conversion with a rear toilet/kitchen configuration.

We nearly went for one of these before we settled on the Cali

I personally like Rolling Homes because of all of the wood cabinets !

See post #7

 

[Him&HerTravels]

I hope this question is suitable to post, I thought forum members would have a wealth of experience they might be able to share.
I love a Cali - I think it is probably the best camper there is, however as time goes on I am probably going to need a fixed toliet especially for those night time visitations (or even when parked up in the day).
I don’t feel that a shower is a necessity.
Preferably 5.4m length could push to 6m.
I know that this has probably been asked before but there may be new options on the market? Thank you!

th

Carthage Malibu vans are great. Come in 6m but full height which is great as you can stand up but limits access to places where a cali would have no issues. Ducati panel van based. The latest models have all the mod cons and driving aids fixed bed bathroom etc. worth a look

 

[ejmoore]

Nearly all ( if not all) major UK VW converters do a conversion with a rear toilet/kitchen configuration.

Many of the conversions with rear fixed toilet etc are 2 x single beds. Though there may be a roof bed.
The Club Joker City (with poptop) has a rear fixed wc, but it's right by the head end of the roof bed, so doesn't offer much privacy for when you'd generally be using it. At least with the Cali, if you sleep in the roof bed, you can close the shutter before using the 'downstairs' loo at night-time. Not perfect, but much better than wandering around the campsite at night-time.

 

[DevillBelgium]

All depends what part of the privacy you want.
Speaking for me this is more the part so others can peep in what you might up to.
My partener and I are not botherd so much with eachothers Loo stops.
At home the Kids barge in when we need to go so there is no bother either.
You learn to live with these things, albeit so these things do bother me.
But when a complete stranger walks by I would not want to be the first person who starts weaving Hello and How are you when I would be having an bathroom break. ;-)

 

[ejmoore]

All depends what part of the privacy you want.
Speaking for me this is more the part so others can peep in what you might up to.
My partener and I are not botherd so much with eachothers Loo stops.
At home the Kids barge in when we need to go so there is no bother either.
You learn to live with these things, albeit so these things do bother me.
But when a complete stranger walks by I would not want to be the first person who starts weaving Hello and How are you when I would be having an bathroom break. ;-)

Privacy glass and putting the blinds down are a big help!

 

[nezzler]

I hope this question is suitable to post, I thought forum members would have a wealth of experience they might be able to share.
I love a Cali - I think it is probably the best camper there is, however as time goes on I am probably going to need a fixed toliet especially for those night time visitations (or even when parked up in the day).
I don’t feel that a shower is a necessity.
Preferably 5.4m length could push to 6m.
I know that this has probably been asked before but there may be new options on the market? Thank you!

th

If you can cope with a FIAT base, there are plenty of manufacturers who use the 5.4m version and you get a fixed bed and a full washroom; Westfalia, Knaus, Hymercar, Dreamer etc . . all provide options.

 

[PaulBastowski]

Westfalia Kepler One? keeps the lower roof line. 5.4m. on VW base. If there are just 2 of you you can leave downstairs as living space and upstairs as bed. Has a toilet and wet area but not a separate washroom so you keep some luggage space.
Or the Nugget plus.

If you need two separate areas, the kitchen (plus fixed toilet) and a sitting area then go for the Nugget.

If you need to drive into some 2m high car parks then the Kepler One may be better.

Beware that the downstairs bed in the Kepler One is an origami. It’s hard to put together and feels flimsy to lie on. It’s best not to use it. On the other hand, the Nugget Plus downstairs bed open in less than a minute.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

I can relate to all the views raised here, I came to the conclusion that if you want privacy in a Cali, you either need your partner to turn a blind eye or use an awning/tent for your 'conveniences' either way it's the same with the Westy Joker City, that was on my shortlist but when you take into account the discounts I wasn't prepared to shell out another £15k for that. My view is if you want a fixed toilet in a small camper you need a separate compartment. So I've narrowed that down to the Sven Hedin or Hymer, the GC is far too compromised to me, and far too compromised or as I've stated elsewhere, living in an MRI scanner....

 

[AndyGreybeard]

You can pay £45 a night for a Premier Inn, it has bath, shower, toilet unlimited hot water and electricity, sometimes even get your breakfast thrown in! These days you can pay that for a nice site with an EHU for your Cali with a primitive porta potti sat next to your cooker.
I'm so glad I've joined this number as from a rational point of view Campers don't sense but I'm more excited about getting mine than any hotel stay I can recall !!!!!!!!!

Travelodge may well have ‘unlimited hot water’, but the one I stayed two nights in last week had a bath so shallow I could either bathe my legs, or part of my torso.
Really not a pretty sight after walking 20,000 steps passing time having some work done on my VW.
Also, it wasn’t attached to a ‘sit down’ eatery. Just takeaway Subway (great salads), or Burger King.
Oh, and an optional breakfast in a box.
Prices do currently start at £27 per night though!

 

[Jenny H]

Yes but watch out for the bed bugs though !!!!

 

[AndyGreybeard]

Yes but watch out for the bed bugs though !!!!

Luckily it appears they hadn’t made it over the Tamar bridge!

 

[Dasteknoviking]

I can relate to all the views raised here, I came to the conclusion that if you want privacy in a Cali, you either need your partner to turn a blind eye or use an awning/tent for your 'conveniences' either way it's the same with the Westy Joker City, that was on my shortlist but when you take into account the discounts I wasn't prepared to shell out another £15k for that. My view is if you want a fixed toilet in a small camper you need a separate compartment. So I've narrowed that down to the Sven Hedin or Hymer, the GC is far too compromised to me, and far too compromised or as I've stated elsewhere, living in an MRI scanner....

As much as I like Westfalia and the Crafter, after looking at the Sven Heiden it's missing a lot of storage options at the roof/head height. We like to keep food, coffee, teas, dog treats at the top and don't want to be lifting up the bed all the time to get at the storage compartment under the bed. I feel that just like the GC the SV Crafter is again a big compromise, one that I rather take at €45-50k for a used GC (they are now this cheap in Germany) than the SV which seldom come up for sale used. When they do they are 140ps manual transmission w/o LED headlights and cost much more.







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