Camping challenge, 7 with a Beach.

[zeratul]

So we're about to push the flexibility of our Beach to the limits, by going on a camping trip with 7.

We take the ferry to Newcastle next week, 5 of us, then pick up brother in law and his girlfriend in Edinburgh and we'll be 7 from then on. So we have a small popup tent for them to sleep in and we'll travel with all 7 seats.

Obviously a challenge for luggage. And we are so used to our IKEA Alex based kitchen pod that I don't want to leave at home. And my wife wants the Porta Potti. And I also like the Waeco fridge for cold beers.

So I know how to make up the long bed, both with half the multiflex board and with the complete multiflex board. The thing is, it leaves zero space between the middle seats and front seats, so no kitchen pod or porta potti can be left there. So I'm going to try a bed approach where we keep the full multiflex board, fold the bench flat forward, same with the middle seats and sleep on top of that. The surface is about 1.50mx1.80m, so it's a little too short for me. On top of that there is a gap in between the front seats that may require filling (child booster seats?). I'm thinking of putting a large inflatable mattress on top instead of the regular IKEA 8cm topper we usually use. Or I might combine both. Big advantage: we would not need to move the 3-seater bench during the complete holiday. Only flat and back straight. Which also means less luggage to move around.


Then to get additional storage space, I am considering our Thule Motion 800 large roof box. However I've booked the ferry as a car "max 2.2m high and 6m long" so with this box and the roof bars it won't fit.

My idea was to put the box on, drive to the ferry port, then take the box of (leave the roof bars on), and then attach the roof box with it's clamps to the bike rack. It's dimensions are 205 x 84 x 45 cm, so if I take 15cm on the bottom for clearance, it should be possible to have it just below 2.2m. The cali is about 5m, with the bike rack and the roof box closer to 5.5 meter but still ok. The weight of the box is 21kg and the bike rack can carry 60kgs. Crazy idea? What do you think?

Of course the roof box will be completely empty, until after we disembark from the ferry and put it on the roof again. So we'd only drive a couple hundred meters like that.

I also thought about removing the middle seats every night, but it's such a hassle, especially in Scotland if it rains, I'd rather not leave them outside at night.

 

[andyinluton]

I would suggest the following:

If you've got the bike rack & nothing on it why not use a bag / box on that instead of a roof box?

Instead of a small pop up tent you need a drive away awning/ tent thats big enough to put brother in law / girlfriend / toilet / kitchen pod in at night. That assumes you are camping in one place for a few days & need the beach as daily transport. If moving daily I would suggest pop up tent for the inlaws and sides on the awning to make it into a storage room for the other stuff.

Neither a full to the brim beach or a pop up tent make a good socialising area for 7 people at once.

 

[zeratul]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm afraid I won't have time to buy a box for the bike rack. Plans have changed very late, we were originally going in our normal 5 person setup. We never, ever camp in one place for a few days... not our style of camping. Guess I would have bought a caravan or motorhome than. We always want to see as much as possible on those few days we have..
The toilet has to be in the Cali for Mrs... she has trouble resuming sleep after a night stop out of the cali. Drive away awnings are large, I find them expensive and they take lots of storage space. And I don't like wrapping them up in the rain... I've deliberately chosen not to invest in one, also because we are always at least 5 and esp. on longer trips we need to select carefully.
As for socializing area, I see ourselves sitting under the awning... just put on an extra sweater if cold. A bit afraid of those midges though..
We've always been very minimalistic campers, and I try to do it with what we have. It's this Thule box.. and I'll try if I can attach it securely to the back of the bike rack. Will post pictures when done, that is if this works out.

 

[zeratul]

Ok so while it's possible to attach the roof box to the bike rack, I didn't immediately see how to fix it properly.
Guess we'll go for the roof-box-in-the-cali-approach, until after disembarking from the ferry.
We are only five until shortly after that and will have enough usable places. We'll put the box on the roof from there.

 

[sidepod]

Self harming?

 

[Jonathan Duke]

So we're about to push the flexibility of our Beach to the limits, by going on a camping trip with 7.

We take the ferry to Newcastle next week, 5 of us, then pick up brother in law and his girlfriend in Edinburgh and we'll be 7 from then on. So we have a small popup tent for them to sleep in and we'll travel with all 7 seats.

Obviously a challenge for luggage. And we are so used to our IKEA Alex based kitchen pod that I don't want to leave at home. And my wife wants the Porta Potti. And I also like the Waeco fridge for cold beers.

So I know how to make up the long bed, both with half the multiflex board and with the complete multiflex board. The thing is, it leaves zero space between the middle seats and front seats, so no kitchen pod or porta potti can be left there. So I'm going to try a bed approach where we keep the full multiflex board, fold the bench flat forward, same with the middle seats and sleep on top of that. The surface is about 1.50mx1.80m, so it's a little too short for me. On top of that there is a gap in between the front seats that may require filling (child booster seats?). I'm thinking of putting a large inflatable mattress on top instead of the regular IKEA 8cm topper we usually use. Or I might combine both. Big advantage: we would not need to move the 3-seater bench during the complete holiday. Only flat and back straight. Which also means less luggage to move around.
View attachment 21793 View attachment 21794

Then to get additional storage space, I am considering our Thule Motion 800 large roof box. However I've booked the ferry as a car "max 2.2m high and 6m long" so with this box and the roof bars it won't fit.

My idea was to put the box on, drive to the ferry port, then take the box of (leave the roof bars on), and then attach the roof box with it's clamps to the bike rack. It's dimensions are 205 x 84 x 45 cm, so if I take 15cm on the bottom for clearance, it should be possible to have it just below 2.2m. The cali is about 5m, with the bike rack and the roof box closer to 5.5 meter but still ok. The weight of the box is 21kg and the bike rack can carry 60kgs. Crazy idea? What do you think?

Of course the roof box will be completely empty, until after we disembark from the ferry and put it on the roof again. So we'd only drive a couple hundred meters like that.

I also thought about removing the middle seats every night, but it's such a hassle, especially in Scotland if it rains, I'd rather not leave them outside at night.

I would just turn up at the ferry check-in, with the roof-box installed, and act dumb. If they insist on a surcharge for the extra height due to the roof box, tell them you can remove it and store it inside the Cali (if needed.....) Perhaps they let you off with it.

You could perhaps try some alternatives to a full-sized PP? You can buy small bed-pans in most pharmacies. A cheap/light/foldable cool bag, may also be a compromise for the cold beers, or maybe convert to whiskey (since you are in Bonnie Scotland.)

It'll be a great trip anyway!! The Beach will rise to the task!! Enjoy!! If you stay at the Red Squirrel Campsite, there's the Clachaig Inn, just a short walk down the lane..... It serves good food, and cold beers also.

 

[Hotel California]

Just out of curiosity , how much money do you save by taking the box from the roof ?
Another thing is safety....what will happen when you need to do a emergency stop or even worse a accident?

Is it worth all this?

 

[kave]

That must be one of the craziest picture of a California I have seen.
On our recent trip I bought a set of 3 small bags from Ikea and I told Miss Kave to use one for each adult and one for our two children. It worked fine and that was a ski trip.
These are the bags btw, the smallest one we left home:
http://www.ikea.com/se/sv/catalog/products/30235115/

 

[andyinluton]

You don't need to buy a special box to put on the rack - a suitcase or large plastic box wrapped in a bin bag would do,what about putting the wrapped up porta poti on the rack.
I don't understand the logic of carting around an unused bike rack whilst space is at a premium.

 

[Amarillo]

I would just turn up at the ferry check-in, with the roof-box installed, and act dumb. If they insist on a surcharge for the extra height due to the roof box, tell them you can remove it and store it inside the Cali (if needed.....) Perhaps they let you off with it.

Good idea.

 

[zeratul]

Just out of curiosity , how much money do you save by taking the box from the roof ?
Another thing is safety....what will happen when you need to do a emergency stop or even worse a accident?

Is it worth all this?

The price difference is EUR 610 when booked as camper (higher than 2m) vs EUR 294 or less than half with a car, special promo price that doesn't count with a camper. But it's not about price.. this was booked for a trip of 5, we wouldn't need the box. Then the plans changed to 7 and there was no possibility (space on the ferry) to change the booking.

No issue with emergency stop. We just drive to the ferry and while waiting in line, we'll put the (empty) box in the car. I can do this in 5 minutes.

But I really enjoy the challenge of pushing the flexibility of the beach to the limit.

I would just turn up at the ferry check-in, with the roof-box installed, and act dumb.

Thought about that as well. Not sure I dare to try that approach though...

You don't need to buy a special box to put on the rack - a suitcase or large plastic box wrapped in a bin bag would do,what about putting the wrapped up porta poti on the rack.
I don't understand the logic of carting around an unused bike rack whilst space is at a premium.

It's just for the ferry part. A roof box is a great storage extension for the Cali, for lightweight large items like mattresses, sleeping bags, pillows etc. True, anything can be wrapped to the bike rack... But attaching it securely for highways, is not that easy, and I like seeing cars behind me through the rear window.

You could perhaps try some alternatives to a full-sized PP? You can buy small bed-pans in most pharmacies. A cheap/light/foldable cool bag, may also be a compromise for the cold beers, or maybe convert to whiskey (since you are in Bonnie Scotland.)

I love whisky. But the fridge is of course also for food. But you're right, perhaps we can do without for this short amount of time. We'll see where we end up when packing.

 

[Hotel California]

Ok , so price diffrence is indeed a lot and i would be looking for solutions also if i was in your situation.
Still think using the bike rack as storage is good option . Personal i never liked the idea of a roofbox anyway.

 

[zeratul]

Ok , so price diffrence is indeed a lot and i would be looking for solutions also if i was in your situation.
Still think using the bike rack as storage is good option . Personal i never liked the idea of a roofbox anyway.

I thought you had one at one point am I wrong?
I've tried it once. The (manual) roof only stays open if the roof box is empty. It's a box that opens on both sides, which is a must if you have the cali awning out. I can stand on one of the wheels to take things out.

I've also been thinking about getting a storage box for the bike rack, but I don't like buying it in a hurry without proper research. When we camp the 5 of us, we don't really need it.. though it might be a good option for dirty boots etc.

This roof box in the car experiment is also interesting for our upcoming trip to Iceland though - shipping the car with a cargo vessel from Rotterdam. I'll deliver the car to Rotterdam on my own, put my bike inside, and cycle back.

 

[Digger]

Scottish weather can be wet maybe also consider premier inn or travelodge as a back up. 7 up is asking a lot if bad weather.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Why don't you just buy a couple of small fold out 2 man tents.
I find these easier and faster to erect than 1 big awning, plus easier to store. Use the roof to sleep another two and keep the downstairs set as a van.

What you have going on looks a massive PITA.

In fact, scrub above, use Cali as a people mover and check into a hotel ...!!!

 

[Hotel California]

I know a good hotel ....Hotel California....
Sorry to pollute the tread

 

[zeratul]

Why don't you just buy a couple of small fold out 2 man tents.
I find these easier and faster to erect than 1 big awning, plus easier to store. Use the roof to sleep another two and keep the downstairs set as a van.

What you have going on looks a massive PITA.

In fact, scrub above, use Cali as a people mover and check into a hotel ...!!!

We have a popup for brother in law and his girlfriend.
We don't have a big awning.. just the standard cali slide-out awning on the side. Works very well in rainy weather.

Hotel? No.. that's just not our kind of travel. Our 3 boys are very used to sleeping up top, it takes 5-15 minutes to fall asleep. If we sleep in a hotel (e.g. skiing holidays, or holidays before we had the California), it takes 2-3 nights before they are used to it, it takes hours to fall asleep before that. Often after 2 nights we consider driving home due to sleep deprivation. On top of that, not all hotels have family rooms for 5, they're too young to be left alone in a room, so my wife and me would have to split up. No, not for us...

I get it, this challenge is not for everyone.
I always compare it to the times when we were 5 students on a budget in a regular passenger car with roof box, tents, matresses, camping gear, backpacks and camping in the rain (scotland, iceland, ...) .. Cali is great comfort compared to that. Wrapping up tents in the rain ...
Won't have that this time: in rainy weather we'll put the popup below the slide out awning.

 

[Stuart]

I did laugh when I read people suggesting a hotel

 

[Jonathan Duke]

This roof box in the car experiment is also interesting for our upcoming trip to Iceland though - shipping the car with a cargo vessel from Rotterdam. I'll deliver the car to Rotterdam on my own, put my bike inside, and cycle back.

Interested in learning about Iceland shipping options, would like to return there with my Cali someday.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

I get it, this challenge is not for everyone.
I always compare it to the times when we were 5 students on a budget in a regular passenger car with roof box, tents, matresses, camping gear, backpacks and camping in the rain (scotland, iceland, ...) .. Cali is great comfort compared to that. Wrapping up tents in the rain ...

As we previously only ever toured by bicycle or motorcycle..... The luxury, and capability, storage capacity etc etc of the Cali Beach, is not lost on us either..... The Beach will rise to the task..... It'll be an adventure, and IMO it's the "adventurous" trips, that I remember with most fondness

 

[zeratul]

Interested in learning about Iceland shipping options, would like to return there with my Cali someday.

We are shipping the California with Samskip from Rotterdam. The price (return with all paperwork and taxes) about EUR 2200. Flights for the five of us where about EUR 1500. Total EUR 3700 which is close to the price of the ferry from Denmark for a "high" car if you include cabin and meals. And the ferry takes 48 hours, and it takes time to drive to the north of Denmark. So it was the best option for us.

You ship the car 8 days in advance and can pick it back up 8 days later from flying home.
There are some disadvantages though, customs close early in the harbour in Reykjavik and so it's hard to pick it up on the day of the arriving flight. We have one overnight stay.
Renting a cali in Iceland, even a non-4MOTION, will cost you a lot more. And you won't have your gear.

It seems Samskip can also ship from the UK (Grimsby), see http://www.samskip.com/who-we-are/our-network and click the Iceland-Rotterdam-Hoffell or Iceland-Rotterdam routes.
We booked through a Dutch iceland specialist, you can use google translate https://www.ijslandspecialist.nl/vervoer-naar-en-op-ijsland/vrachtboot-ijsland/

 

[rackind]

What's the capacity of your roofbox?

We use 2 of these waterproof duffels on the bike rack (2 x 95 litre). They also make 135 litre versions but don't fit quite so neatly on the bike rack.

https://www.handiworld.com/handiduffel-black-95.html

We're a family of 6 and also don't stay anywhere too long so use a pop up shelter to store our gear at night (including seats when necessary and a fridge on an extension lead).

 

[zeratul]

The roof box is a whopping 800 litres... But it cannot contain too much weight. Still doable for lightweight stuff or boots though.
Looks an affordable investment, these duffels. Are they waterproof enough in long persisting rain?

 

[rackind]

The roof box is a whopping 800 litres... But it cannot contain too much weight. Still doable for lightweight stuff or boots though.
Looks an affordable investment, these duffels. Are they waterproof enough in long persisting rain?

Don't want to tempt fate but even the zips seem to be watertight (although I don't load the bag on the top with the zip facing upwards just to be sure)

 

[MattBW]

Hmm I am looking for a roof storage solution, something to put my awning in and some floor tiles etc, hookup cable. These looks interesting but I guess they can't compete on the security side of things?

Still can't imagine 7 in a Beach lol