Considering a Cali but is it practical for 3 labradors??

[Rachelini]

We're really keen to buy a Cali, but have 3 labs and wonder if it really it practical for 2 adults and 3 large dogs? Where do you keep your dogs when driving? Is there enough room for 3?

 

[BerndRos]

In a word...NO.

Go and have a look at one and you will see....

 

[Hotel California]

In my opinion also a no ....we have one dog a Vizsla ( 22 kg) and just two adults and find it on the limit of comfort for driving and making short stops along he way.
Traveling to a site fully loaded with tent,etc....and staying there for longer with dogs in a tent or so could maybe work .
Sleeping inside with three dogs is , i think , over the top.
There are here on the forum some who travel multiple large dogs try to search in the section for the doglovers....
http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/forums/cali-dogs.32/
You could buy a dog- trailer and tow it behind your Cali.....

 

[WelshGas]

The California would be impractical for 3 such large dogs, unless of course you used something like this.
http://www.lintran.co.uk/products/products-dog-trailers/3-berth-trailer.html
Even if you could fit them in, I suppose just possible, it would be impossible to use the facilities without moving them outside to a free standing awning!
If you really want the experience + 3 large dogs then you would have to consider a 4 or 6 berth motorhome.

 

[RedCali]

I think you could make it work if you were patient and didn't mind being squashed! The dogs would fit by the kitchen for travelling but they would have to lie outside when you were cooking. If you always slept upstairs the dogs could sleep downstairs in a heap with perhaps one in the foot well or on the bench seat. I think it would be a real challenge if it was wet with wet dog towels and cagoules but a drive away awning would help a lot. We haven't got our Cali yet (2 more weeks!), but will be taking our two Labradors with us so could let you know how we get on.

 

[Romke]

We're really keen to buy a Cali, but have 3 labs and wonder if it really it practical for 2 adults and 3 large dogs? Where do you keep your dogs when driving? Is there enough room for 3?

Get a Beach. Enough floor space for them to travel and sleep, provided you use the upstairs bed for yourselves. We have two Retrievers ourselves. One of them sleeps in the footwell, the other on the front seats, and we sleep downstairs.

 

[Maud]

I would say it is definitely possible, but depends on several factors, including how you would plan to use the Cali and how close you like your dogs to be Seriously though, if you were planning to use a drive-away or other type of awning or tent for most trips and were prepared to travel reasonably 'light' in terms of what you pack, I think it could be fabulous fun for you and the dogs. Two of my Border Collies camp with me in mine and there is more than enough room, whether we all sleep on the downstairs bed or I sleep up and they sleep on the front seats/rear bench seat or (as I have seen someone else on here also doing) on the made-up bed downstairs. We have managed several "day-trips" with three adults and all four dogs (all Border Collies so a little smaller than your labs, but all as mad as a box of frogs). We travel with two in the back in a large fabric crate, one on the bench seat in a harness and one in a smaller crate alongside the kitchen. The crates can easily be put outside to make space on arrival (or under the awning if it's wet) and our girls usually sleep in these after a good walk (with the exception of the eldest who is a princess and sits on the seat with us whatever we are doing). If your dogs are reasonably well behaved, travel well and you are happy to have them on the seats/beds/generally with you whatever you are doing, then there shouldn't be any reason to rule out a Cali. Now how people manage with several small children on board, that's a mystery to me, but dogs, no problem

As others have said, do take a look at the dogs section on the forum, as there is a wealth of advice, ideas and photos there.

Maud

 

[Maud]

Also, if you planned to sleep upstairs only, you could remove the rear shelf, push the bench seat forward a bit and you would have a boot with ample space for three labradors. With only two adults to accommodate when driving, you could then put your awning etc. in front of the bench seat and then rearrange the seat when you arrive on site and start setting up. There are lots of options; perhaps you could look into hiring one for a few days so that you could have a real play with all the possibilities...

Maud

 

[motacyclist]

Get a Beach. Enough floor space for them to travel and sleep, provided you use the upstairs bed for yourselves. We have two Retrievers ourselves. One of them sleeps in the footwell, the other on the front seats, and we sleep downstairs.

I would agree the Beach would be better suited. You would find it difficult to use the additional facilities of the SE anyway if you were stuck inside in the rain with three large dogs. As the earlier poster says, you need to look at one.

Thinking back on all the motor homes, coachbuilt and panel van, we have had, up to Kon Tiki size, none of them really had any decent floor space for dogs with the room the dinette, bathroom, wardrobe, heater cupboard and settees etc took up.

The best bet (from the dog's point of view) would be something with a rear garage for them, but of course, it's not going to have the Swiss Army Knife, do everything gadget appeal the Cali has.

If it was the VW Transporter type of vehicle you were looking for you might be able to get something like a Sportvan and kit it out with a high level bed with room for the dogs underneath. You could even get the LWB version. You could then add one or more of the various pods for whatever additional camping facilities you wanted. All this would probably cost you a lot more than a California though, unless you budgeted very carefully!

 

[doug]

I would say a definite no to 3 large dogs. i think you would have to make too many compromises. I have a very large collie cross and a big springer. They fill up the floor space in the late evenings in spring / autumn when we are inside. It is a quite an exercise for everyone, them and my wife and I, when we want to get the table out or get things from the under seat drawer. I cant imagine how difficult it would be to have 3 large dogs. It is difficult with the heater too as we have to be careful that the dogs dont cook!

 

[Romke]

They fill up the floor space in the late evenings in spring / autumn when we are inside.

Hence my suggestion to get a Beach, not an SE

 

[shudycamps]

We're really keen to buy a Cali, but have 3 labs and wonder if it really it practical for 2 adults and 3 large dogs? Where do you keep your dogs when driving? Is there enough room for 3?

The rear utility shelf holds our large Lintran box in which I have two working cockers, a Kerry Blue Terrier and small terrier. The other two terriers stay tethered in their hanging Kurgo baskets suspended from bench back rests. We sleep upstairs and take the Kerry out of the Lintran and let her and the other two small terriers sleep at will in the bench area. The size Lintran we have could accommodate two Labs during drive time and then just keep one in the box overnight and the other on either the bench or floor whilst you sleep up top. Hope this gives you food for thought.