Finally , our very own room with view.

[calimera]

First trip in Gracie this weekend . Camping on family run site (Karrageen)above Hope Cove
Lovely long walks with our dogs along the coast paths. Great meal at the local Beach Cafe at South Milton beach .

 

[motacyclist]

Nice, where is it?

 

[calimera]

A glorious sunset on the walk back to the campsite after a meal at Beach House.
Really enjoyed our first trip & learnt so much.
Sunshine on Saturday, followed by showers on Sunday.


Oh dear twitchy finger & not enough wine !!

 

[motacyclist]

not enough wine !!

That's easy to fix!

That sky looks great

 

[calimera]

Some photos to illustrate show how we've put some of that wonderful forum feedback into practice.
Kangaroo Driver seat pockets ( cheaper than Brandrup , doesn't narrow at the bottom). Seat turns easily with it on. Bottom pocket ideal for laptop.




Cupboards no rattles- stack plates ( non slip matting) Brunner bambu dinner set( Welshgas)
Tefal ingenio essential pan set in a collapsible outwell washing up bowl. Easy access. Pans are great,so versatile. Espresso coffee maker = essential item.
Old Tupperware containers handy food storage. Salt/ pepper/ spices ,coffee,tea etc in pull out plastic containers, easy access.


IKEA Skubb boxes ( thanks Denzilgts for photo) in the bench draw. Have labelled the emergency roof straps & put of copy of instructions on how to take the roof ,if it gets stuck.
Husband favourite item is the small oxo compact dustpan( thanks Granny Jen)


Use Dunelm cheap cork mat to protect the glass kitchen cover.
Useful tip ( by a member) to create a small table over the cutlery draw when pulled out. Used chopping board & cork mat.

"Really useful "9 litre box between front seats,perfect fit( thanks Hotel California )
- full of games,britstop & camping guides etc.


Small portable gas stove( fried breakfast outside) .Still considering the cadac Safari chef 2.
John Lewis neat freak THREE shelf organiser in large wardrobe for clothes.
Duvet & pillows packed in vacuum storage bags ( dibag)

Had a very comfortable sleep in the roof bed with no mattress topper.
The canvas dried easily after the soaking on Sunday.
Dogs very happy on the bench seat & floor , on vetbed.
No covers on seats,we have the Alcantara leather( not leather but we like it,looks smart) . Rugs/vetbed over the bench seat when the dogs/us seat on it.

Have ordered Quescha Base seconds( storage, extra seating area)
Plan to get Roger Donoghue to fit a solar panel .
Cali cozy on order/ waiting list.

Favourite buys ( apart from our Cali)
Collapsible outwell kettle plum, lives in the sink. Ready for action.
Collapsible colander , bright green
Collapsible dog bowls ( Lidl)
Husband very pleased with his dash cam.

Have had such much fun planning & kitting out the Cali in the last few months.
Now time to enjoy.
The dimmer lights in the boot & roof space are really useful. Once we found the switches.


Nearly forgot the Boginabag ....

 

[calimera]

Grace

 

[Teejay]

View attachment 14621 Some photos to illustrate show how we've put some of that wonderful forum feedback into practice.
Kangaroo Driver seat pockets ( cheaper than Brandrup , doesn't narrow at the bottom). Seat turns easily with it on. Bottom pocket ideal for laptop.

View attachment 14623
View attachment 14625

Cupboards no rattles- stack plates ( non slip matting) Brunner bambu dinner set( Welshgas)
Tefal ingenio essential pan set in a collapsible outwell washing up bowl. Easy access. Pans are great,so versatile. Espresso coffee maker = essential item.
View attachment 14622

IKEA Skubb boxes ( thanks Denzilgts for photo) in the bench draw. Have labelled the emergency roof straps & put of copy of instructions on how to take the roof ,if it gets stuck.
Husband favourite item is the small oxo compact dustpan( thanks Granny Jen)
View attachment 14624

Use Dunelm cheap cork mat to protect the glass kitchen cover.
Useful tip ( by a member) to create a small table over the cutlery draw when pulled out. Used chopping board & cork mat.

Really useful 9 litre box between front seats,perfect fit( thanks Hotel California )
- full of games,britstop & camping guides etc.
View attachment 14626

Small portable gas stove( fried breakfast outside) .Still considering the cadac Safari chef 2.
John Lewis neat freak 3 shelf organiser in large wardrobe for clothes.
Duvet & pillows packed in vacuum storage bags ( dibag)

Had a very comfortable sleep in the roof bed with no mattress topper.
The canvas dried easily after the soaking on Sunday.
Dogs very happy on the bench seat & floor , on vetbed.
No covers on seats,we have the Alcantara leather( not leather but we like it,looks smart) . Rugs/vetbed over the bench seat when the dogs/us seat on it.

Have ordered Quescha Base seconds
Plan to get Roger Donoghue to fit a solar panel .

Have had such much fun planning & kitting out the Cali in the last few months.
Now time to enjoy.
The dimmer lights in the boot & roof space are really useful. Once we found the switches.


Nearly forgot the Boginabag ....

Lots of useful information in this single post

 

[calimera]

That's easy to fix!

That sky looks great

Yes please , just the one

 

[sapto]

Thanks for sharing and welcome! Great pics and inspiring!

 

[T6 CFO]

Great post. Very useful. Thanks


Mike

 

[GillianC]

Thanks for posting this Calimera. Very useful.
I am going to start googling some of the items you have mentioned

 

[TigerSki]

Thank you for all the information, lots of great ideas from a beautiful part of the world. We have spent many a day on the beach at Bantham nearby. Same as GillianC I am starting to research some of your items now too! We have the Safari Chef 2 HP and find it brilliant for a family of four and have not regretted buying it. Quite reasonable from this website.
http://gasproducts.co.uk/cadac-safari-chef-2-hp.html

 

[calimera]

Thanks for posting this Calimera. Very useful.
I am going to start googling some of the items you have mentioned

The JL shelf is 3 unit one.
The really useful boxes can be found on several sites.
Hope you are soon reunited with your Cali
Mandy

 

[calimera]

Part two
Brandrup T5 carpet from the Netherlands company. Very happy with the colour.
Dunelm washable rug (throw in the washing machine ,handy with wet dogs & muddy feet) over the rails to protect them .
Cushions, removable covers from eBay with inexpensive Dunelm feather pads . Good extra pillows for extra guests.
Collapsible waterproof bin( perfect fit behind passenger seat) or over head rest( keep dogs out). Multiple usages. Husband said he could have made something, but I like it. Better than hanging plastic bag with dripping tea bags.




Packing cells in cupboard with socks etc. & micro-towels. Great easy access solution. Only just discovered them. Idea stocking filler for Christmas.
Wash bag stored here.
Lots of room on left side next to Thule foldable storage box/ handy net on front for easy access , box needs filling).Comfortz thermal screen over box( yet to be used) Vango 5 pole windbreak,packs into a small bag ( adds a bit of colour,also like the clear window panels )Boginabag ( need the base tent) & ramps etc.down the side of the bench seat.
Large storage box(54 liters) with gas stove,charging cables, guy ropes, mallet , dog corkscrew stake, blue collapsible bucket/watering can with small piece of hose,great for filling the water tank, tools,gaffa tape etc.

Many thanks to all those people in lots of different forum threads who have contributed to the organization of our Cali.

Still have lots of room to play with.
It's only 2 adults & 2 dogs.

Essential buys ( from the site shop):
Spare safe with locking bolt
Fridge thermometer

 

[Velma's Dad]

Great post(s), thanks.

Kangaroo Driver seat pockets

Hadn't heard of the Kangaroo pockets (and tried to search the forum) but they seem to be available from camperv**tastic (no personal interest to declare) at £115. Anyone else used these?

 

[calimera]

Great post(s), thanks.



Hadn't heard of the Kangaroo pockets (and tried to search the forum) but they seem to be available from camperv**tastic (no personal interest to declare) at £115. Anyone else used these?

Someone posted a photo on here.

Bought from :
http://www.california-camping.de/catalogsearch/result/?q=Kangaroo

Used a Halifax clarity( good exchange rate)plus discount cost ( less delivery)
€ 119
Looks like the one we have are out of stock. Got a VIP forum discount. Some people haven't had such a good service from the website.
Delivery was swift for us.

 

[Skylark2.0]

View attachment 14619
A glorious sunset on the walk back to the campsite after a meal at Beach House.
Really enjoyed our first trip & learnt so much.
Sunshine on Saturday, followed by showers on Sunday.

View attachment 14620


Oh dear twitchy finger & not enough wine !!

Is that stereo or 3D?!
Fantastic view, very jealous...

 

[Hotel California]

Looking under your sink/coocker seems exact like we did it , also the usefull box between the front seats we got ...realy usefull

 

[Triciap]

Thank you so much for your very informative post. I've been lurking for months now but only 3 more sleeps until we pick up our Cali. Still can't quite believe it's going to happen. Huge life changer for us and so exciting. Been on order since February but we changed the spec in March so wasn't expecting it to arrive quite so soon. We are so not organised but we're going to have so much fun

 

[Dottie]

Congratulations on fit out!
I'm almost there with mine...just the midge net to make.

I see your electrics wire in your box and wondered if you have thought what you might do if it gets dirty...?! I use these bags for wires in one and hose + hose connections in the other. They can be bought for under £5 on other websites, but this is the make.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003CKC24M/?tag=eliteelect-21

 

[calimera]

Congratulations on fit out!
I'm almost there with mine...just the midge net to make.

I see your electrics wire in your box and wondered if you have thought what you might do if it gets dirty...?! I use these bags for wires in one and hose + hose connections in the other.



Hi Dottie
Thanks for the thought. Actually have a cover for it ,but Simon forgot to put it on.
We didn't use hook up for our first three day trip . The battery was only down to 80% despite using the fridge etc.
Simon has batteries on his boat so is always checking voltages etc. He is impressed by the quality of the batteries.
Mandy

 

[calimera]

Advice on midge nets very welcome.
We are off for a 2 wk trip to West coast of Scotland in September.

 

[Skylark2.0]

Advice on midge nets very welcome.
We are off for a 2 wk trip to West coast of Scotland in September.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/scottish-trip-in-june.7000/

Check out this thread. It's quite long.
I made some netting for the side screens which worked well.
I couldn't get the big one over the door to stay up.
I think I needed lighter netting.
Too windy for midges when we went.

 

[Hotel California]

Advice on midge nets very welcome.
We are off for a 2 wk trip to West coast of Scotland in September.

Just posted this on a screen for the sliding door
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/fly-screen-in-the-sliding-door-from-maxxcamp.14569/

 

[calimera]

Can we order wind & sunshine for our trip ?