AlisonF
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I picked up my long awaited Cali on 1st March. 204 DSG 4Motion, Reflex Silver. Very exciting.
I’d ordered 2nd September just after my young bitch qualified for Crufts at her first ever dog show, with the plan to use it for Crufts 2016.
Once home I spent a few days working out where to put everything I needed for my first overnight trip. I then went for a drive with a friend who helped listen out for any rattling of camping gear and topped up with fuel.
I was due to leave first thing Wednesday morning so Monday and Tuesday were planned for the final packing of bits for me and the dogs and making some food to give to my host (I was planning to camp in her yard). Unfortunately, my young bitch collapsed and couldn’t walk Monday morning. It was snowing so rather than try and clear the Cali I picked her up and carried her to / from the vet’s. The symptoms were precisely the same as my two Tollers who had died from liver cancer (aged 9 and 12 respectively) so I was fearing the worst. She got worse rather than better during the afternoon. Finally the meds seemed to kick in and by the early evening she could wobble into the garden by herself, but no more. So my long awaited first trip in the Cali and first item at Crufts was hanging in the balance Monday evening.
Tuesday morning things seemed to be improving with Ellie and so with the help of a friend we sanitised the water tank, went to get a gas bottle installed and ran through all the features I’d need (like setting destinations in the SatNav - harder than you might think...). I’d managed to install the Cali Cosy the week before (in a rush, so not the neatest of jobs, I still need to tidy it and get some pics for Nick).
The drive from Aberdeen to Abergavenny took 11 hours including several stops to let the dogs stretch their legs. As it was dark when I arrived I didn’t bother with hook up - my mistake. Even with the aux heater on I was freezing upstairs whilst the dogs were cooking downstairs - and whining and trying to get onto the bunk bed.
Second night I remembered to put down the vet bed on floor and bench seat - dogs slept a treat. I got the hook up sorted and used the electric blanket on the roof bed - I was snug as a bug. Also, turned the heater down, so dogs weren’t cooking. In fact the last two nights I switched the heater off once the blanket was up to temperature and all was fine
Four nights at the breeders and a win at Crufts for Ellie (only her 3rd ever show!) and then on to my parents near Ludlow for 2 nights. It took me less than an hour to pack everything away (duvet and pillow, zone sleeper with electric blanket so I close the roof, removing and folding away Muhtze on my own, loading dog crate behind driver seat and ‘wedging’ it with bedding bags and dod bed. A doddle.
At the parents, putting the Muhtze back on was now around a 10 min job using my collapsible plastic step. Bedding etc back on in a jiffy and ready to camp. Two nights and then an even quicker packing away and the drive home to Aberdeen.
The driving is a dream - feels like sitting in an armchair and watching the world go by. So relaxing.
Key learnings form first trip:
- the acceleration on the motorway from 50 to 70 out of roadworks is at least as good as my 2 litre petrol estate car (Cali is 204 DSG 4Motion)
- put out the porta potti before you go upstairs as it saves hassle in the night
- if using a dog crate, get them used to it in advance (e.g. in the house) so it’s not all new on their first trip
- vet bed (or similar) is a cheaper alternative to the fitted carpets and easily washable
- Gardman mats (or similar) cover the runners to prevent ingress of dirt from dogs, and the storage drawer opens easily over the top of them. It also prevents the vet bed sliding around
- A canvas 6 bottle wine holder fits perfectly in the fridge and can be used to store wine, milk, juice cartons and lifts in and out easily
- a telescopic ladder fits perfectly between the swivelled passenger seat and the end of the kitchen - mine, with two steps extended is exactly the right height for the bed and sits in place nicely
- tipping the back of the drivers seat right forward, putting the right hand arm rest down (so it goes under the steering wheel on rotation), adjusting the seat forward then removing the handbrake - it is easy to swivel the seat in one go (my dealer took about 10 shunts and gave up, hahaha)
- to deactivate the movement sensor on the alarm, get the dogs in and close the sliding door. Open drivers door and lean in to switch to ‘yellow’ then close and lock. (If you try to change the button with the sliding door open it doesn’t work). Once set it stays ‘yellow’ so remember to do it again to change to ‘red’ if the van is being left empty
- When fuelling, or stopping for a while at services the sat nav will ask you if you want to continue your journey when you start up. If you don’t spot this - it cancels your trip AND you lose the connection to your music on the iPhone. Check it before leaving the forecourt - even if there’s someone rushing you from behind... as the next stop may be a long way off...
- The sat nav voice is female. There is no info in the manual about changing this and I cannot find how to. Mine are all called ‘Dilbert’ - so I now have ‘Dilbertina’... However, Dilbert is in control of the voice commands.
- I have 2 BiGDUG storage boxes that fit perfectly under the mattress at the back and fit neatly sideways as well leaving a small space to slide in the topper, small awning, collasible step, etc.
- 2 more gardman mats underneath the storage boxes fit perfectly and stop them moving around.
- It is possible to leave the zonesleep mattress and duvet / pillow in the roof during the day - just remember not to try closing the roof with it there
- Zonesleep brilliant. I have the thickest Tempur mattress with a topper on at home and this was almost as comfortable
- A single bed electric blanket (e.g. homefront) fits over the upstairs bed perfectly, stays in place and the cable connection is on the correct side to fit the 3 pin socket
- BiGDUG heavy duty rubber mat with a door mat in top are great for cleaning dirty shoes, paws. Slide’s under the van easily when not in use and is a good ‘non slip’ surface for putting the dog crate on when in transit
- remember to go for a drive when packed to listen out for any annoying rattles before you hit the motorway..
- the sat nav is super intelligent - once you select a town or city it will only show relevant street names. Unfortunately, it has my parents address under the neighbouring village and so it took me ages to get that input...
- if you have dogs and are using the auxiliary heater - be careful they are not cooking downstairs - my plan is to swivel the drivers seat next time and see if that allows more heat to get upstairs (their full water bowl was emptying everynight)
- cali cosy and (Muhtze) topper make for a very snug and quiet night even at freezing temperatures
- the fixing for the offside for the topper won't fit with the awning attachment rail - temporary measure with some string / rope via the alloys - hope to have a more permanent solution soon.
I’m sure I’ve missed lots off so any questions on thins I might have missed please ask. I still have loads to learn but am extremely grateful for all the comments and suggestions I’ve received on this forum. Without you’re help I wouldn’t have dared making the trip on my own last week - and so wouldn’t have my rosette for first from Crufts. Thanks guys!
I’d ordered 2nd September just after my young bitch qualified for Crufts at her first ever dog show, with the plan to use it for Crufts 2016.
Once home I spent a few days working out where to put everything I needed for my first overnight trip. I then went for a drive with a friend who helped listen out for any rattling of camping gear and topped up with fuel.
I was due to leave first thing Wednesday morning so Monday and Tuesday were planned for the final packing of bits for me and the dogs and making some food to give to my host (I was planning to camp in her yard). Unfortunately, my young bitch collapsed and couldn’t walk Monday morning. It was snowing so rather than try and clear the Cali I picked her up and carried her to / from the vet’s. The symptoms were precisely the same as my two Tollers who had died from liver cancer (aged 9 and 12 respectively) so I was fearing the worst. She got worse rather than better during the afternoon. Finally the meds seemed to kick in and by the early evening she could wobble into the garden by herself, but no more. So my long awaited first trip in the Cali and first item at Crufts was hanging in the balance Monday evening.
Tuesday morning things seemed to be improving with Ellie and so with the help of a friend we sanitised the water tank, went to get a gas bottle installed and ran through all the features I’d need (like setting destinations in the SatNav - harder than you might think...). I’d managed to install the Cali Cosy the week before (in a rush, so not the neatest of jobs, I still need to tidy it and get some pics for Nick).
The drive from Aberdeen to Abergavenny took 11 hours including several stops to let the dogs stretch their legs. As it was dark when I arrived I didn’t bother with hook up - my mistake. Even with the aux heater on I was freezing upstairs whilst the dogs were cooking downstairs - and whining and trying to get onto the bunk bed.
Second night I remembered to put down the vet bed on floor and bench seat - dogs slept a treat. I got the hook up sorted and used the electric blanket on the roof bed - I was snug as a bug. Also, turned the heater down, so dogs weren’t cooking. In fact the last two nights I switched the heater off once the blanket was up to temperature and all was fine
Four nights at the breeders and a win at Crufts for Ellie (only her 3rd ever show!) and then on to my parents near Ludlow for 2 nights. It took me less than an hour to pack everything away (duvet and pillow, zone sleeper with electric blanket so I close the roof, removing and folding away Muhtze on my own, loading dog crate behind driver seat and ‘wedging’ it with bedding bags and dod bed. A doddle.
At the parents, putting the Muhtze back on was now around a 10 min job using my collapsible plastic step. Bedding etc back on in a jiffy and ready to camp. Two nights and then an even quicker packing away and the drive home to Aberdeen.
The driving is a dream - feels like sitting in an armchair and watching the world go by. So relaxing.
Key learnings form first trip:
- the acceleration on the motorway from 50 to 70 out of roadworks is at least as good as my 2 litre petrol estate car (Cali is 204 DSG 4Motion)
- put out the porta potti before you go upstairs as it saves hassle in the night
- if using a dog crate, get them used to it in advance (e.g. in the house) so it’s not all new on their first trip
- vet bed (or similar) is a cheaper alternative to the fitted carpets and easily washable
- Gardman mats (or similar) cover the runners to prevent ingress of dirt from dogs, and the storage drawer opens easily over the top of them. It also prevents the vet bed sliding around
- A canvas 6 bottle wine holder fits perfectly in the fridge and can be used to store wine, milk, juice cartons and lifts in and out easily
- a telescopic ladder fits perfectly between the swivelled passenger seat and the end of the kitchen - mine, with two steps extended is exactly the right height for the bed and sits in place nicely
- tipping the back of the drivers seat right forward, putting the right hand arm rest down (so it goes under the steering wheel on rotation), adjusting the seat forward then removing the handbrake - it is easy to swivel the seat in one go (my dealer took about 10 shunts and gave up, hahaha)
- to deactivate the movement sensor on the alarm, get the dogs in and close the sliding door. Open drivers door and lean in to switch to ‘yellow’ then close and lock. (If you try to change the button with the sliding door open it doesn’t work). Once set it stays ‘yellow’ so remember to do it again to change to ‘red’ if the van is being left empty
- When fuelling, or stopping for a while at services the sat nav will ask you if you want to continue your journey when you start up. If you don’t spot this - it cancels your trip AND you lose the connection to your music on the iPhone. Check it before leaving the forecourt - even if there’s someone rushing you from behind... as the next stop may be a long way off...
- The sat nav voice is female. There is no info in the manual about changing this and I cannot find how to. Mine are all called ‘Dilbert’ - so I now have ‘Dilbertina’... However, Dilbert is in control of the voice commands.
- I have 2 BiGDUG storage boxes that fit perfectly under the mattress at the back and fit neatly sideways as well leaving a small space to slide in the topper, small awning, collasible step, etc.
- 2 more gardman mats underneath the storage boxes fit perfectly and stop them moving around.
- It is possible to leave the zonesleep mattress and duvet / pillow in the roof during the day - just remember not to try closing the roof with it there
- Zonesleep brilliant. I have the thickest Tempur mattress with a topper on at home and this was almost as comfortable
- A single bed electric blanket (e.g. homefront) fits over the upstairs bed perfectly, stays in place and the cable connection is on the correct side to fit the 3 pin socket
- BiGDUG heavy duty rubber mat with a door mat in top are great for cleaning dirty shoes, paws. Slide’s under the van easily when not in use and is a good ‘non slip’ surface for putting the dog crate on when in transit
- remember to go for a drive when packed to listen out for any annoying rattles before you hit the motorway..
- the sat nav is super intelligent - once you select a town or city it will only show relevant street names. Unfortunately, it has my parents address under the neighbouring village and so it took me ages to get that input...
- if you have dogs and are using the auxiliary heater - be careful they are not cooking downstairs - my plan is to swivel the drivers seat next time and see if that allows more heat to get upstairs (their full water bowl was emptying everynight)
- cali cosy and (Muhtze) topper make for a very snug and quiet night even at freezing temperatures
- the fixing for the offside for the topper won't fit with the awning attachment rail - temporary measure with some string / rope via the alloys - hope to have a more permanent solution soon.
I’m sure I’ve missed lots off so any questions on thins I might have missed please ask. I still have loads to learn but am extremely grateful for all the comments and suggestions I’ve received on this forum. Without you’re help I wouldn’t have dared making the trip on my own last week - and so wouldn’t have my rosette for first from Crufts. Thanks guys!
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