Half a plan

[Koops]

Hi. I’ve got a lease SUV that’s up for renewal end-2018, plus a 7m Burstner Motorhome which is old but in vgc and has fixed bed, separate shower room etc. Every couple of weeks I’m at the coast, Dinghy sailing or kite surfing: Motorhome is a bit big for beach/town parking and I just need somewhere to change, be warm/make a cuppa/ overnight sleep. Also need Towbar. So I’m thinking of selling Gino the Motorhome and buying a VW camper when Outlander PHEV lease expires later this year. Slight complication is I’ve got an excitable Dog and a wife that likes creature comforts; we can manage without the onboard shower but I think the loo would be missed! I’ve been thinking about a Thetford portaloo thing and keeping it in a van for ‘emergencies’: I guess one of us would be vacating the vehicle!
Anyway, I will need to decide T5/T6, fit conversion over time/ pro conversion / be Cali. I want pop top for the low roof height and DSG because my daily commute involves a lot of slow city traffic.
Any advice appreciated from this friendly forum

 

[Hotel California]

Welcome , reading the above seems to me a no brainer ...
Get yourself a Cali asap!

 

[Sad]

The largest majority of folk on the forum went through the same thought process and like us kept coming back to the Cali...

Good luck with this new adventure...

 

[Bellcrew]

Hi. I’ve got a lease SUV that’s up for renewal end-2018, plus a 7m Burstner Motorhome which is old but in vgc and has fixed bed, separate shower room etc. Every couple of weeks I’m at the coast, Dinghy sailing or kite surfing: Motorhome is a bit big for beach/town parking and I just need somewhere to change, be warm/make a cuppa/ overnight sleep. Also need Towbar. So I’m thinking of selling Gino the Motorhome and buying a VW camper when Outlander PHEV lease expires later this year. Slight complication is I’ve got an excitable Dog and a wife that likes creature comforts; we can manage without the onboard shower but I think the loo would be missed! I’ve been thinking about a Thetford portaloo thing and keeping it in a van for ‘emergencies’: I guess one of us would be vacating the vehicle!
Anyway, I will need to decide T5/T6, fit conversion over time/ pro conversion / be Cali. I want pop top for the low roof height and DSG because my daily commute involves a lot of slow city traffic.
Any advice appreciated from this friendly forum

All sorts of ideas on here for toilet functions, I am happy to use the Thetford, fits in the kitchen cupboard fine, is totally fragrance free and is a practical solution particularly for ladies. Ours only ever used for tinkles last thing at night/first in morning. Anything else other than for little children requires a walk to proper facilities. Even in a big white number twos are distinctly antisocial in such confined spaces, emergencies excepted!

 

[Thruxton]

All down to budget then Koops.... we are loving the Cali for day trips to the coast etc and tea / coffee anywhere. Parks anywhere and sits on the drive for use whenever, and of course the bed, but we only got her in November, so just two trips away so far, but warm and snuggly in the van. We have the porta loo for emergencies, and will see whether we need it in the summer, when we are more likely to have sat drinking wine / beer for too long before bed ;-).... but a walk to a campsite loo at night is never a chore .... have fun working it all out....

 

[Sad]

We're trialling the bog in a bag currently...

 

[Sad]

I say we, I'm always happy to walk to the site loo...

 

[sapto]

Welcome Koops!

As far as I understand:
- under 2m hight (outline)
- DSG (engine)
- emergency toilet on board (comfort)
... a van style camper fits your needs.

Have a look/better rent one of these:
- Mercedes Marco Polo
- VW California
- Nissan Michelangolo (?)

Enjoy choosing, renting and camping!

 

[GillianC]

We're trialling the bog in a bag currently...

+1 for bog in a bag

 

[Julie and Archie]

Westfalia have T6s with onboard toilets. Might be worth a look

 

[parrot2]

Hi I would not stress to much about the portaloo scenario I've had my cali for six months and used it quite a lot and the portaloo is still unused in its plastic bag in the cupboard its so much easier to walk to the site toilet. I also considered a motorhome but decided I did not want the hassle of driving it around in todays traffic a choice I am happy with.

 

[GrannyJen]

Hi. I’ve got a lease SUV that’s up for renewal end-2018, plus a 7m Burstner Motorhome which is old but in vgc and has fixed bed, separate shower room etc. Every couple of weeks I’m at the coast, Dinghy sailing or kite surfing: Motorhome is a bit big for beach/town parking and I just need somewhere to change, be warm/make a cuppa/ overnight sleep. Also need Towbar. So I’m thinking of selling Gino the Motorhome and buying a VW camper when Outlander PHEV lease expires later this year. Slight complication is I’ve got an excitable Dog and a wife that likes creature comforts; we can manage without the onboard shower but I think the loo would be missed! I’ve been thinking about a Thetford portaloo thing and keeping it in a van for ‘emergencies’: I guess one of us would be vacating the vehicle!
Anyway, I will need to decide T5/T6, fit conversion over time/ pro conversion / be Cali. I want pop top for the low roof height and DSG because my daily commute involves a lot of slow city traffic.
Any advice appreciated from this friendly forum

Hello and welcome.

A camper is all about compromise: space and convenience for go anywhere flexibility.

Loo's are a problem, or can be, so you may want to have a read of this thread:

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/toilets-and-portaloos.13487/page-6

 

[Velma's Dad]

Most decisions about Cali'ing boil down to how you plan to use the van. Yes campsite loos are fine... if you're on a campsite. But Koops it sounds like you're most often going to be camping 'informally' (which is one reason you say you want a smaller van).

We use a Thetford 335 and it works okay for us. But we almost always sleep 'upstairs' so there's plenty of room for the bog downstairs at night. On the odd time we sleep downstairs, in really rubbish weather, it's pretty cramped to fit the Thetford in between the bed and the front seats, and not especially dignified to 'attack'.

As Julie and Archie say, Westfalia Club Joker (not the Club Joker City though) has a cubicle WC, but that's no good to you as you need sub-2m roofline.

It sounds like you really need to try before you buy, maybe rent a Cali for a weekend and decide if the toileting options are something you/Mrs Koops really can live with.

 

[Verity]

We try to camp on basic sites with no facilities if poss, or aires in France (so far haven't been further than France in the van but plan to asap) so we have the Thetford 335. We take a pop up toilet tent. If the weather is REALLY bad or if we're just feeling lazy, we put it behind the passenger seat. If sleeping upstairs not a problem, if sleeping downstairs still not a problem - just ask your partner to close their eyes if you're shy. I wouldn't want to be in the same space with my husband if he were doing one of his monumental man poos, but in that case I would probably shimmy upstairs for the duration and pull the hatch across. I think when you've been married as long as we have and you've been through childbirth together, there are few embarrassments left.

 

[Borris]

Hi. I’ve got a lease SUV that’s up for renewal end-2018, plus a 7m Burstner Motorhome which is old but in vgc and has fixed bed, separate shower room etc. Every couple of weeks I’m at the coast, Dinghy sailing or kite surfing: Motorhome is a bit big for beach/town parking and I just need somewhere to change, be warm/make a cuppa/ overnight sleep. Also need Towbar. So I’m thinking of selling Gino the Motorhome and buying a VW camper when Outlander PHEV lease expires later this year. Slight complication is I’ve got an excitable Dog and a wife that likes creature comforts; we can manage without the onboard shower but I think the loo would be missed! I’ve been thinking about a Thetford portaloo thing and keeping it in a van for ‘emergencies’: I guess one of us would be vacating the vehicle!
Anyway, I will need to decide T5/T6, fit conversion over time/ pro conversion / be Cali. I want pop top for the low roof height and DSG because my daily commute involves a lot of slow city traffic.
Any advice appreciated from this friendly forum

Hire one before you do anything else. It's worth finding out if your wife (and you as well) like the California lifestyle before going any further. The "For Sale" section sometimes features nearly new Calis that are up for sale due to "a change in circumstances"!

 

[MattBW]

Are you thinking of the Ocean or the Beach style of configuration?

As much as I would like a loo in the van, I don't personally want to give up the space for one in the limited space of the Cali. I think depending on how many of you there are will help you decide if you have space or not. For me 2 adults and 2 dogs I need that space but then I have a beach with cupboard inside. I guess it could go in an awning or a pop tent too.

The only place it was ever too bad to make the trip to the loo was the lakes during blizzards and high winds. I opted to take a pee in the trees. Pretty mad... lets just say a sudden gust resulted in the only time in my life I'd pee'd at 90 degrees. About 4 seconds in this video gives you an idea of the weather.

I'd also rather walk than deal with the item once used Each to their own the beauty of vans and making them your own.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi. I’ve got a lease SUV that’s up for renewal end-2018, plus a 7m Burstner Motorhome which is old but in vgc and has fixed bed, separate shower room etc. Every couple of weeks I’m at the coast, Dinghy sailing or kite surfing: Motorhome is a bit big for beach/town parking and I just need somewhere to change, be warm/make a cuppa/ overnight sleep. Also need Towbar. So I’m thinking of selling Gino the Motorhome and buying a VW camper when Outlander PHEV lease expires later this year. Slight complication is I’ve got an excitable Dog and a wife that likes creature comforts; we can manage without the onboard shower but I think the loo would be missed! I’ve been thinking about a Thetford portaloo thing and keeping it in a van for ‘emergencies’: I guess one of us would be vacating the vehicle!
Anyway, I will need to decide T5/T6, fit conversion over time/ pro conversion / be Cali. I want pop top for the low roof height and DSG because my daily commute involves a lot of slow city traffic.
Any advice appreciated from this friendly forum

The most cost-effective vehicle on the T5/6 chassis with height restriction is the VW California.
I searched long and hard for a T5 conversion that was less than 2m in height, with a Pop-top roof AND the vehicle I wanted with DSG, full A/C and 4Motion.
The only way to get that was to buy the vehicle from VW and get it converted.
To obtain the quality of the VW California interior cost so much It would have cost substantially more than a VW California and the downside was that the VW van 3 yr warranty would be seriously downgraded and the warranty from the Conversion companies was 1 year or less on all components.

We just have a Pop-up Toilet tent next to the van and use a Bog-in-the Bag on any site, for nighttime use only, we stop at.
Wild camping then it's normally just me, but not always and we just vacate the van as needed.

 

[Zebedee]

Bog in a bag here but I'm still on our first order of bags after 4 years of ownership we usually stop at camp sites, aires etc but have used it a few times. We had it previously for tent camping and like to fact it can be used downstairs even with the bed utilised and contents disposed of out the door, also need my kitchen cabinets and don't like the though if one of them containing a toilet, also the bog in a bag is taller to lower my posterior onto.