Heating etc

LABZILLA · Aug 24, 2012

Hi all, new girl with dog would very much appreciate your advice.
The Beach has caught my eye as I have no requirement for a cooker/wardrobe but fancy
the idea of the odd camping night/eating my takeaway with a beer in the back.
I think the downstairs bed is a pretty good size on the Beach and bigger than a Cali ? Please correct me if I am wrong.
Also with the dog and using it as an everyday vehicle I think that Climatronic is a must.
My big qestion is about a parking heater. It's expensive but I don't appreciate the cold. My concern is that I don't want to buy a big fridge but on the other hand I am not planning winter/long camping trips and their seems to be a very nice Beach available at the moment that ticks the boxes bar the parking heater.
I am not really interested in aftermarket conversions.
Any views would be brillaint to help me make my mind up :thanks

James · Aug 25, 2012

LABZILLA said:
Hi all, new girl with dog would very much appreciate your advice.
The Beach has caught my eye as I have no requirement for a cooker/wardrobe but fancy
the idea of the odd camping night/eating my takeaway with a beer in the back.
I think the downstairs bed is a pretty good size on the Beach and bigger than a Cali ? Please correct me if I am wrong.
Also with the dog and using it as an everyday vehicle I think that Climatronic is a must.
My big qestion is about a parking heater. It's expensive but I don't appreciate the cold. My concern is that I don't want to buy a big fridge but on the other hand I am not planning winter/long camping trips and their seems to be a very nice Beach available at the moment that ticks the boxes bar the parking heater.
I am not really interested in aftermarket conversions.
Any views would be brillaint to help me make my mind up

Hi

Welcome to the forum Labzilla.

Yes the downstairs bed is bigger than the Cali. You have a full width bed, which is very comfortable.

I don't have the Cimtronic system, if I'd ordered my van from factory, I would have probably had it, if only for resale. To be honest, I've never really got on with climate control systems but that's just me. I'd certainly choose a van that had it if it was within my budget.

The Parking Heater comes down to what you intend the van for. It's expensive, but if you intend to go away a lot, then you have to consider it and again, when it comes to resale it is going to be desirable.

Personally I use my van everyday and for a number of functions, so a parking heater is not a must for me. And as I bought my Beach as a dealer demo, I sacrificed a parking heater so I could get stuff I would use more often, multi function steering well for example. It was just about choosing the Beach for my needs.

If you've seen a Beach that you like and it is within in budget and it doesn't have a parking heater but you don't plan on going away in the colder months then it don't be too concerned it with it.

Remember the Beach is not just a camping vehicle - it is a true MPV, and that's its joy. I've never been cold in my Beach, the large glass area tends to lead to a greenhouse effect.

Remember in having a parking heater on a dealer demo or stock etc means you lose something else, so just prioritise exactly what you want to use it for. An odd camping night may not be enough to justify the extra outlay on a parking heater. That said, if you are not too concerned about options, a parking heater is great to have.

These are just my views so don't take them as read

James

socratease · Aug 25, 2012

Hi
I am just choosing options and declined the heater believing that if I go for a harsh winter camp I will throw in a good down sleeping bag that goes down to -30 coupled with a thermal sheet if it gets really desperate.

Californiaman · Aug 25, 2012

We have the heater and enjoy it. That said, we never run it once we go to bed - the van tends to stay toasty especially if you sleep downstairs an pull the roof down. If you have a hookup you can always use a small electric heater.

Italiahorse · Sep 30, 2012

Californiaman said:
We have the heater and enjoy it. That said, we never run it once we go to bed - the van tends to stay toasty especially if you sleep downstairs an pull the roof down. If you have a hookup you can always use a small electric heater.

That's what I do. If going away in cold weather EHU are in abundance.

http://www.walktrot.com/Hookup.htm