Hello and help please

[Cali Ann]

Hello all you helpful Cali people. I bought a 2022 two tone Bayleaf green/white Ocean just before Christmas and love it. I’m looking forward to new adventures in 2024.
Quick question. I’m in the process of buying a few accessories (as you do) and I’ve already decided I want to keep things simple - no faffing with awnings etc. I like the look of the Thule front sun blocker and also the Brandrup side shades. Any thoughts/experience of either?

 

[pjm-84]

Hi and Welcome.

Thule front sun blocker - yes great bit of kit. Good for wind and rain and privacy into the van. I was going to buy side panels but the front sort of rendered these unnecessary

 

[Hawthorn37]

Hello and welcome to the forum! We have the same colour combo on our ‘22 van, and still love it! How about a photo - by way of introduction ? !

There are loads of comments /threads about side panels and such, you can use the search spyglass and go for ‘advanced search’, then ‘search threads, and ‘display results as threads‘ - using something like “side panels”. You’ll get LOTS of varying comments and tips.

We went for Outwell Fallcrest and Hillcrest side tarps, and they work for us. Not a room effect, more of a good sheltered area. We also use a drive away awning for stays of 3 nights +

By the way - you may want to review your public profile, it seems you’ve got your postcode as your location. If you update, your previous post will get changed too.

 

[Cali Ann]

Hello and welcome to the forum! We have the same colour combo on our ‘22 van, and still love it! How about a photo - by way of introduction ? !

There are loads of comments /threads about side panels and such, you can use the search spyglass and go for ‘advanced search’, then ‘search threads, and ‘display results as threads‘ - using something like “side panels”. You’ll get LOTS of varying comments and tips.

We went for Outwell Fallcrest and Hillcrest side tarps, and they work for us. Not a room effect, more of a good sheltered area. We also use a drive away awning for stays of 3 nights +

By the way - you may want to review your public profile, it seems you’ve got your postcode as your location. If you update, your previous post will get changed too.

Thank you for your helpful advice. Only just finding my way around using the forum!

 

[Begize]

I've got the Thule front sun blocker and it's a great thing for a bit of privacy as well as shelter. I did look at the matching side panels too, but availability and prices put me off. In the end I bought a generic camping tarp and some bungee's from Amazon for a fraction of the price. Only used it a couple of times as I prefer having the awning area a bit more open, but does give you that option if you need it, plus it packs down very very small. Along with the Thule, it's stored in a bag inside the chair compartment.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08HN12GSG/?tag=eliteelect-21

Full disclosure - I do have a Vango Hexway awning as well, but wanted a less bulky and quicker option for shorter trips / stops.

 

[AlfonzoBonzo1]

Worth taking a look at these too the material seems less noisy in the wind small company I beleive high quality https://cysgodawningshades.co.uk/products/awning-shade-for-2-6m-wind-out-awning

Professional Moochers review it here

 

[Corradobrit]

I bought a set of Outwell side and front panels. Decided the Thule Sunblocker G2 was a better option for the front as its not totally opaque. Sent the Outwell front back and kept the sides for a 3 sided enclosure if needed. Suits me.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Brandrup side panels + Thule sun blocker on the front. Often see the side panels for sale 2nd hand.

You can buy cheaper panels but the fabric is not as heavy duty. The silver side panels have a reflective coating so handy ‘when’ the sun is out.

 

[Borris]

You are right to keep things simple. After eight years of Cali ownership we have had to put up a new shed to keep all our camping accessories in. The theory is to pick what boxed kit you require to suit each trip, rather like a Thunderbirds mission. However, the practice is now to avoid taking any more than the bare essentials. The moral of this story is: however useful a gadget might appear, always keep things as simple as possible.

BTW, just purchased a Trangia 25-2 to put in that shed to keep the other spirit, gas and charcoal fueled devices company. Used it for the first time yesterday on the Isle of Wight to re-heat the doggy bag contents of the previous nights restuarant curry. Brilliant bit of kit! Why does reheated curry always taste better the following day?

My plan is to build in resilience for when the government has bullied everyone into going fully electric and then the power fails, which it certainly will at some point.