I don't 'Get' the Beach. Tell me what I'm missing

[Georgiegirl]

I agree with Maud and Jen - it's all up to what works best for you. Having a beach is the right choice for us at the moment. Do I feel like Gino is inferior to an SE - no. Is he a camper van - yes it's a van and I can camp in it! Maybe an SE will be for me later in life when I'm retired and we can go on longer trips. In the meantime I am going to enjoy my beach and enjoy reading about everyone else's adventures on the forum.
For those that have made superior remarks, please don't make Beach owners feel like second class citizens, we are still driving a VW California and enjoying a luxury that many cannot afford. I for one feel privileged to own one.
Can we all play nicely now?

 

[Raggedroy]

I've seen a couple of comments about people changing their Beach for an SE but does anyone change their SE for a Beach. I've noticed on the for sale adds a good number of SE owners state that the cooker or sink has never been used. Maybe some over spec as they like all of the extras but don't really need them, I know I can be guilty of that at times.

 

[teeboy]

Yeah all the arguments about trim levels and refinement don't really count for much:

If you need more luggage or seating space then you need a beech.
If you want cooking and fridge then you need an SE

In the UK you have very little choice on base spec

The problems come when you don't "need" 5 seats and would quite like to cook

 

[GrannyJen]

I've seen a couple of comments about people changing their Beach for an SE but does anyone change their SE for a Beach. I've noticed on the for sale adds a good number of SE owners state that the cooker or sink has never been used. Maybe some over spec as they like all of the extras but don't really need them, I know I can be guilty of that at times.

In two years time I might go that route.

My first year in Albert I cooked everywhere we went, now I only need those facilities about 1/3rd of the time. More and more I am finding wild and permissive camping to be the way for me, and who wants to cook when there is a nice pub or restaurant 20 yards away.

In the beginning I swapped over between upstairs and downstairs beds, now I nest downstairs all the time unless it really is very hot.

I am only me on my own so the SE size is great for me, but more and more I may be sharing ... Oh! ... with my dogs coming with me more

I might just quite enjoy buying more of a shell and just taking with me those bits that I need just for that trip, cool box, BBQ, cooker, gas burner etc ....

Nothing is carved in stone, it's nice to be able to think about the choice and be offered one, today I would not swap Albert for anything in the word, but an Albertino may be right for me tomorrow.

One thing for sure, the base vehicle, the T5, I could not be more happier with. What else could enable me to drive 1,800 miles in 8 days and still be comfortable, feel safe and secure, be relaxed and above all be in one piece after a couple of heart-stopping moments?

 

[thesquirrelpatrol]

Perhaps as a non tea/coffee drinker I'm missing the point but, why would you want to drive around in a £50k luxury vehicle that smells like a road side take away van? surely cooking anything is always better to be done outside. Either that or a great excuse to find a pub?

 

[GrannyJen]

Perhaps when you are miles away from a pub and in a situation that the only recourse is to live and eat in the vehicle then you might just appreciate what the Cali is all about.

horses for courses.

 

[Meoncoast]

Concur with Jenny's above post plus add heavy rain/ gail force winds or snow to me it is the benifit of being able to cook inside. Save the smelly cooking for the good weather.

 

[Raggedroy]

Perhaps as a non tea/coffee drinker I'm missing the point but, why would you want to drive around in a £50k luxury vehicle that smells like a road side take away van? surely cooking anything is always better to be done outside. Either that or a great excuse to find a pub?

 

[Raggedroy]

Perhaps you have a very limited diet because you have Crohn's disease and can't just wonder into a pub or fast food outlet.

 

[Ricotansky]

I like the beach. We've got an SE, and enjoy cooking in the van when the weather is bad, but can see the benefits of more space and less complex roof in the beach. It's the same as anything, different things suit different people and circumstances. I'm glad the beach exists so that more people can enjoy owning a California!

 

[WelshGas]

Perhaps as a non tea/coffee drinker I'm missing the point but, why would you want to drive around in a £50k luxury vehicle that smells like a road side take away van? surely cooking anything is always better to be done outside. Either that or a great excuse to find a pub?

So if you cook in your SE it will smell like a road side take away van. So what does your kitchen at home smell like?
Sorry, the SE is a full on CAMPERVAN the Beach is not. Each to his own. NEITHER is better than the OTHER because they are different vehicles for different lifestyles.
1. I wanted a full on Campervan that can park virtually anywhere,
2. travel virtually anywhere,
3. travel at the same speed as a car,
4. sleep in and cook in when the weather is atrocious with room for 2 + occasional grand children.
5. I wanted a vehicle for 365 day use in all weathers on dedicated campsites or wild camping.
6. Fuel economy has no bearing as long as I get reasonable distance between fill ups.
That is the SE.

The Beach can do 1,2 & 3
It can be adapted or accessorised to do 4 & 5 but with some severe compromises
It can carry upto 7 people, but not necessarily ALL adults
Easier to convert to carry larger loads, like a Van.

So, enjoy the vehicle you have, and just use it as you want.

 

[LisaKent]

We felt the idea of a campervan was notonly for camping holidays but also impromptu trips to the beach etc especially in the winter time where we could walk the dog and then go back to the van and have a cuppa and make hot dogs, We could not do this in the beach without a pod system, if we got a pod we might aswell have an SE?

 

[Romke]

The Beach can do 1,2 & 3
It can be adapted or accessorised to do 4 & 5 but with some severe compromises

4. Yes, it's a very severe, near-crippling, compromise to use a Campingaz cooker inside in bad weather. And in case you're wondering: Beach owners also sleep inside (in a bigger bed as well).
5. Next year, my Beach will give me even 366 days in all weathers on dedicated campsites or wild camping, just like your SE
Come on WelshGas!

 

[larrylamb]

Yawn, bored now. It's like the original poster lit the blue touch paper on this thread then stood back and watched the fireworks. Two different vehicles in my eyes, two different types of customer squabbling over whose van is best, crikey move on guys.

 

[Fryers!]

+1 for the SE

 

[larrylamb]

+1 for the SE

Stop it Fryers!

 

[WelshGas]

Maybe some people need the bigger bed in a Beach.! We don't.

I totally agree Romke, you can put a Camping Gaz stove in a Beach, and a water carrier, waste bucket and 2 leisure batteries, oh and don't forget a fridge, and some storage and pretend it's an SE if you want.

But I cannot seat more than 4 in my SE, nor carry large loads if needed, so one upto you. But then I won't be carrying more than 4 ever, and being retired we can leave at an hours notice whenever, and have and do.

Just accept they are different vehicles that share some similarities, that are for different lifestyles.

When our 5 children were young the Beach would have been our choice. It wasn't around then so we had a Bedford Midi Estate, seating for 8 and 2 bench seats that folded flat, but no pop up roof.

 

[2into1]

Yawn, bored now. It's like the original poster lit the blue touch paper on this thread then stood back and watched the fireworks. Two different vehicles in my eyes, two different types of customer squabbling over whose van is best, crikey move on guys.

Not really! I replied with a summary and thank you a few days after asking, and before the mud slinging started.
The replies were useful to me and hopefully to others who are trying to decide which best suits their needs.

 

[spanner]

I heard that VW sell more Beaches now than Cali's? I suppose an entry level Beach is quite affordable for people on a budget and good way to get into camper vanning

 

[WelshGas]

Definitely easier than unpacking and pitching a tent during a British summer.

 

[JCUK]

So many plus points of the beach, where do I start?...I had a T4 hitop with a full conversion for 3 years. It was great but it had a small bed like the SE, only seating for 2 passengers like the SE and we have 3 kids, cupboards full of stuff we never used taking up valuable seating and sleeping space, more things to go wrong, squeak, rattle and roll, didn't like cooking or boiling kettles in the van, beach is a true multi use vehicle, it's cheaper than the SE, it has a huge boot space and lots of cubby holes for storage, it's very configurable, its nice to be in a car-like vehicle between camping, we have an awning if we want to cook, we've been all round Europe and UK in the Beach with 3 kids and it delivers on every level, in this case our opinion is that less is definitely more!...Even when we are retired and on our own we would only ever want the Beach...Finally, we still like back to nature camping but we get a very comfy king size bed that's a warm, secure and water proof sleeping experience with the Beach and we love it!...how's that?

 

[shaun5]

The more bodies you have to cart around daily the more seats you need. Simples.

 

[WelshGas]

Different vehicles - different life styles. Been there done that and moved on.

 

[bilberry]

We got our Beach 10 days ago and have already been to the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District and south-west Scotland. Driving it is heavenly. Even when we're not sleeping in it, it's meant, for example, that we can stay at a cold and windy beach for hours, interspersing walking with reading the weekend papers. If we'd had an SE, there's no way we could have justified testing out the food in two great pubs over the weekend...we'd have felt obliged to use our £10,000 Cali kitchen.

So many reasons for the Beach...and not least the fabulous cushions and tablecloth I've made for it! I've written a piece about it at Campfire Magazine that might be helpful if you want to know what accessories we ended up buying and what problems we've had (the stupid, stupid multiflex board!).

 

[Hotel California]

@bilberry , theres more than just "a kitchen unit" for the diffrence in price ...
It's a never ending story , just go for what you think is best for you!
Each has it's pro 's and con's...
I got a SE as i dreamd of it for 20 years , finally bought it two years ago , and must fairly admid that i probaly could live with a beach also , but , but , if , and , so , this that ,....don't bother ...i am very happy with my Cali