Modified Beach?

Chris R · Aug 17, 2015

My brief is to find a hybrid vehicle that will serve as a day to day MPV for my family (me, my wife and 4 kids) and also as a camper for weekends and trips away (using an awning / side tent for the 2 that can't sleep in the van). I am drawn to the California Beach for it's 7 seater configuration and pop top giving 4 berths, but put off by the lack of space for a kitchen module for when we want to use it in camper mode. It occurred to me that the ideal combination would be a 7 seater Beach with the following mods: (i) a removable kitchen console that replaces the two middle seats for weekends away, and (ii) a double front passenger seat (ideally swivelling) that would give us 6 travelling seats when the two middle seats are removed. That way we would have the best of both worlds. Is there any reason you couldn't modify a Beach in this way? Or would it be better to start with a T6 van and do a custom conversion. Very grateful for any input. Thanks.

SlidePods · Aug 17, 2015

Hi Chris,

We are a new company - www.slidepods.co.uk - offering a perfect solution to your dilemma. We developed a rear access (through the tailgate) kitchenpod for our Caravelle for exactly the reasons you mentioned in your post. We are family with 2 young kids and a dog and needed our van to function as a people carrier day to day and camper for holidays. Our pods can be fitted into the California Beach and used whilst all 7 seats are also in there. This allows the van to be a people carrier and camper/day van all at the same time. We have done similar with a seven seater Caravelle with pop top.

The kitchen units which are completely removable when not in use. They can be fitted easily and safely into the floor rails of the van. If you do use a drive away awning (as we do - we have the Khyam motordome sleeper) the pods can be removed and used as a stand alone kitchen unit in the awning giving you even more space in the van. They look stunning, work beautifully, are totally practical and are made from the highest quality materials.

We also offer a full custom conversion service if you were to go for a Caravelle or T6 and could build you exactly what you want with either base vehicle.

Here are a few pictures to give you an idea. There are plenty more on the website, if you are interested or have any questions feel free to get in contact with us. We are passionate about what we do and feel we have a truly unique product to offer you.

Best wishes

Jonny + Slidepods

2into1 · Jan 3, 2016

Saw this in my facebook feed today:

It's a windbreak designed to "help keep the edge of your interior dry or if your cooking/preparing using a rear pull out pod design kitchen it helps to keep the wind from affecting you". They are made by outdoortechnical.

It looks a little narrow for me, but thought it was worth sharing all the same.