Swello
I guess this is an intro thread as I've been exclusively hanging around the Order Delay thread so far....I finally picked up my 204 last midweek after 7 months of impatient waiting and I'm delighted with it. The van is very close to a "stock" 204 Ocean and I really like the slightly utilitarian feel that it has. I've been impressed with the way that others have modified their Cali's but my plans are to keep things as minimal as possible.
Last night, I had my first camping experience about 45 mins from home and it was pretty special - so I took the opportunity to take the traditional "new cali" photos.
I slept in the roof bed last night and although it got down to minus 3 outside (and not far off it inside!), I was perfectly warm under my Thermarest Down Quilt. I'm an experienced wild camper (of the 1 man tent in the middle of nowhere variety) and so my comfort threshold is probably lower than most but in any case, it felt like complete luxury.
My plans are to use the Cali as a mobile base for hillwalking and related stuff and so it will most likely not see too many campsites and it probably won't be seen outside of the hilly parts of Scotland too often. I've spent a lot of years kipping in the back of my car, so this is a massive step up and one that I've fancied for years. My normal usage would be to arrive late (after 9pm) at wherever I'm going walking the next day and get an early start - so the deck chairs, table and awning might not see a lot of use
The build quality of the 6.1 Cali seems to be really high and I've been really impressed with the performance of the engine so far - but it will take me longer than a few days to really form an opinion as I've no previous experience of camper vans save for hiring a fiat ducato campervan once.
Looking forward to future adventures
Last night, I had my first camping experience about 45 mins from home and it was pretty special - so I took the opportunity to take the traditional "new cali" photos.
I slept in the roof bed last night and although it got down to minus 3 outside (and not far off it inside!), I was perfectly warm under my Thermarest Down Quilt. I'm an experienced wild camper (of the 1 man tent in the middle of nowhere variety) and so my comfort threshold is probably lower than most but in any case, it felt like complete luxury.
My plans are to use the Cali as a mobile base for hillwalking and related stuff and so it will most likely not see too many campsites and it probably won't be seen outside of the hilly parts of Scotland too often. I've spent a lot of years kipping in the back of my car, so this is a massive step up and one that I've fancied for years. My normal usage would be to arrive late (after 9pm) at wherever I'm going walking the next day and get an early start - so the deck chairs, table and awning might not see a lot of use
The build quality of the 6.1 Cali seems to be really high and I've been really impressed with the performance of the engine so far - but it will take me longer than a few days to really form an opinion as I've no previous experience of camper vans save for hiring a fiat ducato campervan once.
Looking forward to future adventures
