New Cali Owner in Waterloo, Belgiumy

[Fifall]

Hi there, my husband and I, living in Waterloo, Belgium have just decided to buy a new Cali Coast. We’re both newly retired and looking forward to exploring all over Europe, Uk and Ireland. All those boring jobs to do at home will just have to wait!
Our kids have flown the nest and we go regularly to visit friends and family all over Europe so now we can have fun along the way.
We will no doubt have lots of questions for you Cali experts and look forward to getting on board.
In the meantime, our new Coast doesn’t come with the tent cover that we thought was standard. Is this a big problem?

 

[BrugseB]

Welcome and great things to look forward to! The cover might be handy in really cold weather, but in that case you can always sleep downstairs or use a duct to get the hot air from the heater upstairs. You will soon find out if it's necessary for you...

 

[KevH]

Hi there, my husband and I, living in Waterloo, Belgium have just decided to buy a new Cali Coast. We’re both newly retired and looking forward to exploring all over Europe, Uk and Ireland. All those boring jobs to do at home will just have to wait!
Our kids have flown the nest and we go regularly to visit friends and family all over Europe so now we can have fun along the way.
We will no doubt have lots of questions for you Cali experts and look forward to getting on board.
In the meantime, our new Coast doesn’t come with the tent cover that we thought was standard. Is this a big problem?

Welcome to the club and congratulations on your purchase. I am sure you will forge many happy memories using it.
It will help to garner an answer to your question if you could say which version of the Cali Coast you have, ie a new ‘old stock’ T6.1 Transporter model or a new ‘new’ T7 Multivan version? Sliding door on one side or both?

 

[Fifall]

Hi KevK,
Thanks for the welcome. We’ve got a Cali Coast T6.1 and wondering about the canopy option. Thanks in advance!


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[Fifall]

Hi KevH,
Thanks for the welcome. We’ve got a Cali Coast T6.1 and wondering about the canopy option. Thanks in advance!


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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KevH]

Hi KevK,
Thanks for the welcome. We’ve got a Cali Coast T6.1 and wondering about the canopy option. Thanks in advance!


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T6.1, excellent choice.
As has been mentioned, if you mean a cover for the pop top roof then it is only necessary in the cold season and doesn’t come as standard. I picked one up as a private sale on here for £100 and it’s great.
But an option is to sleep down below where it will naturally be warmer.
I assume that is what you mean by canopy but if not, shout up

 

[Fifall]

We have a T6.1 Coast but it doesn’t have the side canopy/sun shade with 2 supports. Not sure how important that is.

 

[pluc99]

You mean the awning. It's an option that most people get, but nevertheless, it's an option. You can get one after market if you wish. I have one but I rarely use it.

 

[babble]

i got a Fiama F45s from obelink, delivered to Brussels. It's great. It's cheaper and (in my view having owned both) better quality than the Thule one. I added a rubber strip which keeps any rain dripping between the awning and the van.

https://www.obelink.be/fiamma-f45s-t5-t6-california-deep-black-cassetteluifel.html

i actually think these look really good too. Uses for me - opened about half way if it is raining, so i can sit with the door open and not have rain in the van. or keeping the sun off in very hot summers.

 

[KevH]

We have a T6.1 Coast but it doesn’t have the side canopy/sun shade with 2 supports. Not sure how important that is.

Aha, the wind-out awning!!!
It isn’t a problem not to have one, as others have said above they are either loved or loathed and there are lots of alternatives out there (and often for sale on the forum).

 

[vwcaliindobelgian]

Hi there, my husband and I, living in Waterloo, Belgium have just decided to buy a new Cali Coast. We’re both newly retired and looking forward to exploring all over Europe, Uk and Ireland. All those boring jobs to do at home will just have to wait!
Our kids have flown the nest and we go regularly to visit friends and family all over Europe so now we can have fun along the way.
We will no doubt have lots of questions for you Cali experts and look forward to getting on board.
In the meantime, our new Coast doesn’t come with the tent cover that we thought was standard. Is this a big problem?

Hi @Fifall we have new T7 Multivan based California since two weeks and there isn’t tent cover by default , it can be a big problem if one does wild camping in Scotland or Norway where it rains a lot but for warm countries it’s not a big issue .

 

[Ayjay]

@Fifall Welcome. There's so many knowledgeable people on this forum that you will probably get advice on any issue very quickly.
Can I ask you a question please? Do you know of any campsites in your area that are close to the battlefield? I have googled but it looks like the nearest site is some distance away. Thanks you in advance.

 

[BrugseB]

@Fifall Welcome. There's so many knowledgeable people on this forum that you will probably get advice on any issue very quickly.
Can I ask you a question please? Do you know of any campsites in your area that are close to the battlefield? I have googled but it looks like the nearest site is some distance away. Thanks you in advance.

What battlefield do you mean? Waterloo? Ypres?

 

[Ayjay]

Waterloo!!

 

[Hawthorn37]

Hi there, my husband and I, living in Waterloo, Belgium have just decided to buy a new Cali Coast. We’re both newly retired and looking forward to exploring all over Europe, Uk and Ireland. All those boring jobs to do at home will just have to wait!
Our kids have flown the nest and we go regularly to visit friends and family all over Europe so now we can have fun along the way.
We will no doubt have lots of questions for you Cali experts and look forward to getting on board.
In the meantime, our new Coast doesn’t come with the tent cover that we thought was standard. Is this a big problem?

Welcome to the forum! We joined around 3 years ago when we got our Cali, and in that time we’ve had lots of ‘problems’ solved by members - some (now) embarrassing questions from newbies ! But, no question is a stupid one.

I hope you really enjoy you new van, and have great experiences.

The wind out awning is nice to have, but not essential. It’s meant to be a sun canopy, we tend not to use it in bad / rainy weather, and in the UK at least, the summer sun isn’t that intense. We’ve also got a couple of tarps that we use most times we camp, good for rain sheltering, and a wind break. In your situation, I’d look at this option first. The wind out awnings are an expensive option you might not often use.