Newbie camper and Newbie California Ocean owner- in need of esential tips

[CSaville]

Hi there,

we have just ordered a California ocean T6 which will be arriving in September. Very excited!

We got it in order to have enough space for 2 Great Danes and also so that we have the luxuries of the fridge, stove etc. so when going out for long dog walks we have it all there, also so that we can go on easy weekends away with dogs and not have to pay a fortune for dog friendly accommodation.

So we are newbies in camping and in owning a VW!

We are after any essential tips both of owning a VW and also any tricks of the trade for using them to camp in.

For example- do you have to have plastic cutlery and mugs or are the storage sections in them secure enough for normal stuff not to get broken?

Any tips on cooking in a VW- any essential extra utensils?

Can you get an attachment so that you can have normal plug sockets inside the VW?- eg for charging phones having extra lights.. using a laptop for films ect.

Any tips to make sure that the VW stays in tip top condition?

Any extra accessories that you have found are essential?

Where's the best place to search for places that you can last minute camp at?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Hotel California]

Hi and welcome , there is a very detailed forum availeble that has all the info on how people load , use , maintain ,even pimp thier Cali's.....essentials to take , things to look out for , tips & tricks,....
Way to much to put in one post!

 

[WelshGas]

Welcome. I would suggest you start off by reading the Beginners Forum . Then post any questions you might have.
All the information is there.
Your first question. You can use normal crockery and cutler or disposable.
Personally, I use normal cutlery, Ikea is good, and Melamine camping crockery. Others use fine china, crystal glasses or bio-degradable plates etc. Your choice completely.
We cook simple meals in the van, restaurants or boil in the bag expedition meals. Others produce 6 course meals using the van or cook outside using gas rings or barbacues.

 

[calimera]

Hi & welcome.
Sounds exciting,we took delivery of our Cali May . There are lots of threads on cooking, setting up & using the Cali. Some just go to the pub.
I posted our first experience/ set up on the following link.With all things Cali it is constantly evolving the more we use.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/finally-our-very-own-room-with-view.14526/

 

[Lanny]

Exciting times ahead! You'll love your van. I think setting it all up is half the fun, but the top tip we gained was to get the minimum and just try it out before you spend loads on things you may not need. After 2 sleeps we realised the mattress topper was something we needed to get ASAP- we're used to memory foam at home.

My parents always saved bubble wrap to reduce tableware rattles-so we do too now! Having the non-slip matting in the bottom of the cupboards is great too. The cutlery tray has loads of extra room for the other essentials such as can openers, bottle openers, gas fire lighter ( for when we BBQ etc) ( I even found a squashed cheese grater to fit!). Don't forget a bottle stopper for the wine so it doesn't slosh about if you don't drink it all the first night!

And yes- it has a normal plug socket on the side of the kitchen unit. I have also used the table straps when cooking to rig up the sliding table over the bench seats to create the L shaped kitchen area for more workspace. They think of everything in a Cali!

 

[Black Sheep]

Hello & welcome. Our first Cali arrived a few weeks ago. We recently had a fantastic 10 day holiday in the van. We found that the bellows bungee and a washing line (that fits on the side of the van) from the forum shop and the Comfortz roof cover were very useful additional items. We can recommend the Zonesleep mattress topper too. For cooking we have mainly used our (none-stick) Trangia pans and a Remoska cooker (when we were on hook up) to make some lovely meals with. If you have chosen to add the reverse parking camera and parking sensors we certainly think they are worth every penny.

 

[vmaxkiddy]

As you have 2 Great Danes, I think waterproof seat covers and a drive away awning would be essential.

 

[Jukebox70]

Park4night is a great app for finding last minute parking spots. Also Wildcamping.moonfruit is useful for pubs that allow overnight parking.

 

[T6 CFO]

Park4night is a great app for finding last minute parking spots. Also Wildcamping.moonfruit is useful for pubs that allow overnight parking.

Nice one. Had a look at the wilcamping.moonfruit. Did a quick test on pubs and it found three in my area which I know about.
Bookmarked


Mike

 

[MattBW]

I agree waterproof seat covers are a must if you have dogs. We have two spaniels and the seats have certainly been saved from severe dirt many times over. I have the Inka ones.

Where are you planning for your dogs to sleep out of interest. Will you be in the roof and them downstairs? We find our spaniels take up a lot of room but with us in the roof and them downstairs it is fine. We do find they can sleep on the bed downstairs with us with no issues, but there isnt enough floor space for a dog when the bed is out. Great Danes may be too big for sharing the bed with two of you.

 

[briwy]

UK campsites is useful for finding sites. Very comprehensive. We also use Archie's. It's subscription based but has sites all over Europe as well as the UK. You can download the POIs and load them onto a database so no need to be online. Well worth it.