newbies

[alisonsummerfield]

We have just bought our first Cali (reg 2013) any useful tips/must haves or pitfalls to avoid -incl kitchen items/storage/dog/- thank you

 

[calikev]

Hi welcome alison
You should find lots of good information on here
My tip get a colapsable kettle and plenty of tea bags
Enjoy

 

[Alan]

Hi Alison
Welcome to the club
Do you have seat covers ?
My dog travels to most places with me so I would be lost without my "Inca" seat covers

My must have item

 

[igmac]

I agree, seat covers are a must. Electric blanket and normal bedding (quilt etc) works for us for cold weather camping on hook-up. Plastic wine glasses are another must have. I bought a cali topper but I'm not convinced you actually need one I think you get more moisture through condensation than you would from rain but that's a debate on it's own!

Porta potti for emergency/night time use

Ian

 

[GrannyJen]

I have had my Cali for 9 days now so talking from vast experience:

A porta potti but the smallest, thetford 135. I have one three square inches bigger and the buggeration it causes it might just as well be 3 square metres.

more tea towels than you think you need, brilliant for threading behind the table and eliminating rattles on the move, another one folded between the nesting pans, another one on top of the cutlery drawer...

Carry less food than you think, perhaps enough for a couple of days. I left home equipped to cope with a minor famine and after day one loved walking to the new found chippy, day two the nice pub down the road, day three…. ok, got home and had to junk a lot of unneeded food.

Seat covers are essential, it's amazing what you use that bench seat for, from food prep to propping up a washing bowl.

whichever bed you use, a bed topper. When I hired a vehicle I did not have one and had more aches in more joints than an arthritic centipede. My own vehicle has a bottom bed topper. Never slept better.Amazing difference.

Plastic bags, waitrose, tesco, marks, who cares, the dirty boots/shoes that get put in them aren't fussy. I went very posh and took away exped bags, then got obsessed about getting the bags dirty. Tatty old plastic carriers from the supermarket are brillliant.

patience. It's just soooooooo lovely taking your time because you can do. You can stop when you want, put the kettle on when you want, have a wee when you want, most times find at very short notice somewhere to stop the night when you want. It's the "F" word. I bought my cali for the F word. Freedom.

 

[alisonsummerfield]

Thank you very much everyone - we do have seat covers - interested to hear about the Cali topper is that the cover for the pop up berth- have you used the pop up in all weather Ian? gales best avoided though I guess, and where best I wonder, to store my 13.5 tog duvet!?
Plastic wine glasses make sense but it has to be a china pint mug for my tea!
We have the collapsable dog bowl but is there really a collapsable kettle! Plastic bags noted Jen, and the 'smallest' porta potti. Online or instore shopping for such equipment?. Finally, although wishing to escape technology, needs must so any tips on mobiles/laptops/iphone connections etc whilst on the move would be useful - we have blue tooth in the van.

 

[GrannyJen]

the wacky practicals kettle is brilliant, so is the bucket, useful for all sorts of things.

biggest tip with the laptop is don't do what I did, forget the charger!

I used 3/4G enabled I Pad though and got an adequate signal in most places except darkest Dorset, but then the pub had W Fi which gave me an excuse to sit in the pub.

I had the roof up in 40 mph gusts, and more importantly took it down in the same, constantly checking the belllows was not being blown into the scissor mechanism on lowering, and no problem whatsoever.

 

[Andy]

My best buy for my cali was a set of VW monster matts. Basically rubber mats for front footwells. Keep carpets clean.
Also a cheap matt from Aldi / Lidle for £6 for the floor in the back. When it gets dirty either put in washing machine or do like I did, chuck it & buy new.
I use an Lkea rationell recycling bin for rubbish, fits behind passenger seat perfectly. £9 for 3. Part number 001.574.11
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00157411/?query=001.574.11
Thermal windscreen cover is a must to prevent condensation on inside of screen.
http://www.silverscreens.co.uk/
https://www.taylormade-covers.co.uk/

I keep my bedding rolled up on top of my topper on the rear shelf.

For other popular items look here
http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/store.php

 

[igmac]

i've used the van in the rain without the topper a couple of times with no problems, admittedly it was not driving rain though. I store the quilt on the parcel shelf in a big laundry bag when traveling but leave the lecky blanket and sheet in place. The porta potti is a 345 which is the biggest one that will fit comfortably between the passenger seat and the fully extended bed. I also have an avtex 12v stowed in the overhead locker, but this may be frowned upon by the hardcore outdoorsy fraternity!

Ian

 

[alisonsummerfield]

Thank you everybody for very useful info - today we take our first day trip with plenty of plastic bags for dirty wellies and stopping off at a camping shop on route. And I do have to ask - is there a 'special' acknowledgment/wave/flash used to other Cali drivers on the road? - somehow I get the feeling there just might be!

 

[Sallyf]

Where does anyone store their porta potti during the day time? Our Cali came with a porta potti but it was too big to fit under the sink. Our first trip is next week so we need to get this sorted!

 

[igmac]

I Just put it in the boot and get it out of an evening

 

[GrannyJen]

As above.

It slides under the rear bed board. Take it out in the evening.