Our first Cali weekend in one we hired and left with doubts....

[Borris]

Hi Jillyfish,

I can identify with everything you say. But we still went ahead after hiring a camper for only 3 nights and staying only 7 miles from home.

First impression of driving the Cali felt a bit wobbly, as you say, also top heavy on cornering. Taking things steady I became used to the feel and began to find the driving experience very relaxing and I loved the visibility (my wife still hasn't driven it yet!) On one of our early trips we headed down to Cornwall with our Grandson. I thought the narrow winding roads would be a challenge but I felt more in control than I do when driving a car.

The weather for early August was an unforgetable experience. Heavy rain and 45mph winds. We pitched up in torrential rain (pitch No.13) and only manged to stake out the awning with the help of neighbouring caravaners, who could have easily looked on from the comfort of their van as we struggled to set up. By the time we had finished we were soaked to our underwear and had to place all of our wet clothing in carrier bags. It was too windy to use the pop-up so we left the front seats in situ and placed a foam mattress across to make an improvised bed for our Grandson. The M5 had been closed in both directions that day on the journey down and after driving for almost 13 hours we were all in. It was suprisingly warm and cosy and we opened a bottle of wine before settling down.

I woke in the early hours to see the sliding door part way open and my wife outside in the awning. It seems she had noticed that the awning had part collapsed and was half way off the kador strip and in the process of being blown away! We detached it from the van and restaked it and hoped for the best. The following morning the weather forecast indicated a one hour break between 7 and 8am, just enough time to put on our wet clothing again, drop the awning and pack it away. Everthing that would have gone in the awning, including the stove and the child seat was placed neatly next to the camper and covered over with the groundsheet and staked to the ground - and this is how it remained, along with my wet trainers, for the rest of our stay. At least we had the van and were warm and dry. The weather did improve briefly, and we managed a day on the beach!

With limited space we soon got into a routine with the bed, blind, seats and general tidying. At first it was a chore but being unfamiliar with the process everything took longer. My wife had difficulty raising and lowering the bed at first but there is a knack of kneeling on the seat base which works fine for us. The window blinds can roll back quickly so just treat them gently, like the till in Open All Hourrs lol.

We had previously done a 'try before you buy' experience and having found the fold down bed a little uncomfortable we negotiated a topper when buying our own camper. This, and a mattress topper from Dunelms is ideal. We have been told told that if there is only two of us we should sleep up top but my wife would struggle to get up there and I prefer to sleep below!

What we learned:
- if the weather's bad wait for it to clear before trying to put up the awning. Gear can be stored outside using sturdy groundsheets to provide space inside
- dont leave the fly screens in at night, even with the windows almost closed rain trickles down the back of the cupboard - I thought the sink was leaking - on a previous trip.
- make sure the sink tap is fully down as it rattles against the glass lid when travelling and place a small piece of foam under the sink and cooker lids
- make sure the sliding table is secured - this rattles like hell if you dont
- make a list of what you did and didn't need on your last trip
- have a spare key made and keep it on a lanyard around your neck to avoid being locked out - we haven't but others have
- on early trips dont travel too far, that way you spend less time driving and more time getting used to the camper
- you don't need lots of stuff for cooking - we have a frying pan, steamer and kettle
- dont take lots of food, as we did, if you need it there is usually a shop close by or on the way - check for local shops before setting out
- sleep with the tambour wardrobe door open - I tend to elbow the door when I turn over in my sleep - a replacement could be costly!
- cube loo, we don't have one as we have always chosen sites that have toilet and shower facilities - but I guess there may be a time?

We are beginners, 4 months in, and still learning and I expect that everyones views will be different. We didn't want to be tied to a static van, didn't want the stress of towing one or having to change the car to do it. So for us the camper, with lower depreciation costs, was the right choice - a home from home on wheels, albeit a small one, and with the benefits of a car re driving, manouverability and public parking. In our son's words, "You are spending a lot of money but if you don't like it you won't lose much when you sell it".

Every trip has been a new experience and neither of us regret our decision.

Pictures below of first night in Cornwall this year, next day with awning packed away and raincoat drying out, tight roads and lunch at Treyarnon bay

View attachment 51058

Another excellent honest first trip appraisal. Lots of good tips.

 

[Calimili]

Many people complaining the van is wobbly.. I think a good and relative cheap accessories is buying the harder stabilisers when ordering the van. As far as I have researched it makes a very noticeable difference when turrning, as it reduces the wobble to a minimun. When I picked mine up, I was very positively surprised by the handling, considering I usually drive a big Audi with air suspensions.
My advice would be to definitely order the stabilisers, especially on heavier oceans and coasts. The other great addition is the upgraded front brakes for 17" wheel. With these two the Cali drives really like a car considering the 3 tonnes.

 

[flying banana]

One tip is to buy a large long flat storage box fro b and q to put shoes etc in and when you park up slide it under the van

 

[Borris]

Many people complaining the van is wobbly.. I think a good and relative cheap accessories is buying the harder stabilisers when ordering the van. As far as I have researched it makes a very noticeable difference when turrning, as it reduces the wobble to a minimun. When I picked mine up, I was very positively surprised by the handling, considering I usually drive a big Audi with air suspensions.
My advice would be to definitely order the stabilisers, especially on heavier oceans and coasts. The other great addition is the upgraded front brakes for 17" wheel. With these two the Cali drives really like a car considering the 3 tonnes.

Is there a VW part number?

 

[flying banana]

Is there a VW part number?
View attachment 51065

I was thinking that. Stabilisers?.? Wtf

 

[jillyfish]

Hi Jillyfish,

I can identify with everything you say. But we still went ahead after hiring a camper for only 3 nights and staying only 7 miles from home.

First impression of driving the Cali felt a bit wobbly, as you say, also top heavy on cornering. Taking things steady I became used to the feel and began to find the driving experience very relaxing and I loved the visibility (my wife still hasn't driven it yet!) On one of our early trips we headed down to Cornwall with our Grandson. I thought the narrow winding roads would be a challenge but I felt more in control than I do when driving a car.

The weather for early August was an unforgetable experience. Heavy rain and 45mph winds. We pitched up in torrential rain (pitch No.13) and only manged to stake out the awning with the help of neighbouring caravaners, who could have easily looked on from the comfort of their van as we struggled to set up. By the time we had finished we were soaked to our underwear and had to place all of our wet clothing in carrier bags. It was too windy to use the pop-up so we left the front seats in situ and placed a foam mattress across to make an improvised bed for our Grandson. The M5 had been closed in both directions that day on the journey down and after driving for almost 13 hours we were all in. It was suprisingly warm and cosy and we opened a bottle of wine before settling down.


Thank you! so much useful info. The more we read, the more we are sure that the Cali is indeed right for us too. looking forward to attending the upcoming show at NEC too. jill

I woke in the early hours to see the sliding door part way open and my wife outside in the awning. It seems she had noticed that the awning had part collapsed and was half way off the kador strip and in the process of being blown away! We detached it from the van and restaked it and hoped for the best. The following morning the weather forecast indicated a one hour break between 7 and 8am, just enough time to put on our wet clothing again, drop the awning and pack it away. Everthing that would have gone in the awning, including the stove and the child seat was placed neatly next to the camper and covered over with the groundsheet and staked to the ground - and this is how it remained, along with my wet trainers, for the rest of our stay. At least we had the van and were warm and dry. The weather did improve briefly, and we managed a day on the beach!

With limited space we soon got into a routine with the bed, blind, seats and general tidying. At first it was a chore but being unfamiliar with the process everything took longer. My wife had difficulty raising and lowering the bed at first but there is a knack of kneeling on the seat base which works fine for us. The window blinds can roll back quickly so just treat them gently, like the till in Open All Hourrs lol.

We had previously done a 'try before you buy' experience and having found the fold down bed a little uncomfortable we negotiated a topper when buying our own camper. This, and a mattress topper from Dunelms is ideal. We have been told told that if there is only two of us we should sleep up top but my wife would struggle to get up there and I prefer to sleep below!

What we learned:
- if the weather's bad wait for it to clear before trying to put up the awning. Gear can be stored outside using sturdy groundsheets to provide space inside
- dont leave the fly screens in at night, even with the windows almost closed rain trickles down the back of the cupboard - I thought the sink was leaking - on a previous trip.
- make sure the sink tap is fully down as it rattles against the glass lid when travelling and place a small piece of foam under the sink and cooker lids
- make sure the sliding table is secured - this rattles like hell if you dont
- make a list of what you did and didn't need on your last trip
- have a spare key made and keep it on a lanyard around your neck to avoid being locked out - we haven't but others have
- on early trips dont travel too far, that way you spend less time driving and more time getting used to the camper
- you don't need lots of stuff for cooking - we have a frying pan, steamer and kettle
- dont take lots of food, as we did, if you need it there is usually a shop close by or on the way - check for local shops before setting out
- sleep with the tambour wardrobe door open - I tend to elbow the door when I turn over in my sleep - a replacement could be costly!
- cube loo, we don't have one as we have always chosen sites that have toilet and shower facilities - but I guess there may be a time?

We are beginners, 4 months in, and still learning and I expect that everyones views will be different. We didn't want to be tied to a static van, didn't want the stress of towing one or having to change the car to do it. So for us the camper, with lower depreciation costs, was the right choice - a home from home on wheels, albeit a small one, and with the benefits of a car re driving, manouverability and public parking. In our son's words, "You are spending a lot of money but if you don't like it you won't lose much when you sell it".

Every trip has been a new experience and neither of us regret our decision.

Pictures below of first night in Cornwall this year, next day with awning packed away and raincoat drying out, tight roads and lunch at Treyarnon bay

View attachment 51058

 

[Calimili]

Is there a VW part number?
View attachment 51065

HaHa! those could definitely help. I beg your pardon, Anti-roll bar are called here in Germany "Stabilisers".. Difficult to find a code as you can't configure a California on the VW website anymore. In any case it looks like it was called 2MG, as opposed to the stock 2MF code for anti-roll bars when you were configuring a new van. I believe the part number is 7E5511407A

 

[Borris]

HaHa! those could definitely help. I beg your pardon, Anti-roll bar are called here in Germany "Stabilisers".. Difficult to find a code as you can't configure a California on the VW website anymore. In any case it looks like it was called 2MG, as opposed to the stock 2MF code for anti-roll bars when you were configuring a new van. I believe the part number is 7E5511407A

I'm sure that stiffer stabilisers/anti-roll bars would help to reduce the wobbling. Please forgive me, I couldn't resist.

 

[Bellcrew]

I'm sure that stiffer stabilisers/anti-roll bars would help to reduce the wobbling. Please forgive me, I couldn't resist.

If your California is wobbling you need more mods than a couple of slightly stiffer ARB's.

 

[JDA]

Evening folks, we’re just waiting for our California Beach to be delivered. Like Jillifish, I’m a bit apprehensive as we had a Dethleffs motor home a few years ago but sold it due to the length (7.5m) yeh I know about how size matters. It was great to travel in but couldn’t just up and go to see surrounding sights....... so, fast forward to now. We’ve decided on a Beach so we can occasionally camp but mainly to get us from A-B, ie gites in France and further afield in Europe..
Like other like minded peeps, we have a Weimaraner called Jess to travel with as children are all grown up....
looking forward to trying it out though

 

[2into1]

It's good to see a realistic discussion of the practicalities of camping in such a small van, especially as we move into Autumn and winter.
Inevitably the forum is full of those that have chosen to stick with their decision because it works for them. That doesn't mean it works for all and many Cali's are disposed of very early into their ownership.
I've always argued, and often get stick for it, that (put directly) the Cali only makes sense as a camper if its also used routinely in everyday life. If you are buying it leave on the drive waiting for camping trips, buy something bigger.
(no need for those who regularly disagree with me on this point to chip in. I know we are not going to change each others' minds. I'm just trying to help the OP).

 

[gvick]

It took me about 2 months to get used to driving my beach. I still have moments when me and the dsg gearbox/stop-start aren’t quite in synch! So, I think you will take a while to adapt to driving it and I wouldn’t worry about that too much. Mine rattles a lot though, especially on rough roads.......
As for camping, we have had 3 trips. Each time we have got better at organising and turning seats etc. On the second trip I was ready to throw in the towel - but the third trip was brilliant.
But I love camping, and would go in a tent if I didn’t have a Cali so am happy to work on the practicalities, even if it takes a while.

Also - it’s ok to be a fair weather camper - we realised quickly that we like campsites with hardstandings and warm shower blocks! And I probably would stay at home if the weather forecast is really terrible...... maybe we will get braver in the future?!
Not sure if this helps - I wanted a caravan for years but absolutely hated it when we hired one so understand how deflated you must feel .
We all sleep well in our beach - we have duvalays on the top bed which are amazing so would recommend them.

Where do you get your upstairs mattress topper from ?
Thank you

 

[An-j]

Where do you get your upstairs mattress topper from ?
Thank you

We just bought the cheapest duvalay sleeping bags from go outdoors - they have a 2.5 topper and attached duvet. About £90 each. We like them as they are flexible so can use in awning as well!

 

[Borris]

Evening folks, we’re just waiting for our California Beach to be delivered. Like Jillifish, I’m a bit apprehensive as we had a Dethleffs motor home a few years ago but sold it due to the length (7.5m) yeh I know about how size matters. It was great to travel in but couldn’t just up and go to see surrounding sights....... so, fast forward to now. We’ve decided on a Beach so we can occasionally camp but mainly to get us from A-B, ie gites in France and further afield in Europe..
Like other like minded peeps, we have a Weimaraner called Jess to travel with as children are all grown up....
looking forward to trying it out though

I hope you like your Beach.

We've never owned a motorhome but have had both versions of the California. Out of the two, it was the Beach which we preferred. It's not just a camper van but many other things as well. We used our Beach (we are currently waiting for a new one) as an every day car as well as a camper van. It also got used for many other purposes and did all of them well.

IMO all campervans are a collection of compromises within a reasonably small vehicle. The Beach is a simplified version of this concept and in my view a good example of less is more.

I hope you have many happy adventures in your new van.

 

[jillyfish]

It's good to see a realistic discussion of the practicalities of camping in such a small van, especially as we move into Autumn and winter.
Inevitably the forum is full of those that have chosen to stick with their decision because it works for them. That doesn't mean it works for all and many Cali's are disposed of very early into their ownership.
I've always argued, and often get stick for it, that (put directly) the Cali only makes sense as a camper if its also used routinely in everyday life. If you are buying it leave on the drive waiting for camping trips, buy something bigger.
(no need for those who regularly disagree with me on this point to chip in. I know we are not going to change each others' minds. I'm just trying to help the OP).

thanks for this. Yes, I had planned to use the cali for everyday and let son have our car. (he doesnt live with us) but having driven over the weekend, although found it quite manageable, think that it may not make sense to use it for very short daily runs. (i have a little job which involves short journeys with several park stops, covering total of 12 miles a day) plan to run both vehicles, using the Cali for journeys over 5 miles (we live in rural town area) and the Polo for shorter. will assess after about 6 months any maybe hand over car to the boy then.

 

[Nolan]

thanks for this. Yes, I had planned to use the cali for everyday and let son have our car. (he doesnt live with us) but having driven over the weekend, although found it quite manageable, think that it may not make sense to use it for very short daily runs. (i have a little job which involves short journeys with several park stops, covering total of 12 miles a day) plan to run both vehicles, using the Cali for journeys over 5 miles (we live in rural town area) and the Polo for shorter. will assess after about 6 months any maybe hand over car to the boy then.

We justify our Beach as we use it as a super comfortable / practical car for family trips etc. Having said that I try not to use it when it's going to be parked somewhere restricted (around the school for example) as I don't want it covered in door dings if I can avoid it.

First time we camped I found it a bit of a pain as in bad weather you are just constantly repacking the van when moving the seats / bed etc. What's made it much better for us is having a cheap awning which we put all our stuff in on arrival freeing up internal space, also being more ruthless about what we take helps.

Driving in hills is better in sport mode as it turns off the coast function in the DSG gearbox which can make the van feel a bit uncontrolled. We have the dealer fit lowering springs but it does feel like it would benefit from a stiffer anti roll bar as it's no sports car.

 

[jillyfish]

thanks. thats what the S was on the gearstick! another post i thinK!

 

[JDA]

I hope you like your Beach.

We've never owned a motorhome but have had both versions of the California. Out of the two, it was the Beach which we preferred. It's not just a camper van but many other things as well. We used our Beach (we are currently waiting for a new one) as an every day car as well as a camper van. It also got used for many other purposes and did all of them well.

IMO all campervans are a collection of compromises within a reasonably small vehicle. The Beach is a simplified version of this concept and in my view a good example of less is more.

I hope you have many happy adventures in your new van.

We’ve part-ex’d our motor so will be using the beach as daily car too. The layout of the beach will suit us more as we don’t like to cook indoors, due to smells and the space issue so handy husband will make a slidepod for underneath the multiflex and as we have leftover gear from Dethleff days, we’ll pick what stuff to recycle in whatever space we have.. a suck it and see period on the horizon...

 

[SimonB]

Hi @jillyfish
As the others have said, we have all had a sharp learning curve with our Californias. I found this series of videos by California Chris really helpful. Here is the turning the seats round one.

How to use the awning

Putting up and lowering the roof

Chris doesn't mind how often you rewind him to start again. Never gets cross or criticises. There is a whole series of short videos on a whole range of topics. He has his own YouTube channel.
A lot of us were at a Meet in Dorset last weekend experiencing high winds and horizontal rain. Not an ideal weekend for your first experience. But going to a meet and getting tips from others is another great way of learning how to get the most out of a superb vehicle.
Simon

 

[SimonB]

Over the 4 years we have had a California we have found the awning room a very useful 'wardrobe' to put things you don't want in the Cali as well as a place to eat with friends. Obviously it has to be put up with care in strong winds, like those we had last weekend. The big advantage of it is that it folds down into a very small package about three quarters of a metre long, half a metre wide and about 8 cms thick.
Those of you that were at the Highlands End Meet in Dorset know how strong the winds were. Only a few of us had our awnings up, and we all ensured they were very well fixed down.
Our awning had 2 sets of tie-down kits on it, one that went length-ways over the two arms and the other was fixed to the two upright poles. In the picture below the one over the bars is yellow and can be seen through the right hand window, and the others are black and can be seen through the middle window.

The six of us had our meal in the Awning room on Friday night and Saturday night and we only took it down when the winds began to get around 50+mph.

 

[Big Ron]

We just spent our first weekend away in a hired 2018 Cali. Nice vehicle. We have ours on order and delivery anticipated before Xmas. Returned from weekend away yesterday after spending 3 nights in Mr Blue. We knew the weather was going to be devilish and changed our journey plans last minute. rather than tour Dartmoor for whole weekend we opted to go to the north Devon coast and experience the coastal drama and enjoy wet windy walks on the beach with our dog. First night spent in pub car park. second night parked along hill/seafront overlooking stormy Woollacoobe bay and the third night at fab little campsite edge of Dartmoor near Tavistock. The weekend was challenging, useful, enjoyable but has left us undecided due to several factors. here is what we found

The Vehicle Itself (camping internally)
Back seat to bed – very hard to put up and down. I could not manage it at all. (was told i was not heavy enough)
Front seats swivel. real fiddly, really not a smooth operation. Maybe better after time and practice
Back window blind hard to reach and close from inside unless bed is down/flat.
Sink/hob lids rattle when driving. Hire vehicle missing small rubber feet/studs
Sliding side windows in rear fiddly to close and seemed poor design but not sure what other option would be
Front window condensation in the morning resolved with screen heater
Back seat very uncomfortable to sleep on without additional topper/mattress.
Lots of light due to windows all around. Blinds effective but front one frayed badly due to many others using

The vehicle (drive experience)
First day a little wobbly due to getting used to auto. Floaty round downhill corners, due to my under use of brake pedal. Got used to this and better control achieved. Size not to bad, impressed by engine power going uphill in particular.
Lovely picture view front window. Side mirrors fab view behind. Good rear view via mirror also.
Not sure that would want to use as a daily drive. Would need to try it out for several months side by side with my car before deciding.
Manageable size. Larger vehicle not really an option. Would not want to drive anything bigger.
Great accessibility compared to other options (m/home/caravan)

Our Weekend Experience
Exceptionally bad weather this weekend. HOWEVER, we were warm dry and not too affected
We spent quite lot of time managing the vehicle internally, tidying and rearranging. Very aware that this is mainly because we are not used to the environment. Took too many clothes for example. Full time cali would be customised to our wants and needs with appropriate storage places and equipment right for us.
Steve slept very badly downstairs and a little better up top. Would be improved with mattress topper and pillow
we spent evening playing scrabble for the first time in memory..which was different and fun
We liked the freedom, choice and ability to adapt our journey or stops dependent upon whim, weather and in the moment experience.

We had hoped the weekend would leave us knowing that we are doing the right thing. However, we think we may need to take out for another weekend, as this first one was quite stressful and steep learning curve around use of the vehicle itself. Second time we would know exactly what to take what not to take and buy a Duvalay 5cm mattress topper in advance. The deal breaker for us is to ensure that we can get decent sleep. We found living in such a tight space in such an unprepared way a struggle. We believe that with our own Cali we would be able to manage the space so much better and adapt/customise storage. As it was we went with about five large 'bags for life' which all went in the back and wondered where we would store all the additional bulky items, such as Cali Topper, windscreen thermal cover, BBQ etc. cube loo. (see others say cube loo under sink but surely this is needed for cooking pots and food? we used a small bucket during night ) from what have seen, when we get the mattress topper that, along with the bedding will use up all the space behind the seat.

left undecided. dearly want to just 'go for it' . plan to keep our car now though at least for the interim. We think that the doubts we have will iron out with use. Can others share if they had similar experience/feelings at first use? Will having our own feel so much better?

thanks

Oh Dear, you sound just like me when we first got ours if that helps? I took to it like a brick to water.
Most replies have offered good advice - rear set bed will come with practice, mattress toppers are good, close rear blind from outside, sliding window...yep, they can be fiddly, cooker rattles...oh yes it does, condensation...again yes, just take less stuff.....
In general, it is what it is and you get better at some things with time and get used to the other things that are just ‘features’ of the experience.
We’ve now had ours 5 years and have had some life changing/enhancing experiences on our travels. I’m glad I stuck to it, and hope you can too.

 

[jcshnz]

I can relate to a lot of the points the OP made. I let dislike the lack of space and all the ‘cant Swing a cat’ moments. But it’s a compromise and I love the fact it’s in fact a Tardis.
Couple of Q’s of my own:
1) what is the awning ‘room’ mentioned above? Is it simply sides attached to the awning?
2) our awning rattles badly. Is there a cure?
3) we sleep upstairs but it’s still too hard for me. What’s the best comfy option without taking up ridiculous amounts of space when stowed?

And now I hope a contribution. Our van has the heavy duty ARB’s. It drives really great. In fact my missus has been know to say ‘you’re not in the rally car now!’ Yes it can really be chucked about on this suspension. Very good option to take.
Cheers all

 

[Richard Braun]

We have had a Cali since 2017 after deciding to move to Ireland, using it for both camping and as a moving van with bed stripped out or mattress as padding and base as restraining barrier. It came with opensided awning as it was a demo model. We always try to use it. Awning seam partially gave way but regluing it with Stormsure has overcome that.
Two of us have always slept well on the bottom, using an old Ikea sleeping bag as an under blanket and having two half size pillows each. We start with bedding stored in wardrobe in the order that it will be needed. In the morning we just push bedding to the back and raise the seat. It does get easier once you do it a few times. Upstairs bed is wider but we like the ceiling raised and also find it hard to get in and out of given our septuagenarian ages. If we were to use it regularly would design something. Swivel seats get easier once you get knack. Have to remember to put in gear when doing drivers seat. Rear blind easy from outside as others have said.
Enjoy the extra height and power when driving but have found occasional stalling and restarting when in wrong gear at roundabouts a bit disconcerting.
We never had a caravan or motor home. We normally do without a loo but an old paint pot lined with disposable nappies (outgrown by our grandson) works at a pinch.
Haven’t found sink top rattling but the sliding table sometimes does. Picnic table in sliding door and chairs in rear door have been really useful. Invested in anti slip things to get out of muddy ground. They can be stored under the top mattress. Also invested in 25m power cable to use on official sites. So far fridge/freezer, cooker and sink have all performed well. Thin hessian matting works well as floor covering. Hope you enjoy the experience.

 

[Elizabeth Silman]

We just spent our first weekend away in a hired 2018 Cali. Nice vehicle. We have ours on order and delivery anticipated before Xmas. Returned from weekend away yesterday after spending 3 nights in Mr Blue. We knew the weather was going to be devilish and changed our journey plans last minute. rather than tour Dartmoor for whole weekend we opted to go to the north Devon coast and experience the coastal drama and enjoy wet windy walks on the beach with our dog. First night spent in pub car park. second night parked along hill/seafront overlooking stormy Woollacoobe bay and the third night at fab little campsite edge of Dartmoor near Tavistock. The weekend was challenging, useful, enjoyable but has left us undecided due to several factors. here is what we found

The Vehicle Itself (camping internally)
Back seat to bed – very hard to put up and down. I could not manage it at all. (was told i was not heavy enough)
Front seats swivel. real fiddly, really not a smooth operation. Maybe better after time and practice
Back window blind hard to reach and close from inside unless bed is down/flat.
Sink/hob lids rattle when driving. Hire vehicle missing small rubber feet/studs
Sliding side windows in rear fiddly to close and seemed poor design but not sure what other option would be
Front window condensation in the morning resolved with screen heater
Back seat very uncomfortable to sleep on without additional topper/mattress.
Lots of light due to windows all around. Blinds effective but front one frayed badly due to many others using

The vehicle (drive experience)
First day a little wobbly due to getting used to auto. Floaty round downhill corners, due to my under use of brake pedal. Got used to this and better control achieved. Size not to bad, impressed by engine power going uphill in particular.
Lovely picture view front window. Side mirrors fab view behind. Good rear view via mirror also.
Not sure that would want to use as a daily drive. Would need to try it out for several months side by side with my car before deciding.
Manageable size. Larger vehicle not really an option. Would not want to drive anything bigger.
Great accessibility compared to other options (m/home/caravan)

Our Weekend Experience
Exceptionally bad weather this weekend. HOWEVER, we were warm dry and not too affected
We spent quite lot of time managing the vehicle internally, tidying and rearranging. Very aware that this is mainly because we are not used to the environment. Took too many clothes for example. Full time cali would be customised to our wants and needs with appropriate storage places and equipment right for us.
Steve slept very badly downstairs and a little better up top. Would be improved with mattress topper and pillow
we spent evening playing scrabble for the first time in memory..which was different and fun
We liked the freedom, choice and ability to adapt our journey or stops dependent upon whim, weather and in the moment experience.

We had hoped the weekend would leave us knowing that we are doing the right thing. However, we think we may need to take out for another weekend, as this first one was quite stressful and steep learning curve around use of the vehicle itself. Second time we would know exactly what to take what not to take and buy a Duvalay 5cm mattress topper in advance. The deal breaker for us is to ensure that we can get decent sleep. We found living in such a tight space in such an unprepared way a struggle. We believe that with our own Cali we would be able to manage the space so much better and adapt/customise storage. As it was we went with about five large 'bags for life' which all went in the back and wondered where we would store all the additional bulky items, such as Cali Topper, windscreen thermal cover, BBQ etc. cube loo. (see others say cube loo under sink but surely this is needed for cooking pots and food? we used a small bucket during night ) from what have seen, when we get the mattress topper that, along with the bedding will use up all the space behind the seat.

left undecided. dearly want to just 'go for it' . plan to keep our car now though at least for the interim. We think that the doubts we have will iron out with use. Can others share if they had similar experience/feelings at first use? Will having our own feel so much better?

thanks

Thought you said yours was on order so isn't the decision already made? Remember it is camping, albeit much more comfortable than a tent and you probably need to bear that in mind when packing! I am small and old and I can manage the bed easily - you just walk it forward. Mine goes everywhere with me as my only vehicle and serves me very well.

 

[BikerGran]

wondered where we would store all the additional bulky items, such as Cali Topper, windscreen thermal cover, BBQ etc. cube loo. (see others say cube loo under sink but surely this is needed for cooking pots and food? we used a small bucket during night ) from what have seen, when we get the mattress topper that, along with the bedding will use up all the space behind the seat.

left undecided. dearly want to just 'go for it' . plan to keep our car now though at least for the interim. We think that the doubts we have will iron out with use. Can others share if they had similar experience/feelings at first use? Will having our own feel so much better?

thanks

You haven't mentioned the drawer under the seat, that's where I keep thermal covers for front windows.Some people stow them in the tailgate tucked into the chairs.

I stow a rolled (in my own specific way) double quilt behind the seat on one side, two pillows the other side, my holdall with clothing etc in the middle. Bottom sheet stays on the mattress topper (I sleep downstairs). Two more pillows go on the seat, tucked behind the seat belts. An alternative is to stow the quilt and 2 pillows in the wardrobe but I've found I prefer to keep that for loose coats, hats, waterproofs etc.

I kept my old estate car as I thought it would be useful for trips to the dump etc, but I found I didn't really like driving it once I got used to the Cali, so parted with it as it was just a problem finding somewhere to park it. If I take anything a bit grubby in the Cali I line the inside with a clean tarpaulin.

I keep my toilet just behind the passenger seat, with a folded fleece blanket thrown over it - it pretty much disappears under the blanket.

But as someone said, if you're not sure maybe you shouldn't go for it?