Pitching process

[Verity]

One tip is to try to avoid pitching under large trees with crows nesting. The van is not a pretty sight in the morning.

Ha ha we did that in Oxon last week. Took ages to get all the darned pigeon poo off the roof, canvas and awning. Lesson learnt!

 

[ArunAlec]

Go to a caravan club site (caravan and motorhome club - new name?) and you'll have no worries, as they will tell you exactly where to park, and allow you no input whatsoever!

Whenever I use C&MC sites they just say find a pitch then tell reception the pitch number, so long as you are in the pitch type you have paid for you are free to choose. I've never been directed to a specific pitch. Currently at Brecon site on a self selected pitch, in fact being indecisive I wouldn't mind being allocated a pitch!

 

[GillianC]

Leave the Mrs at home?

Or in my case the husband

 

[Mr & Mrs B]

Whenever I use C&MC sites they just say find a pitch then tell reception the pitch number, so long as you are in the pitch type you have paid for you are free to choose. I've never been directed to a specific pitch. Currently at Brecon site on a self selected pitch, in fact being indecisive I wouldn't mind being allocated a pitch!

The same for us too - choose any free pitch and tell the reception. They generally say to reverse onto the pitch marker but when we mention we have an offside awning then we've been told to park either way. We were on a private site at the beginning of last week and were allocated our pitch which wasn't one we would have chosen - so I guess there's good and bad in all sites.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Actually I have two parking-up tips which I'm assured by Mrs VD add to Cali harmony.

1. Before swivelling seat(s), lower the sun visors - as they'll be used to hold window blind in place and it's a micro-faff to have to move seat backs again to get the visors down when you come to put the blind on.

2. We have an SOP to put bedding on the upstairs bed (ie the one we almost always use) as soon as we have the pop-top open. Then push 'ceiling' up, together with duvet etc, for the evening. Saves some pico-faffing and knocking over bottles and stuff at bedtime when Mrs VD has had too many Babychams and is a bit 'overtired'.

You see I am well trained but woe betide I ever forget either of these.

 

[Bellcrew]

Actually I have two parking-up tips which I'm assured by Mrs VD add to Cali harmony.

1. Before swivelling seat(s), lower the sun visors - as they'll be used to hold window blind in place and it's a micro-faff to have to move seat backs again to get the visors down when you come to put the blind on.

2. We have an SOP to put bedding on the upstairs bed (ie the one we almost always use) as soon as we have the pop-top open. Then push 'ceiling' up, together with duvet etc, for the evening. Saves some pico-faffing and knocking over bottles and stuff at bedtime when Mrs VD has had too many Babychams and is a bit 'overtired'.

You see I am well trained but woe betide I ever forget either of these.

When there is any sort of a view outside the windscreen we take the head rests off before swivelling the seats and put them in the foot-well, this also makes it easier to lower the sun-visors onto the blinds to ensure no one glimpses of our progress into the top bed.

 

[Yorkie]

Actually I have two parking-up tips which I'm assured by Mrs VD add to Cali harmony.

1. Before swivelling seat(s), lower the sun visors - as they'll be used to hold window blind in place and it's a micro-faff to have to move seat backs again to get the visors down when you come to put the blind on.

2. We have an SOP to put bedding on the upstairs bed (ie the one we almost always use) as soon as we have the pop-top open. Then push 'ceiling' up, together with duvet etc, for the evening. Saves some pico-faffing and knocking over bottles and stuff at bedtime when Mrs VD has had too many Babychams and is a bit 'overtired'.

You see I am well trained but woe betide I ever forget either of these.

Best tip of the week. We are so noisy setting our bed up. I put the blinds in from the outside and am always whispering her indoors to wind the seat backrest up.

 

[BiLiGe]

She who must be obayed, who has OCD, wants me to draw up a process for Pitching our soon to arrive van

It needs to be a point by point process, so that we minimise double handlin

I've suggested
Assess location,
Overhanging trees
Slope of pitch, which direction to park, across or up/down
Direction of prevailing wind, for awning and roof
Position of EHU

What else is there to consider

Mmm in your situation may be as soon as accepted by the ONE grab a beer and relax give the Cali a good check make a bit of fuss (on the Cali) damp rag get rid of flys etc while The One does the rest Ha! Ha! May not work for all !

 

[lee morrison]

Being a rookie myself to all this freedom i have found to pitching anywhere from Shoreditch high street/camden lock that i was alert to any problems and had none !but while i was thinking the same things..... wind direction privacy and cover from nearby tree at 11.45pm what i didn't asses while choosing this site last night while quick stop nr ringwood on the way to the poole ferry was the wild horses of which one decided to stick he's her head as far through my window as possible and scare the crap out of me at 3.45am !!!!!!

 

[hirsty]

If a wild pony did a Godfather on me at 0345AM I don't think I'd ever sleep again!

As above, but first despatch passenger/s to check shop / pub food hours, or other suitable cover story. I find it much easier to do these by myself:

• chocks & level-off
• roll out awning (& pin down)
• hook-up
• roof up
• seats round
• table out under awning

Then brew / beer together, dependent on hour ...

 

[Days out]

Being a rookie myself to all this freedom i have found to pitching anywhere from Shoreditch high street/camden lock that i was alert to any problems and had none !but while i was thinking the same things..... wind direction privacy and cover from nearby tree at 11.45pm what i didn't asses while choosing this site last night while quick stop nr ringwood on the way to the poole ferry was the wild horses of which one decided to stick he's her head as far through my window as possible and scare the crap out of me at 3.45am !!!!!!

Wow. a real "nightmare"???

 

[Days out]

One top tip about knowing how level the van is is to open the compass app on your iPhone and swipe to the spirit level. I just put this on top of the glass worktop and see how the land lays before chocking up some wheels. No need to fill the sink or open a drink. It's so quick to do from drivers seat you can then manoeuvre a bit to get the van more level if it's that sort of pitch. I tend to do the pour a drink thing once I'm set up etc.

Another tip I have leading to a comfortable night sleep where your head is higher than your feet is I set my parcel shelf (it's an Ocean) slightly inclined by using the lower fixings at the seat end so it's flush with the seat back when down and use the upper fix points at the tailgate end. This is better in my humble opinion than having the bed totally flat. It also means you can get away with less pillows thus saving space.

 

[Teejay]

For level I go low tech. Don't have any ramps so open sliding door. If it slams shut she needs to be adjusted. If it stays put more or less or it slides slowly more open that's good enough for us.

..me..

 

[Borris]

She who must be obayed, who has OCD, wants me to draw up a process for Pitching our soon to arrive van

It needs to be a point by point process, so that we minimise double handlin

I've suggested
Assess location,
Overhanging trees
Slope of pitch, which direction to park, across or up/down
Direction of prevailing wind, for awning and roof
Position of EHU

What else is there to consider

Distance from the toilets.

 

[Esandar#1]

A friend bought us Fiama levelling blocks just after I'd read an article that suggested they were rarely needed. "Ahh, Thanks" I said, but I thought ' not really needed'. How wrong I was! We have used them on almost every trip, as often you do get allocated a pitch that isn't flat. Having levelling blocks gives you far more options on positioning of Cali.

Our pitching process is: find our pitch, or mark out our pitch with pup tent and windbreak - if we are heading off in the van to a beach etc. Getting top the beach is our No.1 priority but on return, we position van as level as possible, maximising privacy / view / setting sun / prevailing wind (whichever is most appropriate). We do keep a small spirit level in the van for this. Then it is usually crack open a beer whilst setting up the rest of camp. Our boys usually manage to get under our feet (in some slightly annoying way), so now we generally send then off to find water points, play areas, toilet blocks etc.

We have NEVER used our wind-out awning as we've generally been away in good weather or not wanted to get the awning damp if it was raining. We also have a Kyham Driveaway sleeper awning which is awesome (good size, has a 4 berth sleeper area and is easy to put up), but we onlytend to take that if the weather forcast is poor or if we are away for a minimum of two nights or need extra space / sleeping berths.

We organise our big storage boxes (put some into pup tend) and then sort inside of van ready for sleep (bed and bedding sorted, blinds in place. We don't tend to pop the top until much later, as on many sites we end up having a log fire in our off the ground X-shaped BBQ and I'm a bit paranoid about a rogue ember floating up and off onto the roof canvas!

Beer, food from the BBQ, red wine, some music, family games, spotting stars and Galaxy Minstrels are part of a typical night for us! Mossie repellent, extra layers of clothes, even bobble hats. It's good to be prepared for all eventualities!

And most of all just enjoy the experience of being away campervanning however you decide to do it.

One quick SLEEPING question to the masses: we have a Beach. We like to sleep down stairs with our heads at the back of the van. Our boys like to sleep upstairs with their heads towards the front of the van, which means we have to get the van level or else someone is sleeping with their head below their feet. Is that how the sleeping zones are supposed to be used? Sleeping up top with heads to the rear is quite claustrophobic according to my wife and kids, whereas I say you don't notice if you are asleep...

Cheers
Ian

 

[Brindisi]

G

When there is any sort of a view outside the windscreen we take the head rests off before swivelling the seats and put them in the foot-well, this also makes it easier to lower the sun-visors onto the blinds to ensure no one glimpses of our progress into the top bed.

Great tip thanks !
Have done that now and really does make a difference. 3 yrs of ownership and still learning

 

[briwy]

Being a rookie myself to all this freedom i have found to pitching anywhere from Shoreditch high street/camden lock that i was alert to any problems and had none !but while i was thinking the same things..... wind direction privacy and cover from nearby tree at 11.45pm what i didn't asses while choosing this site last night while quick stop nr ringwood on the way to the poole ferry was the wild horses of which one decided to stick he's her head as far through my window as possible and scare the crap out of me at 3.45am !!!!!!

Been there, done that