Rapid kit out of California

[Jonnie]

Hello Cali fraternity. If all goes to plan I will take delivery of my first California on Monday morning. Past experience limited to some 10 years ago with a swift royal when we had young kids. Now in Renaissance, have an unexpected opportunity to drive down to and travel Italy with daughter doing language degree. WHAT TO BUY AND WHERE TO BUY IT for 70 day road trip? Any views or advice welcome. My plan currently is to sell the vehicle when we get back but who knows May think differently then. My thoughts before any pointers anyone can give me are: porta potty Thetford 13.5 ltr as I read that any bigger is a pain to store and retrieve. Topper for bottom bed but not top, thinking Zonesleep based on reviews on forum praising comfort and stow ability. Floor mats seem necessary, best source? Electric connection lead, levelling blocks. Don't think worth getting seat covers? Bumper protector? Collapsible kettle, solar shower bag.
Cheers
Jonnie

 

[Jonnie]

Reading the posts, it looks like an upgrade to Philips HID bulbs is a good move. Are these aftermarket I.e. Halfords or main dealer?

 

[calikev]

I would go for qtm mats and a wacky practicals kettle ZoneSleep good choice
Good luck with it

 

[Jonnie]

Thanks for pointer on floor mats and kettle, both ordered.

struggling to find 135 Thetford. Has this model been discontinued? and replaced by 145?
Looking to store under the sink unit and 145 will not fit. What is the solution? I am sure many have faced and overcome this one.

Is there an aftermarket alternative to the VW £174 seat cover set?

Thanks
Jonnie

 

[Jonnie]

Thanks Simon,

two more things for me to look in to tomorrow. Amazing how time consuming and all absorbing the kit out process is. Satisfying though if you have the time to do so properly

thanks again
jonnie

 

[GrannyJen]

I think you will find the 335 is the 135 tarted up and with one of those (useless for cali owners) brackets for fixing the loo to the floor of a boat.

I have a 335. fits nicely under the rear shelf. Pull it out and pop it into the van night times.

Another essential for me is a bluetooth portable speaker so I can lie in bed, or snuggled up on it, playing music without having to get up and turn the radio on and off. I use a bose soundlink mini, lovely sound, pop it anywhere in the van, plays wirelessly from ipad, iphone or laptop. Nothing like being all cosy and snuggled up in the van with a glass of wine and soft music playing.

 

[GrannyJen]

oh,

and a seconder for the wacky practicals suggestion made earlier, brilliant thingy. I also have a wacky bucket that folds up and a wacky dog bowl. ... The bowl is wacky - not the dog.

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Don't forget to give us a call. If you become a VIP member then you can get discount from us on parts and servicing. We can have accessories and parts delivered to you as well.

Call Steve our parts manager on 01403 581242

Cheers

 

[Jonnie]

Many thanks Jen, advice gratefully received. Slowly piecing it together. Have a relatively short time in which to go from no idea to ready for 70 day roadtrip to Italy. I hadnt thought of putting the toilet in the back and was seeing it go in the cupboard under the sink Sure I'l get organised in time.
Thanks again

Jonnie

 

[GrannyJen]

From my hugely extensive years and years of experience...

well, ok, three days worth but in terms of putting a smile on my face it was years and years worth of smiles...

I took too many pots and pans away with me. I have a nesting set of three and at most only needed two, the biggest can stay at home. Too many tins of food, when there are shops every 500 yards in places I have no idea why I filled a whole bottom shelf with enough tins to make a decent sized contribution to oxfam. I only needed a couple of cups, a couple of wine glasses and small snap-pack containers full of essentials such as tea, coffee and liqorice allsorts.

Whilst on kitchen area, do take a box or two of matches for when the piezo-electric has a sulk and refuses to spark the gas rings into life.

The moral of the story is to leave as much space as possible in the inside area to be able to easily reach those bits you use often and don't want to get out of the van for. All the hardware got stuffed in the back whilst that rattly metal shelf under the bench seat got stuffed with clothes, towels, washbags, all soft, rattle-stopping items needed within easy reach.

The wardrobe proved useless, even though I took an evening dress with me (I was stopping off for a guild dinner en route) to access hanging bits proved so fiddly and awkward I ended up folding them all up and using the wardrobe for bedding. Freed up under-sink cupboard space proved invaluable for putting washbags, towels and black out screens in, freeing up other interior space for now neatly packed clothes!

Lots of waterproof bags. Dirty shoes, clothes, wet things such as shower sponges, etc seemed to proliferate. If wanting to be posh use those exped nylon bags, if less posh marks and spencers carrier bags, me being me I could only manage sainsbury's but hey-ho, it's a campervan not a superstar motorhome.

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

We try and aim for as little as possible... However, you'll need all the things that are compulsory on the continent, like reflective jackets for all.

Handly list here:
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/compulsory_equipment.html

dan
(and just in case anyone confuses me with Mr Safety, we also have an axe )

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

Cover the seats, even if only with an old blanket. We regret not doing it from day one.

Oh, and wellies are useful surprisingly often, even in the height of a European summer.

But if you have 70 days, part of the fun is kitting out as you go. Decathlon in France is great, sort of like Go Outdoors with a French twist, as are the outdoor and kitchen sections of French supermarkets.

 

[Jonnie]

Thank you guys,

I was beginning to think my situation was too mundane for you all but I see now you are just a shy lot but once you get going you're away
The plot thickens and may even challenge Jen! Daughter is a lucky girl doing a years language study at Venice Uni. Dad (thats me ) has kindly come up with the idea that instead of bringing her accumulated clobber back by plan he would drive down and get her, her clothes and whatever else.
Am thinking i will store her clothes while we do our 70 days then pick up on the way back and had envisaged we would have those large (65ltr) transparent storage boxes in the back 2 under and two on the back shelf. That way I can exercise some control over the princesses desires for wardrobe excess. ( quite cunning I thought) Now I am going to be on shaky ground if she rumbles me as I will be taking kite surfing gear for Sardinia and Sicily in particular. You may be seeing where I am going with this.. Whilst my daughter Pen will be happy as a sandboy in her uncluttered upstairs bedroom, gonna be pretty snug in my quarters.

Now I have been trying to demystify electrics, well in to the manual and seen talk of inverters ( what is that?) and polarity checkers and inverter adapters. Will follow these through as they sound pretty important. One big question I have for those technically minded is : if a campsite review says have hookups at 6 amp or 10 amp for example, how do I know what is safe / will work and what is of danger to the vehicle electrics? cam
n I just plug anything in or is there a max safe load. If it were 6 amps does this mean I need to know the consumption of each appliance and remain within it?

Those of you still awake , well done, there is more detail and twists still to come in the epic once in a lifetime daughter dad road trip so stay tuned.

Many thanks again
Jonnie

 

[Looby]

One big question I have for those technically minded is : if a campsite review says have hookups at 6 amp or 10 amp for example, how do I know what is safe / will work and what is of danger to the vehicle electrics? cam
n I just plug anything in or is there a max safe load. If it were 6 amps does this mean I need to know the consumption of each appliance and remain within it?

Hi Jonnie, I'm not technically minded but this link to C Club site gives an idea of appliance wattages.
http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/1455 ... s-2014.pdf

Have a great adventure.

 

[Californiaman]

Stick all of her excess gear in a box and post it home. Travel light. You can buy all you need. Most stuff you think you need is just clutter...

 

[gatvol]

I'd suggest you go to staples and buy two of these boxes for £20. They fit well under the rear shelf.

If its raining, the lids overlap the sides so they keep the water off your contents.

Really Useful 64 Litre Storage Box

http://www.staples.co.uk/storage-archiv ... ack-2?r=rh

 

[GrannyJen]

Thank you guys,

I was beginning to think my situation was too mundane for you all but I see now you are just a shy lot but once you get going you're away
The plot thickens and may even challenge Jen! Daughter is a lucky girl doing a years language study at Venice Uni.
Jonnie

Everything challenges me!

Now, is daughter at VIU? Possibly even Ca' foscari?

Sono stato una dottoressa visitora a VIU! Specialita il risorgimento e politici tra giovane italia (nel londra) e stati uniti.

As you can tell, I was presenting in English, not Italian, which is passable late at night in most downmarket bars of firenze o Roma but not at any academic level.

However your stowage of luggage does sound incredibly challenging. Have you thought of sending large chunks of it ahead of you to be collected?

Oh, the inverter. No doubt you are terribly techno and carry lots of gadgets. Even a 19th century historian such as myself goes totally cluttered with 21stC impedimenta of Laptop, I Pad , I Pod, I phone and I wine-bottle-opener! Therefore the inverter, which takes current of the 12 volt supply and converts to 230v but terribly low wattage, is ideal. I have a clever plug, supplied via this site, that is two pin to three pin, and because of low wattage can only really be used for battery charging. I have my macbook lead permanently plugged in and a USB hub with two USB to I pad plugs all ready so I can recharge laptop, I Pad, I phone or I pod all off the otherwise totally useless and purely ornamental two pin invertor socket.

Goodness, all that sounds quite geeky!

 

[Jonnie]

thats brilliant thanks Looby

Jonnie

 

[Ambler]

this reminds me of collecting daughter after a year in Germany.
Lots of room when I took her out, so little brother came with me to collect.
Oh dear, how her possessions had grown.
Long discussion as to what to leave behind, brother did come home but she still reminds me about it 12 years later

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

Not much room left for sleeping or cooking when we retrieved the contents of our daughter's flat!

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

One big question I have for those technically minded is : if a campsite review says have hookups at 6 amp or 10 amp for example, how do I know what is safe / will work and what is of danger to the vehicle electrics? cam
n I just plug anything in or is there a max safe load. If it were 6 amps does this mean I need to know the consumption of each appliance and remain within it?

Most appliances should list their power requirements in Watts.

Ohm's law. W = A * V

So if you kettle is 2000w, then 2000w / 240v = 8.3a.

You can't use it on the 6amp supply, but you can use it on the 10amp supply

If you are also running a 1000w heater, then that is drawing just over 4 amps. So on your 10 amp supply, you can use your kettle or you can use your heater, but you cannot use them both at the same time, 8.3 + 4.1 = 12.4amps.

I have a feeling there are some other things going on with AC power supplies and that this calculation may not be excact, but this is close enough to gauge whether you should plug something in.

One thing to bear in mind is that when on hookup, your battery charger is running, I don't know what the power consumption of a modern cali battery charger is (some charge leisure and starter battery, some only the leisure. Power consumption will vary depending upon how charged the battery or batteries are) Doubt the power consuption is high, but think about about it if you are close to the the limit.

Hope that helps.
dan

 

[GrannyJen]

I'd suggest you go to staples and buy two of these boxes for £20. They fit well under the rear shelf.

If its raining, the lids overlap the sides so they keep the water off your contents.

Really Useful 64 Litre Storage Box

http://www.staples.co.uk/storage-archiv ... ack-2?r=rh

Thank you for posting that link! Now the proud owner of two boxes that fit perfectly and tidies the rear undrshelf stowage up!

 

[Jonnie]

Hi Chris and Penny, hahaha- my worst fear! the plan started by sounding so sensible and exciting but the practicalities are starting to emerge now. I think we may look like that on the homeward leg but I am going to arrange temporary storage near Venice/milano before we head south through Italy. Funny you should mention the brother, my son and his girlfriend have spotted the opportunity for a free passage to Venice so have their company for the drive down but thankfully they will find their own way back.

Dan the man, just what I needed yes get it now, if only I had known that physics would be useful later I would have paid more attention.Thanks for that. Do you know what the inverter is/is for and how it can be used? I am guessing it is 12v supply that can be converted to 230 by a plug in device that can then be used to charge 230v I phones or Ipads or laptops? Reading what i have written that does sound suspect as my theory seems to defy the rules of nature?


Jen, once again thanks for another solution. I have measured up and the key hear is to get the perfect sizes to optimise the space. I think those boxes a pretty much it and if I end up stacking 2 on top of the shelf these units stack well and stay in place so off to Stapples today. Also today going to see Jackyard seat covers. Had a good look at the Inca's which are good value and very functional but dont exactly do justice to the jolly feel of the cabin. I did learn from speaking to them yesterday and they were very helpful, that they are about to release a new range using the cali fabric- worth watching out for. In the meantime I am going to take a look at jackyards seat covers today in Poole. Dont know pricing yet but I like the bright and breezy feel to them which to my mind is what the cali should be all about.

Taken delivery of Qtm car mats in light grey, look great and easy to fit. Also zonesleep topper for bottom bunk, not cheap!! so hopefully will live up to billing- time will tell.
Good weekend to all.

 

[maui2512]

My seat covers are currently being made at Jackyards...should be ready next week and I can't wait to see them! I think you get 15% off front and rear sets. I've got covers for all 7 seats and I think the total is just over £700. Pretty expensive when you think about it (& compared to getting my sofa at home recovered) but I love the unique look of them! And seeing how much damage my kids, and husband, have done to the seat covers in the past 2 months, they can't come a moment too soon!

I also bought the same storage boxes (from Homebase though) but think I went for slightly smaller ones...I might go back and get a couple of the larger ones too. They're much stronger plastic than other boxes I've bought in the past which tend to turn brittle and shatter, so definitely worth a few extra pounds.

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

Do you know what the inverter is/is for and how it can be used? I am guessing it is 12v supply that can be converted to 230 by a plug in device that can then be used to charge 230v I phones or Ipads or laptops? Reading what i have written that does sound suspect as my theory seems to defy the rules of nature?

You are correct, the Cali is capable of breaking the laws of nature :clap The inverter converts a 12v DC supply into a 240v AC supply.

I don't know what the wattage the inverter is on the Cali (I have an older Westfalia Cali which doesn't have one) but I would guess it's around 150w, which will be enough for running 240v chargers for iPads, newer laptops and the like when a hookup isn't available. Inverters are quite inefficient though and are a heavy drain on the 12v supply.

Say you have a 100w appliance.

The invertor is supplying 240v at 0.41a to give your 100w of power.

However, to supply that, the inverter must use at least 100w , so at 12v it is pulling at least 8.3a from your battery. Because it is inefficient and also having to do some work in converting to 240v, it will be using more than 8.3a.

You may find some appliances hum when using an inverter and some may not work at all, depends if the inverter is an expensive pure sine wave inverter or a cheaper modified sine wave model.

I prefer to use 12v chargers for things, since most of them are actually expecting something close to 12v anyway and many (iPads, iPhones, GoPros, for example) will charge from a 5v USB supply, you can fit an adapter to your cigarette lighter plugs. There was a little discussion about people's approaches to this here: http://www.vwcaliforniaclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=134&t=6052

dan