Slidepod for the VW California Beach

[Life's a beach]

We have had the Beach for a couple of months now and are getting to know it well with lots of great camping trips and weekends away over the summer. It does however still feel as though we are cooking in a tent as before.

We have been looking at the options for removable kitchen pods and have decided to go for a 'slidepod' to pull out from the tailgate without taking up any of the lovely living space inside the Beach.

Another bugbear is that although our Beach has a fine leisure battery, there is no indicator of voltage nor any inbuilt charge/ hook up system.

Over to Jonny at Slidepods..... as well as fitting a kitchen pod to the van, he is also putting in an electrical hookup at the same time, which I'm hoping will give us a super versatile set-up to cover everything from family holidays to weekend surf trips, alongside work and the school run in-between the fun bits!

Just dropped the van off with Jonny on our way back from Cornwall who will be fitting it over the next couple of weeks, so excited! Hopefully he will keep us posted on the build so we can watch it unfold.

 

[SlidePods]

Hi Tim, Just spotted your post before heading out into the workshop to start making your Slidepod.
I got most of the electrical bits out of the way yesterday so your van now has.....
240v hook-up, Intelligent 10amp 8 stage battery charger (under the drivers seat) and a 2 pole RCD (also under the drivers seat) also custom fitted is a polarity warning light to the RCD unit that will warn you if you plug into any dodgy (wired back to front) mains supplies as this is pretty common on the continent. I have located your hook up plug under the bonnet as in my experience this is the best place for several reasons.....
it keeps the connection nice and dry
You can see your van is connected so are unlikely to drive off whilst connected
It stays nice and clean so you don't get filthy hands every time you hook-up
I don't have to drill a great big hole in the quarter panel of your van and remove half the rear trim to run the cable
and..... no one can run off with your cable


On another note whilst installing your charger I spotted your vent pipe on your battery had come off... This is not good as whilst your battery is charging it will emit hydrogen gas. I obviously reconnected this for you so all is now safe and sound.
I will keep you posted as work progresses on your pod

 

[MattBW]

I bought a CTEK comfort indicator for battery status. I will admit I am struggling to get the rubber cover off the battery. Is there a special way of getting it off? Can't seem to get it to clear the seat even with it all the way forward.

 

[SlidePods]

Hi Matt. There is no magic trick to removing the battery cover.
You will need a 13 mm socket with extension, a 10 mm spanner, a 13 mm spanner and a strong back.
First you need to disconnect the engine battery using the 19mm spanner and leave it disconnected for a bit to be sure all residual charge has gone. Then under you seat you will find a yellow electrical clip. This is for the seats airbags (that is why you must disconnect the engine battery first) these are fiddly but need to be disconnected to remove the seat. Next use the 13 mm socket and spanner to remove the nuts from the front of the seat and the bolts from the rear. Finally lift the seat out the way (be warned they are at least 40kg and awkward to lift). Finally remove your battery cover to carry out the works you want to do .
Once you have removed everything put it back together in sequence (adding a little locktite to the rear seat bolts) making sure you don't reconnect the battery until after the airbag clip is back together.
Hope this helps buddy

 

[SlidePods]

Hi Tim sorry I haven't posted up any progress reports whilst making your Slidepod but as you can probably imagine I have been flat out in the workshop (making your Slidepod ). You will be glad to hear that I have put the finished it today and all that remains are a couple of minor finishing touches, so it will be ready for you to collect on schedule .

Anyway here are a few token shots from the workshop of your Slidepod being born.




Probably more importantly here are a few shots I took of the Slidepod in your beach just down the road from the workshop to give you a better idea of the finished product. Hope you like it



So next in the production line is Shane's pod which will be a white Ultra Slidepod but this time its the 3 seat version beach .

 

[Life's a beach]

Wow, thanks Jonny, you've been busy! great pics and good to see you managed to get out of the workshop in time to catch the evening sunshine .

The pod looks amazing and matches the van really nicely, can't wait to try it out

 

[MattBW]

Very smart!

 

[SlidePods]

Thanks very much guys

 

[Paul Lavery]

Looks great & really like the matching colour.

 

[Life's a beach]

Hi Jonny,
I'm curious, I know that one of the front panel square bits is for the shower attachment (so looking forward to hosing off the kids) but can you remind me what the others are for? Having a tired mum moment! Cheers, it is looking v sleek.

 

[larrylamb]

Looks a great product.

 

[WelshGas]

I Mains Socket
2 Shower connection
3 looks like a double USB socket

 

[SlidePods]

I Mains Socket
2 Shower connection
3 looks like a double USB socket

Absolutely spot on

Looks a great product.

Thanks Larry. We realise its not the cheapest camping pod but its incredibly high quality, with custom options, hand made in the U.K using the best components and materials we can source.
For example..... our pods don't use a cheap (in both senses of the word) inline whale pumps we use a 10l per min self priming diaphragm pump coupled to a per charged expansion tank which costs us over 10 times as much but gives a very good constant pressure. Also where most pods have 10l fresh water tank and 10l grey tank Our pods have a 19l grey tank and you can specify your fresh tank size, Tim went for 30l (a very sensible size) enough to go off grid for about 2 days for a family of 4! We have a 50l under chassis tank on our van with a filler cap on the side of the van .

 

[Borris]

Absolutely spot on

Thanks Larry. We realise its not the cheapest camping pod but its incredibly high quality, with custom options, hand made in the U.K using the best components and materials we can source.
For example..... our pods don't use a cheap (in both senses of the word) inline whale pumps we use a 10l per min self priming diaphragm pump coupled to a per charged expansion tank which costs us over 10 times as much but gives a very good constant pressure. Also where most pods have 10l fresh water tank and 10l grey tank Our pods have a 19l grey tank and you can specify your fresh tank size, Tim went for 30l (a very sensible size) enough to go off grid for about 2 days for a family of 4! We have a 50l under chassis tank on our van with a filler cap on the side of the van .

Hi Slidepods,
This is a brilliant use of space and the quality looks superb. Very interesting. Is the pod de- mountable?

 

[SlidePods]

Yep the pod is easily removed from the van when not needed but whats even better is that it has an integrated stand. This means that if you want it can be taken from the back of the van and setup on its stand in a drive away awning as a free standing kitchen. (I will post some pictures of how this works over the next couple of days)

 

[Steve39]

Hi, Slidepods, I'm going through the SE vs Beach deliberation. Love the idea of a removable unit in a Beach (the van will be everyday car, day van and occasional camper) and these look brilliant.

But I'm struggling to get my head around the total loss of boot space for longer trips.

I will also need a fridge and porta poti, then bedding and clothes, with a box for odds and sods, possibly pop up tent or drive away.

So pod in boot. Fridge and poti on bases behind the front seats. Bedding on top of board in back. Where do I put bags for clothes and anything else?

Is there boot space still free? Roof box? Just wondering how you pack when using the pod.

Obviously for day van use this isn't an issue. Cheers in advance.


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[SlidePods]

Hi Steve why don't you give me a call on 07739508050 (Jonny) and I will be happy to talk you through the system and its advantages and also if its possible I will try to arrange for you to see a pod in the flesh.

 

[Steve39]

Thanks Jonny, I think I'll take you up on that offer, really interested to find out more and also maybe chat about other pod options (noticed you've said your considering some on the other thread).

The slide pod looks amazing by the way and my comments were only a about understanding of practical implications.

Should point out I'm not in a position to but yet. Think I've ruled out and SE but the 2 or 3 seat Beach question is driving me nuts!




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[SlidePods]

Steve I will do my very best to help you. I obviously have an opinion on what is best for me and my family but I will do my best to help you make an educated decision as to what is best for you and your family!

 

[SlidePods]

Hi Slidepods,
This is a brilliant use of space and the quality looks superb. Very interesting. Is the pod de- mountable?

Hi Borris I will get round to taking these pictures and posting them up at some point.
In the mean time we were off shooting the beach pod in Tim's Cali yesterday so thought I would give a sneak preview of some of the shots prior to them being edited and posted up on our website
I have included some shots of the rear tailgate awning we are stocking, the replacement seat base covers we do (we can match most Cali colours and equip them with 240v plugs, 12v plugs, USB points, voltmeters, fire extinguishers etc etc) and the brand spanking new cadac safari chef 2 (I believe we are still the only people who have them in stock in the U.K and having used one in anger yesterday I have to say its an amazing bit of kit). If your interested in any of these bits drop me an email or give me a call

 

[Life's a beach]

Nice ! Looks like you have cleaned out the van as well, thanks

 

[SlidePods]

Yep just a quick once over.

For anyone who is following what we are up to in the Slidepods workshop I have just put the finishing touches to our 2016 demo pod that will live in our demo van Ronnie for everyone to see whilst we are out and about at shows during the coming year. The 2016 version Ultra and Beach Slidepods both receive upgraded whisper quiet pumps, bigger storage cupboards along with options for integrated removable cutlery storage, upgraded pod lighting, optional table, waste tank level monitor and tailored internal anti slip matting. I will try to get round to taking a photo in a bit of the new pod. We have also recently brought several campervan kitchen accessories into stock that we are currently testing out that if they pass muster we will be selling soon.

 

[Jaydub]

Yep just a quick once over.

For anyone who is following what we are up to in the Slidepods workshop I have just put the finishing touches to our 2016 demo pod that will live in our demo van Ronnie for everyone to see whilst we are out and about at shows during the coming year. The 2016 version Ultra and Beach Slidepods both receive upgraded whisper quiet pumps, bigger storage cupboards along with options for integrated removable cutlery storage, upgraded pod lighting, optional table, waste tank level monitor and tailored internal anti slip matting. I will try to get round to taking a photo in a bit of the new pod. We have also recently brought several campervan kitchen accessories into stock that we are currently testing out that if they pass muster we will be selling soon.

I know the clues in the name, but can you do a removable hob / small sink to sit behind the drivers seat in a Beach with 2 seat bench and storage box.

 

[SlidePods]

We are currently developing this idea (the Slidepod compact) and are very close to releasing it. I will be looking for a demo van to have the first one we produce at a discounted rate (if your interested let me know on 07739508050) I have always been extremely uninspired by the conventional "behind the drivers seat pods" as they are all virtually the same as each other and prevent the drivers seat from swivelling. The one we are working on will be totally self contained (bar needing a 12v socket to plug it in to) extremely easy to remove to use in an awning etc and will slide out of the slide door allowing you to swivel the drivers seat and get some of the cooking smells out of the van. obviously it wont have the same size storage cupboard as a full blown slidepod or the same size fresh and grey tanks but will still make a great versatile compact kitchen for your camper van

 

[BeachyBird]

Thanks Jonny, I think I'll take you up on that offer, really interested to find out more and also maybe chat about other pod options (noticed you've said your considering some on the other thread).

The slide pod looks amazing by the way and my comments were only a about understanding of practical implications.

Should point out I'm not in a position to but yet. Think I've ruled out and SE but the 2 or 3 seat Beach question is driving me nuts!




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Hi Steve39
Just thought I would mention how I deal with storage.I have the 2 seat beach as you are probably aware it has the side box this is great for clothes and towels and bags of toiletries etc then you also have a fair size draw under the seat I use for food and kitchen equipment etc but with the pod you probably have storage in that so you could use the draw for other things. The 3 seat version doesn't have either of these fercilities .... My thoughts alone you will have fun which ever you choose.