Slidepod for the VW California Beach

[owen_h]

I have been using one of these Camping Gaz Bistro 300 s in my pod.
https://www.campingaz.com/p-26404-bistro-300.aspx

Made a simple adaptation so that it can be fixed firmly to the pod but also removed (by unscrewing a knurkled knob) for use outside or to change the cartridge.
Time to boil a kettle depends on quite a few factors, big one is how much gas is left in the cartridge.

 

[Dave bee]

We use a camping gaz bistro stove but their square one would be better if you are going down that route. They work fine but we found you get to use more of the gas in each canister when abroad in warmer climates as gas expands in the heat. All fine for a pod. As for colours I use an ikea cupboard at present so would be happy to pay a little more for a wider colour choice to match other interior / exterior colours. Great to see so many people interested and passing on their ideas.

 

[owen_h]

An alternative idea for a stove could be an alcohol one rather than gas. Quite widely used in the marine environment as safer than gas installations (its difficult to put a gas drain at the lowest point of a boat!). Early T4 Calis also used similar technology I think.
http://www.piplers.co.uk/origo-1500-single-burner-alcohol-stove

A lot more expensive than the gas cookers but good quality and work well. Fuel is much easier/cheaper/cleaner to get abroad though.
I allocated space in my pod so that it would be an option in the future.

 

[kave]

I am also interested in a small pod that fits in a 3 seater beach behind the driver or passenger. No fridge for us, havent decided yet which one to buy, but room for a gas cooker and water.

 

[SlidePods]

I hadn't thought about an alcohol stove

Something like this??

I'm guessing it would have to be stored standing the right way up unlike the cheaper gas ones. But it's definately a viable option. I might have to order one to have a play with.

 

[owen_h]

Yes that looks like the same thing but made by Can rather than Origo.
My brother has a small sailing cruiser and that has a 2 burner Origo one in it. The fuel tank looks much bigger than the Can one in the video but maybe that one is just a small pod type canister. When its not being used the top of the fuel tank is covered by a circular piece of neoprene to prevent spills and the fuel evaporating. Never had any spill issues and a boat will roll around far more than a Cali but it does need to be stored basically flat.
W eve always ended up getting the fuel when abroad, its widely available in the supermarkets etc. They will run on a variety of fuels but generally Denatured Alcohol is preferred. Meths can be smelly due to the additives.

 

[MattBW]

Awesome little stove, i Imagine that would be quite cheap to use once you had it then? Even if you can't find on a supermarket then pharmacies will have some.

 

[owen_h]

In France you want to look for Alcool a bruler. About €2 a litre. Cheaper than Smirnoff or Absolut vodka anyway

 

[MattBW]

£180, they're quite expensive for their size but I guess you would save over time off the gas.

 

[SlidePods]

What's £180??? Not the can stove I suggested??

 

[MattBW]

I can see one similar eBay for £80? Most seem 150+.

 

[MattBW]

Ooh two burner one for £50 bargain, tempted to order one !

 

[SlidePods]

Try kiravans.co.uk

 

[MattBW]

Ordered one oops ;-)

 

[kave]

Arent these alcohol ones extremely slow? In my youth we used Trangia burners with liquid
alcohol and they took forever to boil water. In winter or wind impossible.
Is the newer alcogel ones better?

 

[owen_h]

How much is the one in the video (I tried searching for Can alcohol stove but get lots of hits on how to make one out of a can). The one I linked to (Origo) is £180, know from experience that they are well made. One on the boat is 15 years old and still looks good and works well. That's in a marine environment.
Just had a look on Amazon and they have the Origo at £90 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002BW0D16/?tag=vwcalifornia-21
Half the price of my original link

 

[MattBW]

I'll give them a try, double burner like the link £47. Worth a go. If it's no good I'll move it on.

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

Regarding the alcohol stoves, the Origo uses the same canister design as the early T4 based Westfalia Californias.

There's no spillage as the cannisters contain a material that soaks up the alcohol, so it's not a big container of liquid sploshing around. It uses a metal disk to seal when not in use and also to control the heat. However, you wouldn't want to store it on it's side.

As stated, they are not as hot as gas, but we've never had a problem cooking on them. Boiling a big pot of water will take a while, but we use a pressure cooker to get around that. They also save a lot of fuel.

Best place I've found for fuel in the UK is http://ekofuel.org/bioethanol-fuel-for-alcohol-marine-stove/all-marine-alcohol-fuel.html

 

[MattBW]

Yeah looks like the Can ones use gel fuel which is not as hot burning as the liquid. That site does seem to suggest only to use the fuel its designed for but at £22 for 6L of gel it seems pretty reasonable and should last for ages.

I can put the gel in a metal container thats not pressurised and I guess safer than gas.

 

[kave]

Ohh, I will mostly skip gas then and go for this. Great idea. And they can be used outside if not too windy?

 

[MattBW]

I will do a test and let you know

 

[SlidePods]

Right I suppose I better start looking at sinks and come up with a neat storage solution for the stove to keep it flat all the time.

 

[SlidePods]

Just a quick update....
Im struggling to find a sink that is compact enough (with a folding glass lid) other than the dometic one used in the reimo pod.

I have been playing around with design ideas...
Maybe tambour door on the side? That way there would still be access to the internal space when the bed is down.
Also im not sure about the tanks being on the back of the pod... due to the tanks being around 10l they will need filling and emptying more frequently and if thy are on the rear this will be a pain to do (I think).

 

[MattBW]

Zeratul found a brilliant small sink, but I couldn't find one in the uk. Let me have a look for it.

 

[MattBW]

Ahh that sink had no lid either. How easy is it to slide it forward on the rails? If the back is against the seat with the bottles then hidden but accessible by loosening the bolts and sliding?