T4 Cali Exclusive logistics.

[larrylamb]

Can any Exclusive owners @T4WFA give me some information on where you store your stuff? Do you have picnic table and chairs,bbq, if so where do you store them. Also where do you store sleeping bags, pillows etc if the upstairs bed is stored away? I'd really like a tour around one but they're not exactly common. I know there is no rear shelf to store lots of boxes and gear, so where does it all go? Thanks in advance.

 

[irlcwill]

I'll be interested to hear how others do it !

We have not had ours long and still perfecting things, but at the moment;

Downstairs bedding and topper roll up under the area beneath the sink/cooker.
Upstairs bedding in the front end of the upper bed which is available when bed is away.
Cooking stuff and some food in narrow presses on LHS as you walk down the back.
Food in upper presses above fridge.
All clothes (For four) in wardrobe, tho trying to find a better way to do this.
Wellies, hook up canle, ramps etc in lower section of wardrobe.
We have quite a bit of medication for our son, so the safe is perfect for it.
Under the rear seat we have the awning, games, and sometimes rollup picnic table & two chairs, tho again, trying to improve this.
Latest was to strap roll up table and chairs to underside of bike rack which worked well.

We are struggling with bodyboards, bike helmets & other bulky stuff but we manage.

Hope that helps and you are more than welcome to have a look around ours, but based in Ireland so not all that feasible !!

 

[larrylamb]

Thanks, good info @irlcwill I take it the wardrobe is quite large to fit all that in? Is there any storage accessible from outside or is it just water tanks etc.

 

[irlcwill]

The wardrobe fits 3 / 4 duffle type bags. Then a couple of shelves above for smaller bits and pieces.

At the rear of the van, the bottom 1/4 of the rear panel lifts up for access to empty the toilet and give access to the bottom section of the wardrobe, other than that there is no external storage .... I'll see if I can get a pic up of the rear access.

 

[irlcwill]

The wardrobe fits 3 / 4 duffle type bags. Then a couple of shelves above for smaller bits and pieces.

At the rear of the van, the bottom 1/4 of the rear panel lifts up for access to empty the toilet and give access to the bottom section of the wardrobe, other than that there is no external storage .... I'll see if I can get a pic up of the rear access.

 

[2into1]

Now then........

We generally only use the upper bed, so I have it a little easier for space.
All the bedding lives in the 'Smurf' element which is a big as a regular Cali boot.
I have some clever fold-up chairs and a table which fit perfectly under the rear seat, together with the jacks and a whole load of junk (lantern, candles, dog's coat, wind break, awning tie down kit.....etc ? I need to take a look!)
To the left of the side door, I store wine, drinking water, toaster, grill pan, portable stove. Knives and forks in the little drawer. Bin fixed to the first door.
The wardrobe is huge. Truly huge for a campervan. 6' tall, 500mm wide (guessing) and upto 500 deep (guessing) in places. I've divided it up with a set of stacking shoe-box sized drawers on the left and wooden shelves on the right. I'm not really a hanging rail type of guy. All my clothes go in those sections / drawers inc waterproofs. I also store tins, pasta, rice, biscuits in there. One of the sections holds a 2 IKEA rectangular bowls (one inside the other...the other for washing up duties when on a site) that hold all plates, pans, back-up cups and glasses.
The very bottom sections (on the right in the photo above) go my walking boots, ramps and hook-up cable.

That still leaves the sliding door cupboards - 2 in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. They hold the everyday stuff...2 glasses, 2 mugs, coffee, tea, snacks...and in the bathroom the obvious bathroom stuff.

There is a LOT of space in an Exec, but there is no boot. Divide and conquer is the rule. I love it that there are SO many places to put stuff, and it's easy to get at everything. I've had several pop-top layouts but usually found what I wanted was in a big box under the shelf in the boot. It was the biggest frustration.

There is still the area under the cooker (I forgot). Because I rarely use the downstairs bed, I can chose what goes here. It tends to have the electric kettle, the dog's crate for when she rides on the back of my bike, bike helmet, kite, ball and bats for playing on the beach. This area has to be emptied to use the bottom bed, so if that would dictate a move-around and limit things a little.

You also have a full size door between the kitchen and the loo that you can hang towels and coats from (each side). Makes a huge difference.

I'm probably due a night in the aire at St Annes, so that could present a chance to show you around mine.

 

[larrylamb]

Thanks guys, I have seen the layout on the Westfaliat4.info page and with your descriptions can visualise the space quite well. I think the layout could work well for us, better than the T5. Yes, @T4WFA if you end up over at St.Annes I would love to give your Cali the once-over Thanks.

 

[2into1]

@larrylamb : I'm obviously a big fan of the Exclusive, but I think they appeal to quite a limited market.

They are brilliant for camping in vs. a pop top T4/5/6, but that extra foot length and the height, makes them less of an everyday vehicle (as much discussed on here with the beach vs the SE). You can see from my 'footer' that I've experimented with alternative scenarios, but come back to this.

If it is going to be kept for high days and holidays, I think lots of buyers opt for something bigger than an Exclusive (ie a proper motorhome).

My storage circumstances dictate this is the biggest thing I can store at home, and I still need another vehicle for my business, so it makes sense for me. I can also fit down country lanes, and still enjoy the whole VW thing. Having such organised storage (as I outlined above), the separate living /cooking / bathroom areas, and always being able to stand up in it - are the three biggest positives vs the normal poptop / side kitchen layout. Perhaps add in the warm / solidness of the hardtop in early season.

I don't know anyone who has traded down from a T5 to a 4. The 4's are much more of a van-like driving experience. They feel heavier, and the gear-stick is floor mounted and 3' long! They are probably a touch noisier and their suspension less sophisticated. But they are strong and the Westy conversion so solid vs the T5 Cali.

If going to a T4 was too big a step, there is obviously the Westfalia Joker. I'm not convinced the layout is any better than the Exclusive (although I wouldn't turn one down!). What would cause a worry is having something worth £60k sat waiting for high days and holidays, vs the less than £20k I have now.

Hope that helps. I'll pm if I'm coming to Lytham.

 

[Camshaft]

As I usually am on my own I travel light, I do find although there are lots of cupboards etc I struggle to fit the bigger bits in, so they just sit between the toilet and wardrobe. When set up I tend to move this to the footwells in the cab (stuff like folding chairs etc). All bedding lives up in the smurf top all the time.

I downsized from a massive motorhome for the t4, I just couldn't be doing with pop tops etc and having a toilet was a must. I would like a club joker but I think if I was spending that sort of money I would have a Ducato based Westfalia.

All in all The exclusive is really practical, I can't think of anything better, it drives ok, fairly simple on the mechanical side as well.

Nice place to lounge around in, i can't believe other companies have not copied the layout!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[2into1]

I do find although there are lots of cupboards etc I struggle to fit the bigger bits in,

Which bits are you struggling with? I found some nice folding chairs that fit under the rear seat (not the umbrella type ones). I can post a photo if interested, as that 'move around' sounds like a pain.

 

[Camshaft]

I bought a folding chair that is quite big as the smaller ones don't last too long, it is too big to go under the rear seat so it just lives in the back while travelling. Under the seat I usually put the hook up cables and awning bits.

 

[irlcwill]

Hi T4WFA, I'd be interested in what type of folding chairs you have. My folding ones don't last all that long and more importantly are not that comfortable !

Thanks

Which bits are you struggling with? I found some nice folding chairs that fit under the rear seat (not the umbrella type ones). I can post a photo if interested, as that 'move around' sounds like a pain.

 

[larrylamb]

@larrylamb : I'm obviously a big fan of the Exclusive, but I think they appeal to quite a limited market.

They are brilliant for camping in vs. a pop top T4/5/6, but that extra foot length and the height, makes them less of an everyday vehicle (as much discussed on here with the beach vs the SE). You can see from my 'footer' that I've experimented with alternative scenarios, but come back to this.

If it is going to be kept for high days and holidays, I think lots of buyers opt for something bigger than an Exclusive (ie a proper motorhome).

My storage circumstances dictate this is the biggest thing I can store at home, and I still need another vehicle for my business, so it makes sense for me. I can also fit down country lanes, and still enjoy the whole VW thing. Having such organised storage (as I outlined above), the separate living /cooking / bathroom areas, and always being able to stand up in it - are the three biggest positives vs the normal poptop / side kitchen layout. Perhaps add in the warm / solidness of the hardtop in early season.

I don't know anyone who has traded down from a T5 to a 4. The 4's are much more of a van-like driving experience. They feel heavier, and the gear-stick is floor mounted and 3' long! They are probably a touch noisier and their suspension less sophisticated. But they are strong and the Westy conversion so solid vs the T5 Cali.

If going to a T4 was too big a step, there is obviously the Westfalia Joker. I'm not convinced the layout is any better than the Exclusive (although I wouldn't turn one down!). What would cause a worry is having something worth £60k sat waiting for high days and holidays, vs the less than £20k I have now.

Hope that helps. I'll pm if I'm coming to Lytham.

I don't have a problem with changing to a T4 Cali, love the build quality and design. Yes, we are more in the high days and holidays camp, it is not practical to be our everyday vehicle and we are not getting as much use as we would like. We are also finding lack of living space a bit of an issue, not storage but it is not easy to use the kitchen with three people inside and it's chucking it down outside, a rear kitchen would help. Also setting up, packing up camp in the rain a lot easier in a hard top. We love the T5 but wonder whether a different layout for less money would work as well or better. For the type of hols we use it for I would also consider a small motorhome, but like yourself a T4 Exclusive might be enough whilst also sticking with the VW theme. We will be weighing up the options etc with every trip now and seeing what setup would work for us. Hopefully a decision will be easier at the end of the season.

 

[J0Xd4E]

I've put 4 plywood shelves in the wardrobe, it makes a big difference as to how much you can store and how accessible it is. Also I store table/chairs on the folded up bed upstairs, I bought some large flat bags to keep the bedding clean. I also put the awning up there as well. I'd probably suggest there is more storage space in an exclusive than other Cali's.

 

[2into1]

Hi T4WFA, I'd be interested in what type of folding chairs you have. My folding ones don't last all that long and more importantly are not that comfortable !

Thanks

Some images of my Vango chairs that fit under the rear seat (shown one of top of another) or in the wardrobe. Make sure you get the ones with the fold down backs.

 

[2into1]

2 images of the wardrobe layout... One above and one below the safe
.