VW California Beach specific accessories

[Sonas]

Hi Everyone.
My new beach will arrive in October hopefully. We intend to use it as an everyday vehicle but for camping trips I wondered if anyone has solutions as to the best accessories to have, considering we won't have the cooking and storage options of the Ocean.

Thanks

Sonas.

 

[Kevthegas]

Brandrup seat pockets, amazing what my wife gets in them.
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/brandrup-seat-pockets-rear-chair-storage-black-in-stock.17406/

 

[MattBW]

My advice would be to use it for a little while and get what you find you are missing rather than buying stuff up front. I have so many things I have not used or have passed on.

It will also depend on how you camp and what kind of travelling you do. Is it a 3 or 2 seat beach?

Some thoughts however:

• We sleep in the roof, its comfy enough for us. The downstairs bed in a 3 seat is pretty uncomfortable, 2 seat is same as the Ocean. if you intend to sleep on the 3 seat lower bed, you will be best with a mattress topper.
• For cooking we used a campingaz bistro and a cadac safari chef before we upgraded to the slidepod http://www.slidepods.co.uk
• The slidepod has probably made the biggest difference for us in conjunction with a tailgate awning we are good at a moments notice to go away. In poor weather we either pitch the awning or use a small stove inside (with ventilation) if we have to.
• Parking heater, one of the best things you can add imho.
• Wind out awning (factory or fiamma)

I did just get some seat pockets as storage is always a premium but I havent used them enough in anger to know if they are a must have yet. If not they may get sold one

 

[Sonas]

My advice would be to use it for a little while and get what you find you are missing rather than buying stuff up front. I have so many things I have not used or have passed on.

It will also depend on how you camp and what kind of travelling you do. Is it a 3 or 2 seat beach?

Some thoughts however:

• We sleep in the roof, its comfy enough for us. The downstairs bed in a 3 seat is pretty uncomfortable, 2 seat is same as the Ocean. if you intend to sleep on the 3 seat lower bed, you will be best with a mattress topper.
• For cooking we used a campingaz bistro and a cadac safari chef before we upgraded to the slidepod http://www.slidepods.co.uk
• The slidepod has probably made the biggest difference for us in conjunction with a tailgate awning we are good at a moments notice to go away. In poor weather we either pitch the awning or use a small stove inside (with ventilation) if we have to.
• Parking heater, one of the best things you can add imho.
• Wind out awning (factory or fiamma)

I did just get some seat pockets as storage is always a premium but I havent used them enough in anger to know if they are a must have yet. If not they may get sold one

It will be a 2 seat bench with mattress topper. Thanks for the advice I'll look at the slidepods for sure.

 

[MattBW]

You will be good with that then, you will find the roof bed wider than downstairs if you like more roof, it will be cooler up there too though.

 

[RoB5urf]

Agree with Matt. We didn't buy stuff until we knew we would use it. However, you will need a hookup cable and a UK 3-pin plug adapter. A Sparesafe is also worth having for peace of mind.

We used the supplied front window blinds a few times before deciding to get an external windscreen cover. We also agonised over a Topper and eventually bought the external version.

For cooking we just use one of those cheapo burners that runs off aerosol gas. It was supposed to be a temporary solution but we haven't felt the need to get anything more complicated /expensive.

 

[4NT5]

I have a 2 seater Beach (& storage box) with comfort topper, the bottom bed is huge and if we're wild camping the three of us stay downstairs, me, the wife and our 5 yr old.
I've only owned it 6 months and so far we've bought, in no particular order;

25 metre hook up from Lidl
12v plug in led for upstairs power outlet
window vac (not needed if the roofs up)
external thermal screen cover
drive away awning form Decathlon
2 cheapo gas stoves from Aldi
8 Plastic storage boxes that stack two up under the annoying rear shelf and can be reached from behind the bench
Awning straps
Rock pegs (& hammer)
Leather retrim (standard light grey cloth stains as soon as you think about touching it)
Towbar bike rack
Boot liner
Bumper protector
Extra pillows to throw in if we're planning on not going home
Cheap rug from Ikea trimmed to fit the rear
A 15 litre collapsible water container
A wee bottle and funnel - not the most dignified, but well worth having
4 Sporks for impromptu chippy teas!
Ketchup and vinegar sachets - liberated from cafes whenever possible (BurgerKing even do UHT milk in pouches!)
A ground sheet to put under the factory awning - as yet unused
A cheap 2 man tent for putting child seat etc in - as yet unused & we now have the awning

There's probably more and we've certainly used a lot of stuff we already had including a 240/12v fridge we got for about £50 from Lidl years ago.

 

[MattBW]

Agree with Matt. We didn't buy stuff until we knew we would use it. However, you will need a hookup cable and a UK 3-pin plug adapter. A Sparesafe is also worth having for peace of mind.

The sparesafe is probably the best purchase for a Cali, stolen spares are very common without them sadly. How did I forget that?! Hookup cable also essential most definitely!

 

[Stuart]

We just used the window storage bags (from http://www.california-camping.de) on a recent trip and it made a big difference to how organised we stayed. Not cheap but we got them 2nd hand on here.

 

[hirsty]

Quechua website is your friend.

My two most used accessories are a 2.5m square groundsheet for under the rollout awning & a larger folding table for outside.

Do get an awning tie-down kit, or peg it down very well - a surprisingly small gust of wind can wreck it.

We have a cheap double-burner using gas cartridges, does the job outside.

Rubber ‘monster mats’ are essential for the front & try a cheap rug in the midsection before buying an expensive carpet.

Brandrup IsoTop liner was a good investment but very expensive.

Lots of threads on Waeco / Webasto / Indel B fridges.

 

[Sonas]

Quechua website is your friend.

My two most used accessories are a 2.5m square groundsheet for under the rollout awning & a larger folding table for outside.

Do get an awning tie-down kit, or peg it down very well - a surprisingly small gust of wind can wreck it.

We have a cheap double-burner using gas cartridges, does the job outside.

Rubber ‘monster mats’ are essential for the front & try a cheap rug in the midsection before buying an expensive carpet.

Brandrup IsoTop liner was a good investment but very expensive.

Lots of threads on Waeco / Webasto / Indel B fridges.

Thank you. Can you tell if Monster mats do front mats for the California, or which ones do you use.

Sonas

 

[hirsty]

Hi - mine came from Banwy, but they’re VW parts:

http://www.banwy.co.uk/rubber-front-monster-mats.html

 

[Hernan Morillo]

Hi there
In case this might be of interest, I am selling :
Comfortz awning kit (mid grey) with windows. Almost new. I bought it on this site 3 months ago, Used 3 times. £320.
Vango Airway kela III low, drive away awning (includes attachment kit for T6 ). New, never used , just unpacked it and tested it indoors.£400.
Available for pick up. If you are interested , give me a call on 07917125697
Nothing wrong with them, just need to make room for new toys and I don't tend to use the awning as much as I though I would.

 

[MattBW]

Quechua website is your friend.


Rubber ‘monster mats’ are essential for the front & try a cheap rug in the midsection before buying an expensive carpet.
.

That reminds me Dun Elm do what they call Muddle Mats, like turtle mats but far more affordable. We've been using them in the van (and the house) and they are fantastic. £15 for one that is perfect for our beach with fridge installed. 2 mats without.

 

[SCOTT TIBBLES]

best cooking option is to have a slidepod fitted, you can remove when not using for clips easy. gives you amble storage, 2 ring hob, sink, water, simple gas canisters, The team at slidepod great. www.slidepod.co.uk, gybe inflatable awning www.gybe_design.com (German, expensive, but its works!) diesel heater fitted great for all year camping etc.. staying over at friends for a few drinks at Christmas makes it very comfortable, get a wrap for the pop top stops any rain, makes its darker in the summer months and insulates. lock your spare wheel under the rear. Matts, a small brush, mattress topper for 3 seater bed, (slidepod do a memory foam one). Sold my external awing as never used in the uk, normally too windy and fiddly to operate.

 

[Amarillo]

Four Muji stackable drawers will fit perfectly under the multiflex.

Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[Borris]

Hi Everyone.
My new beach will arrive in October hopefully. We intend to use it as an everyday vehicle but for camping trips I wondered if anyone has solutions as to the best accessories to have, considering we won't have the cooking and storage options of the Ocean.

Thanks

Sonas.

Hello Sonas,
We have a seven seat Beach. If you have ordered one of these I would suggest the following accessories:

1. SpareSafe. Essential to prevent vermin from stealing your spare wheel.
2. Inca water proof seat covers. The seats are fabric covered and that's not the best option for a muti purpose/camper van especially if you have ordered the light grey interior.
3. Rubber VW monster mats for the cab. Brilliant at protecting the cab floor when in wet and muddy environments.
4. Some form of easy clean carpet mat for the rear and boot. We went for the Brandrup carpets through out. They are expensive but are of excellent quality and fit well. Easy to clean as well. However a larger version of those easy to hose down door mats would be just as practical. If you don't have anything the floor marks very easily.
5. Comfortz awning sides. These are very useful for creating a quick shelter to put excess kit into.
6. Awning tie down kit. NEVER use the awning without nailing it down securely as a small puff of wind can wreck the awning and damage your van.
7. Waeco 12/240v CFX 40L compressor fridge. We currently have the VW cool/hot box. It's ok for short trips used in conjunction with freezer blocks but struggles to keep things cool on longer periods. It is a cool box rather than a fridge. It does keep things hot nicely though.
8. Two rail based hold down brackets from the club shop and a small rachet strap. Use these to secure the Waeco fridge in position for when you are on the move.
9. Bellows bungee from the club shop.
10. The Brandrup ISOtop internal roof liner. Expensive but well worth the cost. It keeps the upper deck darker, dryer, more draught free, and much warmer in the winter months.

We find that the three seat bench in our Beach makes a good sized double bed. However, I wouldn't want to use it without the VW Comfort mattress. Whilst quite firm it provides a flat surface which we have got use to it now. This mattress does take up rather a lot of space though. Accordingly, I am thinking of trialing a suitable sized inflatable mattress. At least with one of these you can decide how firm you want it to be and it will take up very little space when not in use.

Finally, if you have ordered the seven seat version then I would advise you to purchase a small collapsable platform trolley. They are very useful, not expensive and take up very little space at home. You will need it to transport the two captains swivel seats to where you store them when they are not in use in your van. These seats are just too heavy for one person to safely carry on their own and not that much easier for two people.

Good luck.