DG1
I thought you were serious at first! I am trying to have self control and only start with the essentials - I have now bought locally a 25m lead, Thetford 335 Cube, Thule levelling ramps, spirit level and 25 litre water carrier. I already had a gas cylinder from camping. Only other essentials will be mattress covers and sheets, bellows bungee and possible some cheap seat covers to get us going. I think anything else can wait, including a bike rack - we just watched the Bus And Beyond video last night on fitting the VW bike carrier at Campervanfantastic. I think the cheaper Fiamma one may do us as we will only have two bikes.
DG1
Getting insurance has proved to be a very time-consuming job, and quite stressful.
I am so glad for the information and comments on this forum, which have been a great help. I have tried one or two general car insurers and found, as others have said, they don't like the cost of a California Ocean or don't even allow for it on their systems.
I realise it is indeed good advice to go to a specialist campervan insurer. Yet the quotes I have got from the usual suspects have been amazingly varied, with one company more than double the cheapest. I can't see the rhyme or reason, except the logic of their algorithms.
I ended up choosing Comfort, which was the cheapest, and allows travel to work (which the most expensive quote didn't even include). The 48 hours unattended rule shouldn't be an issue for us, and if an occasion arises you can ring to ask to be covered by the underwriters.
I did first try the Caravan Club brokers, Devitt, online last week and got a competitive quote. However, when I rang up to confirm, the underwriters had put a stop on the quote, and Devitt wanted to refer me to another company that was £100 more. The reason for being turned down by the original insurers - I had a chip repaired on my car windscreen last year through my car insurance, to prevent it becoming a crack. Insurance companies encourage you to do this as it saves them money by preventing having to do a windscreen replacement, of course. We had no other claims or traffic offences, and the camper would be on a private drive, not a road, so I was not too happy. I complained and they eventually came back today, and said the underwriters had changed their mind. But by then I had gone elsewhere.
I must admit the effort involved and the frustration has taken off some of the shine and anticipation of getting a Cali.
I am so glad for the information and comments on this forum, which have been a great help. I have tried one or two general car insurers and found, as others have said, they don't like the cost of a California Ocean or don't even allow for it on their systems.
I realise it is indeed good advice to go to a specialist campervan insurer. Yet the quotes I have got from the usual suspects have been amazingly varied, with one company more than double the cheapest. I can't see the rhyme or reason, except the logic of their algorithms.
I ended up choosing Comfort, which was the cheapest, and allows travel to work (which the most expensive quote didn't even include). The 48 hours unattended rule shouldn't be an issue for us, and if an occasion arises you can ring to ask to be covered by the underwriters.
I did first try the Caravan Club brokers, Devitt, online last week and got a competitive quote. However, when I rang up to confirm, the underwriters had put a stop on the quote, and Devitt wanted to refer me to another company that was £100 more. The reason for being turned down by the original insurers - I had a chip repaired on my car windscreen last year through my car insurance, to prevent it becoming a crack. Insurance companies encourage you to do this as it saves them money by preventing having to do a windscreen replacement, of course. We had no other claims or traffic offences, and the camper would be on a private drive, not a road, so I was not too happy. I complained and they eventually came back today, and said the underwriters had changed their mind. But by then I had gone elsewhere.
I must admit the effort involved and the frustration has taken off some of the shine and anticipation of getting a Cali.
DG1
Collection day for our Ocean (Walter) is this Saturday. The wait has been hard - like waiting for Christmas as a child!
But it has given me time to shop around for insurance - as I said above, I went for Comfort as cheapest quote for us and they have proved very easy to deal with.
I have also had plenty of time to get the basic equipment I think we need - Thetford Portapotti 335 and chemicals, Thule levelling ramps, spirit level, Fuel Lagoon blackout windscreen wrap, 25m power lead, Kennedy 20 litre jerry can for water, fire extinguisher, extra large grey microfibre towel as cover for back seat, Campingaz 907 cylinder from local builders merchant (much cheaper than Go Outdoors), and a £5 folding boot organiser from eBay to try out for clothes storage in boot. We already have all the necessary cooking stuff and a spare 907 gas cylinder from camping.
We are now just pondering the Cali Club shop roof access ladder and I will definitely need to get the bellows bungee when I can get to the shop.
We are also considering the Rainbowscreens pop top camper screen, having seen it reviewed favourably on California Camping.
After collecting the van we are going to go to the Peak District to a CMHC site, The Firs, to try it out overnight - hope it's not too ambitious to camp the day we first get it. The alternative would be sleeping in our drive, which wouldn't be nearly so much fun! We do need to get used to the size of the vehicle and the DSG gearbox, as we both drive manuals. I may look for a quiet industrial estate to do some practice manouevres first before we go to the campsite.
But it has given me time to shop around for insurance - as I said above, I went for Comfort as cheapest quote for us and they have proved very easy to deal with.
I have also had plenty of time to get the basic equipment I think we need - Thetford Portapotti 335 and chemicals, Thule levelling ramps, spirit level, Fuel Lagoon blackout windscreen wrap, 25m power lead, Kennedy 20 litre jerry can for water, fire extinguisher, extra large grey microfibre towel as cover for back seat, Campingaz 907 cylinder from local builders merchant (much cheaper than Go Outdoors), and a £5 folding boot organiser from eBay to try out for clothes storage in boot. We already have all the necessary cooking stuff and a spare 907 gas cylinder from camping.
We are now just pondering the Cali Club shop roof access ladder and I will definitely need to get the bellows bungee when I can get to the shop.
We are also considering the Rainbowscreens pop top camper screen, having seen it reviewed favourably on California Camping.
After collecting the van we are going to go to the Peak District to a CMHC site, The Firs, to try it out overnight - hope it's not too ambitious to camp the day we first get it. The alternative would be sleeping in our drive, which wouldn't be nearly so much fun! We do need to get used to the size of the vehicle and the DSG gearbox, as we both drive manuals. I may look for a quiet industrial estate to do some practice manouevres first before we go to the campsite.
GrannyJen
Super Poster
Lifetime VIP Member
What an exciting time!
IME the only way to find out all their is to driving a Cali is to jump in it and go camping somewhere.
Be careful of keeping too many clothes in the boot, having to jump out of the vehicle half-naked to run to the back in driving rain, snow and in full view of 200 other campers is not a life-enhancing experience
Apart from spare boots and my "throw-away" fleece everything I need to keep me warm and dry is inside the van.Have a great time, life is about to change
Velma's Dad
Super Poster
VIP Member
Well it might be for them.
DG1
Our first trip and overnight stay in the Peak District on Saturday, after we picked up the van on Saturday morning, went well.
There is just so much to take in and learn when you are new to a Cali Ocean — not just how the sleeping and cooking arrangements work and how to store all your stuff, but how to drive the vehicle if you are new to vans and to VW vehicles. So we were very tired by the end of the day. But we have learned a lot, which should make things more relaxed for our three night trip to Wales later this week. It would all have been much harder without this forum to read up on things beforehand.
I did feel a bit of a numpty when I stopped at the caravan park barrier to check in and spent 5 minutes trying to get out the ignition key. It took me ages to to realise that the key can only be released when you put the DSG gearbox into park!!!
There is just so much to take in and learn when you are new to a Cali Ocean — not just how the sleeping and cooking arrangements work and how to store all your stuff, but how to drive the vehicle if you are new to vans and to VW vehicles. So we were very tired by the end of the day. But we have learned a lot, which should make things more relaxed for our three night trip to Wales later this week. It would all have been much harder without this forum to read up on things beforehand.
I did feel a bit of a numpty when I stopped at the caravan park barrier to check in and spent 5 minutes trying to get out the ignition key. It took me ages to to realise that the key can only be released when you put the DSG gearbox into park!!!
Blubus
DG1
Just back from three nights camping near Aberdaron in North Wales. We are getting to know how things work in the van and establishing a routine and place for everything, so camping in our Cali is getting much more relaxing and fun.
This time we slept upstairs, which proved much more comfortable than the VW comfort mattress downstairs. On the way to Wales we stopped last Thursday at the Everything California shop to buy a roof bungee and a two-part access ladder which has made getting up to the top far easier than clambering on the front seats, and so we consider this an essential and well worth the money.
The only issue was the wind got very strong and gusty on Saturday night, much stronger than had been forecast a day or two before, so it was a bit of an experience trying to sleep in the top bed. We were worried the roof might be damaged, but it coped well and the only problem was we got little sleep because of the noise.
I was reassured to search this forum this evening for "wind" (the weather sort that is...) and read other peoples' experience of how the roofs can cope with strong winds. Nevertheless, in future we will pay more attention to the windspeed in the weather forecast and lower the roof if strong wind is forecast. Clearly it is important to get the roof down before the wind picks up to prevent the bellows getting caught in the scissor jack.
This time we slept upstairs, which proved much more comfortable than the VW comfort mattress downstairs. On the way to Wales we stopped last Thursday at the Everything California shop to buy a roof bungee and a two-part access ladder which has made getting up to the top far easier than clambering on the front seats, and so we consider this an essential and well worth the money.
The only issue was the wind got very strong and gusty on Saturday night, much stronger than had been forecast a day or two before, so it was a bit of an experience trying to sleep in the top bed. We were worried the roof might be damaged, but it coped well and the only problem was we got little sleep because of the noise.
I was reassured to search this forum this evening for "wind" (the weather sort that is...) and read other peoples' experience of how the roofs can cope with strong winds. Nevertheless, in future we will pay more attention to the windspeed in the weather forecast and lower the roof if strong wind is forecast. Clearly it is important to get the roof down before the wind picks up to prevent the bellows getting caught in the scissor jack.
aBusAndBeyond
Ha ha sorry about thatP
Bus and Beyond should be banned from YouTube, those two (three?) cost us £60,000 plus another £550 for a bike rack (resisted the awning though). Someone please make them stop!!!!
DG1
Thanks, guys, for your videos. They really helped us make up our minds about getting a Cali and we learned lot sof useful stuff about how the accessories work and what to get. I particularly liked the comparison you did of roof toppers.Ha ha sorry about that
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