Caravan Escapades is an established You Tube Channel from James Brown & his family, based on his years of caverning experience. From going away as a 5 year old with his parents to now Caravaning with his own family. The content has been developing as the channel grows but the aim is to feature reviews on caravanning travel, camp sites, tips & tricks, lessons learnt and even honest reviews on products that the Brown's have invested in along the way to enhance their Caravaning Escapades.
Seasonal pitchers. Make sure you can remove lock regularly at least every 3 months. I left mine on for whole season only to find lock mechanism stuck. Lots of WD40 (not silicon spray) and several hours later the lock turned.
I've also had this system for just over two years and on two different caravans, so far it has been great. The head unit sits in the glove box when not in use but the battery has always remained charged (never needed the cable). Surprisingly i'm still on the original sensor batteries. Not sure if yours has a fault James but it is back-lit and clearly seen.
@colinrimmer789 Hi Colin. No, none at all. It's been perfect. It can take between 30 seconds and 3 minutes to initialise at rh3 beging, but that's it. As you know, i have a big caravan and a big car, and I have had no problems. I understand that they do a transmitter if this is a problem, but not for me.
Used for the last 2 years, great peace of mind. Batteries only last around 3000 miles, but that's OK as are quite cheap. I average around 4000 miles towing miles.
@robertlaw3614 They are great. I have had the batteries in the old system last a lot longer than that. Nearly 3 years, and that's with 3 trips to the south of France and back with 2500 each trip. I wonder if the solar system is any different. The sensors seem the same.
@paulmorgan464 Hi, it's only a very minimal loss and no different from connecting and disconnecting the airline when filling. The pressure changes anyway as the tyres get hot or cold. It's not an issue. I hope that helps.
Pricey, but oh so worth it. I've had the XL version for some years now. (Rated to 200 kg. by the way...) It is very comfortable, and it holds up very well, even if it is being lugged around in the car all summer being used on the beach and just about anywhere. They don't come much sturdier than this. Highly recommended!
Thank you. We always try a different site in the South every year. they have always been great but some better than other. we also never book the site on our travels down. We love the diversity of the site we come across.
I thought that was Souillac. I recognised the tall viaduct. We use to go to La Paille Basse, further up the hill. That's a lovely campsite, with big pitches
Yes I recognised that viaduct too lovely area of the Dordogne. Been 3 times to that area and stayed on Le soleil plage at Vitrac just down the road from where you stopped for night we had a great riverside pitch and so peaceful. We use la bien assise as well. Was there in June great site near to Calais for tunnel etc always seem to get big pitches and food great at the restaurant too.
@donalgalvin5838 Hi, it is the Avtex tourer 2, based on the Garmin. It has all the CMHC and ACSI sites already programmed in. It's a great Sat Nav for both the UK and Europe
@mulberryaddict938 Sometimes it does, but we always ask when we call. Only once have they said no to our Twin Axle, but even then, they recommend another site close by that would take us.
Hi James, the EMUK mirrors certainly look the part and seem to be excellent. Sadly they don't do them for my Range Rover but as soon as they do i'll be getting a set. I bought a rear view camera from Falcon, very pricey but brilliant apart from really bright sunlight when the screen definition is not great. Hope your bodge works until you get home.
EMUK do a universal fit set Colin, I purchased them for my latest car as I got fed up selling specifically made ones for peanuts. Whilst they obviously aren't as good as the specific model version, they are really good
@colinbennett3433 I have been thinking about the EMUK mirrors. I will check if they do one for the MB GLS. For now, I just purchased a replacement mirror off Ebay.
Thanks for sharing your opinion. I have found it to he a great cool box. Especially when we are holidaying in France as an additional cool space to supplement the Caravan Fridge.
@mikewheldon2440 All locks, no matter what could be overcome with skill and know-how. For us, it's about adding additional deterrent along with the other security measures. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Millau viaduct. Designed by an English man. Stunning bridge with the clear barriers giving a good view of the Tarn valley. We also made a point of stopping off there on our way south a few years ago.
@lindacosh4675 It really is amazing. It's a lovely area as well. We are planning on stopping there again for a few days. Thanks for commenting & Happy Camping
@overthehill1986 Hi, thank you. I am currently planning the Vlog in Essentials before you travel to France. Hopefully, I should be able to publish that in the next few weeks.
Hi James another rearly great vlog very entertaining to watch I was just wondering how long the drive was to Spain ? And I take it you did it in 1 day there and back . Look fwd to the next one 👍
Glad you enjoyed the places we recommended. Yeah you need to get to collioure early, or out of season of course. BTW although the car park says “full”, if you sit at the barrier it’s a one out one in system 👍🏻
@@CaravanEscapades101 ahh yes the Menthe Syrop ! 😂 however it is spelt. even better if the girls aren’t keen more for you 😂. 👍 great vlog as always James.
@@mulberryaddict938 I can't agree with you more.The motor mover has got us some great positions on the french pitches. I love the way in France on the pitches. You can literally put your caravan any which way you want and also put anything you want on the pitch?
The issue I have with my one is my toe ball is shinny and when towing it’s creaky and noisy more so when warm . I’ve just changed the side ones should I try it or replace the front & rear ones ?
Before you change the front and rear ones, try spraying some break cleaner or similar in the tow hitch to clean them, they may have become contaminated. Also your Tow ball does need to be clean and shiny but not super smooth, As this could cause the pads to slip and creak. The Ball does need a slight Key (Roughness) to is. If you are using a Wet & Dry to clean it, maybe use a slightly courser grit sandpaper to add a bit of a keyway. You could also remove the pads from your town hitch and give them a light sand this will help as well.
There is, Just on the left hand side as you drive through the entrance, you can use this as well if you want to use the Café and are not booked on the site.
Could you send me the link to the axi app please great video by the way love Milou i camped there at the site near the town after seeing the viaduct on Top Gear😂
I understand that it's not great. it was one of the very early videos when I had just begun vlogging. I will probably revist and do another one when time allows. thanks for sharing your opinion
Sorry to come so late to the party. When retracting the jockey wheel on hitching up I always make sure that it points to the near side. This ensures that in the event of an uncoupling the caravan veers away from on coming vehicles.
Hi James, In your video you make a coffee with Nespresso machine, was this while hooked up to electric on via inverter ? I have tried to get mine to work on inverter without any any success, Thanks for the fan instal video !
Hi, That's while on hook up, If you want it to work on an inverter You will need one powerful enough to do it, What is the Wattage Rating on your Inverter. The Nespresso machines can require between 1Kw and 1.5Kw, so that is quite a big inverter,.
Having experienced several motorway journeys across a large number of European countries, I can affirm that the facilities that can be found on French motorways are by far the best. Above all, do not confuse the ordinary parking areas, with simple toilets that are a bit basic, with the big gas stations where you can find supermarkets, restaurants, modern and clean toilets, hotels, etc... And which are the most numerous. Approximately every 40 kilometers.
Grate video this is on our bucket list to do going to France once we have upgraded our caravan, think we have all recorded something on Timelapse then forgot to change it back but come on 3 times in a row 😂 😂
@CaravanTrails Thank you, How exciting, 1) New Caravan 2) Trip to France. You will love it. Lol, yes, me and the Rome lapse or tjr Mic isn't connected, lol.
@rossharrison6178 Good Question, We do try and park in the dedicated Caravan spaces. However, these are sometimes taken up by other cars and trucks, so we do go in the truck spaces at times. If it's late at night, we do go with the trucks or near the actual service station. Hope that helps.
Hi I use the Avtex Tourer II, I think there is a III out now. Its a great Sat Nav, Its based on a Garmin System. Has all the ACSI & CMHC sites across Europe programmed in. You can set your Set up size in it, So no worries about going down a little road or narrow lane. You can swap between Towing or Not towing so it can be used all round. It covers all of Europe and we have been using it for about 4 years now with no issues at all. Hope that helps
Love your channel and delighted, having just come back from our summer holiday, to see you've uploaded a new holiday series which we're already using to plan our first road trip to France next summer! Les Loges looks a good stop-off campsite. Best wishes.
@richardocallaghan5309 Hi, Richard, thank you for your kind words. I have about 2 or 3 more vlogs to share on this year's French trip. I just need to find the time to edit and upload. It's what we love about not planning any of our stops and using the ACSI app. We have found some great little Gems, Happy Camping James
Great advice thanks. I wasn’t expecting the driving experience to be better in France however that makes me very happy as the UK has been quite a challenge at times.
@CarlH-r6v No problem, Avoid Paris, and all is fine, so much more relaxed than the UK. I am not saying you won't get Roadworks and Hold ups, but they are very few and far between.
Hi James. Just wondered if you've got any real world experience with the Titan yet? Was it fitted before you went to France and if so did your fridge perform OK? Cheers, David
Hi David, I have, I have had Titan Fans fitted to my last 3 Caravans, so yes, loads of experience. I honestly wouldn't have a caravan without one now. yes, we had it fitted before we went to France. yes, the fridge performed far better than when we went to France without one fitted. I had the fan on Manual and turned up to max, it was very quiet. I also ran the fridge on gas as that helps as well. I hope that info helps.
