The windscreen cover is great on campsites, but I'd never recommend fitting one if wild camping or stealth camping, as it's impossible to drive off if your van is attacked or being broke into without getting out of the van door.
Don't have any of that my essential list is:- No 1. is a reliable van. 2. A comfortable bed. 3. A cook/cooker. 4. An uncramped interior. 5. Swivel front seat. 6. Two duvets, one for summer, another duck and down for winter. 7. 3 pillows. 8. Table for inside and out and two folding chairs. 9. Tool kit with bits and pieces, tape etc. 10. Book of maps. Bonus:- Sense of adventure. Heating:- 1500watts is way too much heat, ours is 500watts.
Thank you. Fab. Love it. Your posts make a big difference because if it’s just me & the kids, it’s good to have some other thoughts/advice/wisdom & safety tips. Appreciated.
You needs a shower/toilet tent and a solar shower. 35 quid all in from go outdoors a couple of years ago. Super fun and a million times better than making the van pong.😅😅
Think i may have evaluate my essentials as i have my electric guitar, acoustic guitar, amp, effects pedal down on my list :-) My wife has, hair dryer, stying tongs, make up kit and wine rack :-)
I've just ordered my very 1st vw t6.1 camper van. It is yet to be built so I love watching your videos as it gives me a greater insight into what items I will need to buy before our camper arrives 👍
Glad to be of service! Remember these are only our favourites though. One of great things about campers is personalising and making them your own. That said, who doesn’t need a kettle eh!! Thanks for watching 👍
I'm starting to become a big fan of your videos. Now, we too have previously traveled with a small campervan and still do (T4 westfalia california from 1991) and so we already know quite a bit about what to carry around and leave what at home. Still, I enjoy videos like this one of yours now. Let's think along: collapsible kettle: sure; a second to run on electricity? We don't take with us two items that participate in the same things (and many items better have dual uses). Wine glass: nice (we use smaller ones); the towels: for sure! These are more compact than regular ones and dry very quickly. Good tip for everybody. Porta potti: good that you are talking about it; we too have the same and use it; many have commented on carrying a toilet and indeed you learn that there is a toilet almost everywhere but at night for emergencies it is a must. Ridge Monkey: again this is praised, I may still buy it but my pots and pans set from when I was 18 and still traveled with the tent is not worn out yet. Mosquito light: ok We use candles that keep the critters away, cozy too. We don't have and don't want an awning, so no straps for us. Spare safe: must get one (our T6.1 coast has been ordered but not yet delivered...). For the rest, we don't take any extra things with use on electricity as you described. The bowl is handy, we also have a similar one. We do not use a windscreen (we have only used it once, so no longer with us). What's in our top 10: certainly cable ties (zip ties/tiewraps), duct tape but also extra cash for emergencies (nicely tucked away). We take out what we haven't used for a year. Keep it up, it's nice to see and hear you. Greetings from Belgium
Fantastic tips in there, thank you! We too had a big clear out of stuff we carried around in our T6 and never used when we packed our T6.1. Congrats on the order too, hope you don’t have too long to wait 😀👍
I don't have a fancy campervan, just my old Pontiac Montana minivan. So my essential for power is my Bluetti EB70s (800W) with the 200W folding solar panel. I just got a 12 V fridge/freezer that I'll use as a freezer two frozen juice jugs that I'll alternate in my 12 V cooler. This will make my groceries last longer, but not take up more power. The Bluetti is great for charging my I-phone, my solar/USB light, my electric gooseneck lighter and running my USB fan.. I've used it during power outages. :) I almost bought a bug zapper, not as fancy as yours, but cancelled as it wouldn't arrive at Walmart when the other purchases did. Of course, then the orders only dribbled in, so I should have kept it in my shopping cart. It's over an hour drive to get there, so I hope the rest all come together. Most of my camping gear came from Canadian Tire, the camp cot, 3" foam mattress, cooler, camping cookware (with a kettle so small it will only make enough for my two cup teapot), and my Luggable Loo, which has come in handy when my house's water inlet froze and I couldn't flush. The hand pump for my 5 gal. jug was put to use, too. The rest of my gear, the butane stove and fuel came from other places. I just got a folding wooden TV tray and plastic organization cubes and have ordered a folding camping chair that I hope will be comfortable. My adventures will have to be small day trips as I have two old cats at home who might not travel well. But they might just surprise me. :) Jon in rural BC, Canada
Great video again! I’ve also been using the PP 335 for three years, and conducted several experiment at home with toilet paper. In the end could not find any advantage on the thetford paper or competitors and reverted to use normal 3 ply high cellulose toilet paper that you buy at the supermarket and never ever had a problem emptying the cassette and clean it properly. The thetford paper doesn‘t dissolve any quicker, it just breaks apart when you need it!
Same here re the toilet paper. We use normal everyday shop bought toilet paper in our 335, and have never had a problem when it comes to emptying the waste.
I quite agree. Any septic safe toilet paper will work. Buying special TP for RVs is just a waste of money. If you really want to check your Thetford against regular septic safe toilet paper, get two jars, put a sheet in each jar, add water, and shake. Shake again in an hour and you can see how much each dissolves. Jon in rural BC, Canada
Watch it doesn't build dry because it will burst into flames. I had one in my tent and the next thing I knew was black toxic smoke and a big hole in my ground sheet.
Nice video, we found it's the little things that make the difference as well. Would add a small 5lt collapsible water carrier for the times you need a little bit more but don't want to move the van, or taking advantage of a public tap.
Love it!!! I went straight online for the ridge monkey skillet and they are back ordered. And then I ordered the mosquito light. I just keep adding everything to my Amazon account for the day that I actually get a van! Lol Safe travels my friends I just subscribed.
We have a Brabantia 13L Bin that fit nicely between the front seats when in camping mode and behind the passenger seat when travelling. It’s quite tall but not very wide. It takes a couple of days worth of rubbish before needing emptying. Also, a set of Joseph Joseph chopping boards that fit nicely on top of the kitchen drawer in the Cali.
Charming folks, a few good things in there. Microfibers towels are the biggest mistake everyone does. P-A-R-E-O… in natural fibers like rayon, they absorb everything (hod it as a ball and pat yourself dry), they dry in minutes, less than 20, if a sunny and windy 10 minutes at the most, they don’t stink, they weight nothing, a large one can fit a ziploc bag, men and women can use it as a garment coming out of the shower, from the beach or hanging around in hot weather. Please no microfiber towels, they need chemicals not to stink, they serve only one purpose and they do take some time to dry. On top of it, they are tiny. Call it a Sarong, pareo or one of the many Polynesian names, it does everything.
Initially I bought the internal windscreen and side window covers, the morning condensation was a major problem, to help alleviate this, I bought a USB powered fan which I turned on in the morning to clear the windscreen.
Big thank you for this video. We have purchased our first camper van and purchased most of your suggested items. Just returned from first night away to test everything and found all of the item brilliant. Only wished we had ordered the fan heater and plug in thermostat, which we are ordering right now 🙂
Other essential’s: 1- NorthCore magnetic hook up. (Strong rubber sealed magnet with loop, hook, karabiner attachments) ideal for hanging wet suits or towels. We use 2 and string solo twist washing line between them. 2- collapsible ottoman.(great foot stool and storage) 3- multi compartment pan for fry ups.(less washing up). 4- barbers handheld paddle mirror. (Fits perfect in net pockets). 5- box of spare fuses. 6- maypole mini rapid compressor. (Does my tyres from 0 - 50psi in under a minute).
We have a French-registered LHD California Coast Edition. On the B and C pillars there is a small hook and a passenger grab strap on the RHS but not on the LHS. If VW would add 2 of those hooks it would be possible to run a line around the passenger compartment along the top of the sliding door and kitchen windows and across if you want, to hang items such as tea-towels and clothes items as needed. We have rigged up something like this and it is very useful. Similarly in the roof there are 4 little rubber hangers which will just take a coat hanger, but if they were a little more substantial you could run a clothes-line across the inside of the roof to keep loose clothes, socks etc from disappearing into a smelly heap at the shallow end of the roof usually.
I would have added hooks of some sort (back of the seats or special shaped ones to go in the ridge at the top of the roof/below bed) and A BIN!! There’s a good IKEA one which fits behind the passenger seat. Oh, and a flask to store all your leftover boiled water so you can wash up! And finally something to get water into your van with. We use the Colapz system.
Fantastic suggestions and we 100% agree on them all. So hard to try to pick only 10!! We got our bin from Camper Centrum in Amsterdam when we visited because it’s a moulded plastic tub to the exact shape next to the kitchen and behind the front seat, it’s great 😀.
Very helpful guys! We are awaiting our first ever Cali fingers crossed in November. You have certainly answered some questions I had there ! Great video as always 😁
You mention doing a video of stuff you bought and ended up selling as you didn’t use it. Sounds like a good one if you ever get chance. Keep up the good work :-)
You guys have give us a great insight to the Cali, been buying things for almost 18 months and finally took delivery three weeks ago Can you tell me where you got you’re coloured ball lights from please
Great video to get a few tips cheers. We get our Ocean next June 2022 ! Long wait yes, but my query is which factory fitted extras if any would you have or recommend as we can still change the spec. I’ve only added the two tone paint and the 4 keys.
We’ve actually done a video on exactly that - why we chose our options and why. It’s long, but we think it’s worth it 😀. See it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-A0FEqAFUQkc.html
Good question - VERY, in our opinion. Sarah and I had an argument about if they should be in the top 10 (well, 11) or not, and I said they would be personal preference so maybe not. When we were on our recent two weeks in the Outer Hebrides we used them EVERY day on many different sites. The level meter in the T6.1 makes you a bit, erm, attentive(!) to the levels more than it really should !!
Hi Guys just joined California Time and love the videos they are a great help. We will be getting our new Cali Ocean in 4 weeks and now looking at getting the essentials, so we have taken many notes from your top tips. I would like to get a thermal screen cover, can you tell use what one you have as it seems well made and having looked there are loads and we like to go on recommendation. Looking forward to the next video, Nicky & David.
Congratulations! Our windscreen cover is this one: vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/product/vw-t5-t6-thermal-windscreen-cover we find they're well made and durable. Nice that it also packs down into the chairs in the tailgate.
Brilliant video! Watched loads of these type videos and most are crap, buts yours has loadsa useful stuff! Not sure if it's just me but the links don't seem to be working prob just my phone.
Folding kettle very heavy and hardly saves any space . Do not worry about the expansive toilet paper . Just the thin saver type dissolves just the same. External screen nightmare if you wake up to lashing down with rain.
This came up in my feed. An interesting video, but where are the ESSENTIALS? Basic tool kit with spare fuses etc, head torch for trekking to the loo at night, first aid kit, carbon monoxide detector, the list goes on! All things that 'beginners' really need to know about.
Thanks for watching! Absolutely agree that everyone will have their own essentials. We've taken it as a given that some simple things they'd already have considered but you're right, those are essentials too of course.
Hi Will and Sarah. Continuing to really enjoy your informative and entertaining videos! Could you please provide the link for the rubbish bin that fits between the cupboard and the passenger seat? Thanks v much, Andrew and Caroline.
Thanks v much. Having some issues with their website, but have contacted them by email to try and resolve. Another quick query….we have no cup holder in the rear, and this is proving difficult….I’d there one you know of that can be fitted (i.e to the rail that the table sits on?) Thanks again and keep up the good work!
@@andrewchamen3551 Hello! If you have an Ocean, they actually come with a plastic cup holder for the rear that clips in to the rail on the side of the kitchen. If you're missing this then I am sure you should be able to buy one as a spare part. It comes in two sections from what I can remember. If you get stuck, email us and I'll see if I can find part numbers on ours.
Thanks so much for the v quick response. We have a Coast and we’re actually given a 2 part cup holder by our VW dealer yesterday. However it doesn’t appear to fit in the kitchen rail. No rush, but if you could send the part number when you have a chance we can check that with them…..(the one from yesterday doesn’t have a part number on it unfortunately…). Thanks again.
Great video guys…. We ordered our van last month and it’s almost the same spec as yours. Is there anything you wish you hadn’t added to the vehicle and anything you wish you had but didn’t? Thanks Pete
We’re really happy with everything we’ve ordered BUT… the longevity of the wheels being diamond cut bothers us (but we wanted a change from the normal ones we had before). We should have ordered the comfort mattress for downstairs from new (we bought ours second hand after). Also, the standard satnav on our van (model year 21) doesn’t do map on both screens so we might have pushed the boat out to have the bigger nav unit also (but, it can do map on dash and CarPlay on satnav, which is cool). We also missed off the second under-bench-seat drawer, which I am looking to retro-fit now, so would add that for sure. Hope that helps :)
Great video cheers guys, I’ve just bought my first camper and am looking to get all my equipment. Can you please tell me the make of the windscreen cover as it looks a lovely fit mines a 6.1 . Take care paul.
Where do fou store your big windshield? My top Cali stuff would be : the carpet I've in the living area, it folds at very specific area. The same air mattress you have, the Italian mokka, some stuff I 3d printed to hold the paper, the ikea box that fits perfectly the cupboard, the box that also perfectly fit the trunk, a small toolbox to screw your chairs back when they get loose, and oh! The brandrup 20L water filling tank is perfect! We use the Thule choke every single time
We store the front window cover in the tailgate in one of the chairs. It squashes down really flat so you can keep it in there. Thanks for sharing your top tips too, will help a lot of people !
Getting Hooked on your videos since ordering our new Cali. Thanks, all very useful stuff to us ‘newbies’. Just followed the link to the collapsible bowl-you say Outwell but the link is Kampa. Are they the same company??
Good question! I don't think they are but the Kampa washing up bowl is basically the same as the outwell one and a bit cheaper too. Sorry for the confusion !
Hi - we use these for our cutlery (fits perfectly in the T6.1 cutlery drawer): vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/product/kampa-dometic-kensington-cutlery-set. We don't use sleeping bags at all. Have had them before, feel too trapped in them. We use a 4.5 tog dorma all cotton duvet (double size) in a 100% cotton cover from Dunelm. Full size part-memory foam pillows for us too. No bottom sheet now on our sea 2 summit mattress, but we do wear PJs !! Brilliantly comfortable for us. All of that lot goes inside one Ikea DIMPA storage bag on the back shelf when not on the bed. www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/dimpa-storage-bag-transparent-10056770/
@@CampervanTime Thanks for taking the time to reply properly. Appreciated. Actually ordered the wine glasses as the first essential ( despite other comments🙄) After all we’ve a year to get it all together no doubt
Wine glasses are quite a personal thing to be honest and the thought of plastic ones didn’t fill us with joy at first but they are just so neat and practical.
Sure - it's just a basic dry bag, but I will measure it / check the litre capacity it is. They roll up so small and are super useful. I'll look tomorrow for you.
Hi - yes and no. Yes but you do have to slip off the cover from the top of the door where it hooks over. Can’t just walk straight up and open door wide open.
Thanks for the details esp the links. Have bought the towel and the chopping board - and the wetsuit magnets from comment. *which windscreen cover do you show pls - silver or black? I have asked on their website but no answer.
We have the black windscreen cover although it is silver on the inside. It’s this one from Campervanbits - vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/product/vw-t5-t6-thermal-windscreen-cover
Three things... 1. Thank you for the great suggestions. 2. Never talk over your wife and you do it all the time. 3. You need to have 6-8 kids with this girl. You both would make great kids because both of you are good looking and very smart
Just cable - we tried a roll up wheel thing for it and it just took up too much space and was a bit of a pain in use. Having the cable on its own does mean one or two tangles now and again but it’s not that bad really.
Hi again. I have a question about the diesel blown air heater. Is it very noisy in operation and if so is that why you prefer using the Kampa electric heater when hooked up? Cheers Jim
Hi Jim - the diesel blown heater isn't that noisy, they are about the same I'd say. It is more about being able to conserve diesel and use the hook up if we are on a pitch that has it - plus the thermostat plug means you can get the temperature in the van a bit easier (Ie 19c, 20c etc) rather than just a number between 1-10 on the diesel heater. Nothing wrong with the diesel heater at all - it is very effective.
Hello. Message from Holland. Well done.Very informative. I couldn’t find, didn’t hear, the brand of the windscreencover. Could you provide me the name or a link? Thank you and I wish you a lot of viewers. Dick
Hi guys, love your videos very informative. We are hiring a cali for a week in May(before we buy a van) going to the Lake District and would like to know how you pack and store your clothes. Many thanks Colin & Mary Glomé
Sound great! We use Amazon basics packing cubes. They are fabric and we find them just right. I think we showed them in our New Hall Farm campsite video if you want to take a look.
Hello, the bin was from Camper Centrum near Amsterdam. They do ship them if you can’t get there! Here it is 😃 www.campervanshop.eu/camper-interieur/opbergen/bakje-achter-de-voorstoel/
@@CampervanTime Thank you for the info. Gee, I was fine with the £20.83 cost plus some reasonable shipping to Canada but they actually want a GOUGING price of £150.00 shipping... That sure is a deal breaker, come on that's $250 just for shipping. I wish they'd sell those someplace else.
It's worth ringing them or using their online chat function as they are nice people who try to help. I suspect the website is just being daft and trying to auto-calculate shipping costs based on a silly algorithm. I know there was someone else somewhere who was international and there was a funny issue with shipping that was resolved.
with all the respect, seems like not a video for me. don't like cheap plastic accessories, especially any plastic around food preparation. I get that you would like to collapse everything and have everything as smallest as possible but there are some lines that I can't cross.
