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Prepare for holiday / tour

Eber123

Eber123

Lifetime VIP Member
Messages
1,188
Location
Kilcock, Kildare, Ireland
Vehicle
Grand California 600
Hello,

For us there are only a few weeks left before we start our tour through the continent.

1713439942988.png

I thought that maybe more people are preparing for this, so it might make sense to talk about the preparation and changes to make traveling and camping even a bit more comfortable. Maybe we can exchange ideas that we have not thought about.

This is what I have done so far:

Bike holder
The biggest change was the bike holder. My wife loves to cycle so we had to bring bikes with us. To make this a bit more manageable (weight and carrying) we got some standard folding bikes (no e-bikes - to heavy) for our new Fiamma bike holder.

1713438796505.png

Cabinet
To ensure that items won't fall out of the cabinet when opened I installed this "net". Another advantage I will get more in.

1713438935224.png

Little shelve
For small items I got this from Ikea.
1713438992468.png

Wetroom cabinet
I put some dividers into the shelve and used standard bottles for soap and so. This helps to keep everything tidy.
1713439063855.png

Empty space over the driver cab
We removed the small bed above the driver cab and use it to store items. I did build a small shelf to keep things more organized (instead of throwing things up). Obviously I am not a carpenter and maybe have not thought everything through, but it will work for this holiday. With this shelf I created more storage space than I expected.

1713439202399.png

When we are back I might re-think this and build a new one putting more ideas and thoughts into it.

Storage space in kitchen area
For me this is one of the biggest problem of the GC 600, there is not enough storage space in the kitchen area. Last year I had a cabinet on this place, but I took it out because it was too bulky and heavy. I wanted to build a more "sophisticated" storage system, but this did not turn out well. So I decided to keep it simple and just got 3x Euro boxes. It generates a lot of space and is not heavy.

1713439337415.png

Access is ok and it is very well fixed to the airline holder and the bed above. So it should be save.

Garage
There are a few things we will store here 1.) small buggy for the dog (don't ask), 2.) levels, 3.) washing line. All of this is not heavy, but bulky and in the way. To ensure that I have easy access to the cabinet on the left side I took of the door and secured the contents with a rubber cord.

1713439457010.png

With this I hope I have easy access to the items in the cabinet and don't have to take out all items of the garage in order to open the door. Also we have to bring a higher step so that we can reach everything from the bike rack.

1713439573270.png

What is left to do?

1.) Appointment is made to service the camper (including additional checking of break disks, break pads, steering, etc.)
2.) Still search for the right Sat Nav that incorporates the size of the camper
3.) Check the weight. After the service is done I will prepare the camper with the "wished" setup. Than visit a weighbridge. After that I can think how we save weight :rolleyes:
4.) Prepare tour plan (maut, vaccination for the dog, environmental areas etc.)
5.) Check ferry crossings from Greece to Italy
6.) Wash and wax the camper before the holiday

I am sure there will be more that comes to mind before we leave in the middle of May.

Happy holiday
Eberhard
 
Hello,

For us there are only a few weeks left before we start our tour through the continent.

View attachment 122111

I thought that maybe more people are preparing for this, so it might make sense to talk about the preparation and changes to make traveling and camping even a bit more comfortable. Maybe we can exchange ideas that we have not thought about.

This is what I have done so far:

Bike holder
The biggest change was the bike holder. My wife loves to cycle so we had to bring bikes with us. To make this a bit more manageable (weight and carrying) we got some standard folding bikes (no e-bikes - to heavy) for our new Fiamma bike holder.

View attachment 122103

Cabinet
To ensure that items won't fall out of the cabinet when opened I installed this "net". Another advantage I will get more in.

View attachment 122104

Little shelve
For small items I got this from Ikea.
View attachment 122105

Wetroom cabinet
I put some dividers into the shelve and used standard bottles for soap and so. This helps to keep everything tidy.
View attachment 122106

Empty space over the driver cab
We removed the small bed above the driver cab and use it to store items. I did build a small shelf to keep things more organized (instead of throwing things up). Obviously I am not a carpenter and maybe have not thought everything through, but it will work for this holiday. With this shelf I created more storage space than I expected.

View attachment 122107

When we are back I might re-think this and build a new one putting more ideas and thoughts into it.

Storage space in kitchen area
For me this is one of the biggest problem of the GC 600, there is not enough storage space in the kitchen area. Last year I had a cabinet on this place, but I took it out because it was too bulky and heavy. I wanted to build a more "sophisticated" storage system, but this did not turn out well. So I decided to keep it simple and just got 3x Euro boxes. It generates a lot of space and is not heavy.

View attachment 122108

Access is ok and it is very well fixed to the airline holder and the bed above. So it should be save.

Garage
There are a few things we will store here 1.) small buggy for the dog (don't ask), 2.) levels, 3.) washing line. All of this is not heavy, but bulky and in the way. To ensure that I have easy access to the cabinet on the left side I took of the door and secured the contents with a rubber cord.

View attachment 122109

With this I hope I have easy access to the items in the cabinet and don't have to take out all items of the garage in order to open the door. Also we have to bring a higher step so that we can reach everything from the bike rack.

View attachment 122110

What is left to do?

1.) Appointment is made to service the camper (including additional checking of break disks, break pads, steering, etc.)
2.) Still search for the right Sat Nav that incorporates the size of the camper
3.) Check the weight. After the service is done I will prepare the camper with the "wished" setup. Than visit a weighbridge. After that I can think how we save weight :rolleyes:
4.) Prepare tour plan (maut, vaccination for the dog, environmental areas etc.)
5.) Check ferry crossings from Greece to Italy
6.) Wash and wax the camper before the holiday

I am sure there will be more that comes to mind before we leave in the middle of May.

Happy holiday
Eberhard
Travel Insurance, dog, humans, vehicle?
 
Everything looks great! I find that we are always too looking to optimize space and weight.
How long are you planning for the route?
 
Hello,

@WelshGas
My wife arrange travel insurance for us for a year.
For the camper I trust VW Roadside Assistance. I never could find anything meaningful information about this, but I hope they can help us if we need it. I contacted AA in Dublin but they never got back to me.
We just check the needed vaccinations for the dog. Also we will get a letter from the vet to confirm that she is in general good health.

@EuropeanVanderlust
It is fun and frustrating at the same time to try to optimize the available space to suite our camping and traveling behaviour.
At the moment I believe we have actually more storage than we need. So this years challenge is the weight.
In the past we just managed to get away with the 3.5t without the bikes. But I really don't know this year how far we are over the limit. I replaced the AGM battery with Lithium, took out the extra cabinet, took out the upper bed, I will take out the carpet...

Because struggling with the weight I think a wee bit more about it, I believe that at least every 2nd campervan / motorhome with max weight 3.5 t is overloaded (at least if there are 4x people in it).

I would love to change it at to 3.88t, but it seems that is not possible in Ireland.

Slightly overweight Grand California
Eberhard
 
Hi not sure if you will be using gas but we bought a camping gaz adaptor to fit a 907 cylinder for our trip into Europe last year, saves on weight and replacement should be available.
Have a great trip.
 
Wow, this all looks well done; I wish you a lot of fun and a safe journey full of fascinating discoveries and enjoyment!
 
Hello,

Some time ago I changed the gas setup from the camper to LPG. The 2x 11 kg bottles should last untl we reach Rumania. I am sure we will find a place to refill.

I also will replace the gas filters with new ones and new batteries for the gas level sensors.

Still some work needs to be done to prepare the camper for the tour.

Regards,
Eberhard
 
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