E
Esandar#1
Amazing 6 seat California Beach configuration!
We’ve just driven to / from the Austrian Tyrol for a half term ski trip and wanted to share with other Beach owners the great 6 seat configuration we discovered. (Apologies if this has already been covered here)
This year, as there were 3 adults and 3 children travelling, we experimented by setting the van up with one extra seat mounted in the middle of the back - secured on sliding rails 2&3 (rather than on either 1&2 or 3&4). We had the extendable part of the flexiboard folded down and the bench seat pushed back against it. This still gave us loads of room ‘in the boot’ for all our bags, ski boots etc.
We packed in such a way that we could partially recline the 3-seater bench seat - giving the children a more comfortably angled position for sleeping - as and when needed as we were driving through the night both ways. Having the extra seat in the centre allowed the person sitting in that seat to face forward and extend their legs into the gap between the driver and passenger seats which could both also be fully pushed back to give max leg room up front. The middle seat could still be reclined allowing that person to sleep in comfort too, but in the normal position enabled easy chat with the two up front (which, with three adults, was nicely inclusive).
Our youngest – aged 10 – had plenty of leg room in the middle position on the bench seat whilst whoever sat on either side of the back seat had more leg room than anyone could need! The 6th seat could also be rotated 90 degrees and reclined to allow an extended position across the back of the two front seats (feet facing sliding door) - whilst still allowing us to pack a very large bag behind the front passenger seat, but in the end we didn’t need / use this option.
As I’d also bought a set of skis ahead of the trip, I was delighted to find these fitted neatly through the drawer holes under the bench seat on the offside without impacting the leg room of the passenger sitting in that seat. We took out the deckchairs and table for the trip, and flat packed some clothes in plastic bags which easily slipped into the voids in the zipped section of the tailgate, maximising all luggage space!
We only booked our ferry the day before each crossing and got very good prices using DFDS who I think are a great service provider. Our route down - via Ghent, Brussels, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich - avoided French motorway tolls and didn’t require a vignette in Austria, keeping travel costs down. Our Beach was actually such a pleasure to drive that I’m not sure I’d ever be able to do this trip in a normal car again!
Our 6"4' tall 3rd adult had plenty of legroom wherever he was sitting, and the kids didn’t complain at all during the 20 hour trip. I think we will be leaving our Beach set up for use in this way to see how it works in everyday life and of course, when we want to head off on our first camping trip of the year, it will take me 5 minutes to take the 6th seat out! We bought our Beach for its amazing versatility. Able to switch between delivering the best of Campervan and MPV / Caravelle qualities, it has once again delivered with aplomb! We love our Beach even more now!
We’ve just driven to / from the Austrian Tyrol for a half term ski trip and wanted to share with other Beach owners the great 6 seat configuration we discovered. (Apologies if this has already been covered here)
This year, as there were 3 adults and 3 children travelling, we experimented by setting the van up with one extra seat mounted in the middle of the back - secured on sliding rails 2&3 (rather than on either 1&2 or 3&4). We had the extendable part of the flexiboard folded down and the bench seat pushed back against it. This still gave us loads of room ‘in the boot’ for all our bags, ski boots etc.
We packed in such a way that we could partially recline the 3-seater bench seat - giving the children a more comfortably angled position for sleeping - as and when needed as we were driving through the night both ways. Having the extra seat in the centre allowed the person sitting in that seat to face forward and extend their legs into the gap between the driver and passenger seats which could both also be fully pushed back to give max leg room up front. The middle seat could still be reclined allowing that person to sleep in comfort too, but in the normal position enabled easy chat with the two up front (which, with three adults, was nicely inclusive).
Our youngest – aged 10 – had plenty of leg room in the middle position on the bench seat whilst whoever sat on either side of the back seat had more leg room than anyone could need! The 6th seat could also be rotated 90 degrees and reclined to allow an extended position across the back of the two front seats (feet facing sliding door) - whilst still allowing us to pack a very large bag behind the front passenger seat, but in the end we didn’t need / use this option.
As I’d also bought a set of skis ahead of the trip, I was delighted to find these fitted neatly through the drawer holes under the bench seat on the offside without impacting the leg room of the passenger sitting in that seat. We took out the deckchairs and table for the trip, and flat packed some clothes in plastic bags which easily slipped into the voids in the zipped section of the tailgate, maximising all luggage space!
We only booked our ferry the day before each crossing and got very good prices using DFDS who I think are a great service provider. Our route down - via Ghent, Brussels, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich - avoided French motorway tolls and didn’t require a vignette in Austria, keeping travel costs down. Our Beach was actually such a pleasure to drive that I’m not sure I’d ever be able to do this trip in a normal car again!
Our 6"4' tall 3rd adult had plenty of legroom wherever he was sitting, and the kids didn’t complain at all during the 20 hour trip. I think we will be leaving our Beach set up for use in this way to see how it works in everyday life and of course, when we want to head off on our first camping trip of the year, it will take me 5 minutes to take the 6th seat out! We bought our Beach for its amazing versatility. Able to switch between delivering the best of Campervan and MPV / Caravelle qualities, it has once again delivered with aplomb! We love our Beach even more now!