Roadtripper's Caravelle tinkering

[TallPaul_S]

Thanks @TallPaul_S . It initially will be a vehicle to cart all our camping gear around in - like many others, we bought a massive tent and loads of gear during lockdown! We have 2 lanky kids and if we are going camping for a whole week, I like the idea of taking the middle row captains seats out and pushing the bench forward to increase the boot space.

Longer term (as the kids get older) I do like the option of adding curtains and having the option to go away for weekends with just the missus. I've seen Van-X recommended on here - any feedback / other suggestions?

It's likely I'd also buy a small drive away awning, as this will be quicker to put up and take down on shorter weekend trips. This will also hold all our gear whilst we take the van out on day trips from campsites.

I've got the van x curtains in my Caravelle - they're excellent. I've got a full build thread on my Caravelle too - it's much more of a custom layout with an interior kitchen, plus bike storage and a single bed - so that's lots that won't apply to you, but other things like the curtains and window bags etc might.

The std caravelle layout is extremely versatile, you can fit 7 people inside one day, then remove some seats and have a comfortable camper with a double bed the next day!

Be aware, the single mid row seats are heavy! I can just about manage to remove and fit one on my own but they're extremely awkward to carry and if you've got a bad back then I wouldn't recommend it on your own! Much easier with 2 people.

And don't even think about removing the bench seat unless it's permanently. It weighs about 100kg and is a 2 or 3 person job to remove. People have made custom trolleys to help in removing them!

 

[FerrisBFW]

I've got the van x curtains in my Caravelle - they're excellent. I've got a full build thread on my Caravelle too - it's much more of a custom layout with an interior kitchen, plus bike storage and a single bed - so that's lots that won't apply to you, but other things like the curtains and window bags etc might.

The std caravelle layout is extremely versatile, you can fit 7 people inside one day, then remove some seats and have a comfortable camper with a double bed the next day!

Be aware, the single mid row seats are heavy! I can just about manage to remove and fit one on my own but they're extremely awkward to carry and if you've got a bad back then I wouldn't recommend it on your own! Much easier with 2 people.

And don't even think about removing the bench seat unless it's permanently. It weighs about 100kg and is a 2 or 3 person job to remove. People have made custom trolleys to help in removing them!

Has anyone made a custom sling to help carry the bench set. Total nightmare to remove, like you said it pretty much takes the whole family to move

 

[roadtripper]

Been distracted by a few things over the summer, especially with the Younguns off school.

But have had to top up the AdBlue. Redex at a good price from Costco, did it in their carpark to save the odd smells on the drive while having one of their ice creams.



This was a 10l refill, going to try and refill at 5l next time as I'd rather have the tank full.

 

[roadtripper]

In other news the inclusive WeConnect Plus service expired at the start of September and I'm struggling to justify spending the £125 a year on the replacement as it seems poor value.

The only thing I definitely miss right now is the online alarm notification for peace of mind. The map updates would be nice but I think I can do those over USB anyway, and the live traffic has been useful at times, but primarily my navigation is via Sygic/Google Maps on the phone with the van nav on the digital dash being a good "second viewpoint" when trying to work around jams.

The streaming radio was briefly useful but you still have to pay for the data. Now that the service behind it has had to drop the BBC channels it's not very useful to us at all.

I still get to see where the van is on the app, see the fuel, see if it's locked on the basic service.

It seems to be a one size fits all price for many services that would be useful with a VW EV but of no use to a T6.1