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

 

[CaravelleDream]

So there has been some tinkering, or at least shuffling, in the van this week. As mentioned above we decided against a full camper but still interested in camping.

The fact the Caravelle has a full fold flat bench is intriguing and we've always wondered about the scenario of "out for a day trip but traffic horrible can we overnight if we have to". Strictly there is really only space for 2 adults but 1 adult and the 2 younguns may well fit and I'm reasonably adept at falling asleep on a reclining chair.

Anyway a group we are part of are having a relaxed camping meetup in a family field so it seemed the ideal thing to take the van and experiment. We may just BBQ with them and day trip with the awning up, if the younguns are up for it we may sleep over. We're taking our "plastic" (rather than our massive 15th Century canvas) tent with us as well. We may all try and sleep in the van and store the younguns seats in the tent or we may all sleep in the tent. It seemed a good opportunity to go and have a play with what works.

So, anyway, if anyone is curious what a Caravelle looks like trying to play a California on TV here's the experimenting so far!

Bench seat flat, can still use the rear kitchen pod (first time I've actually checked) then middle seats flat pushed up to it and the table unit slid between them. The protection mats for the car seats go over the slightly vulnerable leather on the flat backs of the mid seats, and younguns neck cushions fill in the slight difference in height on top of the table. Plan is to chuck the general fleece blankets over it all and use a fitted bedsheet to hold it together.

Yep it's a compromise, but then what isn't in a small van you are trying to live in for a few hours?

View attachment 209827View attachment 209828View attachment 209830

I like the look of your kitchen. What make is this please?

 

[PeteJS]

For Adblue top ups I use my local motorway services. The HGV filling area normally has an Adblue pump. I try and go on a Saturday afternoon so that I don’t get in the way of the truck drivers. It also means that I don’t have to store half containers of it and it is as easy as filling up with diesel

 

[roadtripper]

I like the look of your kitchen. What make is this please?

From Evo Designs, some details earlier in the thread

Post in thread 'Roadtripper's Caravelle tinkering'

1 Jul 2023

So what have we done to the van since we got it?

Well we've set ourselves a rule to keep it mostly stock until the end of the warranty, just to be sure it's right for us.

Following on from some suggestions here:

• Added the rubber wedge strip on the dash to stop parking tickets falling into The Void.
• Added a security clamp to the spare wheel cage bolt (and learned to avoid Legoland)
• Added a stoplock to encourage folks to move on in car parks

The big job was fitting a rear kitchen pod from Evo Designs. It's a key thing we always ment to do to the XC70 so we wanted to do...

• roadtripper

• 
• 

Direct link: REAR POD 2C Fits the Caravelle

You'll have to assemble yourself but I'm happy with the quality of the bits, the instructions I got were not very clear on the order so I have a few back tracks as I found at times I needed to assemble in a specific order to be able to reach the bolts in the connection blocks. However it's designed with proper threaded inserts, not self tapping screws, so not really an issue.

 

[CaravelleDream]

From Evo Designs, some details earlier in the thread

Post in thread 'Roadtripper's Caravelle tinkering'

1 Jul 2023

So what have we done to the van since we got it?

Well we've set ourselves a rule to keep it mostly stock until the end of the warranty, just to be sure it's right for us.

Following on from some suggestions here:

• Added the rubber wedge strip on the dash to stop parking tickets falling into The Void.
• Added a security clamp to the spare wheel cage bolt (and learned to avoid Legoland)
• Added a stoplock to encourage folks to move on in car parks

The big job was fitting a rear kitchen pod from Evo Designs. It's a key thing we always ment to do to the XC70 so we wanted to do...

• roadtripper

• 
• 

Direct link: REAR POD 2C Fits the Caravelle

You'll have to assemble yourself but I'm happy with the quality of the bits, the instructions I got were not very clear on the order so I have a few back tracks as I found at times I needed to assemble in a specific order to be able to reach the bolts in the connection blocks. However it's designed with proper threaded inserts, not self tapping screws, so not really an issue

Hi. New to owning a caravelle. With this kitchen, where do you keep your fridge in your van?

 

[roadtripper]

First keep in mind we don't actually camp that much - we mostly roadtrip so our refrigeration needs are:

• Keep a days picnic/snacks/milk cool with ice packs while staying in apartment/AirBnB
• Take frozen meals and fresh food away for weekend/week in apartment/AirBnB
• Keep a days picnic/snacks/milk cool while having a day out
• Very occasionally I'll personally "camp" overnight while on a long trip without others

So the kitchen pod cupboard has a great drawer at the top but the space underneath is is almost the exact size of a pizza delivery bag - so we have one of those to which I have added a second layer of double foil insulation folded up inside. With 2 layers of insulation (and the insulation of the pod itself) it has no trouble keeping several frozen meals frozen on a 12 hour trip to Scotland, and a couple of larger ice packs keeps it cold for a day in the summer and maybe 2 /3 in winter.

We used to have an electric coolbox but we've switched now to the Alpicool P18 with it's own battery which I've grown to love. Generally it fits in the middle between the bench seat and the table unit - keep in mind we organise the rear "railway table" style with the mid seats facing back. This gives plenty of room even travelling with 6 people on big trips. If I do need to charge the fridge from the van it's easy to tuck the 12v cable from the socket by the slider under the front of the bench out of the way, or if needed you can also tuck into the runners (just remove before moving things!). If I'm single camping then the mid seats will tend to be folded down as will the bench to form a sort of bed - in which case the fridge is in the gap behind the drivers seat. I'm starting to move the mid seat even if it's not being used as a bed when doing longer lone trips as this means I can reach the top of the fridge from driving - nothing makes a jam on the roads nicer than being able to reach behind and grab a cold coke and a mini pork pie.

So for long roadtrips to get away for a few days we tend to have:

• Frozen meals in the pod "coolbox" on the trip there, along with green veg etc
• Temp critical things (milk/cold meat/cheese) in the fridge in the middle of the floor running from the van 12v
• Use the ice packs during the week to use the pod "coolbox" for day to day picnics

For days out I used to use the pod "coolbox" more but we've started using the fridge as it's so capable on it's own battery and, unlike the older electric coolbox, is a proper fridge. This means I have no worries about the state of anything that's been in there, it's just a normal fridge, so if we take a bit too much and bring some home I know we can still use it. On a long day out we will often taken lunch time picnic in the pod "coolbox" and have tea picnic/milk in the Alpicool - then we have tea at the end of the day and the kids have a snooze on the trip home.

I've also once packed the Alpicool with fancy ice cream and run it at -18 to bring it home for family, it was fine in fact it stayed in there for 3 days running off the mains when I got back. We always take the mains power lead with us as the number of times the fridge in the apartment is a bit small...

I'll try and dig out/take some pics later - it's been a while since I did an update here anyway.

 

[CaravelleDream]

First keep in mind we don't actually camp that much - we mostly roadtrip so our refrigeration needs are:

• Keep a days picnic/snacks/milk cool with ice packs while staying in apartment/AirBnB
• Take frozen meals and fresh food away for weekend/week in apartment/AirBnB
• Keep a days picnic/snacks/milk cool while having a day out
• Very occasionally I'll personally "camp" overnight while on a long trip without others

So the kitchen pod cupboard has a great drawer at the top but the space underneath is is almost the exact size of a pizza delivery bag - so we have one of those to which I have added a second layer of double foil insulation folded up inside. With 2 layers of insulation (and the insulation of the pod itself) it has no trouble keeping several frozen meals frozen on a 12 hour trip to Scotland, and a couple of larger ice packs keeps it cold for a day in the summer and maybe 2 /3 in winter.

We used to have an electric coolbox but we've switched now to the Alpicool P18 with it's own battery which I've grown to love. Generally it fits in the middle between the bench seat and the table unit - keep in mind we organise the rear "railway table" style with the mid seats facing back. This gives plenty of room even travelling with 6 people on big trips. If I do need to charge the fridge from the van it's easy to tuck the 12v cable from the socket by the slider under the front of the bench out of the way, or if needed you can also tuck into the runners (just remove before moving things!). If I'm single camping then the mid seats will tend to be folded down as will the bench to form a sort of bed - in which case the fridge is in the gap behind the drivers seat. I'm starting to move the mid seat even if it's not being used as a bed when doing longer lone trips as this means I can reach the top of the fridge from driving - nothing makes a jam on the roads nicer than being able to reach behind and grab a cold coke and a mini pork pie.

So for long roadtrips to get away for a few days we tend to have:

• Frozen meals in the pod "coolbox" on the trip there, along with green veg etc
• Temp critical things (milk/cold meat/cheese) in the fridge in the middle of the floor running from the van 12v
• Use the ice packs during the week to use the pod "coolbox" for day to day picnics

For days out I used to use the pod "coolbox" more but we've started using the fridge as it's so capable on it's own battery and, unlike the older electric coolbox, is a proper fridge. This means I have no worries about the state of anything that's been in there, it's just a normal fridge, so if we take a bit too much and bring some home I know we can still use it. On a long day out we will often taken lunch time picnic in the pod "coolbox" and have tea picnic/milk in the Alpicool - then we have tea at the end of the day and the kids have a snooze on the trip home.

I've also once packed the Alpicool with fancy ice cream and run it at -18 to bring it home for family, it was fine in fact it stayed in there for 3 days running off the mains when I got back. We always take the mains power lead with us as the number of times the fridge in the apartment is a bit small...

I'll try and dig out/take some pics later - it's been a while since I did an update here anyway.

Thank you for messaging me with so much detail. This is possbibly the way forward for me. There are 5 of us (including 3 hungry teens!) so could do with a large fridge so I will be checking out Alpicool. I'm planning on getting a drive away awning and I'm hopeful that the kids will be happy to sleep in it for 2-3 nights occasionally.... otherwise I am doing it alone and won't have half the issues of travelling with 5!

With the box in the boot, do you have to push the bench seat forward by much?

Pictures would be great as and when you get a chance.

Thanks again