Hi there, Thanks for your comment, sounds like you have got yourself a great van ! I have heard from several people that the GC680 is better resolved than the 600, seems strange, but there we go! Unfortunately, the 680 is just too big for us, we have nowhere to keep it at home and we need the ability to sleep up to 4 people inside the van. We have opted for something different this time, but only because the GC600 was too much of a compromise for our needs. Maybe we'll go back to VW in the future. Thanks again for watching and enjoy your new van ! cheers JT

@@CampervanJourney and the 4motion …. Extra cool factor 😎

Thanks Ben ! It wasn't easy, but the time was right for a change. I didn't know the old cali had legend status ! Our new van is due very soon so we will be able to use this summer, and yes, we hope to get across to France...! Watch this space !!! Cheers JT

Hi ! As we were only sleeping 'downstairs' in the van for a couple of nights we found our thick sleeping bag gave enough cushioning / comfort. If we had been sleeping there any longer we would probably have taken a mattress topper of some sort. cheers JT

Hi ! Thanks for your message. That's a really tricky one as all the ones we have visited have been very nice, which is why we keep going back. If you are looking for plenty to do in the near locality and tourist places to visit its hard to beat Sarlat or Saumur. If you want something more remote with beautiful local scenery, La Plage Blanc or Aiguebelette would be a good choice. Both of them are more remote, but are in lovely locations. They have recently added some more sites to their portfolio, so we have plenty more to visit... thanks for watching, remember t subscribe for more campsire reviews as we visit more locations. Cheers JT

Yep, definitely. Still performing well. It serves as a summer time drinks fridge as well…!

@@CampervanJourney thank you for getting back to me so promptly. I’ll subscribe later and have a look at your channel

Thank you ! It’s a great piece of kit. I had heard that just kampers were doing their own version. Thanks for watching ! JT

Awesome! Thank you Carol! Look forward to sharing the details of our new van very soon...JT

Nope, Harry is definitely still coming with us !

Hi Karl ! Thanks for your message, we might have sold the Beach, but the channel, videos and I will still be around. There are over 150 videos on the channel so should keep you busy for a while ! I'd be very happy to answer any questions you may have - you can always drop me an email at [email protected] You will love the Beach. As a family vehicle it was an amazing all rounder and we had so many fantastic adventurers in ours. If you have 3 kids and enjoy getting out and about, you have made a great choice ! Cheers JT

@@CampervanJourney That's incredibly kind of you. Thank you!

Thanks Rob ! Yes, it is definitely a new era, with lots to learn along the way. Roll on the new adventures ! Cheers JT

Like a game of trump cards no van scores highly on everything; there's a downside to every upside - otherwise everyone would have the same van. A bigger van may offer more space, but I bet we'll hear of some things which he misses about the T6!

You could be right, I'm sure there will be things we miss about the T6, time will tell. Cheers JT

Thats great to hear Lee ! We have yet to book as we were not sure if the new van would arrive in time. It looks like it will be a last minute spontaneous trip. We may well see you at a Huttopia site very soon...! Cheers JT

Thank you ! I know, you have been on of my viewers right from the start, I really appreciate that. Sharing our experiences of travelling to Europe was exactly what I wanted to do with the channel, to hear that people have been inspired to do the same from watching our videos is an amazing feeling, thank you ! We hope to have our new van in time for some summer adventures... cheers JT

I have heard that some of the pitfalls of the GC600 are addressed by the 680, shame we don't have enough room for something that big...thanks for keeping the faith with our channel, a full reveal of our new van will come as soon as it has arrived. Cheers JT

Hi Dion ! It's certainly going to be a change from what we've been used to, especially as we had the T5 for 4 years before the California. But, change is good, and I hope that this new van will mean we can have some even greater adventures...! Thanks for watching and taking the time to get in touch. JT

Thank you, we got there in the end ! It has certainly been a Campervan Journey ! I have been following your posts and it's good to see you are settling in well with your new Hymer. We have managed to find a van with Heated Seats which was key for us, and 95% of the other options we wanted. Right place, right time I guess. We are having a solar panel fitted which via its system has an Phone App that will, I believe, detail the state of our batteries. I am going to have to spend the summer learning how it all works ...! Cheers JT

Thank you ! We had a look at both the Bailey and Swift and for us neither layout was what we were looking for. I think Swift will do well with the Trekker it has some good features... It is sad, but I just couldn't bring myself to consider a Fiat based van over a German brand. That maybe unfair, and I hope I not proven wrong...thanks for watching, cheers JT

Cheers Stu ! Sorry about the Beach....

I saw your recent post about your Grand California, there was a lot we liked about it when we tried one. The guys at Breeze Poole have looked after us very well over the past few years, so you are in safe hands ! Wishing you some great adventures in your new van too !

Thank you for the tip.That's certainly something we will have to keep an eye on when we are budgeting for annual maintenance. Cheers JT

Thank you ! I was aware of the Knaus, but we weren't able to view one easily so it wasn't really on our radar. Maybe if the Hymer doesn't work out we'll have to check it out. Cheers JT

Worth noting the GC is insulated. But the lack of tilt on the rear seats is for sure a failing.

Thank you ! We think we have made a good choice for us. If it was just the two of us, the Sven would be right up there, I really think Westfalia are missing a trick with giving no option to sleep 3 or 4 in it . We are ready for a change and are fortunate in having a second vehicle for running around in so hopefully won't miss the daily driver versatility of the California. Cheers JT

If it was just the two of us, we probably would have been able to made a choice some time ago. All of the choices you have listed are great, I would definitely try and test drive as many as you can. Good luck with your decision. Cheers JT

I agree. On paper they look indistinguishable. However, I’ve spent all afternoon at a dealer comparing a Columbus 601 alongside a SH. There is no doubt they are very different viewed in the metal. Rear end of the Man/ VW is much narrower than the Ducato. Side walls also not as box like. Everything in the Columbus 601 is bigger bar the bathroom - kitchen units wider, overhead lockers bigger and rear bed is bigger without having to deploy the uninsulated pop out on a SH. No one should think that the lockers over the bed in SH will hold much at all. They are tiny in comparative terms. All carefully sized to retain feeling of openness in a smaller space. If I could get my head around paying so much for the Fiat base vehicle I’d have a Columbus 601 over a SH if yiu are interested in more camper facility within a 6 metre van

That was one of our main struggles with the Columbus. I couldn't get my head round spending £100K plus on a Fiat based van... Perhaps I should have bought one 3 or 4 years ago when there were closer to £75k ! Cheers JT

Brilliant ! Thank you, we think we've made a good choice, it has been a long time coming. Leisure First have done a great job of looking after us so far. If you see us around locally, give us a wave ! cheers JT

We did, but felt that we were ready for.a bigger Campervan. The Hymer is a bigger step up in size of the overall vehicle, but it feels like it gives us what we are after. Fingers crossed we are right. We do still have a soft spot for the Westfalia's...Cheers JT

Thank you !! Looking forward to being part of the club...JT

Hi Martin, The Hymer drives very well in comparison to the VW. As a 6m Van it was comparable in its manoeuvrability to the Grand California 600. Whilst we liked the Adria Twin, my preference was for VW/MAN/Mercedes as a base van over Fiat/Peugeot/Citroen for the driving refinement and availability of additional options especially things like full LED headlights and adaptive cruise control. Cheers JT

@@CampervanJourney Thanks JT. I am think of making the same move as you. Did you find the VW/MAN/Mercedes available second hand. Any firms you would suggest we look at? Many thanks

Finally!!!!' 😅 enjoy the new van. We've had our MAN with factory poptop for 6 months now and loving it. The extra space, able to stand and having everything want already in the van are game changers. You will love making new memories. Do I miss our old Beach....only when I have to park it in a small car park....but you can always get out the sliding door!

Did you consider IH they convert with a rear lounge on a VW Crafter. Great video, very helpful.😀

Thank you ! We would have loved to have kept the Beach as well, but sadly that's not possible. So one out, one in...We will be very sad to see the Beach go...JT

Well spotted ! Number plate removed and California has been up for sale in preparation for the arrival of the new van in the very near future. The new van has plenty of opening windows and in the summer we will definitely have the top popped, hopefully these will manage any condensation.We will find out soon ! JT

Thankyou Sonia ! If you are wanting to carry passengers I suggesiting try to view and try as many vans as you can, not all travelling seats are the same...I guess it comes down to cost of development. Based on the feed back I've had over the last 3 years of doing Campervan Journey, if someone as well as Westfalia could come up with a top notch travelling seats, especially for children, they should be on to a winner ! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, remember to subscribe if you enjoyed the video ! Cheers JT

Glad I could help! Hope you are as pleased with yours as we have been with ours. JT

@CampervanJourney getting it tomorrow so really looking forward to it.

From memory I think the pop top can take up to 150kgs which woud be the weight of two average adults. Both Claire and I have slept up there comfortably on many occassions. Thanks for watching. JT

Thanks for your comments we have some very noisy wildlife in our garden !

Sorry !

Hi there, thanks for watching and takin the time to comment. I have checked the handbook and it just states power consumption 45 watts. Hope that helps. JT

@CampervanJourney Thanks, looks like it draws about 4 amps. Force 4 chandlery have them on offer at the moment.

Won't be long Carol....! We are just finalising details as we speak...! cheers JT

Hi Ben, sorry to hear the weather in your part of France is pretty rubbish too ! We watched Le Mans and the weather there was awful as well for much of the race... Good to hear the positive feedback about the Hymer. The shower curtain is a compromise, but we wouldn't use the shower if on a campsite. The swivel wall concept is good, but have found that vans with it have other compromises that don't work for us. I have checked out Freeontour and it's good to see that they are enjoying their switch to the Hymer. We are looking forward to the summer, hopefully in a new van....watch this space ! Cheers JT

Thanks! 👍

Hi, i think you can order an extra bracket for a low cost. Or maybe a double sided sticky pad would work...?

@CampervanJourney yeh I was hoping to avoid that as its a hire car.... also, I've left it a bit late to order the extra bracket, silly of me, I know

Glad you got to test drive the GC600, but sorry to hear you came away wit the same misgivings as we did. I really struggled with how poorly the interior seemed to be designed in some areas. It was a real surprise and disappointment, especially as we wanted to like it. I was hoping that the update coming soon was going to address some of these issues, but it does not look like that will be the case. I'd love to be proved wrong ! Thanks again for taking the time to share your detailed thoughts. JT

Hi There, thank you for taking the time to leave such a detailed response, which absolutely his the nail on the head with regards the travelling setas. Over the past two years we have been looking for a replacement van ONLY the Westfalia has had seats that we thought were top notch. Why all the other makers don't get this I don't know and I have raised it on many of my previous videos. It seems all the good vans have a compromise...it's just a case of finding a compromise you are prepared to live with. We were sold on the Westfalia Columbus for some time, but call it brand snobbery, I could not spend £95K on a Fiat Based van. Their passenger seats are by far the best we have found and the clever converting seat bed option was a big drawer as well. On more than one occasion I spoke to representatives from Westfalia Germany to ask when the same set up was coming in the Sven Hedin, only to be told it won't due to the Crafter/Man chassis being too narrow to accommodate it. I think Westfalia have missed a trick here as it could provide the logical step up from many VW California owners who don't want or like the Grand California. I also don't get why Westfalia don't offer the Sven as a 4 berth with a poptop, again, trick missed I feel. The Hymer travelling seat is not ideal, but despite appearances it is better than the Grand California surprisingly. It is wider, deeper and although it does not recline the cushion design does give an element of slope. The GC travelling seat is fixed, almost vertical and narrow, suitable for 1 adult and a child really. Poss two children, but would be no good if they were in child seats. Having been used to the equipment we have had on our California; LED lights, adaptive cruise control, comfy seating and sleeping for 3 / 4 people, good driving experience (the Hymer drove well on test drive) , auto gearbox, good infotainment as standard and good build quality, the options available rapidly diminish. Having had a converted T5 prior to the Cali, I didn't really want to go down the self build route again, so we were left with a relatively short shortlist. The Hymer, A GC600 (but I would want to see the new upgraded one before committing) or a Westfalia Columbus. There have been lots of other nearly made it to the shortlist options that we have dismissed because they are not as good as they first appeared and we could keep looking for the perfect van forever....! So in answer to your question, the Hymer seems to have ticked more boxes than many AND we won't have to wait months for it... Thanks for taking the time to get in touch, cheers JT

That’s great to hear ! Thanks for sharing that. Cheers JT

Thanks for the tips Rob I will keep an eye on these. Hopefully it won’t be an issue.

We would definitely look for upgraded batteries and ideally solar as well.

That’s an option we didn’t consider but sounds great. Good to hear that the move to a bigger van seems to have made getting away easier and more comfortable for you, which is exactly what we are hoping for … 🤞

We did have the trekker on the shortlist and managed to see one a few weeks back. We found the bed on the Trekker really narrow, and the trekker x felt like it had a really narrow galley. Great case of looked great on paper but in reality was not quite right for us…

Looks like the van you looked at has sold, is it possibly you? They still have some in blue.. I have a T6.1 and looking to change to a 6 m van next year, don’t want a Fiat… so this looks like a good option