Family of 5 Packing the VW California Camper for a 2 Week Tour of France

[@robertrumble3445]

We have been watching your vlogs and were worried our swb T6 wouldn’t be big enough for the two of us. You have shot our worries out of the water! Also we wanted to say what a credit your children are to you. You are giving them so many life experiences and it’s so nice to see x

[@CaliCamperFamily]

Thanks so much for your lovely comment! Yes we do max out our Cali haha! When we first bought it we never thought we would do and see as much as we have already, and we really cherish every moment.

[@gkuk]

Hi All, Sorry for the late reply,Hope you have a great holiday and the weather is kind.ATB Glen

[@chrisneedham5803]

I'm absolutely amazed, thanks for letting me see the impossible 😂😂😂😂

[@nilakavanagh1698]

hope you're all well, I under Italy is in lockdown . stay safe xxx

[@CaliCamperFamily]

Thanks Nila, yes we are all doing ok. In lockdown in our home in Lombardia...the camper is parked outside but we can't go anywhere unless for supplies or emergencies. Best regards...Jordan and family.

[@keithhallam3854]

Great insight thank you.

[@flyingbird2503]

Hi, when Jo does her bit on the storage, where are the white storage trays from Thanks Great Videos

[@CaliCamperFamily]

Hi, all the trays are from Ikea. Thanks for watching and glad you like our videos 👍🏻

[@jcoakley4627]

Hi guys, what’s the model number of your bike rack . Also was your toe bar factory fitted by VW ? Cheers. John, Kerry.

[@cp_ch33ze32]

Curious, where does all the stuff go when you lay the seats down to sleep? Is there room under the mattress?

[@CaliCamperFamily]

Hello! One of the downsides is this. We carried a pop up tent which was needed to empty all the stuff into before setting up the bed - not ideal and one reason we changed to the Ford Nugget. Thanks for watching.

[@karenbirney5439]

Great video, please could you tell me where your toilet is packed?

[@CaliCamperFamily]

Hi Karen! We pack the porta potti in the boot - it's wrapped in a plastic bag and kept in it's box. Then we keep it in our pop-up tent when we set up. It's been handy having it in the boot for the kids on some long journeys! Thanks for watching!

[@alannorman1773]

Very very impressive packing! What bike carrier is that?

[@CaliCamperFamily]

Alan Norman it’s called an Atera Strada. It’s a well thought out design and pretty well engineered. The main advantage is that it allows the large tailgate on the T5 to open. See our review on another video. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@lauraowen4127]

Watched a lot of your videos, very inspiring :) we are in the process of buying a Cali (not lockdown campers.. been saving for years) and possibly want the 5th seat (future proofing) but the dealers say it's a nightmare and they wouldn't touch it (we would need to take it in and out frequently as you look to)? How do you find it? Have scoured the internet for videos but not found one.

[@CaliCamperFamily]

Laura Taylor hello, and firstly, thanks for watching our videos. The 5th seat is a compromise, for sure. As it is a crash tested and approved seat, it is fairly heavy. Jo really struggles with it, I am ok with it, but it is not that easy. The best video we have on it is embedded within our Ligurian Coastal Tour video....skip through to 9 mins in. The problem, as I’m sure you are aware, is that there are not many options available for a daily-useable 5 seat camper. This gets more tricky when you need 3 child seas too. Also, the plastic blanking plates in the floor which usually cover the holes where you remove the seat get tiresome to keep putting back on the rails to save crisps and peanut M&M’s disappearing into the rails. However, we did get bored with doing that and they now live in the cupboard in the boot. When leaving the seat outside in wet weather, I have a draw string BBQ cover which I put over the seat. The child seas can be stacked on there also, under the cover. It is ok, it works and enables us to do what we do! Good luck with you purchase. P.s. if you want to have a 5th seat, you need to buy a Cali with the 3rd rail alredy installed.

[@lauraowen4127]

Super helpful. Thanks so much. We hadn’t seen that video have now watched that too. Have seen your bbq cover idea, very helpful. We’re taking the plunge :) hope we get as much fun from it as you all do!

[@keximilian]

Whitch type of carybike did you use.Thank you.

[@essexdrone6595]

Hey guys, love the videos. Are they standard struts on pop top? Looking at getting a roof box for our SCA roof but not sure if struts need to be upgraded?

[@CaliCamperFamily]

Rob Shaw Hi Rob, yes it depends on the type of roof. Mine is approved for 50kg but is electric/hydraulically lifted. You could remove some of the heavy stuff before you lift the roof, not ideal though...or maybe prop the roof securely somehow? Glad you like the videos, thanks for watching 👍🏼

[@essexdrone6595]

Cali Camper Family thanks 🙏

[@JC-qf1jd]

how does everyone fit into the van with only 4 seats?

[@CaliCamperFamily]

There is a 5th removable seat.

[@JC-qf1jd]

@@CaliCamperFamily Hi Yes. Thanks. Ive been watching your videos - theyre great!

[@miguelbhole3435]

Very interesting video. Thank you for sharing! One question: how do you deal with the weight limitation of the Cali? Have you modified anything so that you can load more weight?

[@CaliCamperFamily]

Miguel Bhole good question. I think we are under the max weight (3080kg?) especially as the kids are so little. Our Cali is totally standard including the higher load rating tyres...thanks for watching and commenting!

[@miguelbhole3435]

Cali Camper Family thank you for your reply. It would be interesting to actually weigh your car with all your stuff (which could also be an interesting episode to film 😊). Fifth seat, bicycles, roof box, tent, toilet... Remember, you have only about 430kg extra weight. 200 is you and your family. +40 fifth seat, +30 roof box, +15 tent, +50 bicycles and I can hardly imagine that all the other stuff in the car together with food etc is less than 100kg. Don’t get me wrong please. I’m just curious how other Cali driver are handling this issue. I’m always struggling with the weight and we have much less with us (family of four).

[@DesmondsDonders]

That is not a camper it is a Tardis :-)