Downsized

[sandalwood]

Decided on 1 year old IH rear lounge! Expensive but think it will suit. However, how toget all our gear into smaller vehicle! Pint pot into half pint pot! Going to be fun! Anyone know about easy to put up ( oldies ) drive away awnings? Saw one in France that either was compressed air or something like that.

Regards

Taylor :-(

[malc d]

Have you considered taking less gear ?

 

;-)

[sandalwood]

Do you mean leaving OH at home! Yes having a GREAT clear out, collapsible buckets and bowlson list to buy. But how to keep crockery, in drawers with green stuff in between, or trying to find crockery holder, no luck so far!

 

Regards

[HymerVan]

Use nesting boxes to maximise use of space (available from stationery stores or online) Label contents on outside to save rummaging.

Eagle Creek packing cubes for clothes. They make a great double sided clean/dirty one.

But most of all ruthlessly cull what you carry.

[Derek Uzzell]

In 2005 we bought a set of melamine crockery from a NEC Show and my wife engineered from calico a sort of shoe-pocket arrangement that was glued to a piece of thin plywood that was, in turn, screwed to one of the inner walls of our then-new Hobby motorhome’s wardrobe. This holds plates and dishes vertically and (as luck would have it) transferred without modification to our current Rapido’s wardrobe. Two melamine cups and two mugs, plus four polycarbonate wine glasses (stored inverted) sit in deep circular cut-outs in a piece of cork-like material that lines the base of one of the sections of the Rapido’s kitchen high-level locker. I used this technique with the Hobby (that had a larger locker) but it proved still possible - with some delicate surgery of the cork base - to fit the eight items into the Rapido’s locker.

 

We were at a French campsite recently and the UK caravanner on the next pitch had an ‘airbeam’ type of awning. It seemed to be easy enough to inflate the supporting ‘beams’ - the woman did it manually with a hand pump - and, of course, no poles were needed. But it wasn’t quick to complete setting it up, with a lot of time spent (by the man) securing it with lots of pegs and guy-lines.

 

Airbeam drive-away awnings come in various sizes and at various prices (examples here)

 

https://www.vango.co.uk/gb/8-drive-away-awnings

 

but before you go down this route you need to consider how you plan to use your new motorhome, what erecting the awning involves and - perhaps most importanrly - where you would store the thing in the vehicle.

[Grumblewagon]

Having downsized from a medium sized coachbuilt to a campervan, I initially wondered about where to put everything. However, what I found was that I had a lot of kit that I rarely, if ever, used so I haven't taken it in the new van. When it came to storage, I made storage racks and boxes to hold the cups, plates etc and invested in several packs of 'microfibre' cloths to stop the rattles where necessary.

 

I have a wind-out awning on the van and also a free-standing framed awning which I haven't used in years.

I've seen quite a few inflatable awnings on site, and also seen the difficulty some people seem to have inflating and securing them . They look a good idea, but I wonder if they're more complicated than they look.

[Billggski]

I know if's a bugbear of mine, but does the minimal weight saving of plastic over proper china and glass warrant downgrading your dining experience to the level of a boy scout on a camping trip?

Would you eat/drink off plastic at home?

Rant over.

[Derek Uzzell]

We wouldn’t eat/drink off plastic at home, but the unbreakability of plastic compared with china and glass has some attractions for leisure-vehicle usage. Also, I’d be wary of the extra weight involved if substituting china plates/dishes for our melamine ones regarding our ’shoe caddy’ storage approach.

[747]

I bought a driveaway awning which proved too much of a faff to use and soon sold it. For the last 5 or 6 years we have used an ordinary garden Gazebo. It is lighter, easier to put up (or take down) and you can choose to fit (or not) any of the 4 side panels (2 have windows) and they are easily attached with their velcro tags. It really has been a good buy for us, especially at 1/4 the cost of a driveaway awning. They come in various sizes, from 2 metres square up to huge party ones (like a marquee). Ours is 2.5 metres square, the 3 metre square ones have roughly the same footprint as driveaway awnings.

[sandalwood]

Tks

[sandalwood]

We like China and will continue to use!

[sandalwood]

Sounds great just what we need, pse do you have site for me to buy

 

Regards

[starvin marvin]

Billggski - 2018-09-24 10:07 AM

 

I know if's a bugbear of mine, but does the minimal weight saving of plastic over proper china and glass warrant downgrading your dining experience to the level of a boy scout on a camping trip?

Would you eat/drink off plastic at home?

Rant over.

 

I agree, you’re dead right.

[Tracker]

We tried downsizing once and didn't like it so we upsized again and did like it - good job we kept all the clutter as it fitted nicely back where it all startted.

[Will86]

Sandalwood,

 

You mention drive away awnings, is your intention to move excess goods into the awning in order to give you more interior space when on site ? If so then that's the first thing to banish from the list.

 

We are two people and only cater for two, any visitors are welcome but have to bring their own table items. Plastic plates, we're modern old folk and use plastic plates and dishes at home. We lived in a caravan for several years before a house and are conditioned to simplifying everything. We carry no TV or any 'perhaps we'll them' extras.

 

Life can be so simple if you allow it to be.

[ron.]

One of our best space saving ideas was to get matching zip-up cushions made to take our bedding. This saved a lot of locker space and made for super lounging in the rear lounge of our IH.

[sandalwood]

Dry clever will use your idea!

[yoko8pups]

I use the plastic expandable things you get round wine and spirit bottles for cups mugs and glasses, stops them rattling

 

[Geeco]

Autotrail provide a cupboard with 4 Terry clips for wine glasses. If you use a travel shoe bag over each glass they do not rattle. When we purchased our MH we packed lots of items that fitted the "maybe we will need them" list. Three years latter we culled all the items we did not use. That has provided more room under the front lounge for boxes of wine. In 'stralya we can drive on a car licence upto 4500kg so takes the pressure off a little to carry more clutter so long as you have the space Cheers,

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

On the Kampa site you see my burstner whit a air pump tent. Just wonderfull. On the awning C-rail or a seperate permanent c-rail As discussed in lenght before.

[PAJay]

Geeco - 2018-09-30 7:32 AM

 

Autotrail provide a cupboard with 4 Terry clips for wine glasses. If you use a travel shoe bag over each glass they do not rattle. When we purchased our MH we packed lots of items that fitted the "maybe we will need them" list. Three years latter we culled all the items we did not use. That has provided more room under the front lounge for boxes of wine. In 'stralya we can drive on a car licence upto 4500kg so takes the pressure off a little to carry more clutter so long as you have the space Cheers,

 

Our Swift had 6 clips for wine glasses and 2 for bottles. OH made a wooden stand with 6 holes in for small ( Gin/Brandy) glasses, or this also fitted the tumblers. I carried glass 's for 10 years in a boat (crossing the channel , in rough seas many times)l and 12 years in the van, none got broken in transit over this time. I don't like plastic "glasses" to drink out of.

PJay