First road trip experience

[Dundry]

First MP tour this weekend, a road trip around Devon and Cornwall to see friends and family. Some lessons learnt:
- dont follow the sat nav in Cornwall, the lanes can be a bit narrow and I scratched the paint on some branches but should polish out
- there are a lot of warnings beeps and dash signs on the MP which can be worrying but most seem to relate to being too close to other cars/walls etc
- there is loads of storage
- true fridge is massive but dont put on 4/5 as your food will freeze
- the top bed mattress could do with an airing before first use, it smells quite chemically

 

[Katie]

We also had first tour round Exmoor this weekend.
Although I did not notice smell from mattress, the cover has a funny feel - I think it must be fire retardant stuff as had this in caravan with Duvalay. Came out when I washed it in machine. Large single sheet from John Lewis fitted well.
Agree about the noises - I expect you can turn them off somewhere if you like
The upstairs bed was so much more comfortable than I anticipated and well big enough for the two of us
Storage is excellent - we would find it hard to use it all
Found the awning a bit stiff to roll out and the handle awkward to use, but very sturdy - we have microfibre bath sheets which you can hang from the awning rails to dry
One thing we did find a nuisance was that we always had our bits and bobs on the part of the split level worktop we wanted to open! Going to buy a tray to put mugs etc on so only have to move one thing
Also need a small bin but need to decide where to put it - don’t want to be in direct line with diesel heating
Really looking forward to trip down the wine route in Alsace and back through Germany next month
Hope you all enjoy your adventures too.

 

[Roy C]

First trip for us to the Lake District - glorious weather and scenery on Loughrigg Fell near Windermere!

Learnt a few lessons as well:
- we confirmed we need a drive-away awning. With 2 adults, a teenager and a dog we need to constantly open and close the door and impractical to get everything out of the separate small tent we took for storage
- kept losing bits like charger cables, glasses etc. so will probably get the organiser that fits to back of driver’s seat since everything ended up jumbled into the seat back pocket anyway
- seats definitely too firm for comfort for sleeping so will get a mattress topper. Upstairs (teen daughter had all to herself) is much more comfortable
- remember to put heater remote within easy reach to turn on first thing in the morning to warm up the van without getting out of bed
- with the upper bed raised the shelf became a handy place to put things like coffee jars to avoid constantly moving the table to get things out of the drawers and cupboards

 

[John W]

I’m really envious now having had my MP for about 5 weeks and yet to take it out for a proper trip!! Asda and Aldi don’t count!

 

[Simon Fletcher]

First trip to Dolgellau this weekend for a 2 night stay, things we learnt:
-take unknown corners with care, took a downhill one a little quickly, fortunately no one coming the other way. As expected, you notice the extra weight of the vehicle
-you can't leave 2 sleeping bags flat on top bed and shut the roof
-some form of insulation is important up top to help maintain a warmer temp on a night and cooler/darker on a sunny morning, there was quite a temperature difference between down and upstairs
-be careful of wiring under the front seats when rotating, it can get caught in mechanism
-Our rail fabric shelving in the wardrobe didn't work quite as well as we had hoped
-be prepared to answer a lot of questions and show loads of folk the van as everyone is interested in what is behind the tinted glass

 

[BabaJen]

We also had first tour round Exmoor this weekend.
Although I did not notice smell from mattress, the cover has a funny feel - I think it must be fire retardant stuff as had this in caravan with Duvalay. Came out when I washed it in machine. Large single sheet from John Lewis fitted well.
Agree about the noises - I expect you can turn them off somewhere if you like
The upstairs bed was so much more comfortable than I anticipated and well big enough for the two of us
Storage is excellent - we would find it hard to use it all
Found the awning a bit stiff to roll out and the handle awkward to use, but very sturdy - we have microfibre bath sheets which you can hang from the awning rails to dry
One thing we did find a nuisance was that we always had our bits and bobs on the part of the split level worktop we wanted to open! Going to buy a tray to put mugs etc on so only have to move one thing
Also need a small bin but need to decide where to put it - don’t want to be in direct line with diesel heating
Really looking forward to trip down the wine route in Alsace and back through Germany next month
Hope you all enjoy your adventures too.

Katie,

Regarding a tray I use the outwell collapsible washing up bowl for that use. Collapsed it has a good dual use as a tray. Expanded great for taking the dishes to the washing up area. When travelling I find a microfibre towel, placed underneath, not only protects the worktop from scratches but also acts as a non-slip mat.

Regarding a small bin, I have a couple. One is a DRIVE bag, fits around the headrest posts, serves a dual use as a cool bag, takes 10l liner bags. Great for tossing small bits of rubbish, till receipts etc, in. I also have an outwell collapsible storage box that in the Cali fits between the front seats so as the space in the MP is similar should fit there, but when not wanted just collapses to the size of a small tray.

I generally like collapsible things

 

[Katie]

You’d like me then - I’m collapsing all the time!
Good idea about the bowl - we’ve got one for washing up and would be good to double it’s usage value
Could try the bin idea as well, but would need to store out of the dogs reach - he’s called a whippet for a reason we discovered very early on

 

[BabaJen]

You’d like me then - I’m collapsing all the time!
Good idea about the bowl - we’ve got one for washing up and would be good to double it’s usage value
Could try the bin idea as well, but would need to store out of the dogs reach - he’s called a whippet for a reason we discovered very early on

 

[BabaJen]

The lid is dog-proof. Fold-over clips on 4 sides.

 

[Katie]

Baba Jen
Could you tell me where I can find the drive bag please

 

[BabaJen]

Baba Jen
Could you tell me where I can find the drive bag please

Hi Katie

Amazon ...

search for drive auto products

 

[Katie]

Many thanks - some useful stuff there

 

[Dundry]

-be prepared to answer a lot of questions and show loads of folk the van as everyone is interested in what is behind the tinted glass

I definitely had thus experience too - and lots of advice some of which was invaluable, some less so! That what makes having the van so much fun!

 

[mptripsaway]

Just returned from our three week trip power and although we had planned to head to the south of France we decided at the last minute that we would go travel the “Romantic Road” in Germany instead. From the end of the RR at Fussen we went to visit Klagenfurt war cemetery in Austria where my OH grandfather “Maj FA Dolby MBE” of the Queen's Bays is laid to rest. Next we toured through Lichtenstein & Switzerland into France slowly making our way across to the Ile de re followed by Loire Valley and finishing in Le Touquet the day before our return ferry.
In all we covered around 2200 miles avoiding all auto routes and only minimal use of motorways where there was no option. Our MP never put a foot wrong, it was an absolute pleasure to drive. I set headlights for right side traffic and speedo to Kph at Dover Navi displayed all speed limits and I just set the ACC as needed.
I do have a couple of learnings which others on here may find useful…..
We were off mains power for virtually the whole trip, power for roof up & down, running the fridge on setting 3, lights and usb chargers for phones etc. 3 days from a full charge took the battery down to 12.4v and 6 bars on charge indicator. Also used aux heater on one occasion for a couple of hours reduced battery to 12.3v.
The table storage I found to be a problem because every time that you want to get the table out means emptying everything from the rear bed extension (parcel shelf) after doing this twice I decided to store it on top of the items on the parcel shelf which was much more satisfactory! The chairs were fine as they slide out easily through the zipped opening.

A few photos:


Look what is hiding behind the hedge in bottom right photo

 

[Simon Fletcher]

Just returned from our three week trip and although we had planned to head to the south of France we decided at the last minute that we would go travel the “Romantic Road” in Germany instead. From the end of the RR at Fussen we went to visit Klagenfurt war cemetery in Austria where my OH grandfather “Maj FA Dolby MBE” of the Queen's Bays is laid to rest. Next we toured through Lichtenstein & Switzerland into France slowly making our way across to the Ile de re followed by Loire Valley and finishing in Le Touquet the day before our return ferry.
In all we covered around 2200 miles avoiding all auto routes and only minimal use of motorways where there was no option. Our MP never put a foot wrong, it was an absolute pleasure to drive. I set headlights for right side traffic and speedo to Kph at Dover Navi displayed all speed limits and I just set the ACC as needed.
I do have a couple of learnings which others on here may find useful…..
We were off mains power for virtually the whole trip, power for roof up & down, running the fridge on setting 3, lights and usb chargers for phones etc. 3 days from a full charge took the battery down to 12.4v and 6 bars on charge indicator. Also used aux heater on one occasion for a couple of hours reduced battery to 12.3v.
The table storage I found to be a problem because every time that you want to get the table out means emptying everything from the rear bed extension (parcel shelf) after doing this twice I decided to store it on top of the items on the parcel shelf which was much more satisfactory! The chairs were fine as they slide out easily through the zipped opening.

How do you alter the headlights to right side traffic? Had a look through the guides and struggling to find the answer. Does this come as standard? Great feature if so

 

[mptripsaway]

How do you alter the headlights to right side traffic? Had a look through the guides and struggling to find the answer. Does this come as standard? Great feature if so

On the steering wheel controls, press home button, scroll to settings, press ok, scroll down to lights, scroll down to right side traffic, press okay to change.

 

[Simon Fletcher]

On the steering wheel controls, press home button, scroll to settings, press ok, scroll down to lights, press okay, right side traffic, press okay to change.

Perfect thanks

 

[John W]

Sounds like a really great trip. Thanks for the tips on lights and speedo, I wasn’t aware we could do that! Did you take any piccies of your van along the way?

 

[mptripsaway]

Sounds like a really great trip. Thanks for the tips on lights and speedo, I wasn’t aware we could do that! Did you take any piccies of your van along the way?

Thanks John, Yes I did take a few photos of the van, I will post later.

 

[mptripsaway]

Sounds like a really great trip. Thanks for the tips on lights and speedo, I wasn’t aware we could do that! Did you take any piccies of your van along the way?

A few more photos and the odd duplicate.
Top right is Lake Walensee.
Sorry for poor quality but wasn't able to upload at normal file size.