Storage Question

Hi Roli and Cymro

Photo's as requested.

The ramps and bread basket bottoms can stay in place with the bike rack either raised or lowered, and they can be removed with the bikes still on the rack. It's a bit of a fiddle, but possible, and easier than taking the bikes down if you don't need them.

Hope it shows enough for you to get the idea. The (galvanised) ladder racks are bolted to the underside of the bike wheel channels. Nothing very fancy. The bread baskets are held on with nylon zip fasteners, and the ramps are secured with a red strap that came with the bike rack.

Hope this helps

Dave

P.S. "What are the little wooden blocks in the bike wheel channels?" I hear you ask.

Prevents the bikes from trying to roll sideways when the van goes round corners.

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Thanks so much, Gromit.  That's really most helpful of you.  Most impressive.
Cymro

Not a problem Cymro.

I've had loads of help and ideas, so it's good to give a bit back when I can.

Dave

We downsized from a Broadway to the Warwick Duo and although my wife was very sceptical at first, she has grown to love this van.
We knew we couldn't carry as much stuff as we had in the Broadway but soon realised we didn't need it.
My only concern was storage for ramps, water hoses etc, as we had a box mounted on the bike carrier on the Broadway there was no problem, but I didn't want to mount a bike rack on the Warwick so if we don't need them we store them in the passenger footwell when on site. We took the original table out of the van and use our own lightweight version which is kept behind the passenger seat in transit along with a clothes drier and smaller table (in bags) and do not interfere with getting in and out of the van.
Whatever chairs we take stay under the van in waterproof bags when not being used and lay on the floor between the seats when travelling.
Yes there are compromises, but we don't regret having the Warwick at all.

Thanks all also thanks Dave for pics that was the sort of thing that will set minds at ease
Bikes not a problem at the moment, mine is up for sale as I really need a ladies frame now

We too would take the standard table out and use our own smaller table. Just reminded me must find the Windsors own table - it's in the house loft I think !!!!

Talking of Warwick's, I understand the the Warwick XL is on the longer 6.4m body and that the Warwick and Warwick Duo are on the 6.0m body, but what's the difference between a Warwick and a Warwick Duo?

Warwick has only a double bed across the back, Duo has two singles. Look at some photos of ones for sale to see how they achieve it.

Ah! I see, a half height wardrobe for feet to go under nearside and a shorter kitchen offside. Did the gas go into a tank, to save the need for a gas locker?

We like others put the levelling blocks and a few other essentials in plastic boxes but store them in the shower with protection round so the shower screen or tray doesent get marked. Then under the van once on site. 

Well we used to till we acquired a kind of trailer and it can go in there now.

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Charliefarlie wrote:We like others put the levelling blocks and a few other essentials in plastic boxes but store them in the shower with protection round so the shower screen or tray doesent get marked. Then under the van once on site.

I fear that my technical skills fall far short of Gromit's, such the relocation of the heavy wooden chocks from the wet locker in the skirt to the floor of the shower would be more within the limits of my competence! That said, I spent sometime this afternoon Googling ladder brackets and measuring the bike rack, and I have a friend [a Physicist, of course] who can manufacture just about anything, so I may cadge another favour...!

But thanks again,Gromit, for taking the trouble to post the photographs, and to Charliefarlie and others for alternative suggestions.

The X hose is a considerable space saver:

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There are different lengths but ours, 3 years old at least now and as new, fits into a box about the size of a hard backed book and takes up a considerable amount less space than either the layflat on a reel or the standard hose.


What you ought to do is read the instructions before use and soak for 12 hours before use. Gets rid of all the blue dye from the cover...





Thanks for the ramp storage idea Dave.

IMO layflat hoses have got to be the biggest waste of money in motorhoming. I bought one when I first started in 2006 and apart from trying it out when I got home I don't think I ever used it again. Its first shortcoming is that in order for it to work it has to be completely unwound and usually a waterpoint is much nearer than the full legth of such a hose. Secondly I can almost guarantee it will never roll back up again neatly and without several attempts at getting all the water out of it. Whoever invented it just didn't think it through.

We ended up being quite happy using several different lengths of garden type hose that had connectors to make a long hose if necessary, but it rarely was.

steamdrivenandy wrote:IMO layflat hoses have got to be the biggest waste of money in motorhoming. I bought one when I first started in 2006 and apart from trying it out when I got home I don't think I ever used it again. Its first shortcoming is that in order for it to work it has to be completely unwound and usually a waterpoint is much nearer than the full legth of such a hose. Secondly I can almost guarantee it will never roll back up again neatly and without several attempts at getting all the water out of it. Whoever invented it just didn't think it through.

We ended up being quite happy using several different lengths of garden type hose that had connectors to make a long hose if necessary, but it rarely 

Oh how I agree ! One of my abiding memories is of Keswick CC site where someone stood on our layflat hose as we were filling ( not me guv!) causing it to spring hundreds of small holes and totally drench the kindly warden who was chatting with us at the time.  

The XHose is much tougher and not layflat. Expensive but worth it as takes up very little space. We keep it in the box.

I like the idea of the X-hose, but we almost never use one other than filling up with the garden hose before we set out, so I don't think we'll be getting one. If we changed our habits though . . .

The good old watering can does for us, and saves bothering to move the van to the tap. Idle git, I am when en vacance!!

Dave

Gromit wrote:I like the idea of the X-hose, but we almost never use one other than filling up with the garden hose before we set out, so I don't think we'll be getting one. If we changed our habits though . . .

The good old watering can does for us, and saves bothering to move the van to the tap. Idle git, I am when en vacance!!

Dave

Don't you come unstuck on those bornes where you have to take all your 100 litres in one fell swoop or do you run backwards and forwards with the watering can until the machine times out ?  

Quilter wrote:

Gromit wrote:I like the idea of the X-hose, but we almost never use one other than filling up with the garden hose before we set out, so I don't think we'll be getting one. If we changed our habits though . . .

The good old watering can does for us, and saves bothering to move the van to the tap. Idle git, I am when en vacance!!

Dave

Don't you come unstuck on those bornes where you have to take all your 100 litres in one fell swoop or do you run backwards and forwards with the watering can until the machine times out ?  

I've only ever used one of those once, in Trier. I won't bore you with the tale but the water pressure was enormous, and at least four innocent bystanders had a good soaking as well as myself!!!!

We rarely get so low that we need to use the hosepipe. We're never so busy on holiday that we (meaning I) can't spare ten minutes to fetch half a dozen cans full every couple of days, and the exercise does me good - allegedly!! I know some folk would find it an awful chore, but it doesn't bother me - and I'm usually bone idle on holiday!!

Dave

The problem is on of timing. Service points activate the fresh water on insertion of coin or token for a limited period of time. Neither containers or hoses with pressure reducers in are useable.

The first accessory I bought for a van was a flat hose. In my opinion it takes no space and on the couple of times I need to use it a year it is invaluable.

Peter Brown wrote:. Neither containers or hoses with pressure reducers in are useable.

Intriguing Peter: the ones we have used on aires, stellplatz, sosta and autocaravannas stops- whether time or volume limited- have always had a button to press to stop the flow. Connect hose, or put watering can under the tap, insert coin or jeton, and fill. When you have got as much as you want, press button to stop the flow. The snag with time limited ones is that you have to be quite slick if you are filling a watering can or bucket, in pouring it into the van. You usually get only 2 minutes which does not allow for many buckets full to be poured into the van.  We find the hose is excellent and having the pressure limiting valve is a good thing as the water is - as Gromit found out ! - often under high pressure.

Our problem (I'm including the innocent bystanders ) was my inexperience and the water pressure.

I put the hose into the van filler, connected up and put in the coin. The hose immediately shot out of the filler and took on a life of its own, thrashing around and drenching everyone nearby with a 30 foot jet of water. Trouble was I couldn't catch it, and nor could a young lad who tried to help.

Fortunately everyone was too busy hooting with laughter to be upset at the impromptu shower, and equally fortunately it was a very hot day.

You live and learn! Now I never use any service points that don't have a tap! 

Dave


P.S. Worth mentioning for those who don't know, there are quite a few different tap fittings to be encountered. It's almost impossible to carry all the adapters, so one of those conical rubber "fit all" ends from a caravan filler pipe is a useful, and very small addition in the storage locker. You do have to stand and hold it on the tap, but it can make the difference between getting water or not.

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These are also handy at times.

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as I'm following this thread (no van yet and wondering what needs to be kept from then Transit) I told Heather about the X-Hose. She would be concerned about mould developing in the creases during storage. Is anybody else concerned?

Quilter, I have to pump the water in from a container and every 10l takes 3 or 4 mins. Same problem with the pressure reducer, fill takes too long.

dbroada wrote:as I'm following this thread (no van yet and wondering what needs to be kept from then Transit) I told Heather about the X-Hose. She would be concerned about mould developing in the creases during storage. Is anybody else concerned?

Come to think of it, yes Dave.

It would be almost impossible to get the last drop of water out, so mould could be a problem.

I bet Quilter has sorted it out though. She will be able to advise.

Dave


P.S. As for what to keep and store in the van, I think in the case of water related items it all depends on how long you spend off hook-up. We very rarely go for more than three or four days without spending at least one night on a site, so topping up with water is never a problem. For those who rarely visit a site it's an entirely different matter. (Similar thoughts apply to mains electrical appliances. Microwaves, slow cookers, electric kettles and Remoskas are no good on an aire!!)

Gromit wrote:

I bet Quilter has sorted it out though. She will be able to advise.

I would be very concerned if I thought it was happening but- touch wood and so on- there is no evidence that it does or is.  We have an inline filter close to the van and that, apart from the odd earwig and sand grains, is always clean and free from evidence by smell or appearance, of mould or organic material.   The hose is always hung to drain when we have finished with it and so is elongated for some time before being put away. We neither of us have ever suffered from anything that would lead me to think we had been using contaminated water.

I think the risk is greater in the roll up flat section hoses in that they are lighter in colour and will allow light through thereby providing better conditions for some moulds etc. Being longer when off the reel the flat ones are also more difficult to drain. That said, we have a short section of flat hose, as provided by Messrs Whale with our pump filler gadget and that does not appear to grow mould either.  It is connected to the X-Hose when we are any distance from the water source.

My flat food grade hose is on a plastic wheel / holder after draining it is then put in a waterproof bag made to hold hose pipes. I only use it at home so never carry it when travelling, just a watering can which is sterilised now and again and kept in a locker.

X Hose looks good, but the link mentions garden hose, no reference I can see to food grade.

I specifically bought my flat one as it is food grade I carry it all the time as it takes so little space. Only had to use it when on longer trips (France). I also modified a cap to take a hose coupling so I just bang it on and away we go...

Being realistic though, if you flush a gallon or so through the hose before filling tanks it should get rid of any nasties.