Isabella Door Canopy

Have ordered one of the above for when we are on a non-awning pitch.

Isabella Door Canopy

Thought it may be useful for keeping the rain off as you step outside the door.

I will report back as to what we think of it later in the year.

Ian

Manchester Caravan Show

I visited the Manchester Show today held as usual in Event City.

I wasn't expecting to see any Orion activity of course but I was wrong.

The show was opened by Michelle Collins a decent bit of totty wobbling about on 8" heels who is evidently in Coronation St.

Someone had done an Orion 430/4 up to resemble the Rovers Return/house.
                                                                                       

A bit gimmicky of course but someone had put a deal of effort into it.

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I think we must have picked our Orion with care because looking at other Bailey models and indeed other manufacturers models there was nothing really,apart from the exotica like Eterniti of course,which made me think WOW I would  like one of those.

It is unfortunate that Bailey did away with the Orion,especially after such a short time,as I am afraid the Pursuit still does not really cut the mustard as far as I am concerned and I think the Bailey interiors are looking a bit dated compared with more contemporary offerings from other makers.

An Orion Mk.II would have been far better in my opinion as there are some nice touches in the Pursuit,the inboard spare wheel for instance,but the overall effect just doesn't work.

The only thing that would make us change would be single fixed beds but it is not that big a deal the more I think about it really.

Ian 

PS

I have just discovered that if you right click on any images and select "View Image" ( that's in Firefox though ) you get a full page picture,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

A Spiffing Idea or a Load of Twaddle.

Those people with sad lives who follow this load of nonsense on a regular basis may recall the Castleford Incident from last year when the battery box door came open and deposited our precious Elecsol battery onto the mean streets of Castleford never to be seen again,an occurrence which stopped just short of counselling from Relate.

I have been giving some thought to avoiding a repeat of the problem ( over and above double checking the door is properly fastened but I thought I had done that the first time ).

I came up with the idea,patent pending,of using some of these :-

Baby Safety Lock

I intend fastening one end of the strips ( they are self adhesive ) to the van either side of the locker door and the other ends to the door itself so if the door does pop open accidentally it will be caught by the straps and not open completely.

The straps were only £1.88 a pair with free postage so if it doesn't work I haven't lost a fortune.

I intend applying them after we have the van cleaned before the season starts so they don't get knocked off during polishing.

I will report in due course on their effectiveness or otherwise.

Ian

Bailey Pursuit Update.

In line with my policy of commenting on the Bailey Pusuit when applicable, I was at a Bailey dealers this afternoon browsing around their range of Pursuits.

I noticed and remarked to the salesman that they all appeared to come with the "optional" sun roof.

He replied that much to their surprise,as it happened only in the last few days,Bailey had informed them that in future ALL Pursuits will come fitted with the sun roof as standard and that the Premium Pack was no more,so they will all have the microwave,spare wheel etc. etc.

Naturally they have increased in price to reflect this change.

One other thing,the shower curtain that received so much criticism has also vanished to be replaced by the bi-fold door.

Sadly the appalling ( to us ) upholstery and the badly positioned sink and hob remain.

Ian

All Boxed Off.

A few weeks ago I bought an Isabella Multi Organiser to keep shoes etc.in outside just by the door of the van.


                                                                               

The organiser works fine but if we have no awning up or just the sunshade and the rain blows in then things tend to get wet.

Had a think about this and decided to visit Bags 4 Everything in Wakefield ( Ossett really ) to see if they had anything to cover it.

They had nothing in stock but said they would make me a cover in fully waterproof material for £20.

It was all done and made in about four days and it works a treat,

                       

 So if you are looking for something similar give them a try.

Even though it is a Wakefield firm I have nothing at all to do with Bags 4 Everything apart from being a satisfied customer.

No favours,discounts,backhanders,free samples or Green Shield Stamps ( one for my older readers ).

Ian

All Tucked Up.

Got the Orion all tucked up for winter today.

Floed the water system,put the winter wheels on and sterilised the Aquaroll and Wastemaster.

Cushions upended and cupboard doors opened,plus left a couple of damp traps.

I also made sure the toilet flush was well drained as well as lubricating the window rubbers.

Took the wheels ( including the spare ) home for the winter and will give them a bit of a clean and spruce up.

Had a check and they all appear in good nick,no signs of cracking or splitting thanks to the wheel covers.

I know many people use their van throughout the winter but I find it profoundly depressing at the best of times when it is getting dark about 4pm and thats when at home,it's worse in the van.

Ian

A Couple of Tips

Over the last week I have come across a couple of simple tips that someone might find useful.

The first concerns the gas spanner which always seems to get lost at the bottom of the gas locker.

I stuck some adhestive Velcro ( the proper stuff not a copy ) to the spanner and the wall of the gas locker to keep it visible and to hand.

The second tip is to do with the position of the jockey wheel when travelling.

I have always had the wheel pointing toward the rear of the van as I thought that this was the way to do it.

I have since read somewhere that it is best if the jockey wheel faces toward the front as if the van becomes detached,the A frame will be more likely to drop onto the wheel and therefore provide a bit of steering.

If the wheel is pointing rearwards then the hitch is likely to hit the ground first which,apart from damaging the A frame,could cause instability of the van.

Ian

The Strange Case of the Non-Functioning Alarm

We have just returned from our last trip of the year to Beechwood Grange near York,always worth a visit.

Anyway,we have a Sargent Stinger 310 alarm on our Orion which has always worked without problem since we had it installed at purchase,and indeed it worked perfectly on our first day,setting and cancelling via the fob with no problem as usual.

On our second day we were on our way out and I blipped the fob,nothing,not a solitary peep was to be heard.

The fob batteries were only replaced a couple of months ago with brand new Duracells as was the spare fob which also didn't work either,although the lights on the fob were both lit so it was unlikely to be fob related.

We had to leave the van unalarmed for the day but when we got back I checked the alarm fuse,all OK,nothing to see by looking at the unit ( as if there would be ),cleaned the battery contacts in the fob but the thing still wouldn't work.

I checked the Sargent web site which mentioned rebooting the alarm software which didn't look too difficult but with the ever present danger of buggering everything up and SWMBO missing Strictly Come Dancing and the rest of the crap,er I mean quality television that she watches I thought I would wait and perhaps get a mobile man who knows what he is about later in the week,albeit at a price of course.

About 8pm I went out for a stroll,mainly to avoid the quality television,and casually pressed the fob on my way out and hey presto back to normal and it still worked OK when we got back to storage.

The only thing I can think of was that there was some interference from something on the site,perhaps another alarm.

I asked the chap to the left of us and it wasn't him as he never used his.

So it remains a mystery,its never done it before.

So if your alarm goes tits up don't rush to repair it or fiddle with it or ring a man,leave it a while and it might just work again.

Ian

Government E-Petition

Someone on CT has started a government e-petition to try and get the poor quality of caravans in general and the sometimes poor after sales discussed in parliament.

100,000 signatures needed so if you wish to sign it the link is here :-

E-Petition

Ian

Possible Orion Skylight ??

John Bland,one of my correspondents,enquired of Bailey whether it would be possible to retro-fit the skylight which is on the Pursuit to the Orion.

The reply was that no you cannot as there are not the appropriate fastenings to locate it on the Orion

So anyone who had the same idea can sadly forget it.

Ian