Rather a sad day . .
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Last couple of nights (bar 1!)
Towing out for our last couple of nights in the little 302 tonight, mainly for filming purposes - gotta do the review of the caravan.
It isn't a huge vehicle, so it isn't a huge job - I'll try to do some this afternoon, once pitched with the awning set up, and then finish it off on Monday - should be a big problem.
After this, we've only got one more night to go - a stop on the way to the Elddis factory at Consett next week, when we go to the 2011 caravan launch.
It isn't a huge vehicle, so it isn't a huge job - I'll try to do some this afternoon, once pitched with the awning set up, and then finish it off on Monday - should be a big problem.
After this, we've only got one more night to go - a stop on the way to the Elddis factory at Consett next week, when we go to the 2011 caravan launch.
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Time to start the big review . . .
Amazingly, we've just totalled about 4 weeks worth of overnights in the little Elddis Xplore 302 - and it's nearly time to hand it back to the factory - and they, it turns out, have sold it already to its next owner!
it'll be a sad day for us, I'm afraid, because we've really liked the little van, and enjoyed using it a lot!
But its now time to do the big end-of-term review. I've booked a pitch, hopefully on a very nice site, and with luck, we'll get good weather. We'll spend a couple of days filming, and then . . . . ta raa raa, we'll show the review (or maybe just the first half of it, in edition 14/2010, premiering on the 14th July!
it'll be a sad day for us, I'm afraid, because we've really liked the little van, and enjoyed using it a lot!
But its now time to do the big end-of-term review. I've booked a pitch, hopefully on a very nice site, and with luck, we'll get good weather. We'll spend a couple of days filming, and then . . . . ta raa raa, we'll show the review (or maybe just the first half of it, in edition 14/2010, premiering on the 14th July!
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Freezer time
Our little Xplore 302 spent last night in a freezer, in Cambridge - I thought it was quite odd, taking it somewhere then leaving the poor little thing there.
The freezer itself is a large building, heavily insulated and equipped with huge chiller units - they hang from the ceiling ('cos cold air settles), and are fitted with large fans to blow the cold air through. There are also other fans around the chamber, to move the air around, and to even out the air temperature.
The doors are big enough to take a seriously large truck - they must be 15 or 20 feet high, and they too are well insulated. The chamber temperature, for the test our van was undergoing, was -15 centrigrade . . pretty chilly.
The van sat in there all night after going in at around 3pm yesterday. So by 9.30 this morning, the whole structure was at around -15.
At 9.55am, they switched on the electric space heater, and waited.
The point of the test is to get the van's internal temperature up to +20c, while keeping the external temperature of the chamber at the same -15. To earn a thermal grade 3, that internal temp has to be +20c within 4 hours - in fact, the Whale heater got it there in just over 3 hours . . .
So there you have it - we said it was good after spending a night in it with snow outside . . !
Monday, 14 June 2010
At the racecourse . . .
We're here in the little 302 today at Gt Yarmouth Racecourse - have just had two nights and only one more to go, sad to say.
It's a surprising place . . . quiet as anything, although there are a few North Sea helicopters fly in and out every day - they're quite noisy, but interesting to watch and no a problem. They also don't seem to start too early, and don't fly particularly late, either.
We go home tomorrow (Tuesday), and have to get the little caravan ready for its freeze - we'll open the water taps, and drain the heater down before driving home, so that the water in the system should drain out. We'll also take out the tinned emergency food we carry - can't fancy cleaning up if a tin or two explode!
Dot's getting quite sad at the idea of taking the Xplore 302 caravan back - she's become quite attached to it!
It's a surprising place . . . quiet as anything, although there are a few North Sea helicopters fly in and out every day - they're quite noisy, but interesting to watch and no a problem. They also don't seem to start too early, and don't fly particularly late, either.
We go home tomorrow (Tuesday), and have to get the little caravan ready for its freeze - we'll open the water taps, and drain the heater down before driving home, so that the water in the system should drain out. We'll also take out the tinned emergency food we carry - can't fancy cleaning up if a tin or two explode!
Dot's getting quite sad at the idea of taking the Xplore 302 caravan back - she's become quite attached to it!
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Withdrawl symptoms!
Well heavens - I'm glad to say we're back in the van this weekend, for 3 nights in Great Yarmouth!
We're staying at the Caravan Club's Racecourse site, which we visited about 3 years ago, just for a couple of days, but this time we're there in the little 302.
I hope the weather turns a bit better - but not too warm, as I've got quite a lot of filming to do - we've got to do our formal report on the little van for early July.
We're staying at the Caravan Club's Racecourse site, which we visited about 3 years ago, just for a couple of days, but this time we're there in the little 302.
I hope the weather turns a bit better - but not too warm, as I've got quite a lot of filming to do - we've got to do our formal report on the little van for early July.
Monday, 7 June 2010
Gonna get chilly . . .
Well, it's official - baby is going to get frozen!
The little Elddis Xplore 302 is going to be locked into a freezer and left overnight - to soak in a temperature of minus quite a lot of degrees (can't remember if it's minus 10 or minus 15)!
After that, they'll switch on the heating, whilst leaving it still in the coolbox, to try and raise the temp to about +20 inside a 4 hour period.
This enables the testing company to conclude what the little 302 rates as in insulation grade - so that it could be acknowledged as, perhaps, fully winter-worthy.
Of course, from our point of view, there isn't much question about it - we were spending cosy nights in the Xplore in late February, and in March. So whatever the official result, we'll still think its pretty good!
The little Elddis Xplore 302 is going to be locked into a freezer and left overnight - to soak in a temperature of minus quite a lot of degrees (can't remember if it's minus 10 or minus 15)!
After that, they'll switch on the heating, whilst leaving it still in the coolbox, to try and raise the temp to about +20 inside a 4 hour period.
This enables the testing company to conclude what the little 302 rates as in insulation grade - so that it could be acknowledged as, perhaps, fully winter-worthy.
Of course, from our point of view, there isn't much question about it - we were spending cosy nights in the Xplore in late February, and in March. So whatever the official result, we'll still think its pretty good!
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