First Wild camp in heavy snow and French gas

dorset boy

Guest
Hello Folks,

Our new (2009) Compass 100 was tested 2 weeks ago with a weeks wild camp in Normandy.
We had a great time and the van came home filthy inside and out! The motor ran great and I was suprised at the power available.

We came off the Cherbourg ferry into a snow storm and waited till the lorries had cut a path up the glacier before heading up the hill......then off we went passed dozens of stranded cars.......
We stayed in farm lanes...cape Frehel...mortain rapides...cliffs over the mulberry harbour @ juno beach......and back home via Caen.
We had a hard time finding water as all the taps are shut of at all the Aires we looked at - so we had to buy a heap of 5L bottles, and then on the last night we ran out of gas! our 2 small bottles were empty (6Kg?) But the little 850w generator ran well and at £60 was a good buy giving us a nightly movie on the laptop.
On the shopping list will be a 12v travel kettle so we wont do without a morning cuppa ever again!

Now....can some kind soul please tell me how to convert the compass system to take a french gas bottle!

Rgds Mike
 
Adventure.

Hi Mike,
I must admit every time i go out in my M/H its going to be an adventure, im in the French Alps for 2 - 3 wks in the winter.
I sorry i dont no a great deal about the compas but with my Mclois ive put a T piece in & joined both the french & English bottals.
Hope this is of little help.

Happy Tripping.

Coach.
 
dorset boy said:
On the shopping list will be a 12v travel kettle so we wont do without a morning cuppa ever again!

Now....can some kind soul please tell me how to convert the compass system to take a french gas bottle!

Rgds Mike
Click to expand...

I would buy a kettle you can put on the gas ring, my 12v mug boiler takes flipping ages to boil.

Its been discussed many times before, the general concensus if you are going to go into europe a lot is to invest in a refillable gas bottle that you can refill at petrol stations using the pump for gas driven cars and vans. Its approx £130 to set up and the gas is a lot cheaper this way. You can also get gagets to refil a standard orange bottle in the same way. Me I invested in a refillable bottle and as I use the van 5 days a week, I have refilled 3 times since November and already saved about £30 on gas so I expect to get my money back quite soon :)

If you want to use french bottles you need to buy a french regulator but they have several types depending where you buy your gas.

If you then go to spain you will find that they also have different bottles and your back to square 1.

I'm sure others will follow with their own take on whats the best way to go.
 
Coach said:
Hi Mike,
I must admit every time i go out in my M/H its going to be an adventure, im in the French Alps for 2 - 3 wks in the winter.
I sorry i dont no a great deal about the compas but with my Mclois ive put a T piece in & joined both the french & English bottals.
Hope this is of little help.

Happy Tripping.

Coach.
Click to expand...

I have no idea about compass vans but in my CI, it was a case of 'ditching the English bottle, buying a French bottle in my case a antargaz calypso, it came with a regulator , '' detendre''??? I literally chopped the rubber pipe on the existing regulator and fitted the new regulator and gas bottle.

On my return to the UK , i removed my french regulator and replaced it with the Calor gas propane one.

Channa
 
Hi,
I agree with the gas bottals, it seems thease days where ever you go abroad you need a different regulator, i had thought about putting in the gaz glow system but up in the alps, there is no where to fill.

Coach
 
We carry a picnic stove that we have had for years for just this kind of emmergency.
 
thanks folks

OK folks thanks for the replies & kind advice...

We left our back up camping stove behind along with the travel kettle, too much on our first trip to remember...

My shopping list will include...
plumbing in an extra battery plus inverter
16" tele/dvd with 320 GB tv recorder/player (36hrs) (x-factor a must)

I will also head to peugeot to see if I can have a few cab refinments...like travel mug holders and lead lights!

Looks like its going to be a good year.

Rgds Mike
 
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