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Thanks GR. 8 hrs would be a major trip for us. Usually go local for short trips (about 20 mins) or 1.5 - 2hrs if long weekends or more.

p.s. still not able to log into the Australian Geist forum as its states username and password are incorrect but recognses my e-mail so wont let me set up a different account mmmmmmm........

Your trip seems like good testimony for the Geist vans - are you keeping a photo record? that we can see

Andy

Glad to see its a Geist Claire! Welcome to the world of being a caravanner - I'm sure you and your family will love it.  Hope you have lots of lovely holidays with your van. I'm sure you will be successful with your efforts to set up the owners club.  I have actually joined the Australian one and they all seem like a really lovely group of people.

Watching this thread with interest......

Teresa

Quote: Originally posted by JenniferB on 10/6/2009

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asdj45 - I would also like to know the answer to your question!

In the meantime, maybe you can answer a mystery for me?? The top fixed bunk - underneath it there are two curious white clips - they look identical to the clips in the front gas locker that hold the corner steady winder in place. Do you have any idea why they are there? I have been pondering this for 2 months!! Am I being dumb?!

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I checked with Mandy at Elite Caravans and they state that it is for a bar to be clipped in and then to hang a net or curtain but are not standard on the 495s

Hope this helps

Andy

We are mulling at the moment on an Aktiv 560, We could be the next one to join the UKCS end of the Geist owners club!

Elite couldn't give us enough trade in for ours so we are going to do some figures tonight.

We looked at the 560 also - its the one with the twin dinette i think its a great van but in our case we were a little against it due to the fact that you have to empty the toilet via the awning as the cassette door was on the awning side,

We did not want to be disturbing the children too much by using the facilities at the rear / side of the van opposite the bunk beds. The children wanted a more "enclosed" area also away from parents (sounds good to me) but they are 12 and 14 year old girls.

We also thought that the rear window arrangement was a bit odd with half of it being covered by the bunk bed  

So even though the Aktiv 495 (our van) is smaller we are pleased with its layout.

Hope this helps as they may be things that you had not considered

Andy    

Quote: Originally posted by asdj45 on 17/6/2009

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 but they are 12 and 14 year old girls.

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Excellent - so, they'll soon be too big for your Geist and you'll be looking to sell it to, say, a needy young family with minimal cash?  

If I start saving now, I might have enough by then...

Agreed - thats why we went for the Geist as opposed to other makes with similar but less sturdy layouts.

Andy

We looked at the 495 and really loved it, but we need 2 seperate childrens living areas as we will soon be having a foster child as well as our own children, That way the foster child can still have there own space when we go in the winter,

Oh - so the foster child will have the side dinette as a bed and your own children the bunks? .... i can see the problem you may have. I think that some of the 495s and the 560s come with a triple bed layout ( a bit like the new Baileys) - i am sure i read this somewhere but they may only be available from Geist direct at the moment - not sure though might be work asking Gary / Mandy at Elite if you are interested

Hope this helps

Andy  

Thats the plan at the moment

Thanks Andy

P.S. Is it the geists where you can stand on the a frame to wash the front?

Yes also - i stand on the A frame to wash roof top and front of the van no problem at all.

p.s. i forgot - one issue we did have when we colected the van was that we have an old Land Rover discovery and someone had put each of the electrical connetors either side of the drop down plate i.e. black connector left and white connector on the left of the tow ball. When we tried to hook the caravan up then the Geist only had a short distance that the black and white connector could "stretch" hence we could only fit the black connector to operate lights etc,.. on the way home. Since then we have had these moved closer together on the Land Rover and all is fine now.

The Geists are quite nose heavy also with the 495 having a 100kg max noseweight. Once we had put the spare wheel in the front locker and very little else apart from one gas bottle then it was very close to 100kg noseweight.

Our Landy takes 100kg noseweight also so we were ok but alot of non 4 x 4 cars have a maximum of around 75kg noseweight so its something else to be mindful of. 

Hope this helps

Andy