I decided i didn’t want to go upwards with roof bars and top boxes because I wanted to increase the flexibility as far as restricted height car parks were concerned. So looking at other options I saw the Fiamma Ultrabox 320. This was designed to go on the back of campers and motor homes and fits on the bike rack I already had installed.
So after deciding this was the way to go I looked on Ebay, Gum Tree and finally found one that met our price bracket on Pre-Loved. It was virtually new and only been used once before the owners sold the motorhome. We got the box for £140 which was a massive saving from the £400 odd they cost new.
We decided to make a weekends camp out of collecting the box as it was Lincoln way. We stayed at a campsite we had used earlier in the year (Links Lanes Campsite). The weather was a darn site warmer when we collected the box in June. 🙂
So the box sat on the back of the van quite happily and would have performed as expected. However, the front of the box seemed to seat more on the furthest rail from the van which i felt would would put unnecessary strain on it. So with a little marine ply and a short baton of wood I created a spacer plate to drop into the back rail to make up the distance. This was varnished to protect against the element and then bolted to the bottom of the box. (photos to follow)
Also, I felt that the stark white of the Fiamma products were great if attached to most motor-homes or caravans. But it didn’t compliment my vans colours. So in a matter of weeks I had dropped the box off and had it colour coded ‘Cherry Red (LA3E). This was going to prove to be a massive bonus on future trips in 2015
The real reason for this additional storage space was to remove the requirement to have the external camping components in the van. This includes the tables chairs mats etc. This is / was great as we can pull up on a campsite when it is raining and not have to hoof the outdoor gear outside before we can use the living space. This is what we carry in the back box:
Two large camping chairs, two foot stools, collapsible bucket, wash bowl, BBQ, mallet, Fiamma awning tie down and awning mat and a Utility tent for that all important item …the portaloo.
Find this interesting? Please leave a comment 🙂
Leave a Reply