Monday 26 August 2019

Welcome to our New Vantage Neo. Part 2

Well we have finally got ourselves sorted out and packed and re packed a few times until we were happy.  

Lots of good advice from the Travels With A Neo Facebook page. I expect following our shake down tour of France, Italy and Greece we will have yet a few more adaptations to make but in the meantime here is what we have done.


  •  Chairs. At 90 cms in length it was crucial we could find some comfy chairs that would fit. These fitted the bill perfectly and they are comfy. They come in their own bags and although they are a tad on the heavy side we love them. Kampa Consul in blue.
  • Mirrors. Sorry but I need a super magnifier in the bathroom. We managed to find the same one we use at home and Dan fitted it for us in the bathroom.

  • Additional wall holder in the bathroom also fitted. Handy for the toothpaste.
  • Additional wall holder in the kitchen for bits and bobs.

  • The large locker under the bed fits all our bedding and a small safe. We also moved the jack and tools from under the front seat to this locker.
  • Warning triangles fit neatly on the seat bases, along with a spare bulb kit for continental touring.


  • The second warning triangle goes under the inverter.
  • A nifty set of hooks for our keys.

  • In the wardrobe Den has fitted a tie back for his camera bag.
  • A tie back for my documents and map folder.
  • All our clothes fall into the top lockers on one side. We use Amazon packing cubes which work really well.
  • Shoes and walking boots fit into the big drawer under the oven. We do have small feet!!
  • Walking poles fit on the inside back door wall and everything else slides into the boot. We take a gas BBQ & an electric hot plate. Two footstools, an outdoor table, a sunscreen for the awning and a small outdoor groundsheet. All that stores into the outside boot space, along with the silver screens. Tools and assorted fuses, pumps etc go inside the Truma locker on a special shelf which we asked to be fitted.
  • Awning poles and rafter fit neatly behind the drivers seat next to the table poles.
  • A couple of Ikea grey cushions which match perfectly and could double up as pillows completes the inside mods.
  • The only additional bit of kit is our Aldi  ( really cheap) cooler box which sits between the seats on site. Handy for wine, fruit and beer.
All in all we are very happy with Krystal. The automatic gear box makes life really easy and the slightly bigger engine has improved fuel consumption. The fridge is brilliant and the ice box actually keeps food frozen. I took Dan's advice and filled the fridge with plastic boxes which works really well. We love the bathroom and the kitchen and pantry is perfect for my needs. 

The one thing we have really noticed is how beautifully dry everything is, even in bad weather. The van is obviously really well insulated.

Next stop, our shake down European trip, France, Italy and then ferry to Greece.




2 comments:

  1. Hello been reading your blogs and love them , can I ask why you changed from an ih to a neo and why you prefer a van conversion over a coach built , many thanks , mike

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  2. Hi, how are you finding your new van now? we own an IH 630 rear lounge and are swopping for a Neo in the spring. We love reading your blog but found it hard to find this section? like to refer back and taken ages to find it! Have you made anymore amendments/additions? thanks june (changed email richardchitson@btinternet.com)

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