Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 18:56:36 -0400
Reply-To: "Karl F. Bloss" <bloss@ENTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Karl F. Bloss" <bloss@ENTER.NET>
Subject: Re: converting gl to be more camp-able
In-Reply-To: <20000410204957.98758.qmail@hotmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
> anyways, he is looking for ideas on how to convert the interior to be more
> camp-able for two. has anyone toyed with the middle seats, like flipping
> them around or deleting them all together? has anyone installed tables or
> westy style gear like fridge, sink, stove, cabinets. etc? what about a
> poptop kit? any great ideas or inputs as to how to develop this van to be
> more "home away from homey" would be greatly appreciated.
Jason,
Our van started life as an '87 GL Weekender and we wanted to make it campable
without going the Full Monty to a Westy. Here's a quick overview of what we do
for camping:
* Space - We remove the middle seat (pull back the carpet, 4 bolts, and it
slides out) and I got a carpet remnant, cut it to size and just throw it on top
of the other carpet.
* Sleeping - covered by the Weekender bed. In fact, our bed is queen-sized
because we don't have a cabinet in the back.
* Table - I added a non-VW fold-up table to the wall. I got it from Chris
Turner, but I'm not sure what kind of vehicle it comes from. I also added a
swing-out table that's built from a breadloaf van arm. For camping, we use a
roll-up table, as available from Campmor or LL Bean, along with $9 folding
chairs from K-Mart (assuming a picnic table is not available). Check out:
http://www.campmor.com/cgi-
bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=7587&prmenbr=226
* Cooking - Our camp kitchen is a chuck box. I had decided on the metal
Campmor version rather than the plastic LL Bean setup. It was cheaper, a bit
sturdier, and didn't have flexing plastic hinges which always ultimately break.
It also holds magnetic commemorative plaques from VW Campouts. :-) Here's
the link from Campmor:
http://www.campmor.com/cgi-
bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=13921&prmenbr=226
The metal chuck box has one design flaw, IMHO: The lid doesn't stay open and
easily slams shut from a gust of wind or slight uneven surface. I fixed that
with some parts from an old erector set.
The chuckbox holds all the utensils, cookware and nonperishables you could
want. We bought a good set of camp cookware since they are nested and have
fold-up handles. There's space for food preparation and the top can hold a
typical propane or white gas 2-burners stove.
We used to carry around one of those 2-burner propane stoves, but found that we
hardly ever use more than one burner. Thus most of the time, we have a Peak I
backpacking stove in the chuckbox that takes up a lot less space and no propane
bottles to carry around. One white gas fillup lasts most of a weekend of light
cooking.
* Cool food storage - we got a 12V Coleman cooling chest ($80 on sale). Draws
4 amps, so no leaving it on overnight unless you have a 2nd battery or a hookup
with AC/DC converter. With some gelpacks, it'll stay cool for a weekend
without even plugging it in (great insulation). For longer trips, the cooling
while plugged in during the day is enough to carry the gelpacks through the
night.
* Sink - We got a camp sink from (you guessed it...) Campmor. Self-contained,
holds its own water, and we can do dishes outside...or leave it at home.
http://www.campmor.com/cgi-
bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=226&prrfnbr=13780
* Standing room - We added a poptop. Some might consider this extreme and ask
"why not just get a Westy?" However, for about $500 and some sweat equity, I
added the top and I have what I want. Here are some pictures:
http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/poptop
If you want to know more details about the conversion, I have the text that I
sent to the list when doing the conversion.
The reasons for adding a poptop include an additional bed (although I haven't
finished building our yet), standing room, better ventilation, cooking on the
table without burning the headliner, and throwing stuff up there when sleeping
rather than putting it outside or in the front seats.
The result is a daily driver van that can hold 4x8 sheets of plywood flat, is
relatively light (no Westy lefty sag), and holds 7 passengers and lots of
luggage.
To camp or have a picnic, we throw in the 12V cooler, and the chuckbox. A
porta-potti is great to have as well, but that's even an option for Westy
owners. We also got an awning, but again, that's a separate item even for
Westies and is discussed on the list on occasion (www.campingworld.com seems to
be a good source for these).
Hope this helps.
-Karl
Karl and Kristina Bloss, Trexlertown, PA
'87 Westfalia Weekender "Beverley" - 195K miles
http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/
PA/NJ Vanagon owner's mailing list: http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/pavanagon/
