Date:         Mon, 23 Sep 2002 07:51:55 -0500
Reply-To:     Chuck Hill <hilltech@NETINS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Chuck Hill <hilltech@NETINS.NET>
Subject:      Side tent observations
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Well, yes, side tents are neat, and a real, German side tent is going to
be an engineering masterpiece, just like our vans!  I bought a German
"house" tent in Germany in the '60's and used it camping all over
Europe, and a big part of the USA before I ever had a bus or Vanagon.
It was a little longer than the current side tent Busdepot sells, and
had a sleeping room that could be put up or left stored.

Observations on the sleeping room section, were the following.  You have
a little privacy when changing clothes with kids in the rest of the
tent.  It's warmer at night.  It keeps out the critters, and that can be
very important.  Once in Paris, about 6 in the morning, a kitten jumped
up onto my wife's chest and stared down at her.  When Barb opened her
eyes, she was looking into the face of a huge, man eating tiger, or so
it seemed at a distance of maybe 12 inches.  As I recall, she made a
female distress call.  I was maybe 3' away and noticed that something
was not just right there.  After that we put up the sleeping room.   We
always carried a couple of folding cots that were quite comfortable.  At
that time, all this stuff was carried in the front trunk of a VW beetle.

Using a tent has advantages and disadvantages.  Once in Venice, we got
to the campground, signed in, and had supper and a bottle of wine at the
campground restaurant.  We had a real hard time, a REAL hard time,
figuring out how to put up the tent in the dark, after that wine, but we
didn't care too much either.  Once in Spain, the thing almost blew away
when a thunderstorm struck. On the other hand they are actually fairly
roomy compared to the ~5 x 5 area in the middle of the Vanagon.  On a
rainy day, you need the space.  Packing it up wet and hauling it around
while it ferments is maybe not so great.  A side tent is lots cheaper
than a poptop van, and travelling in a non-poptop is quieter and more
comfortable than a Westy.  Kids like tents, and it adds to the
adventure.  They're colorful.  It holds your spot when you've driven the
van somewhere else. Etc.

Try one sometime, you'll like it.

Chuck Hill