Date:         Tue, 20 Sep 2005 21:14:11 EDT
Reply-To:     Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Oxroad <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: SssssshhhhhhhhhhTHUNK!
Comments: To: j.michael.elliott@GMAIL.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 9/20/2005 5:23:09 PM Pacific Standard Time,
j.michael.elliott@GMAIL.COM writes:

>>Has anyone found a way to make the closing of that sliding door  a little
>>more civilized?





Yes, to avoid the SssssssshhhhhhhhhTHUNK  I keep a tank of human waste  in my
bus! I've been collecting it for years, mostly from celebrities.  (LOL)

What's with the "tank of human waste", Mike!!?  Geez. You really know  how to
spoil a trip. What's a Gatoraid bottle of pee among friends?

Truth is I hear you. I don't really want all that waste in my bus. But FWIW
I recommend a Gatoraid bottle if you're travelling solo and gonna spend a
night  in some rest stop on the side of Route 80. I use that kind of thing when I
roll in for the night so I don't have to mess with the locals when I roll in
to  the Rest Stop and park at 2 a.m. for a few hours sleep. And I'm talking
about  the kind of locals who hang in the rest stop men's rooms. Because even at
2  a.m. after 18 hours of driving I can sure look pretty--in a rest stop kind
of  way.

OK, but we're in a campsite now. I have figured out that you can close the
slider "quietly" from the inside by sliding the door slowly to the "almost
just-about closed" position, but not yet latched, and then grabbing that  handle
on the inside rear of the door--the one that seems like it's there for no
reason-- and pull inward. You'll still get a "CLICK" boardering on a "CLUNK" but
it does eliviate the Sssssssssshhhhhhh and most of the THUNK.

From the outside the same thing kind of works. You can just use your butt  or
someone elses if they're willing to lean into the rear of the slider once
it's almost just-about closed.

Having said that, I have to confess sometime I just climb through the
cockpit and out one of the front doors. Although often while camping the  cockpit
area is so full of storage of the stuff that was in the back and my  Tanks of
Human Waste that I have to use the slider.

Best,
Jeff
83.5 Westy
LA,CA