Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 18:09:29 -0500
Reply-To: Mike Collum <collum@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Collum <collum@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: Announcement: the BZ Shelf
In-Reply-To: <4782ABE9.80302@gmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
LOL, Mike.
I'm 65 and use the upstairs bunk frequently for sleeping. But then, I
was a Submariner so throwing myself into an upper bunk doesn't seem all
that unnatural ... nor does climbing down for that matter.
We also use that crossbar (with the top down) to hang things from. Like
clothes on hangers near the kitchen unit when underway (properly
secured, of course). Also to carry hanging plants from a nursery to the
house. These vehicles are indeed versatile.
Mike
Michael Elliott wrote:
> We downstairs sleepers would rather not plunge to our certain deaths in
> the middle of the night when we have to take a whiz. We're on the older
> side = less flexible liquid storage container = more frequent micturation.
> We use the upstairs for storage, c.f.,
> http://camping.elliott.googlepages.com/shelves
>
> Mrs Squirrel and I are both smallish folk and the little downstairs bunk
> allows for cuddling and sleeping just fine.
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> KG6RCR
>
>
>
> On 1/7/2008 1:41 PM Tom Forhan wrote:
>
>> This is very interesting. Initially Michele and I
>> used the bottom and put Colin in the upper bunk. Years
>> later he decided going camping with the old folks was
>> not cool, and we tried out the top and thought it
>> much, much more comfortable. We never sleep
>> downstairs, unless we are in stealth mode.
>>
>> Have you downstairs sleeper check the quality of the
>> foam on your upper bunk? I can't believe people think
>> the bottom is better!
>>
>>
>> --- Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>>
>>> On Jan 7, 2008, at 2:16 PM, Michael Elliott wrote:
>>>
>>>> Beats me -- Mrs Squirrel and I prefer sleeping
>>> downstairs. Tom --
>>>> do you
>>>> use the upper bunk?
>>> I relegate non consensual guests to the upper bunk,
>>> but I have slept
>>> up there until I figured out it was not as comfy as
>>> downstairs.
>>>
>>> Tom
>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>>>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>>>> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical
>>> Banana")
>>>> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San
>>> Juan Capistrano
>>>> KG6RCR
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 1/7/2008 12:35 PM Jake de Villiers wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Way to go guys! Nice job with the design Tom and
>>> thanks for the Wiki
>>>>> Rocky.
>>>>>
>>>>> Any trouble getting in and out of the upper berth
>>> with the shelf
>>>>> there?
>>>>> I can't really see how much of the access slot
>>> the BZ covers.
>>>>> Thanks again, Jake
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jan 2, 2008 5:40 PM, Michael Elliott
>>> <camping.elliott@gmail.com
>>>>> <mailto:camping.elliott@gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Back in August or so Mrs Squirrel and I
>>> became frustrated with
>>>>> having to
>>>>> deal with boxes of groceries and stuff which
>>> were constantly
>>>>> underfoot
>>>>> when camping in places where the local
>>> critters were eying our
>>>>> comestibles
>>>>> with considerable interest. I wondered
>>> whether it might be
>>>>> possible to
>>>>> hang a shelf in the otherwise unused overhead
>>> space at the
>>>>> front of the
>>>>> raised poptop and posted a proposal involving
>>> chains and
>>>>> skyhooks and
>>>>> stuff, an idea that was doomed to never work.
>>>>>
>>>>> Several folks suggested better ways to go
>>> about it, but
>>>>> nothing seemed
>>>>> very easy to me. Then Tom Buese, who was
>>> apparently looking
>>>>> for an
>>>>> excuse
>>>>> to avoid doing real work, popped up with a
>>> design for a shelf
>>>>> which
>>>>> mounts
>>>>> easily on the poptop's crossarm with a couple
>>> of hardware
>>>>> store U-bolts,
>>>>> holds a surprising amount of stuff when
>>> deployed, and folds
>>>>> flat against
>>>>> the roof when the top is down. He put
>>> together a prototype and
>>>>> emailed a
>>>>> dimensioned drawing of his idea to me. I
>>> banged a version
>>>>> together in a
>>>>> couple of hours without hardly any
>>> significant loss of blood
>>>>> and mounted
>>>>> it up. After a test on a short camping trip,
>>> it has become a
>>>>> permanent
>>>>> addition to our Westy. Best thing I've ever
>>> done -- besides
>>>>> marrying Mrs
>>>>> Squirrel, I'd say.
>>>>>
>>>>> After the Vanagon Wiki went "live" this year
>>> I suggested to
>>>>> Tom that we
>>>>> could post a how-to article about his "BZ
>>> Shelf" but it took
>>>>> him a
>>>>> bit of
>>>>> time to take the pictures and refine the
>>> drawing. But finally,
>>>>> after
>>>>> considerable nagging on my part, I got him to
>>> post the stuff
>>>>> to me so I
>>>>> could write the article.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you're like me, able to use a
>>> reciprocating saw without
>>>>> hardly ever
>>>>> cutting off a finger, own a Westy, and find
>>> yourself sometime
>>>>> wishing you
>>>>> had a darn place to put pots and pans and
>>> coolers and stuff
>>>>> that seem to
>>>>> crowd your floor when camping, do yourself a
>>> favor and build a BZ
>>>>> Shelf. I
>>>>> reckon you'll be glad you did.
>>>>>
>>>>> So here it is, with Tom's permission: photos
>>> and plans at
>>>>> http://vanagonwiki.net/index.php/Buese_Shelf
>>>>>
>>> <http://vanagonwiki.net/index.php/Buese_Shelf>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>>>>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>>>>> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical
>>> Banana")
>>>>> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc.,
>>> San Juan Capistrano
>>>>> KG6RCR
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Jake
>>>>> 1984 Vanagon GL
>>>>> 1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
>>>>> Crescent Beach, BC
>>>>> www.crescentbeachguitar.com
>>> <http://www.crescentbeachguitar.com>
>>>>> http://subyjake.googlepages.com/
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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