Date:         Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:58:38 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Westy seating/sleeping: Questions for families of 5+
In-Reply-To:  <0F8EBFF9-E693-4064-B181-F7D6683C21DF@verizon.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> I was looking into this, and since my 8 y.o. son loves a hard bed, I ended
up with
> cutting a piece of 1/2" ply that sits across the front seats.  I put a 2x4
on each seat
> to level it and put some detachable legs (aka 2x4's) on the front corners
to support
> the front.  I glued a 1/4" foam yaga mat on top of it so it wouldn't be
too hard.  If
> you'd like i could take a pic of it - it's hard to describe even though
it's so simple.
> The board is thin enough that it stores up on top of the folded cot when
the top is
> down.


I do a similar thing on my '87, but I kept it simple. I have a piece of
plywood cut to size that sits across the two front seats. No 2x4's or legs;
just a piece of plywood.  I have an extra section of mattress from the
fold-out part of the upper bunk bed, salvaged from another Westy, which fits
perfectly on that piece of plywood. We have three kids - 8, 10, and 13 - and
even the 13 year old has used it (albeit without enough room to stretch out)
with no sign of breakage.  The plywood easily stores under the rear mattress
when driving, and the extra mattress on top of the rear mattress.  

For transporting the family of five, I added a rear-facing seat behind the
passenger seat from a Multivan.

Using an Add-A-Room (or, for shorter trips, an Ezy-Awning) also makes a huge
difference. The five of us sleep quite comfortably in our Westy, but it
doesn't leave much room for belongings. Being able to store bags, coolers,
etc. outside of the camper but still under cover allows us to make full use
of the camper's interior space.  (See our website for info on the Add A Room
and the Ezy Awning.)

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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