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Date:         Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:21:39 -0700
Reply-To:     "Joe T." <vanagon85@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Joe T." <vanagon85@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Westy seating/sleeping: Questions for families of 5+
Comments: To: Aaron <a.robinson.lists@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <78301079-A3B3-4DC1-B975-110C5FDEA190@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

For a front seat kid's cot, check this out...made with PVC, canvas, and string, and suspended by shutting the doors:

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/681312.jpg

I saw it at a show a few years ago. Great idea.

Joe T.

On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 11:53 AM, Aaron <a.robinson.lists@gmail.com> wrote:

> The tarp and middle seat option is viable, although the ides is not loved > due to taking up so much interior space. I suppose if you are camping for a > few days this isn't such a bad thing, but if you are just passing through, > it would be a bit inconvenient. I think I'd actually prefer a rear-facing > carat style flip-up seat, but so far I've had no luck finding one. I did > find a middle seat, but it doesn't have floor tracks and the Seatbelts are > gone on it. > > Anyone in the Seattle area with some seat tracks and/or seatbelts (or a > rear-facing seat)? > > I found the cot on Busdepot and am thinking of using that or the plywood > as others suggested as a replacement for kid floor sleeping. The brackets > and pictures indicate it's for a bus vs vanagon. Has anyone used one? > Thoughts? > > This is a little off my own topic, but has anyone ever adapted child > carseat attachment points (LATCH) in their vanagon? It sounds like LATCH is > more convenient than seatbelts - and probably safer than most vans which > only have lap-belts in back. Some people don't want to mess with the idea > that it's not factory installed though. It seems like this could work well > for carseats in the back seat. > http://www.car-safety.org/latch.html > http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-LATCH-system-retrofit/ > http://www.thecarseatlady.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=34 > > I'm probably going to do some searching for the rear shoulder belts too. I > seem to remember something about jetta belts being similar to the $120 > belts sold from GoWesty. > > Thanks for all the suggestions! > Aaron > '87 westy > > > On Jan 23, 2012, at 1:24 PM, Jim Felder wrote: > > > We use the middle seat to haul five or six. We take a tarp to cover it > with if it's raining and has to spend the night outside. It's never been a > problem. If it rained sideways for a couple of days it could be a problem, > just sayin' it never has been. > > > > Jim > > > > On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 3:02 PM, Aaron <a.robinson.lists@gmail.com> > wrote: > > I've got a question for those who take 3 or more kids in a Westfalia. > The family is growing to 5. Currently the kids are 5 and 2.5. Another baby > is due in May, and It's time to start thinking about seating and sleeping > configurations. In addition to the "what were we thinking" questions, I > have a few questions about how to best haul and sleep people on our > adventures. > > > > SEATING: > > Do those who take 3 kids find that the rear-facing seat is convenient > and works well? It seems like it would be a much better solution for > camping (since you wouldn't need to pull out the bench). For those who > travel with a bench in the middle, how inconvenient do you find it when > traveling with the family? I'd be OK to go either way, but know that the > bench would be a bit of a pain when traveling. Fine to pull out if the > weather is great, but not so great when it's rainy/snowy/etc. > > > > SLEEPING: > > I can't see sleeping being much of an issue except when not popping the > top. Often when we are on the move, we will "stealth camp". IE, we pull > into some area late and sleep without popping the top & move on in the > morning. In "stealth" mode, we just sleep our two kids on the floor, which > works fine. With a seat there and all the associated car seats etc, it > could be more difficult. I've been looking at finding a used sleeping cot > as sleeping expansion. How well do the cots work for kids? How big can kids > get before they don't fit? > > > > If you have a rear-facing seat, a middle seat, or a child's cot for > sale, I'd love to hear about it - especially if you are in the WA state > area. > > > > Thanks! > > Aaron (with Tricia Ibai, India, and ????? coming soon) > > '87 westy (Anyone have a stretched vanagon for sale?) > > >

-- Joe T. '85 Wolfsburg Westy Subie 2.2


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