Date:         Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:18:53 -0900
Reply-To:     Will Taygan <lists@ALASKABIODIESEL.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Will Taygan <lists@ALASKABIODIESEL.ORG>
Subject:      Re: Westy seating/sleeping: Questions for families of 5+
In-Reply-To:  <479D8375-B0EB-4DAA-AA03-78A009779DEB@gmail.com>
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When I put in rear shoulder belts from GoWesty in the '82 Westy I took
one of the lap belts and bolted it on top of the center belt receivers.
I can now fit 3 kids in, one by herself on one side, one in a booster on
the other side and a full carseat or a booster with harness in the
middle.  It's tight, but it works.

Only 2 of those are mine, so I use it only occasionally when there's a
friend around, or when I need to squeeze Grandparents in the van.

More permanently I'm looking for a middle seat and rails near Anchorage,
anyone locally have an extra? (Mostly for Grandparent time.)

Have you thought about bolting anchors to the floor and attaching the
baby seat there?  Should work for a couple years..  Maybe a Weekender is
in your future? ;)

Enjoy!

Will in Alaska.

On Mon, 2012-01-23 at 13:02 -0800, Aaron 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?)
>