Last night was my first night snoozing in a Vanagon since Nov '94. Damn, they make for cozy sleepouts. I had a '91 Westy; sold it in Nov '94. I loved the capability to park and nap anywhere. This winter I decided I needed a tool for escaping "civilization", occasionally. I found an '85 Weekender (Big sunroof, curtains etc..). It sat in the driveway while I fiddled around getting it cleaned up and solving the problem with wet subflooring pads. Finally, this Monday it was ready for the big futon and all the sleeping stuff. I went shopping with it to get a new comforter. Then I decided to drive up the (Columbia River) Gorge just to enjoy the new toy. It then occurred to me that, 'Jeez, I don't have to go home tonight. I can campout if I want.' So, I did. I found a sparsely populated USDA campground well into the Cascades. The cedar smelled so wonderful. What a treat to roll down the bed and futon, open the big sunroof and lay in bed staring at the stars. I fell asleep but awoke sometime around 2 > 4 AM with a very cold face, shoulders and arms and had to close the sunroof. There's still snow on the ground up there. While I miss the poptop and cooking hardware in a Westy, I like the simplicity and less weight of the Weekender (I had a '71 Weekender in the '80s). I love the openair feel of that sunroof. Type IIs, Vanagons, EuroVans.....there's nothing like 'em.
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