Astro 4x4 Adventure VAN
- Thread starter Sharkfox
- Start date
RememberTheFallen
Explorer
Not sure what you're after for a bike mount out back but this is what I did. I didn't want a receiver mount and I didn't want to have to pull a tire.
Your picture isn't showing up for me Tom.
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Ack! Me either. Let me fix...
Not sure if this pic is any better, but it's a little bit closer.
Yellowstone2Yukon
New member
Great thread! Looking forward to pictures of your Alaska trip. Driving the ALCAN is what inspired the plan for my own Astro expedition vehicle.
ihatemybike
Explorer
I loved our Alaska trip in my 1999 2WD Astro back in 2013. Had the van on the Dalton Hwy as far as the campground at the Arctic Circle sign before having to turn around due to time constraints. On the trip home exited Alaska via the Top of the World Hwy, then took the Canol Rd between Ross River and Johnsons Crossing, my husky really liked the water in Quite Lake.
Time for another delayed update. At some point a decision was made hastily to travel to Alaska for a couple months. This time I needed storage and sleeping for two as my girlfriend was joining me. This initiated a whirlwind of mechanical maintenance and a full blown interior overhaul. The single hammock wasn't going to cut it anymore.
The focus for this build was on keeping weight down, maximizing storage...oh and conceptualizing and building it in two weeks....Yes that's right.....TWO WEEKS!
We did a little brainstorming and decided we needed storage for clothes for at least a week between Laundromat visits, the fridge, dry food storage, a bed, and a ton of miscellaneous camping gear.
It can be debilitating trying to lay out a camper. What size should storage containers be? How big should the bed be? Where should the fridge go? etc..etc.. Eventually I just had to get started and planned around the large items. The clock was ticking.
I know it isn't done up to woodworking cabinetry standards but a lot of concessions were made with respect to saving weight.
Here's a layout looking rearward from the front seats.
The idea for putting the pots and pans, as well as the plates, cups, mugs, and bowls on a slide out tray was to be able to easily grab it and remove it from the cabinet. That way we could just pull it out of the van and have everything ready to cook and eat at a picnic table. Nice to have everything as a unit.
That carpet sling underneath the cabinet is used to store two camp chairs and a camping table. The reason for keeping it a carpet sling was so the lower battery compartment could be opened easily and because the chairs could immediately be grabbed when getting to a camp spot. They seemed like the things we would unload first.
The under bed storage was made from Ikea baskets. They are wire mesh and basically weigh nothing. Cheap. Replaceable. Large. Four baskets provide a LOT of storage for daily items. The large wooden drawer held most of our frequently used camping items. Propane cylinder, hammocks, fishing gear, tools, saw, hatchet, you name it. I tried to keep most items accessible while standing outside the sliding door. You don't really live IN an Astro van, you live OUT of it after all.
The focus for this build was on keeping weight down, maximizing storage...oh and conceptualizing and building it in two weeks....Yes that's right.....TWO WEEKS!
We did a little brainstorming and decided we needed storage for clothes for at least a week between Laundromat visits, the fridge, dry food storage, a bed, and a ton of miscellaneous camping gear.
It can be debilitating trying to lay out a camper. What size should storage containers be? How big should the bed be? Where should the fridge go? etc..etc.. Eventually I just had to get started and planned around the large items. The clock was ticking.
I know it isn't done up to woodworking cabinetry standards but a lot of concessions were made with respect to saving weight.
Here's a layout looking rearward from the front seats.
The idea for putting the pots and pans, as well as the plates, cups, mugs, and bowls on a slide out tray was to be able to easily grab it and remove it from the cabinet. That way we could just pull it out of the van and have everything ready to cook and eat at a picnic table. Nice to have everything as a unit.
That carpet sling underneath the cabinet is used to store two camp chairs and a camping table. The reason for keeping it a carpet sling was so the lower battery compartment could be opened easily and because the chairs could immediately be grabbed when getting to a camp spot. They seemed like the things we would unload first.
The under bed storage was made from Ikea baskets. They are wire mesh and basically weigh nothing. Cheap. Replaceable. Large. Four baskets provide a LOT of storage for daily items. The large wooden drawer held most of our frequently used camping items. Propane cylinder, hammocks, fishing gear, tools, saw, hatchet, you name it. I tried to keep most items accessible while standing outside the sliding door. You don't really live IN an Astro van, you live OUT of it after all.
ORYGUN HIACE
Member
I know almost every inch of what rode. Great system of trails and great camping spot. SunnySide are a great bunch of guys&gals. Glad you got some time in Bend.Heading North.
I spent some time passing through Oregon. Did some camping and moto-touring in and around Crater Lake National Park.
I like to think this is an old out house.
I also spent some time exploring the Deschutes National Forest outside of Bend but not before having some bicycle maintenance done. I had a significant fork seal leak that was dripping down my rear door. I took it in to the nice folks at Sunnyside Sports in Bend and explained my situation. They put me ahead of all the other bikes in line and swapped my seal, refilled the fork and had me on my way in short order. I couldn't thank them enough for getting me in that late on a Friday. They also pointed me in the direction of some great trails.
I camped near Phil's Trail System and hit the trails in the morning.
Got some significant "pin striping" exploring Deschutes. One "road" I was on kept getting increasingly narrow...or decreasingly wide...whichever you'd like.
Eventually I found somewhat of a main road and came across another lifted Astro. Anybody know who this is?
I spent some time at Wanoga Sno-Park. As always...winging it.
Set out solo with a crappy trail map. I hit Tiddlywinks, Tylers, Kiwa Butte, Funner, and maybe one or two more. I felt rushed by the sun and not knowing where I was. I would love to go back and spend a weekend there. Awesome trails.
The "Moon Dust" in Bend is no joke.
Only picture I took was in the empty parking lot.
Near dusk, I found an awesome spot in the Deschutes National Forest. Sunset on one side. The lights of Bend on the other.
ihatemybike
Explorer
Liking your 2up build up.
Another post making me want to get back to Alaska...
Another post making me want to get back to Alaska...
We finally stopped building and packing and decided to leave. Here's the three of us (VAN included) ready to blast out of town.
I borrowed the Yakima Rocket Box from a couple of friends a few nights before we left and offered us a HUGE amount of unanticipated additional storage.
We left fairly late in the afternoon and were scheduled to be in Great Falls Montana...soon. Time to cover some ground. We made it to Glendive MT around midnight. We browsed the local neighborhoods and settled upon a quiet block underneath a tree to boondock for the night. Shortly after we parked, a mob of teenage kids biked up and started performing BMX tricks off the curb on the other side of the street. Hooligans.
Once they cleared out, we deployed the bed and easily arrived into Snoozeville.
I'm not much of a social media guy but Rachel started a Blog and Instagram account for our friends and family to follow.
If anyone is interested here is the link to the website.
https://www.instagram.com/vangoodtime/
Clearly much of this is outdated but we (Rachel) are working to keep both of them updated with current adventures as well as documenting past excursions.
We woke up early, hopped into the drivers seats and pressed on to Great Falls Montana.
I borrowed the Yakima Rocket Box from a couple of friends a few nights before we left and offered us a HUGE amount of unanticipated additional storage.
We left fairly late in the afternoon and were scheduled to be in Great Falls Montana...soon. Time to cover some ground. We made it to Glendive MT around midnight. We browsed the local neighborhoods and settled upon a quiet block underneath a tree to boondock for the night. Shortly after we parked, a mob of teenage kids biked up and started performing BMX tricks off the curb on the other side of the street. Hooligans.
Once they cleared out, we deployed the bed and easily arrived into Snoozeville.
I'm not much of a social media guy but Rachel started a Blog and Instagram account for our friends and family to follow.
If anyone is interested here is the link to the website.
https://www.instagram.com/vangoodtime/
Clearly much of this is outdated but we (Rachel) are working to keep both of them updated with current adventures as well as documenting past excursions.
We woke up early, hopped into the drivers seats and pressed on to Great Falls Montana.
ihatemybike
Explorer
I spy what appears to be an older enduro hanging off the back. What ya got?
Good eye. That's my trusty 1979 Suzuki DS185. My garage is sort of a revolving door for bikes but I can't seem to part ways with that one. It's not great at anything but it handles everything.
It even handled a few solid sessions of ice riding. The last day the ice was breaking up in layers and didn't provide much traction...
It even handled a few solid sessions of ice riding. The last day the ice was breaking up in layers and didn't provide much traction...
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