hobietony
Explorer
I go with a pick handle myself
Best and Worst Van Ideas
- Thread starter coronan
- Start date
I go with a pick handle myself
Cole
Expedition Leader
Poptop!
This is one of the best ideas in the world from my point of view. It allows you to have standing room and/or sleeping for 4 while still having a vehicle shorter (length) than a standard car and short enough (height) to fit in a standard garage or inner city parking structures!
It also allows you to have GREAT ventilation with the top up, or keep things cozy with it down!
Fuel efficiency with the top down and more room than a highroof when up!
Fwiw, I have a pop top Eurovan Weeekender and a super high roof Sprinter. The compactness, versatility and efficiency of layout make the VW more useful overall for travel IMO. This may change if I get the layout to the Sprinter world out right.
This is one of the best ideas in the world from my point of view. It allows you to have standing room and/or sleeping for 4 while still having a vehicle shorter (length) than a standard car and short enough (height) to fit in a standard garage or inner city parking structures!
It also allows you to have GREAT ventilation with the top up, or keep things cozy with it down!
Fuel efficiency with the top down and more room than a highroof when up!
Fwiw, I have a pop top Eurovan Weeekender and a super high roof Sprinter. The compactness, versatility and efficiency of layout make the VW more useful overall for travel IMO. This may change if I get the layout to the Sprinter world out right.
4wheeldrivevan
Observer
I spent two weeks in my cargo van a few years ago. I was pretty comfortable with a queen sized mattress sitting on a platform for my bed, there was enough room on the side of the bed for a 12" deep cabinet that extended to the roof, storage room for nearly 20 milk crates under the bed, a 22" flat screen TV + a hard drive full of movies mounted just behind the drivers seat, the passengers seat mounted facing the rear and a fold out table on one of the side doors that I used as a laptop desk. I also had 2 large solar panels on the roof and a few golf cart batteries to hold the power harvested from the sun. They generated more than enough juice to run the TV and surround sound all night as well as charge up the laptops and other electric gadgets. For water I just used 10 gallon jugs. In the mountains I saw -20 degrees but was pretty warm in a good North Face sleeping bag. I had more fun on that van trip than I've had on $10,000 vacations with my family staying in fancy hotels. I also had a cheap motorcycle rack on the back for my KLR 650. I'd definitely get a stronger rack for the motorcycle or take a smaller bike if I did it again.
Johnrunberg
Adventurer
FWIW - Volkswagen got the Westy layout pretty right. Look at the latest campers from Europe to see what they did better after they stopped shipping to the US.
A pop is WONDERFUL if you can afford to build / buy one. Leave it down and you're stealth. Pop and you have standing room. We have a Westy and leave it down in winter most of the time... but pop it EVERY time we stop in nice weather. A vertical penthouse (for me) is far less useful.
For heat, go for a Propex (propane). Worth every penny.
Seating? Swivel on (at least) the passenger front seat. WORTH IT.
For gear storage... leave most of it at home. For overflow put it in a Yakima box on the roof.
Internal cabinets? If you have the time/$$$ tambour doors are great but, honestly, the advantage is low IMHO. The inconvenience of swing doors lasts only a micro-second. And they never fail.
If you're building cabinets, put 'em behind the driver (blind spot). Keep the center OPEN. And think hard about a rock-n-roll bed instead of a fixed unit.
A pop is WONDERFUL if you can afford to build / buy one. Leave it down and you're stealth. Pop and you have standing room. We have a Westy and leave it down in winter most of the time... but pop it EVERY time we stop in nice weather. A vertical penthouse (for me) is far less useful.
For heat, go for a Propex (propane). Worth every penny.
Seating? Swivel on (at least) the passenger front seat. WORTH IT.
For gear storage... leave most of it at home. For overflow put it in a Yakima box on the roof.
Internal cabinets? If you have the time/$$$ tambour doors are great but, honestly, the advantage is low IMHO. The inconvenience of swing doors lasts only a micro-second. And they never fail.
If you're building cabinets, put 'em behind the driver (blind spot). Keep the center OPEN. And think hard about a rock-n-roll bed instead of a fixed unit.
VanDam
New member
Everyone on here has given different ideas. I just read threw them all because Im thinking of rebuilding my interior. For me, I bought the van with the interior already done, 15 passenger converted. The fixed bed is the worst in my opinion. I have a huge vehicle every once and a while it would be fun to take more than just me and a friend into the bush. Would be fun to take me plus 5! Or go on surf trips with me and my girlfriend plus another couple. Right now with my van that is not an option because the shelves, fridge, drawers, and bed take up all the room. I will probably pull it all out and go for something like this http://sportsmobileforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6098 but I just recently bought some of these seats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbo0UmFcR_E&list=FLV9rENqS0V0PeDA_3yhymfQ&index=3 and will encorperate them into my plan.
My advice is buy a blank canvas, go on some adventures with a mattress in there and imagine what you would like to make your van work for you.
My advice is buy a blank canvas, go on some adventures with a mattress in there and imagine what you would like to make your van work for you.