GCAdventurer
Where did I put my keys??
Hello All!
I have been going through the forum as much as I could as a non-member for the longest time, then thought to myself, why not? So, I joined up. Now I don't have a cool off road rig, or even a 4wd, but for the adventures I take, my van does the trick. I currently own a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan with the pushrod 3.3L and just a tad over 206,000km now. I have owned it since 15,000k and have had a love-hate relationship with it ever since.
My previous rig was a 2004 Dodge Dakota 4dr V8 2wd with a limited slip differential and for the most part it was an awesome truck, until someone tried to take out a house with it.... Anyway, back to the Caravan, since I needed another ride and with two small children I reluctantly decided on a minivan. Since owning it, I have converted it into a weekend getaway camper for the wife and I, as well as added many minor modifications to make family adventures much easier. I have camped in many parks and also done my fair share of stealth camping on our adventures but now it seems as the van won't be much of a camper with the kids getting older and wanting to come along (as well as a new addition to the family)
Here are some pics:
Here you can see I have added a third roof rail crossmember and mounted 4x100W Halogen lights to and installed a roof top carrier behind them.
From the Back is my Class 3 Hitch with 2" ball and Reece Hitch Step (Makes getting into the roof storage so much easier)
The seats are folded down into the floor as it gets a good cleaning for a camping trip.
you may not be able to see but in the lower front storage is a 200W power inverter as the can only came with 12v plugs
Here is the camper conversion. Air mattress for comfort, privacy curtains and a bug screen covering the rear hatch opening for air flow.
Add on awning (first attempt) and you can see the bug screen.
My love-hate relationship with this van is the fact that it can be converted and configured to meet whatever use I want but no matter what, at the end of the day it is still a minivan and not a cool VW conversion van.
I have taken it to far stretches of Northern Michigan and Ontario, and as far south as Florida. 99.9% of my travels are on roadways (paved/dirt) and the Caravan is excellent at hauling kids and cargo without any complaining from the power-train even with trailer in tow full of camping gear. The only thing that would be nice is some more ground clearance and 4x4 capability. (I'm guessing only a full size Suburban would be the next closest thing...except for the gas mileage)
I have been going through the forum as much as I could as a non-member for the longest time, then thought to myself, why not? So, I joined up. Now I don't have a cool off road rig, or even a 4wd, but for the adventures I take, my van does the trick. I currently own a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan with the pushrod 3.3L and just a tad over 206,000km now. I have owned it since 15,000k and have had a love-hate relationship with it ever since.
My previous rig was a 2004 Dodge Dakota 4dr V8 2wd with a limited slip differential and for the most part it was an awesome truck, until someone tried to take out a house with it.... Anyway, back to the Caravan, since I needed another ride and with two small children I reluctantly decided on a minivan. Since owning it, I have converted it into a weekend getaway camper for the wife and I, as well as added many minor modifications to make family adventures much easier. I have camped in many parks and also done my fair share of stealth camping on our adventures but now it seems as the van won't be much of a camper with the kids getting older and wanting to come along (as well as a new addition to the family)
Here are some pics:
Here you can see I have added a third roof rail crossmember and mounted 4x100W Halogen lights to and installed a roof top carrier behind them.
From the Back is my Class 3 Hitch with 2" ball and Reece Hitch Step (Makes getting into the roof storage so much easier)
The seats are folded down into the floor as it gets a good cleaning for a camping trip.
you may not be able to see but in the lower front storage is a 200W power inverter as the can only came with 12v plugs
Here is the camper conversion. Air mattress for comfort, privacy curtains and a bug screen covering the rear hatch opening for air flow.
Add on awning (first attempt) and you can see the bug screen.
My love-hate relationship with this van is the fact that it can be converted and configured to meet whatever use I want but no matter what, at the end of the day it is still a minivan and not a cool VW conversion van.
I have taken it to far stretches of Northern Michigan and Ontario, and as far south as Florida. 99.9% of my travels are on roadways (paved/dirt) and the Caravan is excellent at hauling kids and cargo without any complaining from the power-train even with trailer in tow full of camping gear. The only thing that would be nice is some more ground clearance and 4x4 capability. (I'm guessing only a full size Suburban would be the next closest thing...except for the gas mileage)
). Hey,no shame in minivan'ing it...until I traded it in for my Wife's new-ish Camry (it's an '11 V6 XLE) last summer (a year ago come July 4),we did much of the same with a '98 Mercury Villager I'd bought specifically for such,as well as bike hauling (sporting a '98 Jeep Cherokee now-a-days,parked along side her Camry,LOL). 
