Conversion van fine tuned for camping

So last year, I bought a 96 chevy conversion van. It's a "gladiator". I use it for tow duty, for weekend car events, I camp in it. Usually my wife and 4 yo son come with me.

Looking for inspiration to make it a better experience. Our hillclimbs are typically at a campground, so facilities exist, but occasionally an event only has a port a potty.

I've already found window screens to cover the big window openings, and a screen to cover the opening of the barn doors if desired. It already has an awning. I have a RV matt to put in front of the doors. I have a powered cooler to keep things cold.

I do have a solar shower, bag thingy. However nothing really to mount it on. I have a bumper dumper, that could attach to the rear hitch. I have no enclosure for either.

The rear sofa bed is too small for the wife and I to share. If I'm solo I can sleep diagonal. If wife and son join me, they take the bed, and I take the floor in space of one of the middle chairs.

It has shades. It has a TV.

It's far better than a tent. Help me make it more awesome on a grassroots budget.

Making the bed big enough for the the wife and myself, with my son on the floor, would be a good start. I'm 5'8" and wife is shorter.

And for the record, it already has a grm sticker and a free candy inside sticker.

We need pictures!

Propane camper stove( to be used outside)

Hitch mounted Weber

12v Fans

Freshwater storage?

Any types of cabinetry for storage cant hurt

Toolbox

Extra battery

Rear mounted cooler?

Just random thoughts

I use my race trailer for camping... one easy thing that really helped was to get a big mosquito net and drape it over the rear opening and then over two posts back about 8' so it forms a corridor. That will work on the back of the van too - so you can sleep with the doors wide open and a fan running when it's muggy. It is great for people going in/out frequently too because they have to lift it and it drapes behind them - they can't stand with it open letting bugs in.

Can you dump the rear seat and build a platform for a bed with an inflatable mattress. or built and extension for the existing bed to make it bigger. SWMBO and I have camped in my Van many times on an inflatable on the floor, we could get a full mattress between the wheel wells. We have now built a L shaped storage bench that converts to a frame for a twin mattress as it is big enough for the two of us for a night or two at the track and we wanted more floor space for our stuff.

Another:

Get a decent inverter so you don't have to fire up the generator everytime you need to power something small like a radio or GPS charger (or in my case... cordless impact battery charger for tire changes).

Wire it through a separate fused circuit to the batt so it can pull more than a cig lighter too and you don't need the ign on to use it.

Install a roof rack with 4" pipe to carry fishing poles and other long things (tiki torches? I don't know) so they don't take up room in the van.

While I've thought about removing the rear seat in favor of a more permanent bed, I've decided against it, as it's too valuable as a seat/seat belt. It allows us to carry a lot of folks at once, which is very handy to have on occasion. I agree with the thought of making an extension for the sofabed that can be used when it's in bed form then put a regular air mattress over top. The key being a way to store it when the seat is the up position.

I've got a decent inverter, but really need a second battery in the setup. Thought about adding a solar cell on the roof for charging.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I use my race trailer for camping... one easy thing that really helped was to get a big mosquito net and drape it over the rear opening and then over two posts back about 8' so it forms a corridor. That will work on the back of the van too - so you can sleep with the doors wide open and a fan running when it's muggy. It is great for people going in/out frequently too because they have to lift it and it drapes behind them - they can't stand with it open letting bugs in.

take that idea and go for a tent you can pitch out the back of the van.

mad_machine wrote: take that idea and go for a tent you can pitch out the back of the van.

Kinda like this but out the back?

exactly... can be made into a seperate "bedroom" easily enough. Or you can do one out the back and one out the side and make it like a small home

Look at how sportsmobile does it, then recreate useful elements on a budget.

Sportsmobile.com

when in doubt, build up:

you can get a dual battery setup with an isolator that prevents you from drawing current from your "starting" battery when the key is off, use a deep cycle for your 2nd battery and install it in the back of the van, you can use that to run your accessories use with the van off, never have to worry about draining yourself completely. You can get a good sized deep cycle battery for cheap at wal mart.

if you ARE willing to ditch your folding bench seat, it would not be hard to build yourself a larger bed with some plywood supported by 2x4's, you can make it as tall as you like for storage underneath, can use tupperware or whatever to hold stuff. Removing at least 1 of your middle captains chairs nets you even more room to work with, I assume you have to keep at least 1 for the kid.

The desire to keep the passenger carrying aspect will limit your options. The need to sleep three people adds some difficulty as well. Most class-B motorhomes (glorified conversion vans) are set up to sleep two. Ones that are set up for three often use some method or contraption to convert the front passenger seat and the seat behind it into a bed. Perhaps you could figure out a way to make that work for you with your wife and daughter sleeping on the rear bed?

get a hammock for the kid. :P

Ian F wrote: The desire to keep the passenger carrying aspect will limit your options. The need to sleep three people adds some difficulty as well. Most class-B motorhomes (glorified conversion vans) are set up to sleep two. Ones that are set up for three often use some method or contraption to convert the front passenger seat and the seat behind it into a bed. Perhaps you could figure out a way to make that work for you with your wife and daughter sleeping on the rear bed?

That's what pop-up campers are for. Perfect for head room to move around, but you also gain two sleeping berths above- at least that's what our camper had- it was pretty good for 2 adults and 2 just barely teenage kids.

Does anyone do popup conversions anymore on vans?

alfadriver wrote: That's what pop-up campers are for. Perfect for head room to move around, but you also gain two sleeping berths above- at least that's what our camper had- it was pretty good for 2 adults and 2 just barely teenage kids. Does anyone do popup conversions anymore on vans?

That's not what the OP is asking for. He's trying to make changes to the van he already has.

As posted before me, Sportsmobile still does pop-up van conversions.

failboat wrote: you can get a dual battery setup with an isolator that prevents you from drawing current from your "starting" battery when the key is off, use a deep cycle for your 2nd battery and install it in the back of the van, you can use that to run your accessories use with the van off, never have to worry about draining yourself completely. You can get a good sized deep cycle battery for cheap at wal mart.

Most boats have these - simple rotary switch and they work well. They can't be switched while the motor is running.

nitrous?

This looks like a job for Expeditionportal.com!

NGTD wrote:

failboat wrote: you can get a dual battery setup with an isolator that prevents you from drawing current from your "starting" battery when the key is off, use a deep cycle for your 2nd battery and install it in the back of the van, you can use that to run your accessories use with the van off, never have to worry about draining yourself completely. You can get a good sized deep cycle battery for cheap at wal mart.

Most boats have these - simple rotary switch and they work well. They can't be switched while the motor is running.

not unless you want to blow some diodes on your alternator

Some good thoughts and inspiration. More to consider. Sometimes my trailer stays attached at an event, and other times it must be stored away from the camping spot. Using the trailer as a base of anything is less wise because of that. It does make a nice drinking deck as I can put my 10x10 canopy on it, if there is crappy weather and I do have a screen to put around the canopy to make it bug friendly. We also have a huge old style tent that is easily 10x10, but a pain to assemble solo. We can bring that for a spare room in needed. I hate dealing with rain soaked tents and tarps though. I need to be able to easily rig screening around the attached awning, but covering all the holes included from the van doors to the ground will prove challenging.

I need more ideas on how to make the inside more "livable". Storage, organization, and multiple use stuff.

My normal race weekend configuration when family is involved is remove one middle captains chair, they are damn heavy. Son can ride in other middle captains chair, and wife in front seat. Rear seat/bed is there in case we need to transport others.

At camp, rear seat goes down. Passenger front seat swivels to the rear. Cooler stored in front of sons seat as his legs are too short for it to be in the way, actually makes a nice place for him. Stuff gets stored on either side of the bed. Car stuff and tools on back door side, living stuff on the opposite. Most of the time I'll try to put stuff outside if it's safe to do so.

Bed area is 66" wide and 70" long.