Conversion van camping doesn't give you the luxury of life in an Rv, nor the ache of sleeping in a tent. It can be tough to safely heat a van at night, but it's cheap compared to an Rv, and you can go places they cannot. We spent more than 25 nights sleeping in our conversion van last year.
Life In A Conversion Van
Camping
Make your van into something that's useable for you, especially if it's going to be your residence for days or weeks at a time. For my wife and I, this meant having space to move around. We took out the two middle seats which, I convinced Ana, would be good armchairs for the living room. Then we had adequate space for dressing or cooking. The bench-seat in back folds out into a comfortable bed, so we were all set for camping.
When traveling, you need a theory of society to keep your space inside the van livable. After our first long trip, we noticed the many things we never used. We got more effective after that. We're also able to keep the space open, despite carrying many things, by using plastic storehouse tubs you can buy almost anywhere. They stack well, and if you need more room at night, you can put them on the roof. They're rainproof with the lids snapped on.
Heating A Conversion Van
Camping in a van can be cold at times, as it was for us in the deserts of Arizona last winter. We started the van and cranked up the heater once in a while, but only for brief periods. The danger of carbon monoxide poisoning is just too great to leave the car running while you are sleeping.
We also cooked to heat up the van. Our propane camp stove burned very clean. Any time it was cold, it was time to cook dinner, breakfast, or tea. This heated up the van nicely. Again, because of carbon monoxide, I wouldn't advise ever sleeping with a propane burner going. Still, sometimes a quick warm-up is all you need before you crawl under the blankets for the night.
The hidden to heating a conversion van when camping is to give up. Enjoy meal time warm-ups, but unless you have galvanic power, I don't know of a safe way to heat a van all night. Instead, you can heat yourselves. Wear warm clothing. Bring more blankets than you think you'll need. Prepare a thermos bottle full of hot coffee each night, so it will be waitng for you in the morning. You get to warm the van when you make it, and warm up yourselves drinking it for breakfast.
Advantages Of Conversion Van Camping
Traveling and camping in a conversion van costs less than in an Rv. The initial cost is a lot less if you buy used, as we did, and the cost of driving it is substantialy less. We averaged 18 miles per gallon on our last cross-country trip. Most recreational vehicles are lucky to get half of that, and they're very costly to maintain.
Compared with tent camping, a van is much more comfortable. Even if you backpack, you are probably going to drive some kind of car to wherever you go. With a van, you can come inside if it starts to rain. If you're backpacking a long way from home, you can save on motels on the drive to and from the trailhead.
Camping can be more comfortable in an Rv, but not in all ways. It's nice, for example, to park anywhere. We've taken naps in parking lots, and nobody was the wiser, thanks to tinted windows, curtains, and the inconspicuousness of a van. At a free campground in Florida we got the best spot, on a bank overlooking Lake Talquin, because our van was small adequate to fit there, unlike most of the Rvs.
It's great to be able to drive anywhere. In the conversion van, camping wherever we are when it gets dark is no problem. Finally, some larger Rvs drag a car nearby because the big rig just isn't practical for daily driving. Our coversion van is a second home And our traditional vehicle for shopping or going to work. That's flexibilty.
Conversion Van Camping Tips
Timber Ridge Deluxe XL Camp Cot from Bizarkdeal
ตอบลบThis is AMAZING. I have used cots before and they are typically very stiff and uncomfortable if you do not have mat or small air mattress under you. They are great for getting you off the ground and that makes it very easy to get in and out of the sleeping arrangement, but other than that the ones that I have tried did not usually offer much more of an advantage. This cot is very comfortable. It has just a bit of sag in the webbing that allows you to get comfortable rather than the afore mention stiff straight across versions. The oversized cot allows me at 6'2" and 250 lbs. to be very comfortable and actually roll in the middle of the night if I feel like it without feeling like I was going to roll off. The elevation of the cot is perfect for not messing up your back getting up and down from the ground. It also allows you to actually store all of your stuff under it thereby leaving much more room in your tent for keeping things organized. I used this in my four person tent and it allowed me to keep everything out of the way so that I could actually stand in front of the cot and get dressed or undressed easily. The cot was so comfortable for that I was able to give up my air pad to another person in our group, who had forgotten hers, and still sleep very soundly and comfortably. I would highly recommend this cot to anyone. You don't have to be a big guy to appreciate the comfort that you will have from this one.