Vanagon Travel/ Camping with older kids

[NoogaVan]

I've been enamored with Buses and Vanagons for what seems like forever, and randomly sending pics of Vanagons to my wife for a few years now. At a recent company function, an ice breaker type of question was posed to the group which was: "As a child, what was you most memorable/ favorite vacation?". Several of the participates said that their favorite vacation was the summer they spent traveling across the country with their family to Yellowstone or The Grand Canyon or Yosemite or ALASKA. Which got me thinking, with an eleven and eight year old, NOW is the time to head out and do the same (and lose the beach trip to the same resort every year)!
So naturally I've been looking with earnest at Full Camper Vanagons. I've found a plethora of info/ blogs about traveling with young children, but does anyone have experience or candid advice regarding traveling with older kids in a Vanagon? Thanks.

[BlueGrasser]

11 and 8 is old?

That is the exact age of my kids and they LOVE it. I would say you're in the sweet spot prime age right now.

When they get a bit older stick em in a tent or two outside and have some privacy for you and your wife at last!

_________________
Going to where the grass is bluer...
1985 Vanagon Westfalia Camper with 1.8T

[dobryan]

Yep. 11 and 8 are not old. Perfect age. Wait until they get to be teenagers and are adult size. Still a great trip but not as much room.

My advice is be sure to bring stuff that they like to do. Family games, video games, laptops, bikes, swim stuff, whatever. Make them enjoy all aspects of the trip. Don't make it one dimensional.

Be sure to stop early enough in the day to have fun before dinner. If you have a long driving day planned start o'dark early in the morning so you can arrive by 4pm. Kids sleep great in the early am while you log miles.

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_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
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[dhaavers]

Just do it. We started road tripping kinda late - kids were 10 and 13.
We're still going strong 7 years later, with both in college next year!

Only got a week together this year and who knows how long it'll work
for all of us, but ya gotta go for it.

Your kids are old enough to help around camp - just do it!

Actually I do have one piece of advice: "The Crabby Hat" ...here's what you do:
1) Find yourself a ridiculous hat of some kind to keep in the van. Goodwill,
thrift shop, grandma's attic, wherever. The more ridiculous, the better.

2) Whenever a majority of travelers identifies another traveller as "crabby",
the crabby party is obligated to wear the hat until such time as the remaining
majority is satisfied that the accused seems to be no longer crabby.

You may be surprised how little time it takes to get the hat off...

In certain instances, it may be impossible to secure the hat-wearing cooperation
of the identified member of the party; in such case, one or more members may
declare the alternate "Non-Cooperative Creed":

3) The "Non-Cooperative Creed" grants a "grace period" for a specific length of
time (say, two minutes; or "until 10:30"; or "until we get out of the van for lunch")
during which the identified traveller must SILENTLY work to get ALL their crabbiness
out using the most grotesquely demonstrative facial gestures possible.

a) If the facial gestures of the subject seem reserved or ineffective, the fellow travelers
are expected to encourage and coach the subject into ever more exaggerated contortions
until the effect of such gestures meets the approval of the group. Remember, this must
be done SILENTLY.

b) If the subject at any time seems to display the slightest suggestion of smile, snicker
or such (or if the allotted time has passed) fellow travelers must declare the Creed
revoked and "normal" activity may be resumed.

I can't tell you exactly why really, but this has seemed to make the inevitable crabby
episodes move along faster in nearly every instance...
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[davideric9]

When we packed for the extended Baja trip, 2 adults, 2 kids, we did a group pack on the living room floor, everyone piled up there stuff and we decided together how many of each item we should bring, so everyone had the same amount of stuff, like number of socks, pairs of underwear, shorts.... and we each had our own identical duffel bag. These four bags fit nicely in the back or on top if we wanted the interior space. Keeping the van organized and everything put away every day (or every few hours) helps a lot.
_________________
1987 Syncro Westfalia, stock (bought 1994)
1986 Syncro Westfalia SVX, 3 knob (bought 2008)
1987 Westfalia (bought 2010)
1988 Wolfsburg GL (bought 2012)

[vegpedlr]

I have many fond memories of camping road trips as a kid. Not a Westy, a slide in camper, but similar in many ways.

I can remember sleeping in the camper in the driveway the night before so we could get a dark thirty departure. Slept the first couple of hours of the drive, and now I know why.

Don't try to cram too much stuff in or go too fast or cover too much ground. Instead, be in the moment and exploring. It's always the weirdest, most random stuff that creates the best memories.

[tarandusVDub]

This is the exact reason I bought another VW bus. Our daughter is now 10 (5 when I bought the '84 Westy) and absolutely loves the van and roadtrips and camping.

Lots of good ideas here.

I'd just add that planning ahead as far as not too many miles, a good chance for finding a camp spot, or making reservations for campgrounds or hotels, goes a long way in keeping folks having fun and enjoying, rather than enduring, the trip.

In our case, the Mrs. isn't a huge camping fan, but having the van well-sorted, figuring out what comforts we want without having too much stuff, and keeping the mileage goals reasonable (can have 1 or 2 marathon days, but kept to a minimum) has gone a long way in keeping things fun and adventurous and everyone looking forward to the next trip.

Keep us posted on how it goes!
_________________
1990 Syncro 16" DoppleKabine 2.1 DJ 112i
________________________
Sold: 1972 Bay Campmobile; 1984 Westy, base model, 2WD.

[syncrodoka]

My kids are veteran vanagon campers and are always telling their friends about trips that they have been on in the vanagon or the truck. My oldest is is now 18 and she still tells stories of dad dragging them on some adventure in a far away campsite(or lack of campsite) and they think it is odd that others don't have similar stories. My son's first car is a vanagon. They don't remember camping in the old splitty busses or crewcabs when they were little.
Now is a great time to start if you want to get into it.

Good luck

[veloandy]

My wife, 14-year-old, 11-year-old, and I went on an epic, 2-week road trip this summer. (Fort Collins->Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP->Ouray->Silverton->Durango->Mesa Verde NP->Four Corners->Canyon De Chelly->Window Rock -> Gallup -> Albuquerque -> Santa Fe -> Chama steam railway)

It was awesome! I expected more friction, but we all got along really well. I was a little worried about my kiddos getting on each others' nerves or not having enough space, but the trip brought us all closer together.

Space is tight with bigger kiddos. It was fine once we were in "sleep mode" or "eating mode", or "hangout mode"...but when we were in the middle of raising/lowering the top, we'd talk a lot about playing "human tetris".

To conserve space, each person was only allowed to bring clothes and books that would fit in a Mountainsmith cube.

I planned out all the meals and packed them in individual brown lunch bags...it was nice to just pull out bag #3 on night #3 and cook it up!

Reading books out-loud as a family was super-fun (and my wife is the best read-out-loud-er in the world).

Just do it. My biggest piece of advice is that you should get a westy that works ASAP. I blew a few *years* trying to get my money-pit-P.O.S. westy into roadtrip worthy shape...I won't ever get those years back again.

Again, space was really tight...but it made the USFS campground pit toilets seem luxurious, and it made our house seem SO HUGE when we got home! Just go for it and have fun!!

[cbcnm]

My kids are 10 and 13 now and we take at least one epic road trip a year. Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula last summer and then spring break this year we drove to San Diego and up the coast stopping at Hearst Castle, Big Sur and Sacramento before hitting Summer Lake Hotsprings on the the way home to Portland . Our next plan is Moab and the Utah Parks.
We each have a duffle with everything in it for stuff containment.
We download books on tape to listen to on the road-
I love the memories we are making!
Chris
Solo mom to 2

[ThankYouJerry]

I have a 5 and 9 year old.

One word... "Weekender!"

A few more words... Thule box, RMW ladder, ARB fridge, MountainSmith cubes
_________________
1990 Multivan - "Ohana"
1.8T, Auto w/3.27 R&P + Peloquin TBD

[hdenter]

My parents and I, Central Coast to the tip of Baja and back through the Grand Canyon in a '72 poptop. Three and a half weeks and some of my best memories. No nice road to Cabo San Lucas back in '79 when I was 12.

With a family of four, I would also question the full westy. Weekenders have so much more room inside. A '72 poptop has a setup that is a lot like a vanagon weekener. Bench, table, reversed seat behind driver and tiny icebox/sink behind the front passenger. We just kept a small folding table on the floor under my feet when we drove and a coleman stove.
When we camped we set up the table and stove to cook. I purposely chose a weekender because of that trip. we never wished that we had a stove inside. We only wished we had a better frig setup. Anyway, Weekender or Full Westy, just do it!

Hans
_________________
'79 triple white convertible bug
'84 sunroof vanagon
'85 weekender

[BlueGrasser]

I have to disagree with the anti full camper sentiment. Our full westy has been perfect for our family of four. The sink is a godsend for washing up and brushing teeth and the cabinets fits so much stuff. If I did it all over again I would buy a full westy again.

Weekenders are cool too, but don't discount the full westys.
_________________
Going to where the grass is bluer...
1985 Vanagon Westfalia Camper with 1.8T

[chojinchef]

Love the full westy for convenience, but wish bed was larger. My very petite wife 'starfishes' and I could often use the additional bed space.

The more stuff that goes external means more piece of mind for me - hate clutter.

8 year old kid, and with a friend there tends to be much added stuff. Throw in a kayak or two, bicycle or two, plus accessories and I can see why trailers are asked about so much here.

Finding the adventures with my growing kid just keeps getting better every year. Still chokes me up to look back and see him enjoying a VW van just as I did at his age 38 years ago.
_________________
Its a mistress; an expensive, whiney, needy bitch of a mistress. She is a chunky, dirty girl with bad skin, little motivation and yet she always makes me smile. She sure has been around before shacking up with me. She has a direct line to my wallet, plays with my emotions, is consistantly jovial yet with a sarcastic and sardonic side, is consistant in her inconsistancy, and every once in a while gives me a great ride and a fantastic memory.

[dobryan]

[bjrogers86auto]

We had a 3200 km road trip this summer over 20 days and 11 different campgrounds with my wife and our two girls almost 16 and 11.

We packed a tent but due to the many days of wet weather they decided to bunk together up top. We had no issues at all! Everyone over packs! Huge kit bags! Lots of shuffling, but all good.

We don't use the stove or sink. We cook and live mostly outside so that makes a big difference. We did, however, end up eating quite a few meals inside due to mother nature. Even that worked out well with a bit of planning.

One thing about having older kids along is the work load gets spread out more evenly. They can do dishes and help prep meals not to mention distinguish which beer is mine in the cooler!

Any family activity is a memorable one,good or bad...the ones in the Westy are just better.

Brian
_________________
86 Vanagon GL Westfalia 2.1
18 Nissan Frontier Pro 4X
19 Honda Civic Hatchback

A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin and Hobbes.

[IdahoDoug]

We have a tintop and 17/14yo kids. We take about 5 Vanagon trips a year for 3-4 days at a time. Kiddos sleep on the roof in a Cabela's guide cot (essentially a bomproof 4 season self contained steel framed sleeping pod). We sleep in the full width factory rear bed. Porta potty, cooler - always eat out, and we sleep about half the time in campgrounds, the other half on public lands with no amenities. Next year I'm planning to add basic stove and sink amenities so we can cook camp food, by building a removable cooking/storage pod, but for two summers now it has proven to work eating out and making things simple. It's not crazy expensive, but what you get back is WAY more time to explore and such without having to end the day while its still light to deal with dinner.

Financially, it works out even with restaurant bills. We just spent 2 days in Revelstoke, BC with another family. We in the Vanagon, they in a hotel. They spent $230 a night, we spent $21 at a campground. We both ate out two meals and ate lunch from coolers.

The advice about getting an operating and reliable van is spot on. Don't buy a project Vanagon that will take until 2017 to be done. Forget about the movies where the whole family is happily out in the garage helping Dad rebuilt the engine, and repack the CVs to get it ready. Baloney for the most part. Get a good van, kill yourself for a few weeks going through it after work when the kids are sleeping, then go have fun.

Doug
_________________
1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[RicoS]

My advice is to forget the camper and stay in motels.

Not even kids want the hassle of establishing a camp after pounding the pavement all day (remember, you are on vacation, not part of a forced march). And then, once you unfold your camper, you are held captive until you break camp the next day, eliminating the opportunity for a quick jaunt to do or see anything else.

Also, if you can swing it, book 2 rooms. Put the older kid in charge of the adjoining room. If you are lucky, the older kid will be a female (and women ARE more responsible) so they will require little oversight on your part. They'll love it.

As long as I packed a full tool box, I always liked traveling in a Vanagon with kids. Being able to easily move around inside of a vehicle while under way has a lot to say for itself. But, I never got the allure of lugging around all that extra hardware stuffed into a Westy. Our only extra equipment on trips being a wheeled cooler.

Simplify.

Richie (near Pittsburgh)

[j_dirge]

Yeah.. I am not a fan of moteling it.
But there are times when it works.. I try to make it 3 nights out, one night in... as a target ratio.

No two kids are completely alike, and they don't always share or time their mood swings to fit your's..
But I do believe you need to listen to your kids.. and sometimes you have to be able to read minds.
If the kids have had enough, they have had enough.. and its time to mix it up. Because they can get to a "point of no return".. and you won't get them back into that trip.
Still.. its not a great idea to cave to their every last whim, either.


On our most recent trip.. it was just me and the boy.. and it was obvious he was a little home-sick.. His mother and sister left the cabin for home, and we left the cabin in an opposite direction for a 3 day adventure in the eastern Sierra.
Its difficult to read the tea leaves.. but in this case, I cut some of the site seeing off the itinerary (sightseeing being volcanc cones along a long dusty hot washboard dirt road.. and a trip around Mono Lake on an old railroad grade.)
But we still bagged a 14k peak.. so in the end "Dad" did not get everything he set out for.. but Dad did get to see his son summit a 14ker and we celebrated with pizza on town.. instead of a camping meal under the stars.
(should I mention there was a freakin' amazing meteor shower I passed on for that pizza? ..LOL)

The important thing is.. He'd go again... and we will be in October.
woot.
_________________
-89 GL Westy, SVX.. finally.

-57 pan f/g buggy with a 67 pancake Type 3 "S"
"Jimi Hendrix owned one. Richard Nixon did not"
-Grand Tour, Season 1, episodes 4 and 5

[termuehlen]

Although my kids have graduated after 10 years of family camper van travel, they still love the Westy for a whole new set of "adventures". This summer, I traveled cross country with just my 19 year old daughter in the Westy. She planned the entire trip using the "Roadtrippers" app. It was an awesome week. Our travel destination was the Midwest to set up the Westy as a home base for my other daughter (21 years old) who needed an affordable living arrangement for a three week work internship in a rural town.

Both just went back to college this week and I will be driving the Westy back out west in a week or two. The Westy use just continues on, year after year. The memories continue to accumulate. Our 21 year old now has the record for living in our van for the longest single time period, and she really enjoyed her "accommodations".

The years go by....the fun continues....
_________________
1988 Westfalia automatic Subaru OBD1
1986 syncro tintop wbx