Trip Report!

[vanagonforever]

I just returned from my first camping trip of the year and got my first usage out of several of the mods/repairs that I've been working on over the past couple of months. Here are a few of my thoughts that I had on the road:

1. Vinyl is actually the way to go if you are actually going to use your Westy to camp. I have had serious doubts about my vinyl selection since I recovered the seats. They are hotter and they are less comfortable to sit on than a cloth would be over a long distance but all doubts will melt away the first time you see your muddy dog hop up into the seat. They hop down leaving a trail of mud, water, and fur all over the place and with a single swipe of a towel and you've got a nice clean place to sit once again. I may have doubted myself there for a bit but the clean factor seals the deal in favor of vinyl in my book.

2. Replacing the foam in the seats on both the top and the bottom may not be needed. Personally, I felt like it was a HUGE difference and worth every cent; however, my wife still felt like the seats weren't all that comfortable. She said that they were plenty padded but that the shape was just problematic for her. I didn't have the problems that she had and I was really happy with the upgrade. My point is that your milage may vary.

3. SewFine seats are awesome. The seat covers are really well made and aren't all that hard to install. I love that there is a company out there like SewFine.

4. The SewFine carpet kit is a little less thrilling. Yes the carpet is well made and the install was easy but I just don't feel like I've got factory carpet installed in the van anymore. The seams kind of bother me and I'd prefer a cut like they used in the factory. Still, it looks nice enough and the clean factor cannot be beaten.

5. They jury is still out on sound deadening. The galley and the rear of the van haven't been touched so the ride is still really loud in the van. I "believe" that it feels like the noise is all comming from behind me but I am not yet convinced that my sound deadening in the cab is actually doing all that much at this point. I do hope to be wrong about that though. Time will tell.

6. The rubber mats that I got from GoWesty are in fact awesome. The indentations in the mats may put you off at first because you are thinking that all they will do is trap dirt but then you should realize that they will also trap liquid. Maybe it is just me but I just spill all sorts of liquid in the van while camping and the mat keeps that problem localized. I am a fan and would buy them again.

7. Removing the fridge was brilliant! The space where the fridge used to be is HUGE and having it available for storage completely changed my van usage flow. I will not be putting the fridge back in. I would be tempted to put in a more modern fridge if I had the ability to keep it running 24/7 via solar but there is no way I would go back to the original fridge. It really doesn't work much better than a five day cooler for my usage and the cooler can be wheeled out to the campfire.

8. A coleman camp stove is as good or better than the Westy stove. I bought a double burner Coleman camping stove a few months ago instead of replacing the propane tank on my Westy and I am really really happy with the decision. I would rather cook out side of the van and I can do that with the camp stove - but if I am really in a pinch then I can just use the stove in the van with the windows open and top popped. Basically I'm not going to fix the stove at this point because the Coleman is plenty for my needs. I'm even tempted to remove the old stove entirely and replace it with a place to sit my coleman stove. Look for that as a future mod.

9. Maybe this is just me but I can't explain how so much dirt/mud/liquid gets into my van while I am camping in it. There is basically no possible way to fight it so you might as well prepare for it. Getting the mats plus the vinyl interior goes a really long way towards being able to keep clean but I'm thinking I need to take things a bit farther. The main thing needed is so way to make the entire galley area water-tight and not allow any moisture to get under the bench seat or kitchen cabinet. I'm thinking I want some sort of poored rubber floor now that will let me get a lip around the perimeter to seal liquids out completely. Rust makes me sad and dumping water behind the stove all the time really doesn't help me out.

10. I really want to get the water tank restored. I'm currently using big 5 gallon jugs to store drinking water. This works ok but I could really use that internal 13 gallon reservoir. I've got it pulled right now and I just need to get it cleaned up to make it really useful. Once I get it into some sort of reasonably clean state then I'd like to rethink my plumbing. The sink is nice and all but I'd really like a way to have a faucet closer to the sliding door that would let me easily do thinks like wash off feet, grab a glass of water, or fill a dog bowl. I'm thinking I'll just run a second faucet to the bench seat that will let me grab water from there as well.

11. Vanagons are in fact the greatest vehicle ever made.

Thoughts?

[joetiger]

[PDXWesty]

Using a carpet mat outside the van really helps keep the dirt out. I started with a 3x4 piece of carpet I stored under the rear cusion and I would put it out in front of the slider as a mat. I now have an 8x12 piece of outdoor carpet from home depot and use that in front of the slider. I roll it and store it in my cargo box and it really doesn't take much room. It's a great addition.

The rest of your observations work for me too. I want to take out my fridge and put in shelves. I always take an ice chest. My stove fits under the back seat on top of the heater box along with my small weber grille. I usually don't like to cook in the van. An amazing amount of stuff fits under the seat if you organize it right.

[rockfish]

bikenerd:

Where did you go?

Even though I'm out in Cali - always enjoy hearing (or seeing, hint-hint) about campsites, highways, etc.
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89 Westy
GW 2.5 5-speed trans

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
- John Wooden

[Dogpilot]

Vinyl is a better practicable covering, it does has that squirm problem on long trips. The muddy dog problem is better solved with a cat, preferably a large one, like a cheetah. They self clean, often. They are every bit as trainable, make lovely pets and love to eat those useless dogs, you know, sub-frisbee size. I always laugh when people want leather in their airplanes. I like the bottom line, but it cracks me up when they get in their airplane after it has been sitting on the ramp in Miami after a long hot day, the smell!

There is that storage dilemma with the fridge. Even GoWesty takes out the Domtec and uses an external powered cooler. Lighting the gas part can vary from easy to a near neolithic experience involving rocks and steel. Personally, I elected to keep the space as cool storage the Norcold or its brethren, do an excellent job of actually cooling stuff. You can gain incredible space, more than the fridge, by modifying the closet. Putting doors on the other side and a couple of shelves will dwarf the space gained by the fridge.

The mats are great, as I too have a liquid containment problem. They are really great in the snow. I have had mixed results with my efforts at sound deadening as well. I think the best result may be obtained by the use of the late model door seals combined with some sound deadening material.

You could make your own sink unit from a bar sink and a narrow bathroom unit. Fill you water tank with a weak bleach solution for a few hours. This should kill everything and remove most of the growth. You will want to keep it full with water for a day at a stretch with a couple of water changes to get the bleach taste out.

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Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G