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jeffklein Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009 Posts: 132 Location: Rochester, NY
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:00 pm Post subject: Traveling with 3 kids (soon) |
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We have a 1984 Westy and have taken trips no problem with 2 kids. #3 is on his way in April. This summer we plan on taking some small camping trips (Grassroots Festival, the Daks, etc) for weekends up to 4 days. Our daughter should be in a booster by summer time. If you've had to travel with 3 kids under the age of 5, I'd love to hear your suggestions. I guess our main problem is seating for 2 adults and the 3 little ones. Thanks. |
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Russ Wolfe Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2004 Posts: 25187 Location: Central Iowa
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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Red Box DVD's, and a DVD player.
You can pick up DVD's at one Red Box, and drop them at another. And there is a Red Box at just about every McDonalds. _________________ Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you end up with a lot of scum on the top!--Edward Abbey
Gary: OK. Ima poop. |
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spitsnrovers Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2005 Posts: 924 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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Haven't travelled with 3 kids under 5, but did travel with 3 teens from Calgary to Grand Canyon, Disney Land and northwest coast in a 1982 aircooled.
To give the 2 girls room on the back bench seat, I installed an easily removable seat on rails behind the passenger seat. It was an original VW van seat facing forward, but I had to mount the rails for it. Gave everyone room to 'do their thing'.
At night the girls slept up top, our son slept in a annex on a camp cot - unless the weather was bad. Then we levelled the floor from between the front drivers and passengers seat and the back floor and he stretched out there. That left the lower bed for for us. Of course anyone getting up in the night had to tread carefully!
Have fun! _________________ '88 VW Westfalia
'75 Triumph Spitfire 1500 |
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1621 Samba Member
Joined: May 15, 2006 Posts: 2174
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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If you can, try to find one of the center box seats that were available on the earlier Westies. Check to see if you have the rails in the floor already, or if not, make certain to add those as well.
It would look like this:
Otherwise you could try and find a rear-facing jump seat from a later model Carat and install that instead. There are plenty of how-to threads in the forum to help guide you along.
We travel with our sons (7, 5, and 2) all over the western states, and it's always fun. Just make certain to hit a park every couple hours or so - there's one in every town. _________________ '85 Westy |
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jeffklein Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009 Posts: 132 Location: Rochester, NY
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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Russ Wolfe wrote: |
Red Box DVD's, and a DVD player.
You can pick up DVD's at one Red Box, and drop them at another. And there is a Red Box at just about every McDonalds. |
Thanks! I never heard of Red Box. Do they have Barbie Princess videos? LOL! |
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jeffklein Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009 Posts: 132 Location: Rochester, NY
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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1621 wrote: |
If you can, try to find one of the center box seats that were available on the earlier Westies. Check to see if you have the rails in the floor already, or if not, make certain to add those as well.
It would look like this:
Otherwise you could try and find a rear-facing jump seat from a later model Carat and install that instead. There are plenty of how-to threads in the forum to help guide you along.
We travel with our sons (7, 5, and 2) all over the western states, and it's always fun. Just make certain to hit a park every couple hours or so - there's one in every town. |
That looks perfect for our seating issue! That sounds like what Spitsnrovers is describing as well. I think you had that posted on a 5th seat thread? Does that slide in and out or do you leave it in all the time? Also, any issues with sleeping? Thanks. |
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spitsnrovers Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2005 Posts: 924 Location: Calgary, Canada
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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That seat slides out easily if the floor is fitted properly for it. Makes a nice seat outside the van too! _________________ '88 VW Westfalia
'75 Triumph Spitfire 1500 |
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Russ Wolfe Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2004 Posts: 25187 Location: Central Iowa
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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jeffklein wrote: |
Russ Wolfe wrote: |
Red Box DVD's, and a DVD player.
You can pick up DVD's at one Red Box, and drop them at another. And there is a Red Box at just about every McDonalds. |
Thanks! I never heard of Red Box. Do they have Barbie Princess videos? LOL! |
They are a video rental chain. Kind of like NetFlix. $1 per video per day.
A big red vending machine outside about every McDonalds here in the midwest anyway. _________________ Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you end up with a lot of scum on the top!--Edward Abbey
Gary: OK. Ima poop. |
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slunk33 Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2004 Posts: 326 Location: Tacoma, WA
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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Russ Wolfe wrote: |
jeffklein wrote: |
Russ Wolfe wrote: |
Red Box DVD's, and a DVD player.
You can pick up DVD's at one Red Box, and drop them at another. And there is a Red Box at just about every McDonalds. |
Thanks! I never heard of Red Box. Do they have Barbie Princess videos? LOL! |
They are a video rental chain. Kind of like NetFlix. $1 per video per day.
A big red vending machine outside about every McDonalds here in the midwest anyway. |
The best part is you can return your rentals to any Redbox and pick up another one. Might want to make a list of Redbox locations along your route to make it easier. We have them at Albertson's and Walgreens here in Washington. I saw them at Walgreens and Frye's Grocery Stores in Arizona. _________________ Current VW's:
'70 Standard Beetle Convertible, '89 Vanagon Wolfsburg (Bluestar) "Gonzo", Peg-Perego Magica
Former VW's:
'72 Bus, '75 Bus, '78 Sunroof Bus, '87 Vanagon GL, '00 Jetta TDI (Gas companies don't miss her, but I do), '04 Passat Wagon |
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ajdenette Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2009 Posts: 768 Location: Hope Valley RI
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:35 am Post subject: |
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Well it wasnt in a westy however we did 4 kids ranging from 3-14 in a regular 7 pasenger vanagon we have the rear facing jump seats and put a large tup of toys in the middle every one could reach and get stuff and the tub could be closed to create a table the only real isues we had were getting the three year old to stay seated in his booster (much less advanced than modern ones. _________________ 1985 2wd Westy with 2000 Subaru 2.2 current driver
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=685635
1986 Syncro Doka Project next in line
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=732777
1990 Vanagon Syncro Base awaiting body work |
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markz2004 Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2007 Posts: 944 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:57 am Post subject: |
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jeffklein - I would send a PM to that 1621 guy. I've seen his van and it's pretty well dialed in for travel with three kids.
He's got it soo dialed in he even decided he had extra room for a St. Bernard puppy. _________________ 87 Westy, 250k GW 2.4 - 2.0 , 16" wheels |
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GWTWTLW Samba Member
Joined: April 22, 2008 Posts: 2174 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:02 am Post subject: |
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I heard he was even having another kid too! _________________ 89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw |
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1621 Samba Member
Joined: May 15, 2006 Posts: 2174
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:07 am Post subject: |
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GWTWTLW wrote: |
I heard he was even having another kid too! |
_________________ '85 Westy |
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blakeck2 Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2009 Posts: 939 Location: Los Osos, CA
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:15 am Post subject: |
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1621 wrote: |
GWTWTLW wrote: |
I heard he was even having another kid too! |
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markz2004 Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2007 Posts: 944 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:27 am Post subject: |
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blakeck2 wrote: |
1621 wrote: |
GWTWTLW wrote: |
I heard he was even having another kid too! |
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But he hasn't been camping in months... _________________ 87 Westy, 250k GW 2.4 - 2.0 , 16" wheels |
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jeffklein Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2009 Posts: 132 Location: Rochester, NY
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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1621 wrote: |
If you can, try to find one of the center box seats that were available on the earlier Westies. Check to see if you have the rails in the floor already, or if not, make certain to add those as well.
It would look like this:
Otherwise you could try and find a rear-facing jump seat from a later model Carat and install that instead. There are plenty of how-to threads in the forum to help guide you along.
We travel with our sons (7, 5, and 2) all over the western states, and it's always fun. Just make certain to hit a park every couple hours or so - there's one in every town. |
Your seat still looks perfect for what we need. I guess I just have to be patient now because I can't find one anywhere on the web....
Thanks for the tip! Much appreciated! |
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erdonline Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2004 Posts: 943 Location: CT
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:59 pm Post subject: traveling with kids |
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Regarding the extra seat: If you've a Wolfsburg Edition in the '84 (two-tone brown/tan), with the "linoleum" style floor, you've likely got the seat tracks there. They will accomodate either a single-person swivel seat with the locking box underneath, or a two-person seat. The one-person seat usually sells for quite a lot on eBay (often $250 to $300), but you can often pick up a two-person middle seat at a junk yard for $25 to $50.
If you don't have the seat tracks there, you can add them. The mounts are there; you just have to source the tracks and hardware (eBay of Samba classifieds.
Ed in CT _________________ '85 Vanagon Westfalia
'84 Vanagon 7-passenger
'98 Mexican air-cooled Beetle |
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bac914 Samba Member
Joined: August 11, 2008 Posts: 112 Location: Denver
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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I put a full bench in from a 7 passenger, using factory rails and mounts. Works great. Slides in for the ride and out at camp. It also allows for an adult to sit in the back with the kids instead of trying to reach from the front. You do lose access to the fridge though, but so far not an issue.
Once you have the seating figured out, you'll need to build one of these:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=381648
Here's a pic, plenty of leg room too....
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dumpling Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2008 Posts: 18
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jeremysmithatshawdotca Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2002 Posts: 2530 Location: Edmonton, AB
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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When we travelled with small(er) kids (than they are now), one of the keys was not to push too far in one day. Maybe 2 3 hour jumps or so, with a good break for lunch and a playground in between. In the morning we'd check the map for an area with a couple campgrounds in it, about the right distance away and go. When the kids started to get ancy in the late afternoon, we'd head for a campground to set up for the night. The one day out of 21 that we ignored this did not end well! Another thing that helped, as mentioned before was a handy toy/activity bin for the kids. And the third was little treat bags we made up ahead of time for them, with a toy and some snacks in them. The kids just loved those! |
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