| Author |
Message |
davevickery
Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005
Posts: 2887
Location: Fort Collins, CO
|
 Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 7:12 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
Bill, isn't that 28" deep?
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Love My Westy
Samba Member
Joined: August 08, 2007
Posts: 1839
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 9:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Having done lots of camping over the years, I have found that the best use of space is to put your gear in bags and pack them tightly into an empty box i.e. your rear seat. If you build a bunch of box compartments, it may be organized but there is also a lot of dead space unless you can match the boxes to the exact shape of the items stored and fill them up. I have thought again and again about building compartments but always scrap the idea because of the wasted space. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
madspaniard
Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2008
Posts: 3795
Location: Alameda, CA
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 9:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Love My Westy wrote: |
| Having done lots of camping over the years, I have found that the best use of space is to put your gear in bags and pack them tightly into an empty box i.e. your rear seat. If you build a bunch of box compartments, it may be organized but there is also a lot of dead space unless you can match the boxes to the exact shape of the items stored and fill them up. I have thought again and again about building compartments but always scrap the idea because of the wasted space. |
Agree with this. A big open space gives you more options.
_________________
1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD
"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
I am Wildcat
Samba Member
Joined: February 03, 2011
Posts: 318
Location: SF Bay Area
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 12:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
| madspaniard wrote: |
| Love My Westy wrote: |
| Having done lots of camping over the years, I have found that the best use of space is to put your gear in bags and pack them tightly into an empty box i.e. your rear seat. If you build a bunch of box compartments, it may be organized but there is also a lot of dead space unless you can match the boxes to the exact shape of the items stored and fill them up. I have thought again and again about building compartments but always scrap the idea because of the wasted space. |
Agree with this. A big open space gives you more options. |
Very true. For my own personal use, I always find that as organized as I try to be, everything always seems to end up in a huge jumbled mess anyhow. That's the main reason I wanted to see how other fellow Sambateers had been using and organizing their under bench space.
I really like the door that MootPoint added. Great job on that! I noticed it is right next to another great installation, the bottle opener! 
Wildcat has a similar style door on the front face of the bench, but it's actually much wider. Here is a shot of the area:
Having any access door on the front part of the bench is really ideal, because as rsxsr pointed out, it's really difficult to access your gear under the bench once the bed is folded out. However, in my particular case, the door is so big that it gives me a lot access to my huge jumbled. I think the idea of boxing the area off like MootPoint would possibly create some storage advantages (and maybe a few disadvantages) for my use as well. Definitely lots of good ideas to think about!
_________________
No more van. Wildcat has a new home.
1997 Land Rover Defender 90
2005 MB SL55 AMG
2014 Tesla Model S P85+ |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MootPoint
Samba Member
Joined: September 16, 2006
Posts: 862
Location: ABQ, NM
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Sigeats wrote: |
| Don't mean to hijack your thread, but what about the rear closet? Any cool ideas for using this space? Maybe adding a shelf? What do you keep back there? |
As noted above, I put a used 'fridge door (from a kitchen unit I got at U-Pull) and added it to the mirrored closet. As I also mention above, I wanted to add shelves but I wasn't sure what to do. Well, that finally happened a couple years ago. Took the stove lid from that same old kitchen unit, cut it up and used them to make hinged shelves inside (a PITA to work in those closed quarters but it worked, with a lot of blue air).
They're hinged so I can put in tall stuff if I want to and also hide the leveling blocks and wheel chocks way down in the bottom (I cut off the first one-inch ramp of the leveling blocks - I can drive up that w/o the ramp) and they fit perfectly in the space. I also added little sliding latches to the shelves so I can lock them in the up position if I want.
All in all it's made the closet quite useful and versatile.
Ms. Moot uses the space for clothing and such when we travel. If I'm by myself - I'm much less organized - any ol' thing that needs to be put away goes in there.
Safe travels.
_________________
1984 Westy with tencentlife power! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
danfromsyr
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004
Posts: 15144
Location: Syracuse, NY
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:46 am Post subject: |
|
|
the front access door came stock in 1980 model year westfalias
I put one in mine and I built a divider that allows me to access my compact grill or compact stove w/o lifting the bed.
I'll try to snap a pic to add to this post tonight.
but I do have an idea to replace the front face board with a metal frame and make 2 drawers that pull out to get at the gear.. hopefully as a winter project. 
_________________
| Abscate wrote: |
| These are the reasons we have words like “wanker” |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gregaz
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2012
Posts: 407
Location: Phoenix, AZ
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
Awesome upholstery - deets? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chojinchef
Samba Member
Joined: February 17, 2011
Posts: 1539
Location: Central Massachusetts
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| danfromsyr wrote: |
the front access door came stock in 1980 model year westfalias
I put one in mine and I built a divider that allows me to access my compact grill or compact stove w/o lifting the bed.
I'll try to snap a pic to add to this post tonight.
but I do have an idea to replace the front face board with a metal frame and make 2 drawers that pull out to get at the gear.. hopefully as a winter project. |
Thank you. I was trying to figure out which of my family's van had this feature?
_________________
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. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Otmar
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2006
Posts: 71
Location: Corvallis, Oregon, USA
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Those are some cool mods, but I'm not sure where you all are putting your monster stereos and the 180 AH of battery to keep it running! 
Here I'm "water cooling" the overheated amplifiers while the Stretch was acting as the boombox for a dance party at Burning Man. The yellow plastic wrapped block is the lithium battery that keeps the stereo (and the freezer and icemaker) running.
Additionally there is still room for the jumper cables, 700W inverter, fuel lines and shoes also store there when the amps don't need the airflow.
_________________
-Otmar
Tesfalia: https://twitter.com/tesfalia
The '87 Westie for the mean time,
& Dad's old 1965 Transporter. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
presslab
Samba Member
Joined: September 29, 2008
Posts: 1730
Location: Sonoma County
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Nicely done Otmar. 
I do have a modest stereo in my van, here's my 10" sub under the rear bench, sitting on top of the HS2800.
More details on your Li battery setup, please. Maybe you can start another thread.
_________________
1986 Vanagon Westfalia EJ25
1988 Subaru GL-10 EJ20G --- 2000 Honda XR650L
2010 Titus El Guapo --- 2011 On-One 456 Ti |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
danfromsyr
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004
Posts: 15144
Location: Syracuse, NY
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 7:29 am Post subject: |
|
|
ok some pics as promised.
Please excuse the frayed fabric, it's getting reupholstered this winter with a better DIY job (I hope)
Butane cookstove goes on the bottom and Butane (Primus) BBQ grill slips in the top shelf. it's the Biggest littlest grill out there and runs on the same butane fuel as my (omlete station) cookstove.
I used laminate flooring as shelves, it's thin, it's sturdy and it's woodgrain for looks.. its just resting on runner so it'll slip out for easy cleaning or get that small bit that fell into the back cavity.
in this pic my starting battery is all the way on the right under the box of firestarter... that battery is hoping to get relocated to the engine compartment (ala Diesel style) this winter
_________________
| Abscate wrote: |
| These are the reasons we have words like “wanker” |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cmvan
Samba Member
Joined: March 10, 2004
Posts: 49
Location: Hood River, OR
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 3:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I am working on a storage area that will go above the propex heater, there should be enough room to store my tool kit.
_________________
81 westy
88 westy ahu e-tdi
11 tdi jsw |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jake59
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2007
Posts: 179
Location: Seattle, WA
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 7:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Here a few idea I have in my 87
Tool tray between motor lid and cabnet
Dividers in the flatware drawer
I like using the rectangular laundry detergent buckets they fit nice and you can take them out as you may need the stuff around the camp site
Divider sits on top of rear heater box holds Bentely and car jack cradled in back
Bentley Front and center
_________________
Curent ride: 87 2WD Westy, 2012 Jetta Sportwagon 2.5S
Past Rides: 62 (23 window) Bus, 64 Ghai convertable, 68 single cab, 72 Super Bettle, 78 Bay window Bus, 84 GTI. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7923
Location: Arizona
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 8:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I am Wildcat wrote: |
| That's the main reason I wanted to see how other fellow Sambateers had been using and organizing their under bench space. |
Here's mine:
#15 is currently missing 'cuz the bottle was used up on the last road trip.
#3 also contains minor spare parts, but not as many as it probably should.
On top of #1 goes the orange extension cord.
Jumper cables, lanterns, first aid kit, net bag, window/door screens, rain fly, LED string lights, bungee cords and cleaning stuff is all in the rear cabinet. Regular traveling gear goes in bins behind the rear seat; behind them goes personal gear (clothes bag, etc.); chairs go up in the luggage bin. The Vanagon Bible (Bentley) goes in the space under the rear cabinet.
I'm contemplating removing the rear heater (never used) to move some stuff out of the rear cabinet to under the rear seat... not sure yet.
_________________
~Kamz 
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
 1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
BC Westie
Samba Member
Joined: September 05, 2007
Posts: 331
Location: British Columbia
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 8:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I use my space under the seat as a wood box. Approx 3-5hrs of wood so one summer night fire. But I don't have the rear heater so pretty square area. I like that slide out tool tray under the closet Jake59.
_________________
1980 Vanagon Cali Import 86,000Miles
1981 Vanagon (Auto) 219,000kms
1981 Westfalia (Auto) Cali Import 169,000Miles
1981 Westfalia 300,000kms
1982 Westfalia Cali Import 193,000Miles
1982 Westfalia (Auto) 205,000Kms
1984 Vanagon 306,000kms
1987 Vanagon GL 300,000Kms |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
I am Wildcat
Samba Member
Joined: February 03, 2011
Posts: 318
Location: SF Bay Area
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 9:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
gregaz - The PO had the rear seats upholstered that way when I bought it. It's an old VW pattern. Earlier this year, I had the Recaro seats upfront re-padded and re-upholstered in the same fabric.
danyfromsyr - That's very similar to what I was thinking. Thanks for the pics!
kamzcab86 - Love the photo and details!
_________________
No more van. Wildcat has a new home.
1997 Land Rover Defender 90
2005 MB SL55 AMG
2014 Tesla Model S P85+ |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
