removing stove and fridge?

[socrosev]

My husband and I have decided to buy an 87-91 vanagon (still searching for the right one). Since we'd like to ride on good gravel roads, we are concerned about stove, fridge etc. rattling loose, causing noise, and being a general pain. We are considering removing stove, fridge, and propane tank, leaving the cabinets for storage and leaving the sink to use. We would then carry an icebox and a portable stove.

Our theory is that this would also reduce the weight, maybe improve gas mileage, and free up some space. Does this seem like a nutty plan? And would we be better off buying a weekender and somehow adding sink (or doing without???) rather than taking stove and fridge out of camper? The main argument in favor of buying the camper is that second battery, better lighting, other electrical features seem worthwhile.

[erdonline]

I don't think you'd be gaining much in the way of space and fuel savings. And I don't think rattling around of those components should be a concern either. But I have never found the sink to be big enough to be really useful. The stove and sink are a one-piece stainless unit, so you'd have to cut something to take out only the stove. You can also easily add a second battery to any Vanagon, so that shouldn't really be a factor in your decision.

Based on my experiences, here's what I'd recommend, and my story to go along with it:

If you just want a wide bed to sleep in, and don't care too much about the headroom of a pop-top, get a passenger Vanagon with the "Z-bed" and fold-down table. If you want the headroom and/or an extra bed, get a weekender or something with a high-top like and Adventurewagen. Carry a cooler, water, and a portable stove. If you really like the cabinets already installed in the Westfalia, and feel you need the small sink, go for the full camper. The vans with the bed are pretty common, not quite as common with the table and rear-facing seats (Wolfsburg Ed. or Carat) The full campers are pretty common, but the pop-top weekenders are a harder to find. Now here's why I say these things:

I started out with a 1987 Vanagon Wolfsburg (rear-facing seats behind driver and passenger, fold-down table, and full-width rear seat that folds into a bed.) I took out the two extra seats to make more room for camping. I then put a small chest of drawers behind the passenger seat, and carried a 5-gallon water jug, a portable stove, and a cooler. I kept these things outside while camping. It worked out pretty well, but I decided that I needed the "full camper," or at least the weekender with pop-top, because I wanted the headroom. So I bought an '85 Westfalia full camper. The headroom is nice, and so are the cabinets, but with most used Westfalias you can expect some (a lot, really) of trouble with the fridge, stove, and sink, unless you are very lucky. So far I have got my fridge to work on house current, and am working on getting it going on 12V and propane. I also don't like to cook inside the van, so the stove is not really an issue for me, though it works, but I have some propane tank issues. But as long as the appliances are there, I'd like to get them working. I also don't care too much for putting the top up and down, hence the suggestion for the Adventurewagen or other high-top. Unfortunately, my choices were limited by my location (CT) and budget (under $5,000), so I got a full camper from someone in NY.

Good luck with your search. What part of the country are you in?
Ed

[DanJReed]

Not worth it, and it would hurt the value of the van.

Think about it, the stove *is* the sink, and the fridge *can* be used as a small storage area.

I don't think the weight savings are worth it.
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-Dan
(87 Westy Vanagon, 98 Jetta GLS 2.0, 95 Golf Sport)

[Jeffrey Earl]

As the satisfied owner of a 1983 Westy that spends much of its time on gravel roads, I can say that the Camper interior parts can indeed make a bit of a racket on especially rough roads, but certainly not enough to make me wish I didn't have them.

Perhaps the noisiest culprit in the bunch is the stove, and we found that simply storing a couple of our hot pads or a dishtowel atop the grill before closing the lid is enough to quiet it down. We do use the stock Westy stove – a LOT – and with adequate ventilation and tidy cooking habits, do not have a problem with lingering food odors. Course, if you like a lot of bacon and fried pork chops, it may be another matter : ) Every Coleman camping stove I've ever used is even noisier and more rattly than the Westy stove, and requires pretty frequent refills of a highly flammable fuel, which must be handled and carried somewhere on board. By contrast, the Westy stove-and-fridge combo will run on LP (and 12V) cleanly, safely, and economically for perhaps 30 days and nights before requiring a $5 refill.

The fridge, though small, holds all of our necessary refrigerated items for a multi-week trip, assuming periodic restocking. A conventional camping cooler may seem larger but much of that extra space is consumed by ice, which is crucial to its operation and which must be frequently replenished. A heavy cooler full of icy water and cans of soda can be a noisy passenger too. By contrast, the Westy fridge is tucked out of the way, is perpetually cold, and largely maintenance-free. And you don't have to drip-dry your wieners before cooking them : )

The sink is indeed tiny, but not much smaller than the plastic dishpan most campers use. You'll develop a simple system to wash and rinse your few mealtime plates and whatnot. We installed a Radio Shack footswitch to actuate the faucet pump for easy hands-free rinsing. Again, 13 gallons of fresh water goes a long way.

The pop-up roof offers standing headroom and extra sleeping or storage room, and is easily retracted for relatively streamlined, economical travel. On rainy or cold days, the extra room offers a warm and dry retreat in which to put up your feet and listen to music while perusing your maps or guidebooks.

Depending on your individual needs, you may in the end decide that you prefer more conventional camping accoutrements. All in all, I find the Vanagon Westy to be the perfect compromise between car-and-tent camping and a giant RV. Although we do all our cooking and cleaning inside our Westy, we always try to dine alfresco. There's nothing quite like enjoying your favorite meal with a cold bottle of beer or glass of wine while seated at a scenic overlook or remote campsite, watching the sun set on a mountain valley or northern lake.

Good luck in your Vanagon quest!

Jeffrey Earl
1983 diesel Westfalia "Vanasazi"
http://www.vanthology.com/

[mightyart]

Very good post Jeffery. Before I got mine I tried to figure out what I wanted. I will say the pop-top is a must for me, and no one sleeps up there. It allows for you to stand up when changing clothes, sounds kind of silly but putting on a pair of pants when your hunched over isn't fun.
As jeffery say's the stove works as well as any Coleman I've seen, the pop-top venalates so well that it doesn't stink like food and the stainless steel is easy to clean. The Fridge works very well if you follow a few guidelines. The Westy is not like a big RV it is more of a "hard" tent, nice and dry, but I wouldn't want to sit around in it all day and watch TV.
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My Art:
http://www.instagram.com/flynn8552/