Conversion Van Camping Tips

Conversion van camping doesn't give you theThe secret to heating a conversion van when
luxury of life in an RV, nor the discomfort ofcamping is to give up. Enjoy meal time warm-ups,
sleeping in a tent. It can be tough to safely heat abut unless you have electric power, I don't know
van at night, but it's cheap compared to an RV,of a safe way to heat a van all night. Instead,
and you can go places they cannot. We spentyou can heat yourselves. Wear warm clothing.
more than 25 nights sleeping in our conversionBring more blankets than you think you'll need.
van last year.Prepare a thermos bottle full of hot coffee each
Life In A Conversion Vannight, so it will be waitng for you in the morning.
Make your van into something that's useable forYou get to warm the van when you make it, and
you, especially if it's going to be your residencewarm up yourselves drinking it for breakfast.
for days or weeks at a time. For my wife and I,Advantages Of Conversion Van Camping
this meant having space to move around. WeTraveling and camping in a conversion van costs
took out the two middle seats which, I convincedless than in an RV. The initial cost is a lot less if
Ana, would be good armchairs for the living room.you buy used, as we did, and the cost of driving
Then we had enough space for dressing orit is substantialy less. We averaged 18 miles per
cooking. The bench-seat in back folds out into agallon on our last cross-country trip. Most
comfortable bed, so we were all set for camping.recreational vehicles are lucky to get half of that,
When traveling, you need a system ofand they're very expensive to maintain.
organization to keep your space inside the vanCompared with tent camping, a van is much
livable. After our first long trip, we noticed themore comfortable. Even if you backpack, you are
many things we never used. We got moreprobably going to drive some kind of car to
efficient after that. We're also able to keep thewherever you go. With a van, you can come
space open, despite carrying many things, byinside if it starts to rain. If you're backpacking a
using plastic storage tubs you can buy almostlong way from home, you can save on motels on
anywhere. They stack well, and if you need morethe drive to and from the trailhead.
room at night, you can put them on the roof.Camping can be more comfortable in an RV, but
They're rainproof with the lids snapped on.not in all ways. It's nice, for example, to park
Heating A Conversion Vananywhere. We've taken naps in parking lots, and
Camping in a van can be cold at times, as it wasnobody was the wiser, thanks to tinted windows,
for us in the deserts of Arizona last winter. Wecurtains, and the inconspicuousness of a van. At a
started the van and cranked up the heater oncefree campground in Florida we got the best spot,
in a while, but only for brief periods. The dangeron a bank overlooking Lake Talquin, because our
of carbon monoxide poisoning is just too great tovan was small enough to fit there, unlike most of
leave the car running while you are sleeping.the RVs.
We also cooked to heat up the van. Our propaneIt's great to be able to drive anywhere. In the
camp stove burned very clean. Any time it wasconversion van, camping wherever we are when
cold, it was time to cook dinner, breakfast, or tea.it gets dark is no problem. Finally, some larger
This heated up the van nicely. Again, because ofRVs drag a car around because the big rig just
carbon monoxide, I wouldn't recommend everisn't practical for daily driving. Our coversion van is
sleeping with a propane burner going. Still,a second home AND our primary vehicle for
sometimes a quick warm-up is all you needshopping or going to work. That's flexibilty.
before you crawl under the blankets for the night.