| Conversion van camping doesn't give you | | | | The secret to heating a conversion van |
| the luxury of life in an RV, nor the | | | | when camping is to give up. Enjoy meal |
| discomfort of sleeping in a tent. It can | | | | time warm-ups, but unless you have |
| be tough to safely heat a van at night, | | | | electric power, I don't know of a safe |
| but it's cheap compared to an RV, and | | | | way to heat a van all night. Instead, |
| you can go places they cannot. We spent | | | | you can heat yourselves. Wear warm |
| more than 25 nights sleeping in our | | | | clothing. Bring more blankets than you |
| conversion van last year. | | | | think you'll need. Prepare a thermos |
| Life In A Conversion Van | | | | bottle full of hot coffee each night, so |
| Make your van into something that's | | | | it will be waitng for you in the |
| useable for you, especially if it's | | | | morning. You get to warm the van when |
| going to be your residence for days or | | | | you make it, and warm up yourselves |
| weeks at a time. For my wife and I, this | | | | drinking it for breakfast. |
| meant having space to move around. We | | | | Advantages Of Conversion Van Camping |
| took out the two middle seats which, I | | | | Traveling and camping in a conversion |
| convinced Ana, would be good armchairs | | | | van costs less than in an RV. The |
| for the living room. Then we had enough | | | | initial cost is a lot less if you buy |
| space for dressing or cooking. The | | | | used, as we did, and the cost of driving |
| bench-seat in back folds out into a | | | | it is substantialy less. We averaged 18 |
| comfortable bed, so we were all set for | | | | miles per gallon on our last |
| camping. | | | | cross-country trip. Most recreational |
| When traveling, you need a system of | | | | vehicles are lucky to get half of that, |
| organization to keep your space inside | | | | and they're very expensive to maintain. |
| the van livable. After our first long | | | | Compared with tent camping, a van is |
| trip, we noticed the many things we | | | | much more comfortable. Even if you |
| never used. We got more efficient after | | | | backpack, you are probably going to |
| that. We're also able to keep the space | | | | drive some kind of car to wherever you |
| open, despite carrying many things, by | | | | go. With a van, you can come inside if |
| using plastic storage tubs you can buy | | | | it starts to rain. If you're backpacking |
| almost anywhere. They stack well, and | | | | a long way from home, you can save on |
| if you need more room at night, you can | | | | motels on the drive to and from the |
| put them on the roof. They're rainproof | | | | trailhead. |
| with the lids snapped on. | | | | Camping can be more comfortable in an |
| Heating A Conversion Van | | | | RV, but not in all ways. It's nice, for |
| Camping in a van can be cold at times, | | | | example, to park anywhere. We've taken |
| as it was for us in the deserts of | | | | naps in parking lots, and nobody was the |
| Arizona last winter. We started the van | | | | wiser, thanks to tinted windows, |
| and cranked up the heater once in a | | | | curtains, and the inconspicuousness of a |
| while, but only for brief periods. The | | | | van. At a free campground in Florida we |
| danger of carbon monoxide poisoning is | | | | got the best spot, on a bank overlooking |
| just too great to leave the car running | | | | Lake Talquin, because our van was small |
| while you are sleeping. | | | | enough to fit there, unlike most of the |
| We also cooked to heat up the van. Our | | | | RVs. |
| propane camp stove burned very clean. | | | | It's great to be able to drive anywhere. |
| Any time it was cold, it was time to | | | | In the conversion van, camping wherever |
| cook dinner, breakfast, or tea. This | | | | we are when it gets dark is no problem. |
| heated up the van nicely. Again, because | | | | Finally, some larger RVs drag a car |
| of carbon monoxide, I wouldn't recommend | | | | around because the big rig just isn't |
| ever sleeping with a propane burner | | | | practical for daily driving. Our |
| going. Still, sometimes a quick warm-up | | | | coversion van is a second home AND our |
| is all you need before you crawl under | | | | primary vehicle for shopping or going to |
| the blankets for the night. | | | | work. That's flexibilty. |