Michael,

Many thanks for your posting.  I have a 2 yr old who will outgrow his car
seat very soon and I will need to make a change to accommodate his rapidly
growing body.  Out of all our vehicles, he prefers to ride in "Nesta", our
85 Westy GL and so I must begin to research the available options.  Thanks
for prompting my attention.

PeterJ
85 Westy GL "Nesta"
Willard, WA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Townsend" <townsend@RTP.ERICSSON.SE>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2001 8:10 AM
Subject: Booster Seats Options

> It is generally agreed upon that most children under 9 or 10 years old
> should still be using booster seats because the adult 3-point belts won't
> fit them properly otherwise.  Unfortunately, most 5-point harnesses stop
at
> 40 lbs, so between the ages of about 4 and 10 you are completely out of
> luck if your bench seat has a lap-only belt.
> Also, our son is approaching the age where he will outgrow the 40 pound
> limit of the 5-point harness in his booster seat.  Unfortunately, he is
not
> tall enough or mature enough to be properly secured by the vehicle-only
> 3-point belt.  We like the added security of the 5-point harness and wish
> we could find one that went higher than 40 lbs.  We have found a couple of
> options that I thought I would pass along to you.  THIS IS ALSO USEFUL TO
> WESTY OWNERS AND OTHERS WHO MAY HAVE LAP-ONLY BELTS IN THE BACK SEAT.   In
> our Wolfsburg / Carat, I have occasionally used the rear-facing jump-seats
> with our 6 year old with a high-backed stiff booster.  It uses the vehicle
> lap-only belt and is not ideal, because unless the crash is exactly head
> on, the sideways forces would topple him off the seat where the high back
> on the booster would lose effectiveness.  The Eurovan MV's have shoulder
> belts for the rear-facer jump seats, but not the Vanagons.
>
> Anyway, Fisher-Price has a model that goes up to 60 pounds with the
> integrated 5-point harness, and you can use a tether strap on it for added
> security.  It is called the Fisher-Price Futura 20/60.  Its drawback is
> that it was advertised as being compatible from 20 lbs. to 60 lbs.  An
> early model with a 4-point harness and a "tray" across the lap has proven
> in crash-tests to be unworthy for anyone under 30 lbs, so be warned.  The
> newer models elminate the tray and go with a 5-point harness.  However,
for
> the 40 to 60 lb. range, it is capable and FAA approved.  The disadvantage
> is that Fisher-Price is leaving the carseat business, so any that you find
> still in stores, internet, or catalogs are the last that are out there.
It
> is about $90.
>
> Britax makes a "Super Elite" that goes up to 80 lbs, and I think 53 inches
> tall!  This thing looks a lot more plush and comfortable than the
> Fisher-Price, and it is huge!  It is too wide for an airplane, so it is
not
> FAA approved.  In addition, I am not sure if two can fit side by side on a
> Westy seat because of its width.  (Somoeone who owns a Westy might want to
> measure, and compare with the specs on Britax.com.)  Also, there are a lot
> of people with older cars with lap-only belts in the rear (American cars
> didn't get shoulder belts in the rear until approximately 1987), and this
> seat is the only choice that goes up to 80 lbs. with a 5-point harness.
> Therefore, even with the $200 price tag, Britax is still sold out!  More
> won't be available until "Fall" according to their website -- they are
> retooling for another run.
>
> There are many government, insurance, and other sites with the new carseat
> rules and specifications on them.  Please read them if you have children
> and haven't checked in a while.  We found some good opinions on
> epinions.com about these two models as well.
>
> Hope this helps,
> Michael Townsend
> Durham NC
> 90 Carat