>So is mine. Do you also have the partition between the
>cab and the passenger compartment?

? You got me there. I don't know what you mean, so I guess that means I
don't have it.

>Not necessarily. Did you consider flipping the middle
>seat (backrest forward)? It's really easy with those
>slideout rails. Then you gain huge space, although
>your passengers will be facing backwords.

I did that once, but there is not enough room for the legs, plus my son
said riding facing backwards makes him think he is going back in time :-)

>It's about 6 foot till the middle seat backrest,

Yea, just a bit too short for a real mattress......

>BTDT. A pain in the &^$%%^...

Its not that hard. Its only 6 bolts. I suppose its all relative, but it
beats any other way I have come up with.

>And you still have to find a place where to leave it.

I guess if you have no garage, that can be a bummer.

>potential storage space, and if you don't have a seat
>back in the rear hard breaking tends to make things in
>the storage area fly in your direction...

Another reason I keep the middle seat :-) Its only in my case of course,
but I don't need to carry too much stuff that needs to lay around in the
back cause it only me and maybe one of my children.

>I have cut 3 smaller mattresses that sit on top of
>each other and rest against the middle seat backrest.
>They can be spread out to cover the whole back area
>when needed.

You lost me on that one too.

When you cut the mattresses, how did you close up the "wound?"

>Actually, it's not too difficult installing some
>homemade curtains.

Curtains I got. Screens I am working on. Just need to get to the craft
store and do the flexible magnet thing. I often stare at the rear hatch
and try to think of a simple way to do it with a screen. Simple meaning
cheap :-) It seems that a decent rope and one bungee cord would hold a
piece of screen in place (till I kick it out with my foot)

>Like the song says, "try to look at the bright side of
>life <whistle>"...
>You're just doing that...:-)

Its a Vanagon, gotta look at it that way!

Thanks,

John