Once you go weekender you'll never go back.............

On Sat, Mar 17, 2012 at 8:50 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:

> >
> > I like'em both, even tin-tops can be fine campers for 2.
> > John
> >
>    I have a tin top with a westie 'kitchen' that works perfectly for us.
> We don't normally 'camp' in the Vanagon very often, but I do use it for
> bike races, for windsurfing trips, for work and as our second vehicle
> during our extended winter trips south.
>
>   I left out the wardrobe cabinet and the rear overhead one in order to
> fit my tools and bicycle gear inside better, and camping around others with
> a soft sided vehicle is often too noisy (generators, etc)   I like being
> able to 'camp' overnight almost anywhere while underway to a distant
> destination and to be able to have my coffee waiting on the stove....I
> reach up and light that right from bed, wait till it perks and the van is
> nice and toasty....then get out and get ready to resume driving.
>
>   I love being able to change clothes at a bike race, to have cold drinks
> in my fridge, to wash my face in the sink, to get to a race location the
> night before and not have to schlep things into a motel room, to wonder
> 'what did I forget?'....I leave my bikes and gear in the van almost
> always...so if I have an extra hour or two, no matter where I am, I can
> just gear up in the van and take off riding, return and clean up inside and
> not 'gross out' the civilians by changing clothes behind a towel in the
> door of my Priius or something...
>
>  I like the tin top in the wind, too.  We have plenty of wind in the
> Columbia River Gorge and 'camping' in the Southwest during the winter
> months....windy periods....very windy...are frequent and violent....not
> good for a Westie with tent...
>
>   Some day I may own a Westie,  it would be nice to stand up inside at
> times...dunno if the extra weight and windage would be worth it for as
> often as conditions would allow me to pop the top, though.  Extra cost, too
> as Westies seem to be worth at least twice the tin top price...  I would
> also like a wider sleeping platform...I am going to work on that...maybe I
> can come up with something in my current van.  For the two of us, sleeping
> in the Z-bed is tight, and my wife likes to "plop down" rather than sit
> down, so I've configured our portopot cabinet to be the proper height to
> slide under the bed as a support when folded down, to prevent the front
> panel from breaking off under Wife-plopage...
>
>  On my last trip, I had a full load and I still managed a pretty
> comfortable trip home, despite the 3 month supply of tools, bikes and
> camping gear...
>
>  Don Hanson
>