>| going fast and hitting bumps would be worst. The Michelin MXTs are the only
>| tire made specifically for the Vanagon and they have a reinforced sidewall
>| which is what I would want under any conditions and especially low air
>| pressure with a heavy load.

        As has been noted, going to a 27x8.5r14 tire will greatly improve
your ability to stay on top of sand. These tires work best on the 6" wide alloy
rims as the 5.5" wide steel rims are a little narrow for most brands that I
checked out - and thus, some tires in this size will be squirrelly in high
gusty winds on a steel rim. I know this because I didn't check the "approved"
rim widths before mounting a set of Dunlop Radial RVs on my steel rims ;)
Not too bad, but real gusts can slow me way down...
        At any rate, the 27x8.5 tire will greatly increase each tires
footprint which might let you get away with letting less air out.... I don't
do enough sand travel or know enough about Baja to really comment on if airing
down the tires will be a probem after extended highway runs, but hopefully
the above info will be useful.

dave