Spring is almost here, time for minivan camping plans

What little energy that was not sapped by winter, sickness took the rest the past six months.  I went from having bronchitis in late October to dealing with a cold throughout December to a mystery illness that began in February and finally diagnosed in March.  Finally after getting treatment and sleeping for a week straight, I am almost back to baseline health.  Of course, the fact that the most miserable winter in recent history is past probably helps as well.

Enough about my misery, on to happier news - minivan camping!

I am finally going to clean the interior of my minivan so that I can test out curtain redux part 20,123.  This version is cutting some fuzzy fabric to fit one of my windows, attach the loop part of Velcro, and see how that holds up over the weekend.  If it stays up, then that is my plan for privacy curtains.  If that doesn't work, I am going to the home improvement store, buying the huge roll of reflectix that I saw when I was looking for window screening, and cutting it a little larger than my window.  Might not be pretty, but it will work. 

Another version of bed platform

For the first couple of short trips, I am going to remove my second row seats (third row folds down) and put a full sheet of plywood in the back.  This will act as a flat surface to put the twin sized mattress topper on (4-inch foam mattress topper from walmart).  By not cutting it down, I will be able to use the sheets without any worries.  I figure for a weekend adventure, this will be easier to deal with than the over-engineered platform that was built earlier.

Yes, I do have a tendency to over complicate a solution

I already have an old camping chair that I plan on taking.  A plastic bin to store clothing and food.  I am keeping things simple this time around.  I think I was suffering from choices paralysis.  I just need to book a tent site at a local (i.e. <2 hours away) and take off for the weekend. 

Hopefully I will report back with the final pre-trip version of my minivan window privacy curtains.  I am sure that it might change after my first trip.

Plans for the remainder of the year

Winter seems to be in full swing now

Last Thursday, we had our first snow flurry of the season.  It didn't stick, but any hope of a mild winter is gone.  If the weather shows promise, I am going to go for a shake down camping trip.  However, with the lows in the 30s over the next 10 days, this doesn't seem to be a reality for me.  I want to stay within an hour or two of my house in case I have a technical failure. Camping season is ending soon in most of the Virginia state parks.

My goal for the upcoming week is to get my current gear organized so that I can put the cot, privacy curtains, and gear in the van to see how it goes. I am going to purchase a small electric heater and attempt an overnight sleep in the driveway. This will at least give me an idea if the cot is a good size and if the foam mattress is a decent thickness.  My husband doesn't think the 4 inch topper plus an egg shell topper is going to be enough padding.  Only sleeping on it will tell if this will be okay.

If the overnight in my driveway works out, then I might consider a drive down further south to SC or GA.  I will need to do this over a weekend since I still don't have a mobile internet option worked out.  Looks like I will be adding "research state parks in SC and GA" to my list of things to do.

What to do about food is next on my list to research

I have shifted my eating habits.  This has caused me to think about how to maintain my more healthy eating as I am out camping.  I know some folks get dehydrated veggies, dehydrated beans, and parboiled rice for healthier meals.  I will admit that most of my healthier meals are prepackaged, expensive items.  Learning how to to make similar meals with bulk items would be beneficial on many fronts.

No news is no news

The temperatures have dropped and my motivation follows

Several weeks ago, fall appeared full force.  Work kept me busy.  No progress made on a camping adventure for this year.

Also, if there is such a thing as camper's block (akin to the writer's variety), then I have it.

I discover that as all the blocks are removed, I have no excuse

Reading blogs, making lists, dreaming of the perfect trailer all kept me from making plans for when dreams become a reality.  I discover that as soon as I simplify my plans that I realize that I spent so much time with pie in the sky dreams that I do not think about what to do when all the roadblocks are gone.

I also started telling people about my plans.  My mom was horrified that I would sleep in my van.  I guess she equates that with not having means to live any other way.  For a couple weeks, we played the transfer wars.  She would transfer money to my account so I could take a weekend trip and stay in a hotel.  I would transfer the money back because I can afford to pay for a hotel if I wanted. She couldn't understand WHY. 

However, this is her issue, not mine. 

After a while, the words crept into my brain, causing me to think that maybe there was something wrong with me.  I remember reading on RV Sue's blog early in her adventures about how she was staying at an RV park and came across a woman who had an extension cord go into her vehicle.  She had empathy for a woman who would need to do so and refused to gawk at the situation.  Honestly, I didn't want random strangers to feel sorry for me.

What makes one type of vehicle okay to camp in but not another?

Public perception?  That is lame. Car camping allows me to see if I can travel while working remotely for my current job.  I am not out thousands of dollars for a cheap(er) used travel trailer that I can pull with my van.  I am able to ease into the life style with very little financial commitment.  How is traveling from campsite to campsite, setting up a tent and sleeping on the ground any different?  Would people feel sorry for those that do that?  Or is it that when you stay in an RV site in a car/truck/van that poverty is the first thought on those in more expensive set ups?

Looking towards the future

With November almost half over, I plan to spend the next several months finishing up the build-out for my camper van.  I can now purchase the last bit of items that I need doing research for the best prices and the best item for the job rather than just getting something because it fits 80% of the criteria.

I will also use this time to plan out possible excursions and save up cash for entrance fees, camp fees, and gas.  I still need to do a shake down trip or three.  I have some ideas for what I would like to see and do.  Once I get some firm plans in place, I will share here.

When spring arrives, I will be outfitted and have a plan to start my adventure.

I am okay and my mood is better

:)

Slow progress is still progress

This past week was spent shopping and finishing up building the bed.  I found some large sealable containers to go under the bed, got the foam mattress topper, bedding, and a camping stove from various stores. 

I think I also solved my window covering issue by putting the loop part of Velcro on my windows and cutting fleece to match the approximate size of each window. Initial experiments are good.

From Amazon, I purchased a LED lamp and a fan.  The lamp is battery operated and is lightweight enough to also carry around as a flashlight.  The fan can be powered by a plug or 8 D cell batteries.

The husband got me various things when he went and got the paint tarp to cover the top of the bed. He camp back with various extension cords, a mag light, a head lamp, and some other things I cannot recall.

I plan on getting a campsite with electric for my first outing, which I still plan to do this upcoming weekend.

I still have a lot to do.  I finally unrolled the foam mattress topper last night. Supposedly, the shape will be regained after 24 hours.  This morning, it was still in need of reshaping so hopefully tomorrow the shape will improve.  I also need to finish cutting the fleece to size for my remaining windows. I am going to deal with the floor as is for this initial run.  I have already gotten my toes a couple times.  When I go out longer, this will have to be resolved.

Dog Tired

No real work on the privacy window coverings so I will distract you with cute animal photos.

Progress on bed and curtains

Lots of progress was done this week

I cannot complain about my progress this week, I constructed my curtains without any sewing issues.  My husband found enough left over lumber from projects past to construct my bed.

A partial van curtain fail

After my initial success with the construction of the curtains, I pondered for a long time concerning how to hang them in the van without doing any drilling or permanent installs since my van has side curtain airbags.  I originally bought various sized 3M command hooks thinking that this would fit the bill nicely.  However, I don't think there is one plastic surface in my van that has a flat face. What I failed to consider was that the adhesive needs a completely flat surface to perform the job correctly.  

Too bad, the curtains look good up

Front privacy curtains

Until the adhesive started to fail, causing my curtains to fall either as I was placing them on the hooks or shortly after hanging for a bit.

Meanwhile, in the man-cave

The bed is coming together nicely.  My husband scrounged up enough left-over lumber from past projects to start the bed build. 

Top of the van bed cot

My husband built a sturdy platform that I will top with a 4-inch memory foam mattress topper.

Bottom of the van bed cot - look at that sturdy platform

The final bed size will be 30 inches wide, 70 inches long, and 16.5 inches high.  I found four nice sized storage bins that will fit under the bed.

Bed legs clamped into place

Bed - almost done

 The plan is to put some 1x1 or something to act as a leg brace, which will theoretically keep the storage bins in and provide additional stability to the legs.  I also need to cover the platform with some kind of material.

 

More trips to Walmart and Home Depot in my future

I need to get a staple gun, a drop cloth, foam mattress topper, bed sheets, fleece blankets, comforter, and some miscellaneous camping gear for my trial run.

Trial Run date is set - I still have enough shopping days

I plan on going out to a local state park in two weeks for a short trial run to see what kinks need to be worked out.

I have a plan B in the works for privacy shades.  Currently, materials are in route from Amazon's warehouses to my front door.  I hope plan B works otherwise I may be stretching my creativity to come up with a plan C.

Privacy Curtains for a Minivan with No Drilling

Updates on the privacy curtains:

• Where I realize that curtain rods are not going to work 
• The Velcro and fleece plan

 Creepers don't really make the scenic areas any prettier

One of the first issues I had was how to keep the creepers from peeking in at me while I am enjoying my home away from home.  Enter the idea of curtains.  Novel enough idea, I think.

Unlike those vandwellers that will be full-timers, I don't need stealth ability.  I plan on being in campgrounds, family member's driveways, or free overnight camping areas.  I just need to keep the curious from looking in while camping.

My goal is to affix the curtains in such a manner as to not have to drill into any part of my interior.

Walmart and my trusty sewing machine to the rescue

I went to Walmart yesterday after work to acquire some flat sheets, curtain rods, and 3M Command small hooks.

3M command hooks will hold up my curtain rods without damaging my interior

Five hours later and the curtains are done

I decide to get a nice pattern sheet for the interior portion of the curtains and a grey sheet for the public facing.  I sew the wrongs side together up the length, cut in half width-wise, sew raw ends together, flip right-side out, sew a hem, and flip top part down.  I measure 3 inches from the fold-line and sew a straight line.  I then measure 4.5 inches from the fold-line and sew another straight line.  5 more times I repeat this process to get all the curtains made.

Better is the enemy of good enough

The curtains aren't perfect, but they will do.  I have to revisit the types of curtain rods I am using.  Originally, I planned to use short rods for each of the side windows.  After putting up the first two side curtains, I realize that one long rod would be better.  Also, I probably need to go with bigger sized hooks and rods for the back and front curtains as they will be heavier and the small hooks just won't hold.  I hope I can find medium or large like the small because I like how they pivot and allows for creative placement of the sticky surface while having the hook be where I need it to be.

Photos to come

I am barely focused enough to get this blog up and started.  I will post photos after this weekend when I hope to have the cot frame well on the way to completion.

Programming note

My goal is to post a weekly update on Sunday to detail projects in progress or completed.  Once I start making trial runs, I will post trip reports as well.

Things are starting to get interesting.  I already have a trip planned for Thanksgiving week.