Show off your camping setup / camper / van!

[RachelV]

... I'm sorry I didn't know you were headed this way -- you're actually not very far from my neck of the woods. Silver Point is only about 2 hrs from me! Which way are you headed next? ...

Oh cool, what a beautiful area. We were really just passing through and now are staying in Charlotte (in a house ;) ) for about 2 weeks with DH's family.

@RachelV was your spot in Arkansas a campground deigned by Army Corps of Engineers? It looks like their signature cement/aggregate picnic table design.

I have a conversion van, only slept in it once (in my driveway!) to see if I would feel comfortable camping in it. I was unnerved all night so I canceled the camping reservation I had at an IL state park the following weekend. However, I might be up for trying one of those Army Corps-designed campgrounds because, of the ones I've seen, the facilities are really pleasant, and in shoulder season, aren't crowded.

We were at the Cherokee Recreation Area and after some light googling I can confirm everything you said. Designed by the Army Corps of Engineers, concrete / aggregate picnic tables for sure, and it was really pleasant. All the sites were really nicely spaced and laid out, and it was weirdly empty for such a lovely campground. Though, in rural Arkansas a solid hour from the interstate maybe it's just never crowded? I have no idea.

What part of sleeping in the van unnerved you? The part that unnerved me in that particular campground was that we drove by a HUGE DEAD SNAKE on the access road but I am happy to report there were zero snake sightings in the campground itself.

 

[Amie H]

@RachelV Since I slept in my suburban driveway as a test run, it was outside noise. It wasn't loud, but I felt vulnerable. I had my cat with me - he was ok and had no problem sleeping,though!

The back/side windows have a small slider at the bottom w screen for ventilation. I had them cracked open for venting (which worked well) but that meant more noise.

Our van is a 2005 GMC Savana and in great shape bc it was never a daily driver. So I have plenty of time to revisit the idea, and decide if I might like to try again someday, especially at a nice, QUIET, well-spaced campground like where you went. And, tbh, maybe if my husband was with me, some of my concerns would dissipate. Once our dog crosses the rainbow bridge (she is 16 1/2!) we can consider removing her bench seat in the back and kitting it out like a real camper van.

Snakes - eep! We have lots of snakes and lizards (and spiders) at our cabin/land in WI but there is nothing deadly up in our county (too cold much of the year). So, I'm not too afraid - we've identified the species and all are "buddiies" (pest predators.) The scariest things in our yard are large white tail bucks when they get rowdy in rut season. Fortunately, no bears in our area but rumors of wild pigs and moose, but I've not seen evidence of either.

As you mentioned going South - HUMIDITY. Besides the fan, did you have any other methods to combat moisture?

 

[RachelV]

...
The back/side windows have a small slider at the bottom w screen for ventilation. I had them cracked open for venting (which worked well) but that meant more noise.
...
As you mentioned going South - HUMIDITY. Besides the fan, did you have any other methods to combat moisture?

We normally just put these things over the sliding doors, and then roll the windows all the way down:

The Overnighter™ SUV Window Tent with Bug Screen and Retractable Awning - Roadie Products

The Overnighter™ is a universal fit window bug screen for camping in an SUV. Keep the bugs and rain out while your windows stay open for fresh air.

roadieproducts.com

For this trip, since we knew it would be warmer and more humid than our normal camping, DH also made these, which are just screens around plastic frames that snap into the front windows:


That was the extent of our plan. If it ended up truly too hot & humid to sleep we were just gonna get a hotel room. We lucked out in that nighttime temps got down into the mid 60s everywhere we slept, so it was warm early in the night, but not terrrrible. We couldn't sleep in the van any warmer than that, really.

If I'm sleeping somewhere noisier I run a white noise app on my phone and put it on the center console near my head, which works pretty well.

You do kind of have to make a tradeoff between ventilation and security, though in a van the size of yours you could eventually put a fan through the roof to get around that.

 

[Skiskisarah]

This came up in passing in another thread and I thought it would be fun to start a thread with our camping setups.

DH and I -- finally pushed over the edge after years of talking about a better camping setup by covid and the prospect of a summer in which we couldn't really DO anything -- bought a used minivan back in June to use as a mini #vanlife setup. I have to say, it really hits the sweet spot between being a very comfortable place to sleep and a car you don't feel ridiculous taking to the grocery store. It's just the two of us and a dog, so for camping we take out all the seats and have a bed platform in the back. The bed is just smaller than a double (and we could squeeze out a little more width with some construction ingenuity, if either of us possessed that), and there's a TON of storage under the bed and in the roof box.

Here's the beginning of building the bed platform. Doing it with metal struts vs wood makes it store really well in the garage (with the legs off it takes up very little space), plus it's pretty light and easy to take in & out.
View attachment 14325

Done, kind of! We ended up shortening up the legs a bit for more headroom. DH is almost 6'2" and he's pretty comfy back there.
View attachment 14326

We also... got it lifted. It is by no means an offroad vehicle but the extra 3.5" of clearance is a game changer for getting to dispersed camping spots and trailheads.
View attachment 14327

In action up near Bighorn Canyon this past summer. If you look closely you can tell how much room you get in the back for coolers / water jugs / etc when you take out the 3rd row seats entirely instead of just folding them flat.
View attachment 14328

SO ANYWAYS, it's worked out really well, and I love having a vehicle that's so comfortable to camp in without having to have a dedicated trailer or much bigger van (we live in a townhouse so not a ton of storage for that kind of thing). We camped more this summer than we ever have, partially thanks to covid, but largely thanks to the van.

What are you all using to get out there?

Sorry this is very late to the party but do you use it for winter camping ever?

 

[RachelV]

Sorry this is very late to the party but do you use it for winter camping ever?

We don't. In the winter the bed comes out and the seats go back in and we boot up in there depending on where we're skiing.

We've slept in the van in temps down into the 20s... It's got 4" foam "mattresses" and we put a down comforter in there so it's pretty easy to be comfortable. Those temps are pushing it for the dog, though.