I have been camping in my 1990 Chevrolet Silverado Blazer 2-door for the last 20 years. When I removed the back seat there was just enough room for a 3/4 sized (Hollywood, as some people called them) mattress to fit between the wheel wells and from the back of the console to the tailgate.
After all those years with my wife and I getting older, she decided we needed a little more room so she found me a 2001 Chevrolet Express van with low mileage on the internet. After checking it out and taking it for a test drive we bought it on the spot. It was a nice passenger conversion LT model with all the bells and whistles available in 2001. I will chronicle the changes I made to transform it into my Class B- motorhome in the next few postings. I call it my Class B- (B minus) motorhome because it is just a regular van without the raised roof.
Camping at Custer State Park, SD in February, 2015.
Camping and visiting Scott's Bluff National Monument, NE in October, 2014.
After all those years with my wife and I getting older, she decided we needed a little more room so she found me a 2001 Chevrolet Express van with low mileage on the internet. After checking it out and taking it for a test drive we bought it on the spot. It was a nice passenger conversion LT model with all the bells and whistles available in 2001. I will chronicle the changes I made to transform it into my Class B- motorhome in the next few postings. I call it my Class B- (B minus) motorhome because it is just a regular van without the raised roof.
Camping at Custer State Park, SD in February, 2015.
Camping and visiting Scott's Bluff National Monument, NE in October, 2014.
I know a lot of people would not do what I with my van, but it is what I live and I enjoy modifying it and camping this way. This summer I sold our 23 foot trailer camper and now do all our camping in the DIY van. This summer due to Covid-19 we set a new goal to camp in all the South Dakota Game,Fish & Parks campgrounds that we have not camped in before. I just finished camping at Lake Poinsett Recreation Area.
They have many campsites for the water lovers!
They have an interesting planter by the comfort station in Campground 2.
I still take the time to make some morning campground coffee. I boil water in the black pot and pour it into my old fashioned "drip-o-lator." I can remember my aunt Rhea making coffee this way whenever we visited them, but she boiled the water on her stove. My parents made coffee by boiling water and coffee grounds on the stove in a pan. when it was done we poured off the coffee because the coffee grounds had settled to the bottom, but it seems there was always a "floater or two."
Mike, I like seeing your new mods and like you I enjoy doing my own.
Glad to see you getting out and enjoying your retirement and thanks for the camping reports and pictures.
We took the van out yesterday ( Thursday ) and went to check out some old campgrounds and some dispersed sites ( found some new dispersed sites )that will be great Spring and Fall places to camp at.
drsolo wrote:
I have heard the siren song of Class Bs ready to boondock complete with storage tanks, flush toilets, showers, built in generators. But I come from a long line of ancestors came west in covered wagons, not to mention I feel guilty having upgraded from a tent my parents used every summer.
But I see this shiny Class Bs so I go inside and I immediately feel claustrophobic. There is too much "stuff" inside I dont want or need. I dont actually boondock. Everything inside my RVan is modular and can be easily pulled out so the RVan is back to being a van to move materials and furniture. Every year I have had it I have changed and rearranged, added and removed the modules to better suit my needs.
It can legally be parked on city streets.
So I resist the call and plan my next van to RVan conversion.
Sounds great and I like what I hear. I think you should start a Forum topic on your van and post some pictures! I know a lot of people would not do what I did with my van, but it is what I like and I enjoy modifying it and camping this way. This summer I sold our 23 foot trailer camper and now do all our camping in the DIY van. This summer due to Covid-19 we set a new goal to camp in all the South Dakota Game,Fish & Parks campgrounds that we have not camped in before. I just finished camping at Lake Poinsett Recreation Area.
They have many campsites for the water lovers!
They have an interesting planter by the comfort station in Campground 2.
I still take the time to make some morning campground coffee. I boil water in the black pot and pour it into my old fashioned "drip-o-lator." I can remember my aunt Rhea making coffee this way whenever we visited them, but she boiled the water on her stove. My parents made coffee by boiling water and coffee grounds on the stove in a pan. when it was done we poured off the coffee because the coffee grounds had settled to the bottom, but it seems there was always a "floater or two."
Time for another modification to my water storage tube. During our Memorial Day trip to visit our grand daughter and grave visitations, we got to use our water storage tube for the first time. It was a little tricky filling coffee pots, etc. from the dangling tube. I have a magnetic tool tray that I use on the side of the van and have a magnetic LED light attached to it also. I made a little DIY bracket to attach the tube with water valve to it. I mounted the wood block to the magnetic tray with a stud and a wingnut so it is easy to attach and detach. Now I find it easier to fill my coffee pot without requiring three hands.
I am late to this topic, but looks like we have parallel projects but with different principals.
My Sprinter bus doesn't have openable windows, beside emergency exit window behind the driver.
So my idea for ventilation is to keep the rear door open at 270 degrees, or in case of mosquitos - use fantastic fan to blow the air in and bus vents for exhaust.
Still fun to compare other options. I had no idea slip-over screens existed. Might check if they would fit my bus.
My Sprinter bus doesn't have openable windows, beside emergency exit window behind the driver.
So my idea for ventilation is to keep the rear door open at 270 degrees, or in case of mosquitos - use fantastic fan to blow the air in and bus vents for exhaust.
Still fun to compare other options. I had no idea slip-over screens existed. Might check if they would fit my bus.
As I mentioned in my previous thread about window screens that slip over the top of the door like a sock to keep the bugs out and still allow you to roll down the windows. The first ones I ordered did not fit so I returned them. I did some more searching on the internet and found another brand called Qualizzi Mottors that came in XXXL size. I am happy with them because they fit over the back doors of my Express van and they fit over the driver & passenger doors too. They even fit over the outside mirrors and were still tight enough to keep the bugs out. See the following pictures.
They even came in their own zippered storage pouch.
Back door fit with the window open.
Inside view of driver's side door.
Outside view of driver's side door with screen covering the mirror.
To make it a better seal against any wind, I added a few strong magnets along the bottom edge.
They even came in their own zippered storage pouch.
Back door fit with the window open.
Inside view of driver's side door.
Outside view of driver's side door with screen covering the mirror.
To make it a better seal against any wind, I added a few strong magnets along the bottom edge.
