Moby's Makeover-An Unbuild

[VanFan]

Moby's getting a makeover, and it's a little different from most conversions.&nbsp; If you're interested in truly building out a van, you probably won't find much of interest here.<br><br>I've decided to take the "metal tent" approach to making our '96 Chevy Express flat top van a comfortable mobile retreat for two.&nbsp; I am always eager for suggestions from fellow travelers, and hope to pass an idea or two along here.<br> <br>I'd be honored if you'd join me occasionally along the way!<br><br>Vickie<br><br>

 

[Guest]

Can't wait to not see anything being built...or the unbuild as it is not being done...uh, I mean, I can wait to be joined along the unway to building nothing..........yikes...where the hell am I...;<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/crazy.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"><br>Irb<br><br>

 

[Les H]

Huh?<img src="/images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><img src="/images/boards/smilies/tounge2.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

 

[Guest]

Yeah! That's what I meant! <img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/confused.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"><br>Bri<br><br><br><br>

 

[twokniveskatie]

hey, i'm there, all the way! i'm curious what you are up to, now.....

 

[butterfly]

<FONT size=3 face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hi Vickie,&nbsp; </FONT><br><FONT face=Tahoma>I'm ready to put my recliner in the back, toss in a cooler, one carry on luggage and just leave it at that.&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT><br><FONT face=Tahoma>one day I spent 3 hrs flat on my back in my 07 Chevy Express just THINKING how to outfit it for camping and all I came up w/ was brain matter oozing out my ear!!!&nbsp; </FONT><br><FONT face=Tahoma></FONT>&nbsp;<br><FONT face=Tahoma>I'm sure hubby is going to have his own ideas about items that need to go in the van.&nbsp; He is a fellow who crams stuff in helter-skelter the morning of departure...so he's not any help at all w/ pre-planning a layout.</FONT><br>

 

[VanFan]

hey, i'm there, all the way! i'm curious what you are up to, now.....

<br><br>Hey Katie!&nbsp; You know there's always a seat on board for you.&nbsp; Do you think you could stand another blog to read?&nbsp; That might be the way I end up going with this.&nbsp; As usual, I have an awful lot to say about not doing much!<br><br>Vickie<br><br>

 

[VanFan]

<font face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3">Hi Vickie,&nbsp; </font><br><font face="Tahoma">one day I spent 3 hrs flat on my back in my 07 Chevy Express just THINKING how to outfit it for camping and all I came up w/ was brain matter oozing out my ear!!!&nbsp; </font><br><font face="Tahoma"></font>&nbsp;<br><font face="Tahoma">I'm sure hubby is going to have his own ideas...</font><br>

<br><br>Judy (is that right?):&nbsp; I hope you spend LOTS of time in the van just thinking!&nbsp; They are great for that.&nbsp; One suggestion to minimize the oozing:&nbsp; put your feet on the downhill end!<br><br>As for hubby and his ideas...&nbsp; I may not be the best one to advise you there.&nbsp; I can only attest to the complexity of trying to integrate them into a cohesive van experience!&nbsp; I might also add that it may just serve to clarify issues you never knew you had (LOL).<br><br>Vickie<br><br>

 

[VanFan]

...yikes...where the hell am I...;<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/crazy.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"><br>Irb<br><br>

<br><br>Oh!&nbsp; Brian!&nbsp; I almost forgot.&nbsp; Are you feeling better now?<br>Vickie<br>

 

[oldnjung]

<FONT size=3 face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hi Vickie,&nbsp; </FONT><BR><FONT face=Tahoma>I'm ready to put my recliner in the back, toss in a cooler, one carry on luggage and just leave it at that.&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT><BR><FONT face=Tahoma>one day I spent 3 hrs flat on my back in my 07 Chevy Express just THINKING how to outfit it for camping and all I came up w/ was brain matter oozing out my ear!!!&nbsp; </FONT><BR><FONT face=Tahoma></FONT>&nbsp;<BR><FONT face=Tahoma>I'm sure hubby is going to have his own ideas about items that need to go in the van.&nbsp; He is a fellow who crams stuff in helter-skelter the morning of departure...so he's not any help at all w/ pre-planning a layout.</FONT><BR>

 

[oldnjung]

<P>As John Wayne said in True Grit, "She reminds me of me". H (my wife)&nbsp;is more the last minute camper, i.e. "just cram everything in that will fit and worry about what you forgot later". Our van has 190,000 miles on it, so I don't want to "build" hardly anything. Doing the "metal tent". Actually bought a tent to house "strays" and my homemade bucket potty with real wooden toilet seat/lid.&nbsp;&nbsp; Will use a 4 foot folding table, "floating" bed on storage boxes. Am going to install a Fantastic Vent fan in the roof. But where? Over the bed? What if it leaks during a rainstorm? I have to duck inside anyway and don't want to be bumping my head on the knobs, etc. Besides, what if I screw up the hole in the roof? So, I spend too much time inside staring at the ceiling! By the time&nbsp;we get it all done I will have figured out how to load pics from my phone. I hope!&nbsp;Keep us posted. jbandh&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</P>

 

[VanFan]

Wow! It's been how many years since I've updated this thread?!

Moby is still unbuilt, and we still love it that way. We are campers and have not spent more than 21 nights at a stretch in the van, but for the most part, the simple, flexible layout has worked very well.

The foam bed I made has since been replaced with this 5" thick, 58" x 78" tri-fold high-density soy foam bed (a/k/a shikibuton): http://www.thefutonshop.com/Folding-Foam-Bed-Black-5inch-Trifolding/p/621/2288. (I got a much better deal on it through their E-bay offering). It fits snugly between the wheel wells. When solo, I can sleep width-wise with it folded up. Extended, it sleeps two nicely.

 

[VanFan]

Wow! It's been how many years since I've update this thread?!
Moby is still unbuilt, and we still love it.

The foam bed I made has since been replaced with this 5" high-density soy foam tri-fold bed (a/k/a/ shikibuton): http://www.thefutonshop.com/Folding-Foam-Bed-Black-5inch-Trifolding/p/621/2288 bought on sale via e-bay. It is 54" wide and 75" long, which fits snugly between the wheel wheels. When solo, I can sleep on it width-wise folded up. Opened, it sleeps both of us nicely.

Here's a link to a DIY version: http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/foldable-futon-zmaz81mazraw.aspx

Most of our storage is in the back, and I try to keep everything accessible from both inside and out.

I'll be working on some refinements based on our last trips, the longest of which was 21 days. It's amazing how the little things can make a difference in comfortable functionality! A secondary objective for me is to have Moby reasonably ready to serve full-time on short notice.

Later...

Vickie

 

[Bela's Mom]

I really like the shikibuton! If I needed a bed, I think that would be it!

 

[VanFan]

Moby's getting ready to roll for a month or so again, with very little change.

1. A low platform has been added in back. It's a piece of plywood 24" wide and deep enough to slide bag chairs under. Strong steel shelf brackets make legs. There's room under for two chairs, a rolled up tarp, bug screens and a box with road emergency triangles. On top is a large masonry mixing tub. (The tub is part of our shower set-up.) The two Sterlite totes that used to be on the floor fit inside. What a difference a few inches makes!

2. Zip ties are my new favorite utility item. The metal curtain rod for the cab curtains was getting bent up and has been replaced with a piece of plastic pipe secured with zip ties. The ties work better than the velcro strips used before.

3. One (maybe two) cushion from our old convertible bed will go along this trip to serve as what I affectionately call "The Bob Lounge." Placed on top of a large cooler between the front seats, it makes a nice lounge. If they are placed across the front seats end-to-end with the cooler in the middle, a decent twin sleeping/napping area is created--complete with privacy curtains. This means we can sleep on twins in a pinch if for some reason unfolding the shikibuton is too much trouble at any given time.

Small changes, but thought I'd share.

Vickie

 

[VanFan]

An update on the tri-fold foam bed (shikibuton):

We just completed a 25 day trip. The folding bed format worked beautifully, but after 10 or so consecutive nights of sleeping on it, we noticed a flat spot in the middle. It is high-density foam, but did not hold up well to two active adults sleeping on it night after night. At around $300, I had hoped for better.

I may look into making one (or having one made) with a better grade of foam--if there is such a thing. Does anyone know if latex is an option or have other suggestions?

Thanks.

Vickie

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

you can get custom sized mattresses made at:

The Foam Factory

Pure Latex is one of the options, though not a particularly inexpensive one.

The FAQ there is also very helpful.

Regards
John

 

[Patrick46]

try putting onna those self-inflating camping mats underneith it.

we did that to the foam in our pop-up motorcycle camper (which I had considered selling cause I couldn't get to sleep in it since it was so hard.)
Made all the difference in the world!!! I now have no problems sleeping in there whatsoever.

(and NO, I can't do air mattresses)

 

[akrvbob]

Judy and I bought her mattress for our trip to Alaska in her van at Costco. It is a 3 inch memory foam and cost $130 (i think, maybe $139?).

We both slept great and we were in it for 3 months and 10,000 miles and it is just like new today. Highly recommended.
Bob