How do you pack your van?

We're off in fanny next week for our first jaunt with the awning and the full kit and kaboodle. There's 3 of us in a pop top westy and I'm just wondering how do you pack your van? We've been looking at dry bags but they aren't deep enough to hold the awning but wondering if it'd be useful for other stuff. I thought I'd ask cos I bet there are plenty of seasoned early bayers with some good tips! [emoji106]

Cheers, Lisa

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Depends if you have passengers/Kids in the back I guess.
Heavy stuff (Toolbox,awning etc) spread out evenly on the floor anchored down if poss! We blocked off the walk threw with the cool box strapped in place.
light bedding stuff and clothes in the back behind seats and under R&R bed, tools and spare wheel on roof rack.

Now I tow i put it all on the rapido and just clothes and bedding in the van as have the kids and dog in the bus.
Need to make something up to keep him (Dog) safe in the event of an accident! I have a few seatbelt straps I could use on his harness attached to the 3rd safety belt mount under the R&R bed I guess!?

Paul.

Get a roof bag for the Westie Luggage rack - pretty amazing how much stuff you can get inside one and they are cheap enough to replace every year if needed http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Roof-Bag-Top-Box-340L-Travel-Touring-Cargo-Pack-Bag-Luggage-Rack-Holdall/351621972575?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908110712%26meid%3D107df5ac4f0e4a57a6e296943bf04a70%26pid%3D100677%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D30%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D291847109019&_trksid=p2385738.c100677.m4598

We put our clothes in store boxes and slide them under the R&R bed, on the basis that they are only required once a day. Food goes under the buddy seat as required more often so easier access. We removed the wardrobe in our westy so have a little store beside the bed where we keep our plates and pans etc. Tools, oil and spares we stick in a storage box and bungy it to the westy roof rack. We then have a wet bag on the rack which we put our dirt clothes in as keeps it out of the van. Awning depends on how long we are staying, but assuming you are going to stay in the same place for a bit, then in the back is fine, because as soon as you get somewhere this comes out first. Theres space on the roof below the poptop where we keep stuff that we would only need whenever the pop top is open (like stove etc), so makes it handy. Basically, try and think about how often you use stuff and how you use the van and work around that. Basically, if your food is under the R&R bed and you're cooking 3 times a day, usually someone is sat on the bench, so it means always moving to get in there. We spent 4/5 months in a van I converted in Australia (not a VW, we left ours here) and it made us realise that you don't want to be having to move everything to get to one thing you use 3 times a day.

A lot of great ideas there. My top tip is IKEA bags. Used in pairs they are fairly awesome. I put my bedding in one which is a big old quilt and two pillows. I fold the quilt and shove it in then I balance the two pillows on the top. Then you do the handle thing, each side has a longish and a short handle. Take the long handle from the right and pass it under the short handle on the left, at the same time take the long one from the left and pass it through the short one on the right then draw them together like you is tying your shoe laces and it squeezes everything up into the bag, finish with a slightly loose knot. Then put another bag over this but the opposite way so the tied up bits are in the bottom of the bag then tension and tie as before and this really compresses your sleeping kit and keeps it clean, so when you hit the sack you just loosen one strap and pop off the bag,then loosen another and it flies out. I got a similar arrangement with my BBQ coals and same again with my fire pit drum. TOP TIP, don`t mix the bags up :lol: I also have a couple of plastic boxes like the sort you shove under your bed at home, they`re about 1000 to 1200 long about 450 wide and about 150 to 200 deep. I have put a few shelves in them and I stack things in there sideways so when I pull up, I hang these boxes like a wall unit and the lid is split in the centre and hinged so I have two separate doors to my wall unit, when I de camp, I pull down the wall units and stack them in the back then pull my pop top down. I`ve got a late Devon straight up pop top, but I`m sure you could get at least one in a Westy. The idea being, when the pop top is down and we`re mobile, they are just neat storage boxes in the back of the bus on the rear bed/boot area, when we`re camped and the pop top is up, they can utilise a little of the wasted space in the pop top and obviously get them off the bed because you`ll need that for other stuff like sleeping. You got to remember when packing that it`s sideways or put them up to pack until you get your head around it, I also use old chinese food containers in there because they are a great fit :mrgreen:

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,, And gazebo on the side :mrgreen:

just open the door and throw it in

I have gone from this trailer set up which was really good with loads of room





To this 1970's roof box with tow bar bike rack, yet to be tested but it put £500 back into the wallet (for over bus stuff). Yet to be tested but think it will work for us, less to go wrong and cheaper on the ferries. If more space is needed then a bag like Stu posted will be ordered.

67panel said:

just open the door and throw it in

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Ack! The thought of that gives me nightmares ha ha.


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StuF I've ordered one of those bags with express delivery so hopefully it'll be here before we go. They look much better that the £50 ones on the usual VW sites.

Ozziedog ikea bags yes! I've used them at home to store bedding so not sure why I didn't think of that.

Seamus1982 it's a complete revelation that the space under the pop top can be used in transit. Again, didn't even occur to me! I'm wondering if I can get some of those vacuum bags and store the bedding there maybe?

Ours came with roof bars on but we've removed them to help with height when driving under car park barriers so trying to avoid putting them back on but we can see how this trip goes then consider a roof box. I like how low profile yours is Cornish silver.

Great ideas! Keep 'em coming! [emoji106]

Cheers, Lisa



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lisavx said:

Ours came with roof bars on but we've removed them to help with height when driving under car park barriers so trying to avoid putting them back on but we can see how this trip goes then consider a roof box. I like how low profile yours is Cornish silver.

Great ideas! Keep 'em coming! [emoji106]

Cheers, Lisa



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Mine are a removable gutter foot pack so they can be on and off in a couple of minutes, foot adjustment is infinite along the gutter to depending on load. If you find yourself needing to go back down the roof box route drop me a pm and I will give you the part numbers etc

My best tip is to use universal Thule Easybase trailer hitch carried rack. You can buy a watertight bag for it, you can mount tire carriers on it, you can do whatever you want with it. Disadvantage is high initial investment if your bus doesn´t have a triler hitch. It doesn´t add to vehicle height and they do not charge you for a trailer on a ferry. Also it is comfortable to not having passenger compartment filled with stuff and actually use it,.

Food goes in the fridge/coolbox, clothes on hangers in the wardrobe (rest in a small bag), bedding folded up on the, err, bed - am I over thinking this?

On a long trip the camping stuff like awning, chairs etc will go on the rack especially if we are stealth camping en route and need internal space but otherwise its on the floor as its 'last in first out' equipment.

Keeping it simple is the key

I have a vinyl sunroof at the moment (I know...) so I just unpop that, roll it up and throw everything in from the top, like a bin. Job jobbied.

Heavy stuff goes on the floor and under the bed. Light stuff goes higher. We travel really light. Clothes under the buddy seat. Food in the cooler on the floor. We were used to traveling by Motorcycle so pack lightly. You don't need a ton of stuff. Pick up Beer on route!

A List ... no matter how well we pack or slick we get we always forget something, and I ain't getting any younger so my memory is garbage, so we have now devised a list ... works a treat. Ikea drawer lining bags (black zip up things) are great for clothes ... 1 each and that's your lot lol ... loads of stuff under the bed etc. What'll be interesting for us, we're doing a lay-by sleep over next trip, so, can we shuffle about all the stuff with the roof up to set the bed up for one night, especially considering I've just bought every COBB BBQ accessory known to man [emoji85]


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matty74 said:

A List ... no matter how well we pack or slick we get we always forget something, and I ain't getting any younger so my memory is garbage, so we have now devised a list ... works a treat. Ikea drawer lining bags (black zip up things) are great for clothes ... 1 each and that's your lot lol ... loads of stuff under the bed etc. What'll be interesting for us, we're doing a lay-by sleep over next trip, so, can we shuffle about all the stuff with the roof up to set the bed up for one night, especially considering I've just bought every COBB BBQ accessory known to man [emoji85]


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You might need to think about, what can go under the van and if you have space, a board of ply that you can leave under your bed in the back and under the cushion. I got one that I can whizz out without unloading from the back a bit like the table cloth trick, good for a laugh and sometimes it actually really works :lol: plop this in the cab on the seat backs and dash so you got somewhere else to chuck / place things. The plastic box stroke wall unit is another one even if you just use it as a storage box and not as a wall unit. My mate uses vacuum bags for stuff but it's not so great after the first use, don't work very well with a 12v vacuum. And one other little space is over the back bed you can bang up a cargo net.
Let us know how it goes, and remember your sense of humour, you'll probably need it.
I took three nephews away recently,I made a bunk for the front seats ,ace, a bunk over the front seats and steering wheel overhanging into the middle bit, ace, I had a stretcher type bunk over the slider, ace, and I had the double full width rocky roller for me, ace.
We used so much space that it was almost, almost impossible to move in the bus until everyone got up just about lunch time :lol:

Ozziedog,,,,,,let us know how it goes. :mrgreen:

Plus one for roof bag. I put all bedding for four adults in it and makes a huge difference with the space left in the van.

Robcod said:

Plus one for roof bag. I put all bedding for four adults in it and makes a huge difference with the space left in the van.

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What bag you have up there Rob?

We made it despite the M6 chaos, we'd already decided on A roads thankfully (we're staying in Blakemere in Cheshire).

We put the roofbag on last night to test it and was quite glad cos we opened it to load the bedding this morning and it was like a mini swimming pool in there! So it was swiftly ousted from the roof!

We put outdoor chairs, table, dustbuster (I'm a bit of a clean freak) and some tools under the rock and roll bed. Cool bag, stove, spare gas, hook up cable etc under the buddy seat. Bedding on the back not in the pool! Clothes in the little store cupboard and kitchen stuff in the rear locker. Awning on the floor cos I figured last in first out. I wanted to try to utilise the space under the pop up but the things we put there were stopping it closing properly. Toiletries etc in the little cubby holes.

So we're all set up and about to head off to the pub for tea!

Thanks for all your tips!



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Good work, enjoy!