WE DECIDED TO LIGHTEN UP

Back to Menu I started researching where to go and what to do and after planning an itinerary of 12,000 miles of driving, steep ascents and decents, hairpin curves, narrow gravel roads, frost heaves, campgrounds that have no hookups, pit toilets when we are lucky...we have decided to leave our cute little trailer home and go ultralight. We want to go to the places where we can't tow a trailer and we truly dislike RV Parks. We have made temporary modifications to our minivan (seats removed) so we can sleep in a bear resistant container. It will be much like living in a pet taxi for 6 - 8 weeks, but, hey, we can handle it.

I built a platform with 1 x 8's and plywood that stand 7 1/3 inches high and is 4 x 6 feet. The base is segmented to give support where needed while leaving openings in strategic places for easy access to our gear. The base is hinged so when removed from the van it folds flat for storage. The top is secured with 6 screws...quick and easy to set up and take down. Then on top of the plywood platform we stacked 2 good sleeping bags just in case we need them later. On top of that are the self inflating foam pads. Then a 1 inch foam mattress topper that I already had. On top of that is the double sleeping bag from our travel trailer complete with crisp cotton sheets. Then of course, pillows. The top sleeping bag has a light weight quilt on one side and a heavier one on the other so for colder weather you just flip it over. We could sleep toasty warm down to zero if we had to. It is also very cushy and our emergency stuff isn't taking up any valuable space. The privacy curtains attach to the glass with suction hooks.

With passenger sliding door open, our kitchen gear is easily accessible. Plastic underbed storage trays slide out like drawers. I cut a hand sized "notch" to access the space under my seat for storage of extra propane and my little single mantle lantern. All of the cookware, coffee stuff, and wine glasses, dishpan, etc. are here.The white "pockets" on the backs of the seats are "nightstands" I made by cutting up an old closet organizer I didn't use anymore. We each have room for glasses, cell phone, weather radio, headlamps, etc.

The picture below shows the driver side sliding door with access to our outdoor items. There is a tent/shade awning, 2 quad chairs, an aluminum roll up table, and a tee pee for the portapotty. There is unused space under Bill's seat. We will reserve that for those last minute items that are inevitable.

In the back I built a shelf to make it easier to access our stuff. Our van is the extended model so we have about 24 inches at the end of the bed platform. Here is a picture of the fully packed back of the van. Top shelf has 3 plastic storage bins for our clothes. We can access them like drawers from either inside or outside the van. On the right side is our daypack with water bottles and survival items inside. On the left is a laundry bag that drops into unused space between the end of the shelf and the wall of the van. On the bottom is a small cooler, a 5 gallon water jug, a box for food, a bag containing the porta potty and accessories, and another plastic bin for extra food or whatever items need a place to be.

Now, take out the big items under the shelf and check our his and hers toyboxes. I will fill mine with painting supplies and shallow no-brainer books. Bill will probably fill his with fishing gear and the non-fiction section of the library. These underbed storage trays are 22 x 40 inches and have little wheels on the bottom...so easy to access!

We have 2 "tents". One is Kelty Carport which attaches to the van's roof rack and spreads a 1/2 dome outside the door tall enough to stand up to dress and big enough for 2 chairs and a table for getting out of the weather if needed. It also can be used with side flaps rolled up and front elevated on poles for a sunshade. The other shelter is a spring coil pop up tee pee that will be our bathoom when the alternatives are beyond our tolerance.

Alaska Or BustYahoooooooooooooooo