We bought a 2008
Dodge Caravan. We took out the second row of seats, which used to fold into the
floor. Without the seats in the van it leaves two large storage wells that have
folding covers so that the floor is solid. The wells hold almost all of our
camping gear and a spare battery for the van.
We acquired a
nice Persian Carpet to cover the floor between the front and rear seating. We
also bought an ottoman that converts into a table and has storage inside. The
table is perfect for the stove and the storage works well to stow the stove,
teapot, sauce pan, cups and drip coffee maker.
By unbolting the
front passenger seat and turning it around you are now facing the back of the
van. It makes for nice positioning between you and the person sitting in the
third row seats. We also added a small steamer trunk to the area in the middle
of the van for storage of basic food, utensils, coffee and tea. It also doubles
as a table or foot stool.
For sleeping
inside the van you lower half of the rear seat, lay down a special mattress
that is about 30 inches wide and 6ft long. The mattress is stored behind the
rear seat when it is up.
We also carry an ice chest, outdoor camping box, dog kennel
(that collapses), shovel, axe, basic hand tools, bag of dog stuff, heater for
the van and a mini 9 inch DVD player. We seem to have all the comforts of
camping. Not too shabby for a mini van that gets 25 mpg.
The latest
addition to the Gypsy Caravan (The name of the van) is a very cool rooftop tent
that sleeps two. It is a fiberglass shell that pivots up from hinges on the
forward end with waterproof tent material between the top and bottom fiberglass
halves. It has a mattress and pillows with a storage net in the top. When it is
up you enter it with a ladder that stores inside the unit. It is very
cool...very.
