I had been debating for the past few months, after the most recent trip out to California, to expand the storage area in the rear of the van. Why? Well, what I found was that the couch/bed was at the far rear of the van leaving a large gap of space between the couch and the counter-space. Originally I planned it that way, but after some use I realized how it was very inefficient use of the space in the van.
Mother and I talked about it while I was in California; adding in some storage area behind the couch/bed and pulling the whole couch/bed area forward. I had 18-inches of space to play with so I moved the couch/bed the as forward as I could (limited by the wheel-wells) while still allowing the bed to open fully. This gave me a 3ft X 16″ area at the rear of the van to build in some more storage area along with access to it from within the van via access panels [pics 1 & 2] and externally via the rear doors [pic 3]. I mounted in an easily removable tub to hold extra blankets and pillows while preventing them from getting dirty from the other supplies.
The end result is the ability to carry my spare tire again (peace of mind), as well as my 5-gal gas can (more peace of mind), easier access to the battery/solar setup, and room to carry many more non-every-day-use items such as fold-up chairs, extra blankets, etc… all hidden behind the couch [pic 4]. This also gives me the ability to leave the whole setup in bed-mode for multiple days, as I found I do when I travel by myself.
Related posts:
- No travel, but more van upgrades This weekend I stayed at home and took care of...
- Continuing the van remodel Yea, so all that work I did to the van...
