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So im planning on doing a few riding trips this year all in the south east and south west of England which i plan to sleep in the van in a nice quiet spot ready to ride the following morning
Now my van is fully insulated, carpeted etc..so cold isnt an issue, will be eating out so no food equipment needed
Only thing i can think ill need is something to sleep on and a sleeping bag
Was thinking of using a fishing chair bed, nice and easy to store, can be used outside the van for seating purposes, i can run the bed down one side of the van and the bike on the other side
Only other thing i can think of is i may need some kind of netting over the sliding window so i can have it ajar to stop the windows fogging up and to stop any bugs coming in
Anything ive missed?
Wind deflectors on the front windows allow you to leave them open slightly to give a bit of ventilation.
My lad did the van thing 15+ times last year. Transit custom, just a generic van. Sleeping mat and a sleeping bag, that's it... I have to wake him every race morning... Either he sleeps like a log, or it's acceptable.
Anything ive missed?
Toilet, or carrier bags and a strong stomach.
Don't piss and sh!t in 'nice, quiet spots'.
Toilet, or carrier bags and a strong stomach.
Don’t piss and sh!t in ‘nice, quiet spots’.
Bog-in-a-bag. I keep mine in the van for emergencies. Also: disposable gloves, wetwipes and bogroll. And an empty bottle of fabric conditioner to wee in (wide neck you see...).
A fishing chair/airbed/air mat sounds inferior to a narrow foam mattress from a futon or something. You can buy IKEA mattresses for their sofa beds separately and we still use one for this long after the actual frame has gone.
Get a porta potty, you aren't an animal. Just bought one for camping as I'm not running across a wet field in the hissing rain in the night. Luxury. How about a folding camp bed with a self inflating mattress for additional comfort.
I use an Alpkit Dozer mat which is nice and comfy with a sleeping bag in the back of mine and no complaints. As mentioned above, wind deflectors are a definite bonus for discrete ventilation. Apart from that maybe a small camping lantern/torch and a powerbank plus a little gas stove for coffee in the morning.
Used to do this all the time. Drive to trail centre, kip in back of the Berlingo get up dead early at first light and enjoy some empty trails. Don't over think it.
As above, some sort of TOILET solution, I have a Porta Potti Qube 165. Plan your waste disposal as well.
For a bed, I have this and think it is excellent https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/inflatable-camping-bed-base-camp-bed-air-70-cm-1-person/_/R-p-309887.
I top that with a with an Outwell Dreamhaven 10cm mat.
Double post
Don’t piss and sh!t in ‘nice, quiet spots’.
My understanding is that away from watercourses it is acceptable to dispose of urine by pouring it on the ground, either directly or from a container. Solid matter is of course another thing.
If the van is big enough consider a hammock.
Dog, portable bog, bit of foam, duvet.
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My understanding is that away from watercourses it is acceptable to dispose of urine by pouring it on the ground
You may well be right, but many of these ‘nice quiet spots’ are well used, so end up stinking of piss as the natural process that would break it down get overwhelmed.
Cheers for the replies
Ive got plenty of torches and any devices can be charged via the van if need be during the day
Im not fitting wind deflectors to the van, was thinking of getting some mesh fitted with suckers to go over the sliding door window so it can be left slightly ajar
Regards to toilet options i was thinking about a wide neck bottle for night time wee's
As for the other id prob just go find a toilet nearby, this is the south east/west so not miles from anywhere with public loo's and im pretty regular, normally within a 2 hour window each day so can plan that in! worst case i could use a bucket lined with a bag and once used tie it up and chuck it in the nearest dog poo bin, im only camping for 1-2 nights at most for maybe 3 times a year, if it was longer then id look into portable loo options
Not fussed about hot drinks in the morning, ill have food and a cold drink purchased the afternoon before for breakfast then go ride
Carp fishing bed in back of the van works for me multiple nights a year. Way better than a camping mat or futon....
Currently got a Sonik SK-TEK level bed with fitted sleeping bag & cut down memory foam topper, I sometimes sleep better than I do at home!
Not fussed about hot drinks in the morning, ill have food and a cold drink purchased the afternoon before for breakfast then go ride
I think that might be a mistake, although in the deep south you are presumably never more than 10 minutes drive from a McD's, Costa etc? to get a hotdrink. I could survive without a hot drink at home most day - but if I've camped it would be essential after a crappy nights sleep!
As for the other id prob just go find a toilet nearby, this is the south east/west so not miles from anywhere with public loo’s
Are they open 24/7 - that would be the limiting factor around here. Never underestimate the urgency for a solution when that dodgy sandwhich you ate and had been sitting all night takes effect! Do you have full standing headroom? Crouching seems to take a "bottle" form undignified solution to another level.
Presumably no plans for drinking alcohol at any point?
rather than spend £30 on that you can get a proper Thetford etc porta-potti for not loads more!! Think I paid about £60 on Amazon.Bog-in-a-bag.
I picked up a neon green/yellow Nalgene flask for a few quid that's easily identifiable, has a wide neck and is kept in the van for emergencies.
For the van I have a screen cover that wraps over doors so side windows can be cracked open. It also keep the light out...
...eye mask if you are sensitive to light when sleeping and want to lie in.
I use a Decathlon self inflating mattress, it's brilliant.
I did take it a bit further and built a raised wooden platform in the back. Great for sleeping on and room for kit underneath. Also helps keep bedding away from wet or muddy bike kit.
A tarp, or bike sock if feeling fancy? Something to act as a divider to keep a dirty bike away from gear. Even good just to keep the drivetrain away from things and pedals away from shins when you get off the platform in the night to pee into the Nalgene!
rather than spend £30 on that you can get a proper Thetford etc porta-potti for not loads more!! Think I paid about £60 on Amazon.
Yep, I looked at those too. Didn't want to take up that much space in my T6 though. And you've got to clean them, etc. And they look horrific. Boginabag= Set up in 30 seconds, Poo in the bag, paper chucked in, nitrile gloves chucked in, wrapped up and away you go. Hygienic and no lost space. Comfortable too, lol 🙂
TBH, I don't want to be toileting in the back of my nice van, but slight incontinence from medical treatment occasionally says otherwise :-/
Did it the other day with my motorcycle.
Just used a blow up mat on the floor.
Motorbike outside mind 😊
Mtb could stay in I'm sure.
Rarely drink hot drinks at home, not a coffee person, maybe the occasional tea so not bothered by hot morning drinks
As said I’m very regular so finding a toilet shouldn’t be an issue, if it is then I’ll have bucket to hand, no standing room but kneeling to pee in a bottle isn’t an issue
Not fussed by Alcohol any more, maybe drink 2-3 times a year now, gone of the days all night benders in my 20’s
As for light issues when sleeping I’m pretty good, van has tinted windows and I’m not a lay in kinda person so normally up by 6am most days, an eye mask is cheap so may grab one just in case
one other reason for using a fishing bed is I can store kit underneath it at night thus giving me more room in the van, been chatting to some fishing mates and they say they are comfy, going to borrow one to try at home overnight
Poo in the bag, paper chucked in, nitrile gloves chucked in, wrapped up and away you go.
Nitrile gloves? Are you giving yourself an internal examination?! A sanitising wetwipe sounds more like it if its just hand cleanliness you are keeping in mind.
If you've got a bed chair already, perfect - chuck it in and sleep. Far comfier than a camping mat thrown on the floor of the van.
Reply deleted due to being a duplicate of what I posted an hour ago, very strange!
Far comfier than a camping mat thrown on the floor of the van.
Depends on the mat - I’ve got a 7cm self-inflating mat, a bit of extra puff and it’s comfy as a very comfy thing. Rather than a bag, I think now I’d rather take an old duvet, a lot less confining than a bag, unless it’s one of the rectangular ones.
I'm thinking of doing similar this year in my custom. For sleeping I'm thinking of getting a hammock that mounts to the load ties. It'll take up naff all room once packed away, too.
rather than spend £30 on that you can get a proper Thetford etc porta-potti for not loads more!! Think I paid about £60 on Amazon.
A roll of pedal bin liners is a couple of quid and works just fine.
You won't need a super thick mattress in my experience. The self inflating type are fine at about an inch thick. Mines worked on rocky campsites, lumpy fields, hard floors. It's just enough to stop the boney bits of you digging into the floor.
Deckchair and a good book.
+1 for the wind deflectors, they are good for letting a bit of air in and letting it circulate.
For a matress, Ikea does decent memory foam ones for single beds that might be worth a look. They can roll up so will take less space, but mostly they are better with a flat bed platform. Otherwise, as has been said, emergency poop-bag and a wide mouth bottle. I'm on team "brightly coloured and clearly marked for pee" wide mouth Nalgene bottle.
Oh yeah, black.out blinds, or something that van block out the cab so you can have light, but it is not too obvious.
The self inflating type are fine at about an inch thick
These are old technology now, much better options out there.
I've got a fold out Z bed /chair /footstool thing (a big foam cube in 3 sections that folds out to make a spare bed) for the berlingo.
Pros:
- properly insulating, not "OK down to.....", it's ~8" of fairly solid foam.
- comfy like a firm matrress
Cons:
- van needs to be perfectly level otherwise you're just going to roll over.
Camp / fishing beds, the downside is you'll need some insulation, but inside a van a simple foam sleeping pad will probably do. And their comfort is a personal preference. Their upside is if the van isn't perfectly level you'll still hammock into it. Whereas the foam bed I fid even if it looks level you can end up sliding/rolling into a corner. It's fine in a good car park but not so great in a field.
If I had a full sized van I'd probably go with the fishing bed from those options. Actually I'd build a fold out bed so I didn't need to store it.
Used to do this all the time. Drive to trail centre, kip in back of the Berlingo get up dead early at first light and enjoy some empty trails. Don’t over think it.
As above.
I used to do this a fair bit, in people carriers and estate cars. A length of foam to sleep on, a window just about open and a bottle to piss into. The only creature comfort I would take would be a decent pillow.
I tried making brews in the morning but soon realised that I couldn’t be bothered with the faff. Get up, get dressed and get going!
I used to do this a fair bit, in people carriers and estate cars. A length of foam to sleep on, a window just about open and a bottle to piss into. The only creature comfort I would take would be a decent pillow.
I tried making brews in the morning but soon realised that I couldn’t be bothered with the faff. Get up, get dressed and get going!
My routine was up, coffee and cereal, ride a lap, back to the car to cook a proper brunch while the normal people are still arriving. Then go out for a 2nd loop while the cafe is busy and the trails are quiet. Cafe for the big meal of the day and onto the next stop.
If I was kiting a van out I'd definitely at least have some sort of slide out/fold out cooking arrangement like the boot jumps. Cooking wasn't so bad, but washing up on the floor with a cold bottle of water was a PITA.
+1 for @piemonster Those decathlon bed bases are excellent. I have the Decathlon SIM ontop of that and then a memory foam topper+sheet. Very comfy. Also portaloo thing off amazon. Small stove+stove top coffee maker for the morning
Nitrile gloves? Are you giving yourself an internal examination?! A sanitising wetwipe sounds more like it if its just hand cleanliness you are keeping in mind.
It gets messy... 🙂 https://adventureswithprostatecancer.com/
I have a traffic which I spend 1-2 nights a month in.
Wind Deflectors and low profile Flettner vent for discreet ventilation.
Portapotti. Ideally for #1 use but has had emergency #2 use!
Bed is a Beso folding bed, with Wayfair mattress on top. Lights are rechargeable ones.
Not yet lined....but if I keep it beyond the summer rather than upsizing, then I'll line it for next winter. I have had sub-zero nights in it recently and I've been fine.
When I used to kip in a van, fold out camp bed with mattress. Might as well be as comfortable as possible.
I prefer a duvet and a couple of pillows to a sleeping bag
Being off the floor is useful for somewhere to sit, stuff can go under the bed, handy if space is at a premium.
As the van had a solid bulkhead it was great to sleep in, total darkness.
I don’t remember ventilation being too much of an issue.