Sleep 7?!?! Am i nuts??

[E-350]

ok, so 3, 6, 9 can sleep across. That saves some space.


I mean... other question...just a thought...

Where do you eventually go camping? Do you really NEED to sleep everyone in the van?! Are tents not allowed where you plan to go?

When we're on the road with 4 people we're sleeping 2/2: kiddos usually in the van and we're in a tent next to it. If you don't want the hassle with a tent you could check Decathlon. They got some "2 second tents", that are just popping up, stake it down, ready. And as we have the space in the van we can already prepare sleeping bags/ pads at home, slide them out once the tent is up and done deal. When we take off we don't need to put everything back into their bags, but just slide it on the bed and go.
And we don't go snow camping, so insulation/ protection is not a matter for us (especially not here in CA :-))

Sooner or later the 11 and 13 yo might even WANT to have their own 1p tent and not sleep next to the little ones... They might want to stay home and not join the family trip... So now you would build everything and in 1-2 years you'll not use it...

Advantage of this solution:
- More space for toys (I'm again phsychic :-D)
- you can still reach all places you want and don't need to mass with a trailer
- you could use single seats, forward facing, so that everyone could use their own reading light and lean back the seat how he wants
- in 2-3 years or so you could still re-plan your layout

So if you want to stay with "all sleep in the van" it's fine, just want to give another point of view.

[bitman]

Originally Posted by mtlangst

Hello we have been camping in a popup trailer for the past 3-4 years. We have been all over pulling it with a nissan nv3500. I am thinking about selling my truck and building an e-350 eb for further out adventures off the beaten path. And figure out somehow to fit/sleep 5 kids in it. Don’t know if that voodoo magic exists here. If there is anyone on here who has shoehorned that many people in a van would appreciate some ideas of how it was done. Thinking a poptop to sleep 2 up. Then a bed platform in back plus some form of temporary platform over two rows of foldable tahoe bench seats.

I’ve got the same van as you, and it can sleep 4 (2 up top in the pop top, and 2 down below in a convertible sofa + rear platform combo that is about the size of a queen). I’m considering a small fiberglass trailer to tow behind the van for added guests. Having the same van as you, I think it would be REALLY difficult to squeeze seven in the van, unless the kids are small (and get along well). Another solution would be to add, lets say, an ARB awning and room right outside the sliding door, and then stick some sleepers “outside” in the “room”. I have that set-up … Edit: here is a link to the brackets I made for my NV3500 that let me use the ARB awning / room. https://imgur.com/gallery/FwUsPL2

[pjtpj]

ModVans has 3 different models, all of which can seat 7 in captain's chairs and come with a popup top and two beds. Inflatable beds can be added across 1st and/or 2nd rows for up to 4 separate sleeping surfaces total. Everything is modular and removable, so don't have to take everything on every trip.

Our roomiest model is the MH1 and that is the one I would recommend to give everybody as much personal space and room to move around as possible. The MH1 handles off-roading well. Here are some links for more info:

MH1: https://www.modvans.com/mh1
MH1 Popup Top: https://www.modvans.com/features/popup-top-mh1
Seating for 7: https://www.modvans.com/features/3rd-row-seats (same seating system in all 3 models)
Off-Road Capabilities:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9BsYqW9ULo

(watch the whole video to see some pretty special Sprinter footage)
https://youtu.be/v9BsYqW9ULo?t=971
https://youtu.be/v9BsYqW9ULo?t=1369

[pjtpj]

Originally Posted by mtlangst

Do you have any pics of it setup? That would be a good idea. Are you going to put 4x4 on the van?

Lots of pics at https://www.modvans.com/mh1. On the Transit AWD is great but we are working on full 4x4 too.

[mikracer]

Originally Posted by mtlangst

Well i do have a 2010 rockwood popup trailer which i like. Seven of us and a dog gets nice and tight. Maybe i need to beef it up a little and just put a platform bed in the back of an EB van to provide more sleeping and then we could explore in the van like you said. And when the kids ship off build it out for two person camping.

I think with that many people, a trailer will be necessary. The trailer will have your stove, dinette, and sleeping for almost everyone. It can also serve as a base camp if someone wants to stay back. If the weather is poor, there would be way more room for people to stuff in the tent trailer versus in the van as well. Like you said, you can build a platform bed in the back of the van for 2 people and you would be good to go.

Rockwood sells an offroad trailer too, but they are kind of pricey because they are newer.

[mtlangst]

I think i am going to do a spring over axle and add 15” AT tires to gain clearance. I dont see any difference between normal popup trailers and “off road” built popup trailers from the main manufactures except clearance and tires.

[mtlangst]

Do you have any pics of it setup? That would be a good idea. Are you going to put 4x4 on the van?