Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

For bongoing parents to discuss issues re: travelling & camping with children.

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sledge
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Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by sledge » Tue Aug 27, 2013 12:14 pm

Hi

Family has now ordered 2003 43K Bongo.
With car seats in mind, what would be the best setup:

one year old & six year old kids
If we decide on mid camper does the 2003 Mazda seats have isofix?

side fit camper?
or mid camper?

Any suggestions?
winchman
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by winchman » Tue Aug 27, 2013 9:25 pm

I would hire one and see what best suits you
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sledge
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by sledge » Tue Aug 27, 2013 9:40 pm

Recently hired a side convertion, storage was good but we may prefer the safety features of the factory fitted seats, so mid converstion seems to be favourite!
winchman
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by winchman » Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:36 pm

I use this
Image
It was cheap and I still have 8 seats so plenty room when six of us go out but can still be used for camping or as a van as its only four screws to remove it
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sdsk
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by sdsk » Wed Aug 28, 2013 8:34 am

With seat belts in mind we went for a rear conversion (the pictures are of our "Bluebell"):

Rear Conversion

This keeps our 9 & 4 year old on the original middle bench seat with the factory fitted seat belts.

There may be other options on this thread:

Show us yer insides

No to ISOFIX as far as I'm aware.

Good luck with whatever you choose and think carefully how you want to use the van. Some conversions won't even let you just stop for a brew without rigging up an external water container ....

Darron
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2001 Aero 2.0l JAL Skylift roof & K2 Campers Intrepid Rear conversion in Carbon Fibre
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sledge
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by sledge » Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:34 am

ooohh like the converstion featuring Tribal Elder's, seems to tick all the boxes.
Keeps two factory fitted seats, I would imagine they both lie flat to make a reasonable length bed.
JAL Imports describe the conversation on their website as "Conversion cut down original seats" :P
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Getcarter
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by Getcarter » Wed Aug 28, 2013 4:25 pm

I would see how you get on with the 8 seater and a drive away awning before you get a conversion.

We did the same and three years later still have it unconverted. With 3 and 6 year old we take a lot of gear and find the unconverted is great. We also often carry the grandparents in the back seats.

Also, have a look at cab beds for the kids, they mike life much easier!

Good luck
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amauvis
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by amauvis » Wed Aug 28, 2013 4:29 pm

^^ What he said :)
ahmurray
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by ahmurray » Fri Nov 15, 2013 3:44 pm

sdsk who did your rear conversion? Looks good and planning one similar when we get ours.
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Simon Jones
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by Simon Jones » Fri Nov 15, 2013 4:52 pm

ahmurray wrote:sdsk who did your rear conversion? Looks good and planning one similar when we get ours.
In his signature line there's a link to K2 that did the conversion: http://www.k2campers.co.uk/page.php?pag ... onversions
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lancyman
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by lancyman » Fri Nov 15, 2013 5:28 pm

I would try without a conversion. When our kids were little we used a travel cot in the back
and my wife slept with the baby. Whilst me, and the eldest slept in the roof. Since then we got another bench seat and put a memory foam mattress over the seats. Really comfortable. Also, just got a cab bed
for the oldest one so she can sleep downstairs if it's too windy. I always wonder if a bongo
is big enough for a conversion really? I like the flexibility of not working around a conversion.
Bob
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by Bob » Fri Nov 15, 2013 8:27 pm

If you can wait 'till spring do come along to as many Meets as you can, that way you can look at loads of conversions and talk to the owners to see how each works out.

We're a chatty lot. :D
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sledge
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by sledge » Mon Nov 18, 2013 11:09 am

Thank you for all kind advice, should be viewing the bongo end of this month, exciting times!
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by Diplomat » Mon Nov 18, 2013 11:24 am

sledge wrote:Hi

Family has now ordered 2003 43K Bongo.
What's a 43K Bongo?

Hopefully not what I'm thinking. That's VW California territory!


Frank
My schoolmates idolised Biggles, I wanted to be Alcock & Brown
They flew, I took up naturism
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sledge
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Re: Mid fit or side fit camper with baby and 6 year old?

Post by sledge » Mon Nov 18, 2013 11:40 am

43k mileage :-)
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