BEST SET UP FOR ADULTS + X2 TODDLERS

[cardiff996]

Hi,

I have just started looking into getting a Bongo set up, and finding the info from all on the site a great help!!!

We have twin girls aged 4.
From the experence of others what would work well? We want to use the van as a day van and long term holls for 2 weeks.

For the long holls I would plan to use a large awning for sure. For the van.....partial coversion, rear, full?
I am tending to a partial conversion as it would give more space, but is a better kitted out van an eaiser option?

Would also like to hear what others think and maybe pass on some wise words of wisdom so we can learn the do's and dont's from others. Do long holls in the Bongo really, work is it possible??

Cheers gang

[Bongopoet]

We don't have children but we do have an unconverted Bongo. We use it as a workhorse as well as a day tripper and longer times away. We have used it without awning etc on a holiday on the western isles and the weather was not great, but the van was. We have since then bought a base tent to attach to the side so that we could cook and sit outside the van and be quite sheltered. (Up until now we have used beach wind breaks) Also they have good midge/ mosquito nets on them.
With the wee ones that could be an option.
It also means that you can drive away leaving your tent but not losing your spot on a campsite.
Hope this helps

[umbongocat]

We've got 5 kids between myself and my partner. We don't often go with all of us but when we do we take our quecha. If there are only us and two kids we put two upstairs and we sleep downstairs. Our Bongo is a 6 seater with a full side conversion and we currently have roof bed boards upstairs as we took out the original room bit.

The bed downstairs is more like a large single because of the full side conversion, but we manage fine

Another way we are able to fit three kids and us in the bongo is we sleep downstairs but make the bed shorter only using one of the chairs completely folded down. This gives us room to put the front seat down for the little one.

Having said all this. We mostly tend to take the tent with us and sometimes the base tent too as it gives us a little more space on longer stays at places without having to pack up beds etc in the van.

Have you looked at this link... we found checking out the different insides of people's bongos great

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... how+us+yer

Good luck... we've never looked back since getting ours

[hembramacho]

We've got 2 girls (4 + 7) and a full side conversion with R + R bed. Kids sleep up top with modified bed boards instead of trapdoor roof and we sleep 'downstairs' on the seat bed. We also have a driveaway awning which is an absolute must in my opinion with kids and wet weather. Also somewhere to put the portapotti!
We found that when our bongo was unconverted, with the amount of stuff kids come with, just putting all the seats down to sleep was a bit of a faff, as where do you put everything? (This was before the awning). Also things like car seats take up a load of room. That's what sealed it for us to get a full side conversion - loads of places to put stuff.
We also got the bongo as we loved camping but were getting fed up with the amount of setting up, carrying cookers, fridge, etc. With the unconverted bongo we were still having to carry the same stuff, just not having to put up a tent. With the side conversion, the cooker, fridge, sink, gas and everything is already sorted, so you are set up at camp so much quicker, which means you get your first beer a lot sooner!
Basically, for us, a side conversion is so much easier, but I know others that manage just as well with an unconverted bongo.
My advice would be to do what we did - use it unconverted a few times, see what works for you, and take it from there.

Cheers

Andrew

[M 80NGO]

We have an end conversion which means we get a full width bed bottom and to but In my humble opinion if i was replacing my bongo for another one i'd go for an unconverted one with a drive off awning the reasons being is that firstly you are constantly lugging a kitchen unit around having a detremental effect on your fuel economy + the space that the end conversion takes up could be used for luggage.

I believe the best setup for a bongo is unconverted AFT van, drive off awning and a decent 5x3 trailer with lockable lid to lug all the camping gear around. The camping gear can live in the trailer and when you want it just hook it up and away you go, when you het on to your camp site just set up the awning with the camping table in it get a little 2 ring gas burner for cooking and your there

Or how about an unconverted van and one of these badboys

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DANDY-DART-TRAILE ... 1e61c05bce

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMBI-CAMP-FAMILY ... 35b0239322

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/starcraft-trailer ... 3cb55b94bc

[mcbainia]

Hi there.

We have an unconverted aft which we use with a drive away awning. The awning has a tent bitty inside it where you can comfortably sleep 2. We have a 4 year old and a 12 year old and they both sleep in the bongo watching DVDs while myself and my wife slum it on an inflatable double bed in the awning. If the weather gets bad, the 4 of us get in the van, 2 up 2 down and it's fine for us.

We have had 3 trips to France/ Spain and it's been great...gas cooker, 4 foldable chairs, outdoor table and a table for the back of the bongo ( we've turned the front bench around) for playing cards in the rain and it's been awesome. Wouldn't change it. I've looked at conversions but I think it's something that we will do when the kids are old enough to leave at home....hopefully by that time, I will have won the lottery and have bought a vw California!!!! That way, the wife can stay in that and I'll have the bongo to myself!!!

[bongobridge]

We are two adults, a 5 year old and a 2 year old. We have an unconverted ATF and a large tunnel drive away awning. We were contemplating a conversion but have decided it wouldnt work for us as the bongo is our everyday transport as well, so it wouldnt be pratical. We have had the middle bench reversed with a table in the middle, this works great for camping but also for days out (at christmas when we went to do all our shopping we went early to beat the traffic and ensure a parking space and all sat around the table eating breakfast whilst we waited for the shops to open!)
For long stays we take the trailer and load up all the gear in there. For shorter stays we are looking into getting the quecha base tent, the tunnel awning is great, but it is really heavy and takes up a lot of space. We are also thinking of getting one of the cab beds, which I saw on another thread (it goes across the two front seats) thought this would be good for our toddler as I dont like the idea of him in the roof just yet!
We found the best thing is trial and error, you will only know what you need when you find havent got it

[cardiff996]

Thanks all for the comments.
Good to hear that it is possible for my gang to enjoy themselfs with this set up.
Lots of different options, like the idea of maybe a small trailer tent set up for the longer breaks. Some of these are quite reasonable on ebay.

Cheers
Rich

[M 80NGO]

Thanks all for the comments.
Good to hear that it is possible for my gang to enjoy themselfs with this set up.
Lots of different options, like the idea of maybe a small trailer tent set up for the longer breaks. Some of these are quite reasonable on ebay.

Cheers
Rich

The trailer tents are great Rich, i bought one just before xmas with full intentions of using it this summer coming, but alas mrs 80ngo wasn't as keen and made me sell it and buy a caravan

The price of trailertents will start to go up soon due to weather and demand etc so if you can hold off till next winter then thats when you'll get a bargain, the one i had even had underfloor heating

[alan]

when we 1st got the bongo we used it unconverted with a big awing it was like camping in a tent but sleeping in the van was good but got feed up loading it up all the time like we did with the tent and tailer tent we had be for and then getting on site and having to put it up(took longer befor you cuold sit down with a beer)
so we looked around lots of other vans which in it slef was good fun
And went for a 6 seater side conversion as it the mian car as well as camper for weekend and main hoildays replacing a car and tailer tent we still use a awning but it now olny take 4mins to put up full base pop up which mean you can pull up set up and get that beer a lot qiucker should add it me the mrs and the 2 kids now age 9 and 12 we had the bongo for about 5 years now 2 of them we were with no conversion but glad we had it done.

so to some up ill try it with out tell you fine the best conversion for you take your time looking around other vans (good way to meet new freinds )

[campergeek]

we're in a similar position - 2 adults, a 2 year old and another on the way. Recently got an unconverted bongo, so currently figuring out what will work for us.

We previously had a full side conversion vw t25. Compared to this, a side-converted bongo doesn't have much room, and seems to have very little storage space. However, we've decided we don't need a cooker inside, as we cook outside while the kids sleep inside. We don't really need a sink or on-board water either. What we do need is a fridge, a lot of cupboard space, plus the ability to all sit around a table in the van when the weather is rubbish or for day trips in the winter.

With this in mind, I'm going to remove one of the bench seats. Build a box-seat behind the front seats, and add a large seat-height parcel shelf at the back, all covered in foam slabs. Flattening the remaining bench seat will turn the back into one big bed - see this thread: http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... hp?t=43916.

We've got a base seconds pop-up tent to stick child-seats, food boxes and a stand-alone cooker in. We've also got a bigger kyham awning for longer trips.

Hopefully I'll get this set up in the next few weeks, but as yet it's totally unproven. Ask me in six months how it worked out

Alex

[cardiff996]

What a good idea campergeek !!
I hadnt given this one a thought, but now I think on it, it is an excellent idea.

Its the fact you can have this bigger table layout and fit everyone round the table that sounds good.
I wonder if there would be a way to incorperate a cooker set up, maybe at the rear, with a cover that could be put on ready for the bed set up?

Making a brew or a spot of simple lunch if out for the day would be just perfect.

Cheers

[g8dhe]

If you haven't seen it already the thread "Show us your insides" http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... 47&t=37365 has a wide range of examples of what others have done, but you probably have already seen it

[Alison01326]

Send Barrington on here a PM (private message) if he doesn't read this (he's too preoccupied in the chrome section on here!!!!).

He's got twin girls (toddlers) and they are very regular campers.

[campergeek]

thanks cardiff996. the ability to brew a quick cuppa on a day out would be useful. We've also got one of those cheap single hob portable stoves, so recon we could get away with making a quick brew at the table, or on the parcel shelf stood under the open tailgate if needs be.