Whether it’s summer or winter, for one night, or a week away, campsite or wild, there are some modifications and life hacks that make living with the Bongo, for me, just a wee bit more comfortable. Some are covered in depth in previous posts. No doubt, this year will see some more! However, I thought I would list my current top 12 here. It would be interesting to see if anyone shares some of these, or has their own list.
So, here goes….
Rock n Roll bed
It’s all about getting a good night’s sleep, after all. You can argue about everything else you can do with your Bongo, but when it comes right down to it, if you can’t sleep comfortably, then it’s more of a day van than a campervan. We like going away together, so we need to sleep two people, in comfort, and the full width is perfect. That, and the fact that in seconds, it all folds away to give you back the space, and a comfy three-seater couch. It came with the van, so we have no experience of anything else, but it is fantastic!
Diesel night heater
Next would be one of my latest additions, and covered in detail elsewhere, but for the price of a couple of tyres, to be able to have more heat than you can deal with even with a few windows open is just awesome! Sure, you get the noise of the fan blowing, a bit like a hairdryer noise, or the car heater on high, but I can live with that, and when the temperature comes up, you can turn it down to a lower setting, where it is much quieter, and still keeps you toasty. being able to use the van off-grid, but not be sitting wrapped up in outdoor layers to stay warm, is luxury. Sitting in t shirt and socks, drying off your wet gear, and leaving a window or two open to reduce condensation, then when packing up in the morning, crank up the heater, open all the windows in the back, and watch the windows clear before you set off, with out wiping down!
Split charger, mains charger, and circuit swaps
This little gizmo is also described in another post, but essentially, a smart charger for your leisure and vehicle batteries, which senses battery condition and regulates charge to prevent over charging. Another Chinese Ebay find, around £20, and when hooked up to the mains, means I can use the battery power knowing it is being topped up at the same time. The silver thing in the photo is a changeover switch I fitted, to allow choice between batteries, although I can charge via the vehicle battery once it is at a high enough voltage via my split charge circuit.
After sorting out the charging side of the battery power, another worthwhile change to standard is a circuit swap loom. This is a custom made loom with fusebox and instructions, available from Ebay, but other sources as well. Essentially, all “leisure” circuits – interior lighting, central locking, 12v sockets, blinds – are now fed from your leisure battery, so if you are parked up without charging, using these circuits isn’t using valuable battery power you will need when you want to start the engine again! Not expensive, simple enough to fit and make the wiring changes at the vehicle fusebox, and complete peace of mind!
Mains electric hookup, on the cheap!
Also covered in previous post is the mains hookup. A simple installation, but it does what is required, allowing me to connect to shore power at campsites. a compact single socket and circuit breaker box sits neatly in the passenger footwell, and plugged into this is a four-way extension, which clips onto the back of the drivers seat. This provides power in the rear for kettle, phone chargers, and a small electric heater for cold weather camping should you need it. Basically, what you would use in a tent. completes the mains and charging circuits, making the van usable in any circumstance.
Swivel passenger seat
Not cheap, but what a clever gadget the New dawn Conversion Bongo swivel seat is! New dawn modify your existing seat, chopping, welding and adapting to type-approved designs, ensuring you are still safe in an accident and covered for insurance purposes. I would urge everyone to consider doing this, if they travel with a companion, as it is much better to sit facing each other, than side by side, for any conversation. There is a driver’s seat version too, and for families this might be worth doing as well. Nearly £300 to do each seat, but I reckon it’s worth it for the way it opens up the back of the van.
Indoor loo!
An essential bit of kit, borrowed from my camping trips and makes staying in the van just so much more “convenient”!! A collapsible water container, folds up to nothing, lightweight, but easily accomodates your night time “usage”, meaning you don’t need to traipse to the toilet block in the night, or step outside the van, in the rain! Slip it into your wask bag in the morning when you head to the showers and discreetly empty and rinse. Less than a fiver, and worth every “penny spent”!!
Dehydrated food, ready meals
Also posted previously, but just such a handy idea. Treat your van as a tent, not a house, and look at convenient ways of feeding yourself, with no washing up and minimal prep. There are the dehydrated meals, developed for expedition use, so lightweight, really tasty and filling, huge variety of meal sizes and content, available online or from your local camping shop. And, the “wet” meals, handy portions of all your favourites in a foil pouch. Just pop in a pot of water and heat through on the stove, tear open and eat from the pouch. at around £4 – £6 a meal, when you weigh cost against convenience and how compact and versatile they are, I feel it’s a no-brainer when you are away. Obviously, eat fresh when you can, fruit, salad, bread etc can supplement your diet. Eat out too, let someone else wash up! But please give these a try, you won’t regret it!
File boxes repurposed
Not much explanation needed here, just had an inspired idea to use these two file boxes for all our kitchen kit – pots, kettle, glasses, cups, tea, coffee, etc, all lives in one box. Spare gas, kitchen roll, electric kettle, tea towels and washing liquid, plus utensils in the other. Room for the odd pack of biscuits too! I spent a bit of time looking for something that would fit, and had bought a couple of boxes with snap on lids, but they weren’t fitting while travelling. These sit perfectly on the narrow back part of the rock n roll bed at the tailgate, out of site of the driver behind the seat back. A travel throw rug covers them up, and a luggage tiedown strap secures them and the heavy water container in place. In good weather, I can access from the tailgate, and use the lid for the under bed storage as a shelf to brew up on. When using from inside, they can be accessed over the seat back. Another use is as a shelf for the kettle, as they fit perfectly on the flipped dickie seat, behind the driver’s seat and right below my four-way socket. You can usually spot the kettle perched on here in the interior shots of the van. The other sits nicely on the seat of the driver’s side, being narrow enough it doesn’t touch the steering wheel. They just work brilliantly, and you can even use one outside as a makeshift coffee table!
Decathlon camping table / AFT storage shelf
Another simple hack, already had one of these wee tables from Decathlon, the outdoor sports retailer, and knew that it would fit in the front of the pop top, above the cab, allowing for the floor to be lifted and lowered unhindered. But, it was a bit high to be usable, so I bought another one, and drilled out the rivets, cut a bit off the legs making it tall enough for holdalls to fit underneath, allows our bedding to be stored up here during the day, keeping the van free of clutter. free space either side of the legs fits my water container, with the tap over the edge to be used in place, and on the other side… Doritos, of course, or usually the small fridge we have sits here out the way. An eye level fridge, sheer decadence!
Subcold silent run mini fridge
Worth mentioning, a convenience or luxury item for us, as we use powdered milk, but in summer for keeping salad crisp and the ciders chilled, this compact fridge works a treat! Not the cheapest at around £45 for this 6 litre model, but the silent fan is worth the extra tenner or so. Can be used on mains or 12v, so stick a sandwich in there for your journey, and the ciders when you pitch up. Not always used or taken, but if on a longer trip then a must, for the sheer luxury value.
Sun canopy / awning
Lastly a mention of the canopy I have currently. The more sharp-eyed will spot a different awning in some photos. This is a sturdy SunnKamp caravan awning which came with Ali Bongo when we got him. It has zip-on sides, and rolls into a long bag, which itself slips into the awning rail, simply unzip, unroll and extend the legs. But, it is bulky, being the full length of the van side even when rolled away, so it gets in the way inside when travelling. So, I bought the Khayam lightweight one I had seen another Bongonaut using. Pretty cheap at £80, and the same size when erected as the Sunnkamp, however it rolls away into a hiking tent-sized bag and only weighs about 5kg. It fits underneath the bed in the storage there, so we always have it with us if needed. it gives you a dry area next to the van, and in warm weather you can sit in the shade provided. Again, not essential, but a great luxury addition to your kit.
So, that is a list of the main items I feel make using the Bongo that bit more comfortable. They are not all essentials, but it is important sometimes to have a luxury or two on your trip, and if it gives you pleasure and is useful, then why not? It is a compromise at all times between every convenience, and saving space and weight where you can.Storage solutions make a huge difference to Bongo life, and I am quite pleased that I found the boxes which fit and hold what I need to bring. The budget wiring and modifications are not essential either, but we like using campsites at times, so it is sensible to be using the mains electric where possible, for heating water, and the van, plus why not charge up your batteries for the road ahead? There are a load of other little convenience items and changes made, and some still in the pipeline, but it is, as always, a test bed for ideas, and some die off after first use, some stay to replace the previous version.
Looking forward to another season of trips, and ideas, ahead! Happy trails!!
Ali Bongo's adventures 