NV200 Bed system & packing improvements
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- Опубліковано 21 тра 2021
- In this video we show how the bed system works in our NV200 which we didn’t cover properly in the review. We also show an idea we have had for making the bed easier to use for naps during the day if required.
Want to see what we use in the little red camper?
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It's amazing how creative the designers can be when fitting everthing in and together.👍👏💯
I will probably never buy a campervan but I do quite like living vicariously through you two and your adventures :-) Thank you for your postings, they are endlessly entertaining.
It’s the cheapest way to travel and we do the same with our favourite channels 😁👍
As I get older, an afternoon nap, becomes -essentia and the cosier the betterl !! ☺
Fantastic. I can keep watching this over and over imagining that it is mine to keep me going until it arrives!
Hope you don’t have to wait too much longer 🤞🙂
It's always good to see how people adapt, those little tweets can make such a difference. I love my little NV !
We love our little van as well 👍
Started watching your channel a month ago and the wife and I love it..thank you..
Thanks for watching and taking the time to let us know 👍
I'm picking up tips for my next expedition so I do say thank you to both of you.
You’re welcome, Ade, we’re happy to share.
Great job Ken and carol we tweaks and improvements make all the difference👍
Thanks Rod. We are looking forward to getting away again to test out the new system 😁
Hi both. We have a Sussex camper van and have also found that rolling up the bedding and storing it in the back makes it so easy to put the bed up and down. We have found in addition that when we we need to pack up and move in wet weather we can tuck a picnic blanket, (the sort with fleece one side and a waterproof back) over the roll of bedding and everything stays dry for the night and keeps everything tidy and tucked in. Also comfy for the odd nap!! Happy travels!
That’s a great idea Sue. We might have to borrow that one 😉😀👍
You're so right it's all about trial and error, we always seem to be finding new and better ways of doing things. I have started to use some of your ideas for packing. Packing our clothes into different containers seems such a simple idea but one I'd never thought about doing. Best wishes from Northern Ireland.
Never stop asking is there a better way to do this is our motto. We also got some great suggestions from viewers that has made it even better which we will give due credit for in a future video. We love it when people share ideas and I am kicking myself why I didn’t think of it 😁👍
It’s fun coming up with little solutions which can make a big difference in small spaces (my current obsession is hooks!). The way the back folds down over the seat to make the bed, looks very smooth and to require little effort. Nice design. I find my rock n roll bed requires more.
We like how easy the bed is to make up. It takes a while to work out the best way to store things in such a limited space and we always like coming up with new ways of doing things to make improvements 🙂 I know what you mean about hooks, we have such limited wall space to hang anything!
Beautiful. I like the space inside and stealth mode. Makes sense that camper size. Thanks for making effort to share this skill.
Thanks for watching Moira 🙂
“Adapt and overcome “ - the motto of a Campervan owner. Regards AJ
Very true AJ 😀
Amazing how you can make such good use of such a small space! very cosy
It’s surprising how you can manage in such a small space when you have to. It certainly is cosy 🙂
That looked very cozy once you had made the changes, and much better to set up for a quick afternoon nap. 👌👌
Time will tell but we think it is a good solution 🙂👍
Fantastic, that looked very cozy 😊 improvements make all the difference.....Great video again Ken and Carol
😁👍
Cheers Rob 👍
It's those little tweaks that can make a big difference! 👍
👍😀
We do all love a good afternoon nap 😎
😴😴😴👍🙂
Love it!
Very nice system for your bed both night and day. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Lee and thanks for watching 👍🙂
Adaptability is key with a Campervan, we have a California, 2 people 2 Beagles so are still tweaking things 2 years on. Always interesting to see how fellow van enthusiasts do things. Looking forward to watching your next vid 😊
Thanks Gillian. We always enjoy watching videos of other campervan owners to see their set ups and ways of doing things. It’s a good way of picking up handy tips 🙂
Poor Carol had a good work out but you are right the revised bed set up is much better. After a long walk I need to rest my back and our panel van has 2 6ft 2 ins seats/single beds. After many years in caravans and motorhomes we are still finding better ways to live in a confined space. just love it.
I normally have to make my own bed for a nap which is fair but Carol is a good sport when it comes to making the videos. I worked in a continuous improvement unit in the police for a short while. We just used to look at how we did things and try and improve them all day. I can’t stop doing it now 😁👍
@@LifeistooshortCK I know what you mean Ken. I had a similar role in Royal Mail and I can't break the habit.
You both are professional bedmaker😄
Haha, thanks Anita😁
glad you guys are doing good. hopefully all will be opened up by July as we are traveling to Ireland then for a couple of weeks.
Thanks for watching. Hope everything is open again for your trip. Have a great time in Ireland 👍🙂
Always good to pass on tips!! 👍😁🛌
Cheers. We’re happy to share 👍🙂
Another very informative video. We also have a base quilt and you’re right, it is a right faff. Time to get rid!
We were out yesterday testing stuff for the next trip. Stew from Getaway Geese suggested just rolling the bedding up and leaving it all on the back bench seat so we tried it yesterday. We never thought there would be enough room for that which is why we used compression sacks. We were wrong and doing it that way will make life much easier 👍
Thanks for sharing
Great improvement, I find with the limited space Tis a bit of a pain and then you find the solution and it’s all good again. I am so glad I have such a small van go any where and no worries.
Its a good feeling when you find a better way of doing things. The other secret is never put up with something that is annoying you 😁👍
i know it is kinda randomly asking but does anybody know of a good site to stream new movies online?
@Thomas Benson flixportal :P
@Dawson Kevin thank you, I went there and it seems like a nice service :D Appreciate it !
@Thomas Benson happy to help =)
Hi Carol and Ken, greetings from Australia. Thanks for another terrific video. We got our first van in August last year and like you we are always looking for ways to improve things. Having upgraded from 20 years of tent camping we feel spoilt for choice 😂
20 years tent camping is a great grounding for van life. The chap who sold us ours kept saying that a ‘camper van’ is a step up from a tent not a motorhome experience and its important to remember that. Having done a bit of camping its quite a huge step up but keeping it simple is still the best strategy as I am sure you are discovering. At the end of every trip the first thing I ask Carol is what can we leave behind next time. 😏👍. Happy camping 😁👍
@@LifeistooshortCK we ask the same question. We have had 52 nights in the van so far and now have much less than when we started.
Happy travels 🚐
Great video and a top idea much better that is 🙌♥️♥️🙌
Thanks so much 👍🙂
I sleep in x2 sleeping bags, its great even in the coldest weather, get up and its all packed away very quickly and vice versa for going to bed. Best of all if its a bit chilly you can sit in it up to your waist like a onesey, saves putting the heating on in many an occasion.
Sleeping bags are certainly a quick option and I like the idea of sitting in one on a chilly evening - very cosy 👍🙂
Thanks for sharing...
Thanks for watching 👍🙂
"Let's begin by taking a smallish nap or two." -Winne the Pooh
We have Hundred Acre Wood near where we live. We will have to make a video of that and take you down to Pooh bridge and film a game of Pooh sticks 👍
Great video... have used your idea...our first time out will be next week in our Elgrand Conversion... with our two little shelties! Thanks for the tips!!
You’re welcome Christine. Thanks for watching and good luck for your first trip. Wishing you safe, fun travels 😀
Very nice. Greets from sunny 🇵🇭! 😊 👍🏼☀️🚙
Thanks Kitty. Please can you send some of that sun and warmth over here 😊
Good video keep posting videos up videos on your trip s
Cheers Lee, will do 👍🙂
Went for a 120 cm rib altair bed for our conversion, the normal 106 cm, I considered not wide enough for a good night's sleep. A nice compromise between bed width and cupboard storage width on our van
" Talento lwb ".
That sounds great Steve. Always good to have the extra bed width if you have room. The Talento is a smart looking van 🙂👍
Just a tip from us. To save space we use cushions and pillows to store clothes in such as socks underwear and t Shirts that dont crease. Its surprising how much you can get in them. Regarding afternoon snoozes. Could you use a small table level with rear seat and passenger seat to make a temp rest area. Fold up table or even a cool box. We try and make things in our van so they have more than one function and use. I am planning to do an updated van tour soon. Also include things that double up. Cheers and thanks for update on Beds etc. George and Jane
Good packing tip about using the cushions. We might give that a go with our hats, gloves, scarves and leggings. We are looking to downsize our rucksacks and get rid of the small grey crate we use to create more space. We sometimes use our bin with a cushion on top as a leg rest 👍. Thanks for the tips ❤️
@@LifeistooshortCK Hi guys another thing we do is use shower caps over our muddy walking boots. To store them and also put them on when nipping in and out of our van. Buys decent show caps not poundland ones. George
@@MakeDoAndMend1 thanks for the tip. Shower caps on our shopping list 🙂👍
Cool
Thanks 🙏
I was going to go for a better one but I am quite fancying this for me solo :)
Have you checked out Sussex Campervans. They have a video on an NV200 Solo on their UA-cam channel and also information on their website?
Great video Ken and Carol, looks like a good idea to me. Regarding things falling out of the back, have you thought of putting a cargo net up to help stop that from happening? That’s what we use at the back of our VW van, as we have a similar set up, just a thought😉
Thanks for the tip Teresa. We will look into that 👍🙂
Your welcome 👍
Hello Ken, I found that with the Ford Transit Connect required too much manipulation at night trying to get the bed organized and I see Carol has a similar problem. In the end I bit the bullet and bought a Fiat Adria Twin Maxi which I must say is great for internal room. Yes, not as malleable in tight/restricted parking spaces. Its all about compromise.. Take Care..Stephen H.
We have had to make quite a few compromises in order to get the flexibility to stay almost anywhere we want in this little van. I think all those years in caravans made us hungry for the ability to go anywhere as we couldn’t with a van and a big tow car. It will be interesting to see as time goes by just how many places we stay could only be done in such a small van. One day we will change it for sure 👍
Amazing how over the years you still tweak - not sure if this would work as we have a similar approach but we make up the bed ( we have a duvalay topper equivalent to your under quilt ). So basically sheets etc then we roll up the whole lot into the back like you but I found a car boot protector with straps but two normal straps as that stops it springing out. That way come bed time you simply un roll and bed is made if that makes sense also stopping your concern of all the top part of the bed rolling out the back ....
Thanks Stew. Love that idea. We will have to test that out before our next trip 😀👍
It looks so compact and comfortable. The idea of a relaxing snooze at journey's end must enhance the whole experience. I envy you both :)
The snooze is always nice but I shouldn’t really do it as I take longer to get to sleep later on. Being able to stretch out is a little luxury though and now it will be easier to do 👍
Strange how whenever we go camping, the extra-tiredness hits. Early nights & naps every time ☺️
Too right. On the trip we are on now we are up at 5am and in bed by 9pm. Best use of the day really 👍
Great video, when we were looking at our first purchase and the complexity of campers/motorhomes the sleeping arrangement was top as Helen needs a good mattress. So we traded off size and ease of driving/ access and went for a Moho with a fixed bed.
But its all things you need to consider.
Getting a good nights rest is vital as nothing will make me miserable more quickly than being tired. With our little van we made a huge compromise on comfort coming from our caravan with all mod cons and we are lucky that the gamble paid off for us as it was a very expensive gamble. We often covet bigger vans but at the moment for us we are happy with being cramped for the ability to take it almost anywhere. 👍
Oh my! Being a BIG TIME NAPPER, MYSELF. This could pose a problem!
Look into getting a blanket made of what is called Korean mink. Don't worry it is a man-made material. They can be found on eBay. For some reason the softness of that material will knock you out at nap time, it works on me. Good luck in finding a pattern you like, for some reason all the patterns are gaudy.
Thanks for the info. We will have a look at Korean mink 👍🙂
thank you for sharing, you guys have very interesting bed system, does it not cost a lot of luggage storage?, we just rented a nv200 as well, with a totally different bed system ( video is on his way) we found out that the space in the nv200 is very limited. so it is very good to see how you guys are doing to adapt the small area in te van!
We find we have just enough room behind the back seat to store the bedding, front blackout screen and our coats. There is some more storage in the back under the seat and a couple of cupboards. You just have to make sure that you are only carrying things you are definitely going to use, no room for any extras 🙂
Carol….would you mind awfully, coming to my home to organise it all lol…. Xx
If only my home was that tidy 😂
Hi Carole & Ken -hope you don’t mind me asking, is there a particular place I look to get an NV200 camper van? My parents in their mid 60’s are quite keen on maybe getting their own. Thank you. ATB Andy
We are in our sixties and we manage ok. If people need to keep getting up to use the loo at night though we could not really recommend this van as the only place for the porta potti at night would be on the front passenger seat.
There are several companies converting these NV200’s and selling secondhand ones. Ours came from Sussex Campervans in Horsham. Google NV200 campers and see what comes up locally. 👍
This looks like a great improvement - I do love a good solution, really satisfying 😁 I remember spotting a gadget in one of your previous videos which I meant to look into, and unfortunately I can’t see it on your Amazon list... I think you had a battery percentage gauge? This seems like something that would be very handy and I don’t think it would’ve been in your van originally (our new Sussex van doesn’t have one, just the voltage reading) - would you mind pointing me in the right direction please? I also seem to remember a thermometer which had internal and external temperatures among other things, just while I’m bothering you for info 😂 Thank you 😊
Hi Lucy.
We do have an extra battery monitor in our van that calculates how much power has gone in and come out of the battery. It also predicts how many hours the battery can last at the current power drain rate.
This extra gauge is necessary because we went for a lithium battery. Lithium behaves differently to the normal batteries as the voltage stays constant until its empty. On a normal battery the voltage drops and you are able to tell how low its getting. The voltage meter you have is good enough for a normal battery.
The internal/external temperature monitor is generally used during the winter to monitor our lithium battery as they shouldn’t be charged below 0 deg C. Its a really old one we used to use at home that is no longer available so we can’t list it. To be honest its clutter that rarely gets used and a phone app can tell you the outside temp generally 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK ahhh I see, that all makes sense now, thank you 😊 We thought about the lithium battery, but the stock model we went for had the standard one so we’re seeing how we go with that. So far it seems to manage really well between the solar panel and the fact that we drive it around most days 👍🏻 Thanks again!
Caro makes a real Vanna
You two are so great! I loved watching your ideas and felt so tired at the end I thought I might have a nap myself! Love your videos ❤️❤️
Thanks Tina 🙂
Hi. Loving your videos, we are two ladies, only about 5ft 4in tall, but not the slimmest of people could you please tell me the width of your NV200 bed? And also the measurement of how much floor space there is to stand on with the bed made up, with the passenger seat facing into the living space, but pushed back as near to the dashboard as possible?
The bed is 101cm wide x 170cm long. There isn’t really much room to stand on the floor when the bed is down but you just have room to sit in the passenger seat with your feet on the floor without your knees touching the bed.
Thank you so much. And do they come standard with parking sensors/rear view camera?
@@tracielawrence9310 ours came with a rear view camera on the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel. We upgraded to a better one when we changed the radio/sat nav but that doesn’t work now either. To be honest, the van is so small we can get by just using the wing mirrors most of the time.
I'm fine not to have a rear view camera, but rear parking sensors would be nice 😊
@@tracielawrence9310 you can get them retro fitted ☺️
ok that was fun thank you, so now its 2 in the morning i got to pee! Do (CAN) I flip the cover off turn on all fours crawl to the end of the bed backwards, stand up and go in a bottle, or just go in the bottle on my knees or stand up in place? and is there a little space to stand up if i wanted with the bed down .Serious question thank you
That is not something we have had to try yet. There is a very narrow space at the end of the bed that you could stand in but you would have to have the bottle in an easily accessible place too. We have always said if we need to get up to pee in the night we will need a bigger van or one with a fixed toilet.
@@LifeistooshortCK thank you, when one gets older, you know
Do you have an Air Bag in the steering wheel. If you have it's not good having a steering wheel lock in place across air bag when you are inside motorhome. If someone accidentally bumps into van and airbag goes off it will really go with a bang and hole in roof. Even worse in Motorhomes with glass fibre roofs. Just for info from old George. 🤠👍 bee safe.
Never thought of that. Good point. 👍
It’s all very cosy😂 but horses for courses as they say. 🌈🍓🧶
I agree. This van is very small and not everyone would be happy in it.
Very cool setup👍 so compact 🤗 is there space for a porta potty?
There is under the seat in a cupboard but we don’t take it as we use the space for other things. See our van review videos for what we do instead. 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK oh cool... I need to go back and watch from the beginning 🤗 recovering from operation so perfect timing ❤️
Get well soon 👍
Where can I get a chair bed like that for my nissan nv200? Thanks😢
sadly, this one is only sold by Sussex Campervans as part of a build.
Without scanning all comments & replies... I am curious as to your bed dimensions, as in your filming it does appear rather narrow (about 4ft), or do you top and tail for more space? Kia Ora from New Zealand. 💜💜
The bed in our NV200 is 101cm wide x 170cm long. We did try top and tailing once but it wasn’t very comfortable ☺️
@@LifeistooshortCK Thanks, Real cosy...!! 💜💜💜💜
Why don’t you get a roof bed.. happy van camping. 🇬🇧👍💐
We have a roof bed but having gone up there once (and broken the glass cover in the sink) we decided its not for us. For a couple of kids its great. 👍
Oh that looks like a narrow bed!
It is a small double but big enough for us two 🙂👍
It would handy if the bed was two singles, that way you could just put one of 'em out.
That would be good. The Paradise range from Sussex Campervans offers two single beds in a slightly bigger van.
sweet dreams 😴
to much hard work make your bed. its a pity u can't t have a sofa that turns into a bed.
enjoy the video.
Ideally we would like a fixed bed but we would need a much bigger van for that 🙂
It looks so crowded ; how do you both sleep well ?
Just enough room for us to sleep comfortably 👍🙂
Please can you tell me what is the length of the bed, my hubby's 6ft 6 I'm worried it might be to short. 😊
The bed is 170cm long. We are both 5ft 10 and it is just long enough if we sleep right up against the back door. Your hubby would definitely struggle 😊
@@LifeistooshortCK That's so sad 😕 I really enjoy watching you both on your adventures & I've fell in love with your little van. Thank you so much for your reply 😊
@@LifeistooshortCK would it be possible for my hubby to put his feet on the passenger's seat would that make the bed longer? You can see I'm desperate to make him fit 😆
@@debbiebrooks8481 with the passenger seat pulled forward as far as it will go there is a small gap but might be OK. You would have to see one and try it out before making the decision 😊
What is the width of your bed?
101 cm or just under 40” in old money. 👍
Can I ask if you find your bed a squeeze?
The first night yes. From then on no. We got used to it pretty quickly and believe it or not there is enough room to sleep without touching if its hot 😁👍
@@LifeistooshortCK thanks. Used to a king size bed. Looking at different layouts for our Berlingo, which is similar size to yours and the choice is between floor space and a Comfy bed. My concern was exactly that. Touching and being too warm or being breathed on.. Weird I know, but I do like my own air space lol.
To me a permanent bed is an absolute must in my NV200 conversion. But I'm single. Permanent bed wouldn't work for a double bed.
That would be my choice as well if I were on my own. The ability to lay down whenever you want without having to move anything is a real bonus. That said I wouldn’t (yet) give up the parking and driving convenience of the NV200 to get it 👍
Looks ideal for catching 40 winks after a wee filming session. zzzzz....
Nothing better than a cosy afternoon nap 😴 👍
Nice van. To bad some idiot placed the steering wheel on the wrong side.
😂😂😂
Secret is, no napping 😴
I can’t argue with that. It all depends on what I am eating as to do I need a nap or not. Too many carbs and I fall asleep. On that diet I was on I never need a nap. I find I need to stretch out though if we have done a longer walk, especially if I have lugged all my camera gear with me otherwise my back starts moaning a bit. 👍
May be ok but far too bunched up with tbats why we valued bigger vAnz ,comphort wasour goal
Being able to park anywhere is more useful to us.
It still puzzles me why you would hide away such a lovely tartan that your seats are covered in. Throw out the black rug and just enjoy the van as it is. Unless you have dogs that jump up on the seats I can't think how you would dirty the material easily.
I can understand that but as the van is so small its easy to knock things over and it would break Carol’s heart if the seats got stained. You might be surprised how much dirt gets walked into the van and how wet the floor can get at times when the weather is bad. Its another reason why we have covered the floor in tiles as well to take the brunt of the mess. When we used to have caravans we always took the carpets out as well. It paid off when it came to selling as it looked like new because it was 😁
You look Really comphy e I’m a fatso so Pam in the Back me on top with sleeping bag lll
That’s a system that works, Matt so stick with it 🙂👍