08-08-2018, 08:55 AM
Preparing the car to carry five and maximise on space
Several non-permanent changes were made to the car for touring - these were based on my experiences with the Chummy two years back and my own experiences as child in the back of my parents' cars.
I removed the original rear seat and, using some unwanted upholstery a friend gave me, set about making a new one. This new design allowed for a storage slot behind:
With the cover removed I was able to fit in one full size fiddle, a pocket fiddle, a Ukulele, a travel guitar and two penny whistles.
Music is an important part of our family life so this particular adaptation was a huge success. The slot, once packed with instruments, left sufficient room on top for our waterproof coats, pack-up rucksacks and hats etc. The position meant that they were always at hand, if needed.
The shelf was a welcome addition for the girls to store their teddy bears and other 'things' they collected on route - also a useful place for our daily baguettes!
By packing these things away behind the seat we were never really bothered by them getting in the way.
I made a storage facility under the rear squab for the girls to store their kindles (genius device that saved us bringing the 30 books which they read on route) and the few toys they chose to bring.
I removed the original rear side panels and made new with a slot for storage, mainly used for notepads, colouring books and knitting projects, the black plastic cups kept their pencils and iPods safe from the floor...
The final adaptation, in the rear, was to add a fake floor to allow for storage in the footwells. I used this for parts and gifts we took...
Several non-permanent changes were made to the car for touring - these were based on my experiences with the Chummy two years back and my own experiences as child in the back of my parents' cars.
I removed the original rear seat and, using some unwanted upholstery a friend gave me, set about making a new one. This new design allowed for a storage slot behind:
With the cover removed I was able to fit in one full size fiddle, a pocket fiddle, a Ukulele, a travel guitar and two penny whistles.
Music is an important part of our family life so this particular adaptation was a huge success. The slot, once packed with instruments, left sufficient room on top for our waterproof coats, pack-up rucksacks and hats etc. The position meant that they were always at hand, if needed.
The shelf was a welcome addition for the girls to store their teddy bears and other 'things' they collected on route - also a useful place for our daily baguettes!
By packing these things away behind the seat we were never really bothered by them getting in the way.
I made a storage facility under the rear squab for the girls to store their kindles (genius device that saved us bringing the 30 books which they read on route) and the few toys they chose to bring.
I removed the original rear side panels and made new with a slot for storage, mainly used for notepads, colouring books and knitting projects, the black plastic cups kept their pencils and iPods safe from the floor...
The final adaptation, in the rear, was to add a fake floor to allow for storage in the footwells. I used this for parts and gifts we took...