Makin' the bed!

One of the major benefits of the Cub Spacevan - is the space!  As well as the large floor area, the higher walls allow for an innerspring mattress.

Our offer for the local Spacevan was accepted as we were heading to my usual chiro treatment (so you can see the appeal of a proper mattress).  

We visited a Makin Mattresses showroom later the same day.  Their Matilda range is specifically intended for RV use.  

The height of the Spacevan meant we could choose the most comfortable, deluxe option.  

After taking careful measurements, we placed our order the following Monday.

Our custom mattress was ready for collection on Friday of the same week, much earlier than advised or expected!  I'd ordered a canvas cover and that arrived the same morning, so everything clicked into place nicely!

We set the bed up as we had done with our previous mattresses, in the D9 camper and 2006 Spacevan, using some irrigation matting to provide ventilation. 

The canvas mattress cover will keep our bed and bedding dry/clean - as the canvas walls and roof pack down into the camper/onto the bed when travelling.  If we have a particularly cold night, we can pull the canvas cover over our other bedding, for an extra layer of warmth - like a swag.

Setting up the exterior ...

Our first Spacevan had an interior kitchen, with an exterior BBQ and slide-out pantry. 

After our first trip in that Spacevan, we worked on better organisation of the pantry drawer (along with other missions).

The plastic baskets fit the new Spacevan, though I've filled one with our plates etc rather than the plastic containers.  

One of the many ads I viewed showed an exterior kitchen with expandable cutlery drawer - so I bought a similar one from Kmart to try.  It may be that I can fit another shallow container on top for a few longer utensils but I'm happy with the plan so far.

Kmart also had a "magnetic laundry station".  It fits quite well beside the window and I'm hoping it can hold a few essentials to free the limited bench area.  (It won't travel on the side of the van, just be put up when we're on-site).

I've joined a Cub Camper specific FB group, where the members share their various mods.  A few had DIYed an exterior side shelf, rather than buy the Cub version.  We also decided on a cheaper solution, using some supplies from Bunnings.

At this stage, we've only tried our improvements in the backyard.  We're hoping to have a night away soon for some proper testing!

Our 2006 Spacevan was an early model.  The 2015 design has sliding windows.  It also has bungee loops to clip the canvas into place, rather than press studs (as used previously).

Spacevan celebrations ...

While our insurance claim was being processed, we both looked at many camper trailer ads - on FB marketplace, Gumtree and some RV specific sales sites.  There were lots of listings.  Too many choices.  

As we talked though, we realised we would be very happy to buy another Spacevan and that realisation helped our search.

There were quite a few Spacevans advertised.  Most were interstate but we spotted a local one, quite close to home.  We looked at it just before our Bundaberg trip.  At that stage the insurance claim was still processing - and we weren't sure we liked the layout.

Our original 2006 Spacevan had an internal kitchen.  While we hadn't expected to like that setup, we came to appreciate the convenience - particularly in cold weather!  The local Spacevan was a younger model and had many good points, including better overall design.  It was in very good condition and we liked the seller (cos it's nicer to deal with nice people).

There were a few negatives.  The main issue was the external slide-out kitchen, without any inside option for cooking.  The original interior had included bunks, which reduced space for other built-in storage.  The top bunk had been removed, leaving an odd bench that wasn't much use to us. Due to the bunks, the main bed ran across the van, which we knew would be awkward (having had that set-up during our 18 months of caravan living).  Yep, there was a lot to think about!

After much discussion we decided the pros outweighed the cons, so Nick made the seller an offer and we soon became the new owers of a 2015 Cub Spacevan!  We celebrated at a local cafe and then again at home the next day, with scones made in the house oven and a kettle boiled on the Spacevan's exterior gas burner!