First Time Snow Camping in our Vanagon!

Follow along as we test our snow chains for the first time, wake up to a beautiful snowy wonderland, and drive east to a campsite with an unwelcome neighbor!
Don't forget to like and subscribe to stay up to date on all future videos!
#vanagon #snowcamping #wintercamping

[@GoWestyCamperProducts]

Awesome video! So cool to see how capable the van is. What an adventure!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! We couldn't do these trips without the ongoing support of GoWesty! In fact I am on there right now getting some more stuff from you guys!

[@hudsonkaylor6197]

I have a 2wd as well and was hoping this was before I clicked on the video! Will be getting chains in the future and go camping in the van

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

With chains on, these 2wd vans go lot's of places! nate

[@bryankulba6720]

That is some 2WD bravery! So much fun.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks Bryan. It was a bit sketchy at first but those chains make such a big difference. Thanks for checking out the video! nate

[@jkidd152]

Nice! I dig the drone shots. Especially at 16:23. And your van is sweet!!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks John. We are getting more comfortable letting the drone do it's thing and feeling confident we can get it back :)

[@leilal8053]

I love Winter with the SNOW ❄ and snow camping is the BEST 👌.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Agreed!! Nate

[@aaronwright6418]

Cool vid I like putting chains on all the tires when I’m doing something wicked like this just makes you turn a little better in ice.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

That is a great idea Aaron and we may pick up a second set for that! nate

[@stephenrogers9664]

Just came across your channel, & totally loved your video. I just pressed subscribe so I’m now following you guys. 👍

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks for signing up to follow along on our adventures! Thanks for the great feedback as well. nate

[@hongkongdrifter2812]

Great westy travel content. I've really been enjoying your videos. Looking forward to the next one. You may want to check out where the train tracks run next time. ;)

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Appreciate the compliments! Funny thing is we were looking at the train tracks and that beautiful trestle as we drove in but for some reason it never crossed our minds that a train would go by as we slept. Still a great camp spot though. nate

[@ScaleofTwo]

Wow, you guys camped there just two weeks after we did! That spot is super nice and easy, glad we stumbled upon it as well.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yeah we just stumbled across it on iOverlander and it worked out great. Cool area for sure nate

[@MrZodac]

Nice car, nice couple, nice trip. VW T3 rocks. Take good care of "him". 😉

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! Will do! :) nate

[@DanTheManIOM]

Think I need to add this to the Westy travel list.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Definitely!

[@carreterasalazar]

Excellent video!!! you are very nice!!!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thank you very much!

[@nothingfound9767]

Hello from Sweden. You have new subscriber 👍

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Welcome aboard! Love it! nate

[@satthuatinh3784]

i from vietnam, i like video ! good

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thank you very much! nate

[@redhorse8018]

I sense fear with thumbs up

[@Kitpu917]

Love Westfalia’s

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

👍🏼

[@garyp.7501]

Chains are like driving a tractor! I love them! I can't believe you keep taking your chains off! Gotta be careful building a fire under your awning, or is that a propane fueled fire?.. a few sparks and it will have leaks. Do you folks have a propex propane heater?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yeah chains are pretty amazing aren't they? Our fire pit is propane and it doesn't get the awning warm at all and best of all, no smoke! We use an Espar gasoline heater that pulls fuel from our gas tank. We love it. Thanks for watching! nate

[@Lolaandcassidyadventures]

Nice Westy:). Wish I had a synchro!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Us sometimes too but our 2wd gets us where we want to camp most of the time. There have been a few times 4wd would be reassuring though nate

[@Johnooot]

Thanks for this and all the other videos - in particular the repair/ upgrade videos. Do you happen to know the brand name of the mobile phone holder you have mounted on the right side of the instrument cluster??

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks John. That mobile phone holder came in a used Volvo we bought a few years ago. I made the bracket that attaches to the instrument cluster. Not sure of the brand/model as there is no real markings on it. Sorry I couldn't help more! nate

[@TheUrbanBroccoli]

Fellow Oregon based Vanagon owner! Loving the channel and seeing some familiar locations from our backyard. Would you mind sharing what the name of the campground that you visited east of the Cascades?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

That campground was Macks Canyon Campground on the Deschutes River. Pretty nice except the train! :) Always glad to have another Oregon Vanagon owner on board! nate

[@TheUrbanBroccoli]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Thank you for sharing Nate! I've been enjoying the offseason camping and having sites mostly empty. Will have to check that one out soon!

[@CholulaDaddy]

I've been wanting to snow camp in my 2WD Toyota Van and make a video, but don't want to get stuck alone haha

[@CholulaDaddy]

also just saw the DOB air fresheners! It's the best event, been two times :)

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yeah Descend is freakin awesome. Bummer about last year. We don't want to get stuck either and the chains are pretty good but have limitations for sure. Most of the places we were at we could hike out in a day if we got stuck.

[@daveroe8612]

New subscriber and enjoy your videos! Just wondering if your van has a propane heater for cold weather camping?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Welcome to the adventure! We use an Espar gasoline heater and love it. Sips gas from our gas tank and pumps in hot air! nate

[@at1970]

Have you done a video about draining and filling the coolant system?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

No we have not done a video on that yet, sorry! Nate

[@blackrockbrewing5141]

I saw your compact fire ring, I was thinking about one of those but didn't seem like it would put out enough heat. Seems like it works for you?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

It puts out enough heat for 4 people to sit close when it is super cold. For two people it is plenty. Not as good as a real fire but better than nothing nate

[@henryhansen3662]

You need chains on all the wheels so that you can brake and steer. I found that out the hard way.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Wouldn't be a bad idea but we only have them for the drive wheels now. If we drove in the snow a lot on more populated roads we would consider it. nate

[@Maximoootom]

How do you keep warm? Do you have a heater in the van?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

We have an Espar gasoline heater under our bench seat. We do a quick walk through of it in our van tour video if you want to check it out. Thanks Nate

[@millsman19]

Do you treat your windshield so there is no wiper chanter?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

No we have not done that at all. I actually have never even tried it. nate

[@tinusplotseling8943]

May i ask you ,is your van in hight original or did you make it higher? Gr

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Our Westy is lifted about 1.5” Nate

[@brokencompass8919]

How is that ladder attached? Is it drilled through? Looking for a similar one.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

No there are no holes drilled to attach the ladder. It is basically clamped on. It hangs off of hooks from the top of the hatch and is "clamped" at the bottom. I built it to be like the Gary Lee rack. Here is a link vwrack.com/VanagonModularRack/VanagonModularLadder/VanagonModularRearLadder.htm Thanks for watching the video! nate

[@brokencompass8919]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Looks good. I love it

[@waterboxer87]

Is your engine the OEM 2.1L water boxer?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

It is a wateboxer but we had it rebuilt to a 2.2L by Rocky Jennings in Walla Walla Washington nate

[@patrickvanhoesen9425]

Looks like southern Colorado.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yeah central Oregon does have the same vibe as parts of Colorado! nate

[@patrickvanhoesen9425]

@@ThatBaldwinLife I'm in the southern end of The San Luis Valley about an hour north of Taos. Maybe now that I have a modern vw bus I can travel further from home base. Haha

[@SPaw-dg3ye]

I recommend watching chad with Living The Van Life on youtube. He's very great with winter camping in westies and could give some tips.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

We've been watching Chad crush vanlife for years now! His drone shots are my goal. Looking forward to his Sprinter build. Thanks! nate

[@47130252]

Just for curiosity, are studded tyres legal in the US?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yes but it depends on the state for the time allowed per season. In Oregon you need to have them off by May I believe. nate

[@47130252]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Thank you.

[@David-zx9st]

Las cadenas SIEMPRE SIEMPRE se ponen en las ruedas delanteras AUNQUE SEA TRACCIÓN TRASERA, así nunca pierdes el control de la dirección del volante.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

If we didn't put the chains on the rear, we never would have gotten out! Agreed chains on the front would help with steering but we only have one set. Maybe a second set should be on our shopping list. Even the instructions on the chain bag said put them on the drive wheels and that is what we have always done.

[@David-zx9st]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Eso no esta bien, en la normativa dicen que las cadenas se ponen en las ruedas delanteras, da igual lo que digan las instrucciones, pero vamos tu mismo. Un saludo!!! Buen video!!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Interesting. I can't find any info that says you should use them on the front and not just the drive wheels. I agree having them in the front as well would be much better for higher speed use (above 25mph or so). I appreciate the feedback for sure and am keeping my eye out for some chains for the front. Thanks so much for taking the time to watch the video and comment! take care nate

[@uniwerksdesign]

Like

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! nate