Some of our first preparations

I started with creating a board on Pinterest and looking at a few, ok a lot, of the ideas on there for a Canadian roadtrip. I also made a list of some of the problems we encountered while doing a roadtrip from Edmonton to Montreal and back in 2012. Those were my starting points for this roadtrip.  We will go through those problems and post as we fix them.

This is our transportation:  Dodge Caravan 2013 and trailer with boxes on top:

Problem 1:  Blankets and pillows gets in the way or fall on the ground and get dirty, especially when we get out of the van.  I decided to make a homemade version of a ceiling storage I saw on Pinterest....

Here is the original idea...

Here is my homemade version made with a section separator for an old tent and jumping rope!

It holds really well even with stuff in it and doesn't block the view for the driver. We even put some clothes like big sweater and the car sunshade to block the sun in the windshield when we don't use the vehicle.

Problem 2 (a,b and c!):

Air mattress that don't stay inflated,
No privacy from the kids when we all are in the tent,
No shelter on the beach to change.

I got a Kamp-rite and I am planning on getting a Disc-o-bed Bunk cot too for the kids.

Here is the Kamp-rite double tent cot.  It is so easy to install, comes with it's own travel bag and fits two adults comfortably.  Only two 2 section poles. 4 doors with screens. Comes with a rain cover. Makes a lounge chair. It has two mats inside to sleep comfortably.

We can now install it at the beach or anywhere we need on the side of the road. We can also install it in our tent and have a completely private sleeping quarter while still keeping an ear on the kids.