sleeping in the vehicle

[regehr]

so I've done a lot of car camping, mostly in Utah, over the last 22 years and for most of this time just setup a tent. but a variety of experiences (a cow licking my tent at night, 50+ mph winds, blowing sand, etc) plus getting older and sleeping not as well and frankly just getting sick of being down on the ground in the dirt caused me to consider some other options. one thing I did is get a cot and sleep on it in a bivy bag, and I totally love this. but I also want to be able to sleep in the vehicle when conditions are poor. I had never done this until just a couple days ago. I bought a cheapo 3-inch memory-foam mattress and I cut down a sheet of plywood so that it levels the back of my 5th gen 4runner. then also got some of those inexpensive fabric screens that stretch over the car window so I can get ventilation w/o bugs. anyway I totally loved this, slept like a baby, although (at 6 feet) I had to lay diagonally in the 4runner so I'm not really sure how to make this work when my wife comes along. one thing I can do (in a few years once my kids leave home) is rip out the back seats, but I'm not ready to do that yet. I love being able to sit up fully, so I'm a bit reluctant to get some sort of a platform with drawers in it that will reduce headroom, but I also disliked having to put a bunch of gear outside to make room in the back. I mean realistically putting stuff outside isn't a large problem since I have a pretty good system of putting everything that might blow away into those huge tupperware containers, but it feels sort of inelegant moving stuff in and out of the truck all the time.

anyhow, just curious what everyone else does. I have no intention of buying a bigger camper vehicle, I really love the 4runner, and also I recently sold my tent trailer since my kids are older now and mostly going camping with their friends instead of with me.

 

[Rockskipper]

I spent many nights in my 4Runner but never really conquered the putting stuff outside problem. Can you push the passenger seat forward enough to make that part of the bed longer? (Might need to recut a piece of plywood.) I also had a rooftop carrier, but it didn't hold all that much and it was a pain getting stuff in and out of it, esp. in the wind. I had a small tent that I could set up quickly to put my stuff in, which was heavy enough to hold the tent down w/o staking it. I finally ended up getting a Tundra and put a popup camper in the bed, which I loved. But I still miss that 4Runner, though now I have an FJ that I can sleep in and I have a small clamshell cargo trainer I can put my stuff in. But I like to travel light and usually end up sleeping in a tent so I don't have to unload everything or pull the trailer. It's truly a balancing act.

ETA I did get a small tent that fits on the back of my FJ so I can sleep in it with the back open, but I've never used it. You could also do the @Udink thing and just sleep outside on a cot, unless the weather's bad.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

I sleep in the back of my Jeep frequently, and even though I am 6'5" I fit comfortably if I push the passenger seat all the way forward and don't even have to lay diagonally. As far as gear, I have a shelf in the back that is raised to keep my gear on. That way my legs can lay underneath it, yet I can still sit up above the folded-down rear seat. I don't have to put any gear outside the vehicle. Maybe a setup like this might be what you are looking for?

Here's a photo of the rack when I installed it.

 

[Udink]

I'm not sure how your 4Runner rear seats work, but in my Grand Cherokee I drilled out the hinge pins for the seat bottoms and replaced them with removable pins, then built platforms to fill in the space. http://udink.org/2013/09/30/jeep-sleep/

Converting it from passenger space to sleeping space just takes a minute or so, but that still doesn't solve the cargo problem if you have someone else sleeping inside with you (I can only fit myself and maybe two dogs comfortably). I had to buddy-up once in the mountains of Colorado when a creepy deer kept bothering a friend and me at night, and we just piled our gear on the hood and snuggled up inside the Jeep.

But the vast majority of my camping nights in the last several years have been on a cot. That was a real game changer for me when I felt like I was too old to sleep comfortably on the ground, but didn't want to unload gear to make room to sleep inside the Jeep. I really detest setting up a tent, and I've never had a miserable night in the last five years on the cot.

 

[regehr]

I spent many nights in my 4Runner but never really conquered the putting stuff outside problem. Can you push the passenger seat forward enough to make that part of the bed longer? (Might need to recut a piece of plywood.) I also had a rooftop carrier, but it didn't hold all that much and it was a pain getting stuff in and out of it, esp. in the wind. I had a small tent that I could set up quickly to put my stuff in, which was heavy enough to hold the tent down w/o staking it. I finally ended up getting a Tundra and put a popup camper in the bed, which I loved. But I still miss that 4Runner, though now I have an FJ that I can sleep in and I have a small clamshell cargo trainer I can put my stuff in. But I like to travel light and usually end up sleeping in a tent so I don't have to unload everything or pull the trailer. It's truly a balancing act.

ETA I did get a small tent that fits on the back of my FJ so I can sleep in it with the back open, but I've never used it. You could also do the @Udink thing and just sleep outside on a cot, unless the weather's bad.

ok thanks this is good material, thanks! I might at some point in the distant future upgrade to a real pickup + popup camper, I love that sort of setup, but for now I don't want to make that leap, too much $$$ and also I don't want to maintain some sort of daily driver + separate camping vehicle.

I hadn't thought of putting my stuff outside in a tent, I just use those big tupperwares and rock them down as much as I feel is needed, I've never gone wrong with that setup so far even in some very windy/rainy nights.

 

[regehr]

I sleep in the back of my Jeep frequently, and even though I am 6'5" I fit comfortably if I push the passenger seat all the way forward and don't even have to lay diagonally. As far as gear, I have a shelf in the back that is raised to keep my gear on. That way my legs can lay underneath it, yet I can still sit up above the folded-down rear seat. I don't have to put any gear outside the vehicle. Maybe a setup like this might be what you are looking for?

Here's a photo of the rack when I installed it.

View attachment 108298

wow I never considered this sort of setup, very cool! is that shelf custom or what brand is it etc?

 

[IntrepidXJ]

wow I never considered this sort of setup, very cool! is that shelf custom or what brand is it etc?

It's made by a company called Teraflex, but it's specifically for the Wrangler since it attaches to the roll cage in the back. I'm not sure if anyone makes anything similar for the 4Runner?

JK 4dr: Wasatch Rear Cargo Rack – Silver Rails

The Wasatch Rear Cargo Rack provides additional storage options to organize and secure cargo in the rear cargo area. Features include adjustable height and standard 10-series T-slot mounts.

teraflex.com

 

[regehr]

I'm not sure how your 4Runner rear seats work, but in my Grand Cherokee I drilled out the hinge pins for the seat bottoms and replaced them with removable pins, then built platforms to fill in the space. http://udink.org/2013/09/30/jeep-sleep/

Converting it from passenger space to sleeping space just takes a minute or so, but that still doesn't solve the cargo problem if you have someone else sleeping inside with you (I can only fit myself and maybe two dogs comfortably). I had to buddy-up once in the mountains of Colorado when a creepy deer kept bothering a friend and me at night, and we just piled our gear on the hood and snuggled up inside the Jeep.

But the vast majority of my camping nights in the last several years have been on a cot. That was a real game changer for me when I felt like I was too old to sleep comfortably on the ground, but didn't want to unload gear to make room to sleep inside the Jeep. I really detest setting up a tent, and I've never had a miserable night in the last five years on the cot.

ok great, I need to look into an easy way to get the rear seats and and out quickly. the 5th gen 4runner actually does a pretty good job getting them out of the way, but that extra 6 inches I'd get by removing them entirely would be a game changer.

what kind of deer bothers a person at night? wow. I'll snuggle a dude if I have to but might actually take my chances with that deer instead

your cot pics were my inspiration for getting a cot and I love it, but last thurs night the wind was just howling, once I was in the back of the truck the wind was rocking it to the the point that I thought I might become seasick. so I did not want to be outside. it reminded me of a story told by a friend where they were camped in the truck in death valley and the winds were so huge that when they woke up in the morning all the paint had been sandblasted off the lower part of one side of their vehicle.

 

[Udink]

One word of caution against such a platform is that if you get rear-ended with passengers in the back seat, it could cause some serious injury. I made a platform like that for my dogs in my old Grand Cherokee, and when it got hit from behind by a truck the platform intruded into the back seat where people would have been sitting if it had been occupied (luckily it was parked and empty). As long as it's removable it would be fine.

 

[Udink]

what kind of deer bothers a person at night? wow. I'll snuggle a dude if I have to but might actually take my chances with that deer instead

This kind:

It kept sneaking up behind us while sitting around the campfire--like, within a couple of feet. Neither of us dared to sleep in our cots after like the third time it came back.

 

[regehr]

One word of caution against such a platform is that if you get rear-ended with passengers in the back seat, it could cause some serious injury. I made a platform like that for my dogs in my old Grand Cherokee, and when it got hit from behind by a truck the platform intruded into the back seat where people would have been sitting if it had been occupied (luckily it was parked and empty). As long as it's removable it would be fine.

oof, thanks for the warning. I have these thoughts often when putting heavy stuff in the back-- like how much of it is going to try to hit me in the head if I stop short or roll or get hit?

 

[regehr]

This kind:
It kept sneaking up behind us while sitting around the campfire--like, within a couple of feet. Neither of us dared to sleep in our cots after like the third time it came back.

what the heck??? no fun to get creeped on by that sort of mammal

 

[Rockskipper]

I had a small buck chase one of my dogs once, but it was in the daytime. I prefer sleeping inside a vehicle, but if I slept on a cot next to it, I'd feel OK, depending on where I was. Sometimes when it's hot I'll open the back of the FJ and drape a mosquito net over it. The dogs have got out and slept under the rig, but I prefer not. They're cattle dogs and stick around, but I worry about coyotes. That's when having a camper is nice. I have bug nets for the FJ windows, but when it starts to rain, you have to crawl out of the back and start the car to close the windows. Kind of a pain. And you can't open the back of an FJ Cruiser from inside, so I had to drill a hole where I could trigger the latch. I actually really like sleeping in my rig, but I may end up going back to pulling something like an Aliner.

ETA: Maybe the deer was hanging around you guys for protection from that mountain lion behind the other tree.

And I'd gladly snuggle a dude if needed.

 

[Rockskipper]

Have you considered a roof top tent?

 

[regehr]

Have you considered a roof top tent?

yeah I can see (driving around SLC) that these have gotten real popular but I can't imagine feeling secure up there during a storm due to winds and lightning. I could be wrong but it doesn't feel like what I want

 

[Rockskipper]

I feel the same way. I always thought they were for people who are afraid of snakes. LOL

 

[RyanP]

Yeah, I have an irrational love for sleeping in the back of my cars before hikes and backpacking trips. I just enjoy it way way more than waking up early at home and driving all the way the morning of the first day. Our old Sienna is especially good for this, although it lacks the clearance and such that are often needed for many roads. When I bought my outback a couple of years ago, the first thing I did was test out lying down in the back. I think the person I bought it from thought that was a little odd.

 

[priz1234]

The last 5 or 6 years I've almost exclusively slept in the back of cars when camping. I've got a 97 4runner and my wife got a Subaru Outback last year. We used to sleep in a tent sometimes when our other car was Honda Accord but since getting the Outback we haven't used the tent. To me it is just so much more convenient to sleep in the car. The 4runner is actually less comfortable to sleep in than the Subaru because of how the seats fold up but both work fine. I actually think that the tent is the more comfortable to sleep in when in good weather. But we also didn't do a whole lot to try and make the cars more comfortable. We just bought two of those egg crate mattress toppers and just throw them in the back so we still have to deal with sleeping against the wheel wells. I'm 6'2 and my wife is 5'7 and we have a 50 pound dog as well as a 15 pound dog that both sleep in the back of the car with us as well. The only way it really works is that we both sleep on a slight angle and I put my head down by her feet so that we have some more space.

As far as storage I generally just leave everything outside of the vehicle. But I also tend to not bring very much stuff camping and everything can fit in the two front seats if I'm worried about animals or a storm. Sometimes I'll even just put everything underneath the 4runner if I'm thinking it is going to rain.

 

[Rockskipper]

yeah I can see (driving around SLC) that these have gotten real popular but I can't imagine feeling secure up there during a storm due to winds and lightning. I could be wrong but it doesn't feel like what I want

I have some friends who bought an RTT and ended up selling it, as they were spending more time in a motel than the tent because of winds in the desert.

 

[Titans]

Love this thread. Congrats on sleeping so well in your car, woohoo.... it looks like you had a great trip!

Sleeping with two people inside a car is a whole other challenge IMO. But @PaulMags has some great and refreshing articles about car camping with two:
https://pmags.com/toyota-tacoma-our-camping-setup
https://pmags.com/perma-camping-kit-what-the-heck-is-it

We slept in the Jeep in fall/winter of 2018, but to us it is way too much hassle with 2 people. Seats pulled forward, ThermoRest backpack sleeping pads inside, all stuff outside & on front seats. We have more stuff than most, away for long. Challenges to us: waking up 2x, condensation 2x, crawling out at night is a hassle with 2x. Since then we are much happier with a super quick set-up, like the Gazelle pop up tent, which is ideal for us in late fall or early winter with long evenings/nights (we had the old T3, but it's too short, just got the Gazelle T4). We did 33 nights in the Gazelle tent in 2021, we love it.

Super windy fronts do get our attention! After experiencing that we don't want to camp in 50 mph again, so we find a motel, hotel or Airbn, do laundry, get groceries and get cleaned up on super windy desert days . Lmk if you need laundromat recommendations for southern Utah. And even though we don't sleep in the Jeep anymore, we ripped the rear seats out and I don't see them ever going back in, too bulky.

I admire @Udink 's basic cot set-up outside. Always thought mice running over you & scorpions in the bag could be an issue, never thought a deer could be a problem, but they are bold. So did you every have mice run over your face @Udink ?

We may end up with a truck & pop-up camper, as we are gone for a long time in cool weather with long evenings. We repeatedly regret not buying @Nick 's original set-up.