Sleeping in the car in the winter?

[emetic]

not to cost efficient but anybody use a rooftop tent like these? http://www.autohomeus.com/

they're not too stealth. wouldn't be great for poaching sly sleeping spots.

[Trainwreck]

Also ALWAYS HAVE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS IN THE CAR!
Duct tape
Tarp
Windproof lighter & extra butane
A bunch of weed (to cover the farts/ballsack smell)
TP
tons of extra socks, and a few extra pairs of shoes if you have them. (wet feet suck ass)

Word on the TP. Many don't think of that but thats something you will really fuckin miss when you need it.

For the "always" list for winter add:
down jacket
sleeping bag

[_Aaron_]

they're not too stealth. wouldn't be great for poaching sly sleeping spots.

What abuot car camping where noone cares?

[DoWork]

For the "always" list for winter add:
down jacket
sleeping bag

Well, yeah I didn't think I had to mention shit that if you don't have, you die lolz...

Also, it doesn't hurt to have a few packs of wipes. Both for shitting and for a washup if needed badly enough.

rooftop tents = broken limbs for people who drink, which means a no go for me. That first step is a doozie and it only takes forgetting it once... Not to mention that it completely exposes you to the elements. I suppose it's kinda cool, just not for me personally.

[orlowskij]

Great thread. I picked up a Targhee pass as well, I'm going to be driving out that way after graduation (Jan. 2) to ski for 6 weeks or so. I'll probably be splitting time between Targhee and Jackson, and between hotels and my car. I thought about getting a place, but I'd rather be mobile. Hit me up if you want to hook up and ride or want to split a place to crash.

[Dromond]

Great Subaru ideas. The chair/table idea really expands the possibilites for after ski chilling. (Perhaps more comfortable in springtime.)

The rocket box really expands possibilities and comfort by getting your wet and bulky ski stuff out of the car.

I will also second that removing the rear seat makes a HUGE difference. Someone who is 5'6" can sleep comfortably in the back with the seat but at 5'11" it was always just barely too short and uncomfortable for me. (I'm not the greatest sleeper.) With the seat out you have the critical few extra inches of head room and space to put stuff behind the front seats as well.

If you are going to be out for a while and know you will be solo the whole time you can go all out and remove the front passenger seat as well for mega extra room! A friend of mine took a tiny 92 Civic hatchback, removed the rear and passenger seats as well as all the interior molding to get a huge amount of interior space that he used to road trip around the country for months on end... at ~50mpg. It was pretty awesome before someone went over the yellow line and wrecked the thing

[beaterdit]

Awesome thread, again!

Anyone have advice on a second battery with inverter setup for my truck?

I have a small 325 watt inverter and have wiring from primary electrical system to the bed area already for topper brake and dome lights.

I'd like to be able to run two boot dryers, as well as phone chargers and maybe some other small peripherals. I can run this stuff for short periods but the boot dryers need to run overnight to really work plus having overnight heat would be nice for really cold nights. I figure one or two boot dryers will heat up a small space like the bed area of my truck enough to take the bite off.

I have a deck setup with about 24" of space on top and 18" underneath for gear. The bed has carpet padding and industrial carpeting and I run a futon and whatever sleeping bad setup I choose for the occasion. Works pretty well, and as mentioned, futons are a dime a dozen.Running the primary battery out would obviously suck. Kind of attached to this idea for safety with CO and fire in the small space.

[shirk]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/index.php

Most every question in this thread can be answered with a search in expedition portal.

[Missiongravity]

Too run boot dryers all night you are going to need atleast two deep cycle batteries and around a 1000 watt inverter. You will also have to recharge the batteries every other day or so. I am running two deep cycles in the rear of my van and an Optima gel battery under the hood. I have an isolator switch in my dash to seperate the deep cycles
from draining the Optima at night when I am using the inverter.
Heavy gauge wiring is very important as low gauge wiring can put a strain on your equipment.

I am using a 2500 watt inverter and I haven't found anything it won't run yet. Even runs my big dewalt 9" angle grinder.

If you decide to put batteries in the bed of your truck I would recommend sealed batteries as normally wet cells can release
dangerous gases and I am pretty sure I have already lost lots of brain cells from my old batteries.

[haydukelives]

all that for boot dryers?

i find that i can put on intuition liners at 0deg f without any trouble. warm them in your sleeping bag if thats too extreme.

or i have a mouse type boot warmer that works from the cigarette plug,but rarely use it .

15w curling irons @$3 from thrift stores also work

[Redskea]

After sleeping in vans and cars in the mountains in Europe north america and NZ..

I totally second the window tinting, means you can stealth camp anywhere. I used to drive around town till I found I place where my vehicle wouldn't stand out.

I've got a 'spider' type gas cooker, better than the MSR because no liquid fuel and it never shoots flames, as all my MSRs have done.

Done a camping conversion on a freight van in France, insulated the whole interior with fibreglass wool panels, then covered this with thin sheets of ply wood, screwed direct into the van (NOT into thin panels which you will pierce, the supports) with small self tapping screws. The difference in warmth and lack of condensation was huge.
To sperate the insulated back from the uninsulated front and keep the windscreen free from condensation icing I used a clear shower curtain, cheap (perspex costs a fortune) and rolls out of the way but lets the sunlight through.

To insulate the windows I tinted them first (important for stealth) then used the same transparent shower curtain material taped it into place and screwed on a plywood frame.

I was lucky to find a flued gas heater abondoned on a demolishion site and put this in the van with a discrete grill low down on the outside to cover the flue. (not too unstealthy and very efficient)

Sleeping in an uninsulated car in Canada in winter SUCKED till I got a small electric heater and found plug-ins I could park at.

[Redskea]

For showers, some truck stops have them, some community gyms are really cheap, give you somewhere warm to hang out after skiing and you get a shower.

I froze my last laptop which destoyed the screen last winter, so try and avoid that!

It's cool to read all these posts, I thought I was more of a bum than other people. Last winter I did a month in my tent in the snow in spring cos the choice was paying rent or a freeski camp.

[Marius]

Running the primary battery out would obviously suck.

you need a relay. maybe try "nagares relay" this prevents a discharge of the primary battery while charging the secondary while the engine is running. and this relay is quite cheap, there are more expensive out there, my campingvan-dealer was quite impressied by this cheapy. dont know if its available in the us...german link
and you need a cabel to the light engine to know the relay when it's charging/not discharging...

for me i had to pay about 100 euros for the electricity in my van ( + big batterie with 100ah (100euros) ). enough for several days for gasheating, mobile, laptop.

some more details here. works with google translator hopefully.

[hutash]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/index.php

Most every question in this thread can be answered with a search in expedition portal.

Cool website. I occasionally read The Overland Journal and drool over all the cool exped. rigs. A 4X4 Diesel Sporstmobile is my dream setup. They are only about $100,000 tricked out

[maddog]

Don't forget to install one of these:

[3snowboards]

i like this set up i saw here in reno.
NOT FOR SALE

[300hp]

I always love a good thread like this. Its not always possible, and some might call it the easy way out, but most of the posh condo developments and mega hotels have heated indoor/underground garages. When I was sleeping in the car, 40 deg was balmy and keeping the windows cracked was no big deal. They usually have key pads at the door, the trick is finding a bro at the desk who is down to help you out, or shmooze a guest if you can sneak into the tub area for their code. The one I found didn't have regular security, so it worked well. There were a couple outlets in the place too, but i never used them cause my cord would have been a giveaway.

[beaterdit]

all that for boot dryers?

i find that i can put on intuition liners at 0deg f without any trouble. warm them in your sleeping bag if thats too extreme.

or i have a mouse type boot warmer that works from the cigarette plug,but rarely use it .

15w curling irons @$3 from thrift stores also work

Well my idea is that the boot dryer(s) would be the heater for the back of the truck. Mine have small fans that kick out 100* heat and they're pretty quiet. I don't mind putting on cold boots but if you can't dry them for multiple days you're gonna have issues. Intuitions dry in your sleeping bag but others don't do as well plus if it's freezing it can suck to have that void in your bag.

Plus I physically can't put my alpine boots on if they're cold. Period. I can warm them with the truck heater I just think the idea of heating and drying with boot dryers is simple and efficient.

Something that might help somebody crashing in their car...

Search for reviews. I found one on Amazon that basically said it was useless. YRMV.

Don't trust reviews by people you don't know. I have that one and it's titties. It ozonates the air with an ultraviolet light to help cut the stank and it works very well and is very quiet. I don't know if that reviewer expected his boots to dry in 30 minutes or with the liners in or what. It takes a few hours but works really well.

That's an awesome price too, gonna pick up another one.

[nztripper]

hi everyone

im from new zealand and will spending a couple of months at revelstoke this season. ill be living in a ford e450 shuttle bus converted into a camper. ill have a wood stove installed for warmth. does anyone on here know if ill be able to find places to park up easily enough in revelstoke?

[_Aaron_]

hi everyone

im from new zealand and will spending a couple of months at revelstoke this season. ill be living in a ford e450 shuttle bus converted into a camper. ill have a wood stove installed for warmth. does anyone on here know if ill be able to find places to park up easily enough in revelstoke?

Check here for car camping spots
[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170106"]The Comprehensive Car/Camper/RV Overnight Camping Locale Thread - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Used to have a -40 cabelas bag that was perfect for car camping. Slept in the bed of my Tacoma (with a bed topper) many nights at A-Basin and Berthoud Pass.

Camping at A-Basin is dunzo now I believe.

[JeffreyJim]

I have a Truck/Topper setup that I've slept in a good deal but still am looking to make it better for winter camping.

Problem is, with a standard truck/topper setup you aren't that well insulated. Sure, it's doable but I'm a wimp and looking for it to stay warm back there!!! I've tried heating it w a coleman catalytic heater but that is really a lost cause without some sort of better insulation...(or if I could run a heater all night long--aka plumb an RV heater in somehow)

So, I'm not sure the best way to do it but I'd like to try and somehow seal up my topper...If I could seal it up and then add a better heater I think I could live back there in comfort.

Now the problem that nobody seems to have addressed...the crazy big bar tab you seem to aquire from 5PM to 11PM while staying somewhere warm and not boring...hehe.


Oh, and my advice---

*Dual battery setups are $$$. Easiest to wire it in is using a boat switch (1-2-ALL-OFF). This way you can run all your electronics/inverter off one and still start your truck in the morning.

*Sleeping platforms in trucks are mandatory. I suggest building it no higher than 1" above the wheel wells.

*Two person -15 bags like you can find at walmart are awesome (if you bring a lady friend)

*3-4" of memory foam AND egg carton together is comfortable/warm.

*Tint windows and make a curtains (lots of ways) to block lights

*Electric heaters in trucks don't do a whole lot (in cold weather)...my opinion

*Two boot liners, two base layer setups, two (or more) pair of socks etc can help keep you skiing dry day after day

*Beer. Lots of it. And don't be stingy with your neigbors. Have fun!!!

*Don't kid yourself. It's going to still be cold.

I personally hate parking structures. Noisy. Too bright and just "weird" feeling. I suggest agains this idea unless it is brutally cold. Also, while car camping can work great a few days at a time, I am no where near hard enough to go a whole season unless I spent some serious time dialing my setup in PERFECTLY.

[ACHTUNG]

This is set up as a fishing rig but man, I'd love to get a Quigley 4X4 van and make it a ski rig. Quigley makes some bad ass vans:

[ame="http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=611165"]2008 Quigley 4x4 ford van - SurfTalk[/ame]




Here's a sweet pic of a couple off roader Quigley's:

[haydukelives]

" Now the problem that nobody seems to have addressed...the crazy big bar tab you seem to aquire from 5PM to 11PM while staying somewhere warm and not boring...hehe."

buy one drink, refill from flask or other device.

if even one drink costs too much, get a non-alcoholic and refill as needed

[haydukelives]

" Problem is, with a standard truck/topper setup you aren't that well insulated. Sure, it's doable but I'm a wimp and looking for it to stay warm back there!!! I've tried heating it w a coleman catalytic heater but that is really a lost cause without some sort of better insulation...(or if I could run a heater all night long--aka plumb an RV heater in somehow)"

if the small coleman cat heater is not enough for you,the mr heater puts out about 3x the BTU's.

maybe someone could discuss the proper use of 20# propane tanks INSIDE a van? or is it better leaving it outside with a longer gas line?