What is everybody sleeping on? This will be my first season of van camping, and I'm wondering if my plan of throwing a twin mattress on the floor will be a sufficiently insulated surface to sleep on?
Printable View
What is everybody sleeping on? This will be my first season of van camping, and I'm wondering if my plan of throwing a twin mattress on the floor will be a sufficiently insulated surface to sleep on?
I would think so. I spent last winter on a thin foam pad with a therma-rest inflatable on top and it was comfy with blankets and sleeping bags.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexBuecking
A good tip I found to keep warm is to throw a blanket over the top of you when you are in your sleeping bag. That way if your arm slips out of the bag, it stays warm.
Futon mattress supplemented with 4" of memory foam.
This is my 08' Jeep Liberty sleeper conversion. A hacked up twin bed frame with PVC legs and two pieces of 3/4 plywood. A down sleeping pad, my chick, my dog, and a small AC plug-in heater gets it done. Installation and removal takes about 2 minutes by myself. Lots of storage underneath for luggage and smelly gear.
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/1...0301400000.jpg
^^^^^^^
Great, simple idea. Surprised I haven't seen this before. Thanks!
Do the front seats in the Liberty fold forward? I've been trying to rig something like this for my Cherokee but I cant figure out how to get it done without ripping out the passenger seat (i'm 6'3") and still having enough room (i'm 6'3").
^^^I actually got the idea from someone on here that did it with their Honda Element. Was much more legit than mine because I suck working with wood, but I bet mine is lighter even though its a steel frame. Plus the steel frame folds up and I can stack the boards in the back, and fold the single rear seat up to accommodate 1 passenger in the back ...really I am stoked that it worked out so well. Probably more of a fluke than engineering prowess.
Yes my seats move forward, but at 5'10" and under we can sleep end to end, get up and drive without having to do any adjustments to the front seats.
If I were taller and didn't have my woman in tow, I would have carved the front piece of plywood to extend into the passenger seat and move the seat all the way up and tilt it forward giving me an extra foot at least, probably more.
I did have to use a cutter to cut the ends off the bed frame to fit.
That Element is in here I think:
[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169864"]Sleeping in the car in the winter? - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]
There's a toyota Chinook for sale in the Vancouver Craigslist. $1200
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/va...054919168.html
Not mine:
http://olympic.craigslist.org/cto/2055487229.html
http://images.craigslist.org/3n33kb3...edb2c81852.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/3na3pf3...63f1771b75.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/3n93kc3...5546811355.jpg
This is in my town, so if somebody wanted I could take a look at it for them and offer an opinion and possibly help get it where it needs to go.
I think I would get seriously claustrophobic sleeping in there!Quote:
Originally Posted by regct
^^Haha, yeah its definitely purpose built, and if my truck ever caught on fire I'd probably burn alive because its not super easy to get in and out of.
Also, you can't see the front view in this pic but its all open cockpit by the head rests and underneath the platform. There is enough mobility and accessible table space underneath there to have some food, set down some coffee or twist one up or whatever you dig.
Normally I would freak out too if my head movement was restricted but its pretty open which lessens the claustrophobia factor a little bit :)
Totally stoked with my new purchase. I have been drooling over these for almost 10 years and finally got a great deal. My new rig:
http://sportsmobileforum.com/gallery...a6095f1696.jpg
http://sportsmobileforum.com/gallery...6a0d67e242.jpg
http://sportsmobileforum.com/gallery...18046767c2.jpg
oh man, that thing is ill
I think I just got wood
Sportsmobiles rock. I am jealous.
Post pics of the interior.
Quote:
Originally Posted by POWHNTR
Boner.
124596
'03 Honda Pilot, used a $5 tarp and bamboo tomato stakes for the frame.
It's got a penthouse top with a bed and a fold out gaucho downstairs (sleeps 4). Microwave, sink, marine toilet, etc.. We use a jetboil for coffee in the morning and a campstove for cooking. The only thing it doesn't have is heat, but we have slept in it down to about 20 deg and we are plenty warm. Unless we want to sleep in the penthouse in the winter, I don't think we need heat other than firing up the motor in the am and cranking the van heater while we get dressed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kai
The 4x4 was built by Salem Kroeger in Red Bluff and is killer. We have crawled up shit that would give my tacoma trouble.
http://sportsmobileforum.com/gallery...144ac4e4bc.jpg
http://sportsmobileforum.com/gallery...9ac67155f4.jpg
http://sportsmobileforum.com/gallery...4088a370e2.jpg
that thing is so kool. when I know longer have 3 skiing boys to accomodate on the hill I want one! just curious, what's the price range for something like that?
That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.Quote:
Originally Posted by POWHNTR
probably a dumb question but why the tarp inside?Quote:
Originally Posted by Moeghoul
my garage has no mobility but does have lots of room
http://www.tgrmedia.com/i.ashx?w=640...3002443_ap.jpg
Mainly for a little privacy and gear concealment. It also helps in heating up a smaller space quicker in the AM. The back seat heaters blow right in there and work great for heating up the boots.Quote:
Originally Posted by oftpiste
Isn't that a furnace grate under the fridge?Quote:
Originally Posted by POWHNTR
I'm betting that's a vent for the fridge.... Super nice rig... but no heater? You don't know what you're missing!Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldo
Is that a diesel E-350?Quote:
Originally Posted by POWHNTR
What do you get for fuel mileage in that beast?
No, it's a 5.4l gasser. A 7.3l diesel would be my first choice in a perfect world, but these are so hard to find that you really can't get everything you want unless you buy new which wasn't an option for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by tBatt
I average about 11 mpg. You can see the gas gauge moving while you are driving.
It's a bit pricey to put in a propane system and the furnace, so we are going to give it a go without. We have already been in below freezing weather and we are still kicking covers off. It is super well insulated and only cools down to about 20 deg above the outside temp.Quote:
Originally Posted by maddog
^^ Nice Rig. Try a catalytic heater instead of a furnace. Use your existing venting, i.e. windows. I have the smallest Wave 3 to heat a 5x10 trailer that I tow with a Tacoma. It's more than enough and not as complicated or battery sucking as a standard Suburban RV/Boat furnace. http://www.camco.net/
And back to the topic of this thread: Mt. Bachelor/Powder Corp has added a $10 overnight fee for the parking lot. That's $10 for no services of any kind.
http://www.mtbachelor.com/winter/planner/rv_parking
Just traded a sled for this. Expect to see me passed out in a resort parking lot near you soon. The running boards are off and design work for a bed and shelves are in the works.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...g?t=1289915945
We may end up going that route. Gas heaters that aren't vented to the outside scare me a bit though.Quote:
Originally Posted by whacked
http://www.tgrmedia.com/i.ashx?w=400...ap_730X550.jpg
I wish I had a photo of every camper I've had. Started with 4runner with a cot and a 6k btu furnace that vented through the rear window, then I went to a Chevy with a pop up on back. The pop up was built for cold weather as I made insulated curtains for the pop up portion, super warm but I hated having to pop it up and I was too big for the kitchen table/bed. Then I got an old travel trailer, I liked it cause I could put my sled on the back. But now I have my baby, I found her at a repo auction, I was the only bidder and walked away with a Sportsmobile for cheap built on a 1995 Ford E350 7.3L Powerstroke Turbo Diesel. We have a lift kit and some 35's to put on it, but I've been through a couple surgeries this past year and its hard to do anything these days. If you're wondering what Base Camp is, click the link below.
Yeah I didn't get it either. If it's for privacy some curtains with Velcro seems easier & cleaner.Quote:
Originally Posted by oftpiste
Edit: OP answered the question. The heat thing makes sense, that's definitely the one thing that gets to us sleeping in the back of the truck...no heat for getting up in the morning.
A-llota sick ass vans!
-Conundrum, that Big Red Dog can hang with the Death Van anytime
(consider a fold down futon bed for the back, that's what I've got. There's plenty of storage underneath plus it's a couch to boot, I had a framed single bed but sitting on it for hours at night sucked, plus the gal didn't like sleeping on the floor:fm:)
those other Sportsmobiles are too f'n clean, they even look like they've actually been washed???
-(slightly jealous, my vans been in the shop for over a month, this time...) Nice rigs folks, now let's get 'em out there!
Anyone ever use one of these portable dehumidifiers?
http://www.eva-dry.com/
I just picked the small one up at Fred Meyer for $17. I was thinking it might help with the condensation when sleeping in the canopy in the back of my truck. You plug it in for 12 hours and it's supposed to last for 30-60 days.
I'm no Martha Stewart, so farting around with curtains isn't an option. It takes a few seconds to roll up the front and back flaps and secure with velcro when I'm ready to roll. Privacy means if cops/security come knocking at 2AM in a parking lot, the sign on the dash "Starter motor is dead, will be back in the morning" hopefully creates sufficient doubt that anyone is behind the blue tarp inside.Quote:
Originally Posted by LT
The tarp blocks out all visuals, front and back, and is cheap n ez.
Great idea for many reason ^^^^^^ the note is classic.....lets hope for some snow soon....
[start hijack]- Love your disco, I have the same one, you've got newer style wheels though. Did you do the cheap-bastard lift or all 4 new springs? Here's mine... I don't sleep in it though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kai
http://www.tgrmedia.com/i.ashx?i=htt....jpg&w=640&h=0
[end hijack]
Looking at a '77 Toyota Chinook today...