Car Camping: How comfortable can you make it?

Queen Sized Aerobed just fits inside a 4 person Eureka tent, you can't get any better sleep than that, even for 2. The new Aerobeds have a battery in the inflation system and can charge / run off 12V. The only drawback on an Air mattress is they get cold when the temps drop.

thermarest dreamtime works for me! we have two that snap together

I use two crash pads pushed together, and I always have the best setup in camp. When it is not too cold, I prefer a comforter to a sleeping bag; it makes it a little more home like.

Air bed are OK, but they are too saggy for me and they get COLD in the fall.

I have a question for everyone, for me its not the underneath that disturbs my sleep, but the mummy style bag I use in fall and winter weather in which I toss back and forth all night, I zip and unzip all night trying to get it right, while at home I'm under my comfort with my legs splayed out and sleeping nicely. I have a 3 season bag that opens flat, and I'm considering using that as my top cover but that would leave me cold on the mattress side, so whats your solution. Oh and no this isn't my first rodeo just getting a bit older.

Nathan Stokes wrote:Queen Sized Aerobed just fits inside a 4 person Eureka tent, you can't get any better sleep than that, even for 2. The new Aerobeds have a battery in the inflation system and can charge / run off 12V. The only drawback on an Air mattress is they get cold when the temps drop.

I had the best bed ever one week long ago, by filling up a 7 by 9 ft. waterbed inside a 4 man Eureka tent. I took 100 ft. of hose and reserved a tent site nearest the bathroom/shower building. It just ended up looking like a flood scene on that campsite after I emptied it and left at end of stay.

Go-Kot with a ThermaRest. These things are awesome. They're compact, heavy but not obscenely heavy, comfortable. Through college I just kept one in my car for whenever I needed to crash somewhere. Rolls up to about 6"x3"xa couple feet...

campingcot.com/?section=ori…

Looks like prices have gone up since 2001, but I'd get another if something happened to mine.

I always found cots to be only slightly more comfortable than being right on the ground. Thermarest was more comfy to me, until I got old and brittle, needing like 4 inches of mats now to sleep well.

+1 for the Nemo Cosmo with the pillowtop!! It fits perfectly in the back of my subaru and is 3 inches thick and also has a built in foot pump so you can inflate it super fast. Also packs down super small so I take it backpacking too. can't beat that

For car camping comfort, it's hard to beat a good roof top tent:

I'd love to see a couple 220 lb campers up on top in that roof tent.!

i turned my dudevan (toyota previa awd) into a camper with a few 2x4s, some milk crates, and bed slats from IKEA. The bed is full size (72"x51").We make it cozy with a down comforter and thermarests but i think I am going to upgrade to some of the pads you guys have mentioned. . . probably not the water bed idea though.

You could create this same set up in a truckbed , cargo van, or on the ground with a few more crates or bins. It is nice because you can make it single or double wide and the whole thing will collapse down if you need the space during the day.

Cost of materials for the bed platform is about $50. Cost for the van was 1400. Its no synchro westfalia but I still have some coin for gas and gear.

Here's a link to the set up

toyotanation.com/forum/show…

i have covered the

daytime setup

bed platform

night time

Try some cardboards. They are free and works well as an extra insulation in 30s

Photo: Olaf Mitchell

+1 Olaf. Gotta love a beach bungalow rat trap van.

Misty Crash pad + therma rest...

Flip it upside down so the softer foam is facing up (with the shoulder straps and buckles facing up). The foam is softer then the hard cell foam you stand/land on... next fold up a semi inflated therma rest at your feet to add length and level area for your feet. Air matresses are nice - coleman's don't deflate (as much).

This is my king of car camping, bivi, winter backcountry vehicle. I have a two inch memory foam on top of the regular foam mattress in the penthouse top. The propane heater means I sleep in t shirt and underwear with blankets. It's the shizzitt!!

Car Camping King

rj-n-foco wrote:This is my king of car camping, bivi, winter backcountry vehicle. I have a two inch memory foam on top of the regular foam mattress in the penthouse top. The propane heater means I sleep in t shirt and underwear with blankets. It's the shizzitt!!

Thanks, I just started to hate my brand new tent...

I built a sleeping platform into my honda element - here are the cool things about it.

>Choose the Element because it is 4wd, good on gas, and has a high capacity.
>Sleeping platform is 72'' long x 48'' wide - plenty big. Use reg sleeping pads and bags but could easily use the cabelas or whoever mattress - I am very weight conscience to keep fuel mileage good.
>Splits easily almost in half for "driving mode" - simply unbolt and slide back - takes little time and effort.
>Built the platform high enough to allow for ample storage under it and plenty of room on top - this makes for awesome / easy to get at storage and no need to shuffle gear and stuff when your dead tired - security too.
>Platform IS very solid - the pvc pipe is on the airbag on the seat which have a reinforced frame - weights less than that of 1 seat (both seats removed).

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side

inside w/ curtain

How 'good on gas' is the Element anyway? My lifetime gas mileage average for all vehicles owned is over 40mpg, so anything in low 30's seems like a fuel waster to me. Space looks great for sure, but just wonder about the gas consumption.

Andrew B. wrote:Nothing beats a Paco Pad.

hahaha. Lots of shit beats a Paco pad. I like 5" 6'x6' memory foam.