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Has anyone adapted their car, to make it comfy for sleeping (cheaper than a van!).
I was thinking a sheet of ply would held level the floor (back seats down), then some kind of blocks under it to make it level.
15mm ply?
Mick
It's less the floor that you need to worry about and more the ventilation and insulation cos it gets both very cold and very damp in cars if you don't have that!
What car is it? Some are easier than others.
I did some bits to my Berlingo but that's easier than say a Mclaren F1
As above though, it's not great in a car. Tent is easier when possible imho.
As above very much a last resort. I've slept in my Skoda Superb Estate. The main adaption was getting stuff to fill the gap between the back of the front seats and the folded rear seat. At 6ft3 I needed the full distance. It was OK but a tent would have been more comfortable. It was in the season of a choice of condensation or midgies. Windows were running with condensation in the morning.
My car has the adjustable height boot floor so the bed was flat. Other cars obviously vary.
There is also the issue that you can't have a few beers then sleep in the car. In theory if you can prove no intention to drive you have a defence but I wouldn't risk it.
They are cold and damp and really not that nice to sleep in even if you can get comfy. If you can use a tent go for that. Otherwise take a few extra layers to sleep in to keep the cold at bay and maybe some of those desiccant car dehumidifier things to help keep the condensation at bay and help return the car back to being dry once you are done camping in it.
It's a CRV. Unlevel floor is the problem I'm trying to resolve.
I spent years sleeping in my cars at weekends, from a Fiat Uno through to a Pug 306 estate and from just me to my 2 bandmates and instruments as well
The solution to a comfy night is to be absolutely hammered, although here in the UK that can get you in trouble. Second best is to use an inflatable mattress partially inflated to even out the sleeping area. Window deflectors also very useful for leaving windows slightly down so you don’t drown in condensation
I've slept in my previous Vectra Estate once. Not being able to sit up in bed made it uncomfortable, I could either open windows and have a swarm of midges inside or closed and it more humid than a rainforest and thus it was very cold even for May/June.
The following night I slept under tarp bikepacking - that was far more pleasant.
If I were you and I wanted to try it out - buy a piece of cheap OSB board, stick in your airbed and give it a go. If the conditions are tolerable, then you can think about spending more money making it nicer. I wouldn't spend any more than £20 to give it a go though.
On the ventilation front, you can get latch extenders that allow you to lock the boot shut but open a bit, so you get some ventilation coming through
This kinda thing, we use something similar in the campervan
It was in the season of a choice of condensation or midgies.
You need window socks.
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2651969
Have a look at boot jumps, they're what you describe. Nothing to stop you doing something more DIY with an air mattress to save space though. On my next car I'm planning something that would allow the platform to be over the front seat to leave space in the back for kit.
Tent Vs Car, a decathlong pop up tent costs <£50 and solves almost all the inherent problems with having to store kit in the car whilst sleeping in it as well. Just park up in the middle of nowhere out of the way, throw the tent up, throw in the self inflating mat and sleeping bag and you can be setup whilst the boot-jumpers are working out what kit is getting dumped where to make space for the origami bed.
Temperature is a non issue, it's no colder than a tent (i.e. it's to all practical purposes the same temperature as outside).
Humidity is an issue, but not insurmountable. Just fit wind deflectors so you can leave the windows cracked open, wedge something in boot when you close it and hold it tight with a bungee. Or if it's not raining just leave the window open. There's two humidity issues though, water collecting on windows and making the car damp, that's a non-issue for a few days, 365 days a year you might get rust issues, but not on an overnighter. Just wack the heating and AC on when you set off. The other is when the car turns into a sauna because it's not cold enough to condense the water out the air, and you end up sweating into your bedding, this is miserable as you end up struggling to find a comfortable temperature.
The only thing I'd add is if you DIY it, do a good job of it. I can find a comfortable position to sleep just about anywhere, but trying to sleep on a couple of boxes that didn't quite line up was impossible even with a thick mattress on top 🤣
[edit ] the full size bit of OSB is a good shout. I'd start with Ply though and get a 6" holesaw to perforate it so your sweat doesn't condense under the mat.
variously sized storage boxes with lids to make a flat deck then 3 pieces of ply cut to fit and a couple of folding foam matresses. It's very comfortable. Mosquito netting to drape over the slightly wound down windows or the netting sock things you can buy.
I done a diy sort of boot jump thing for the berlingo. Didn't bother with the foam mats, drawers, table/seating things as perfectly comfortable seats in the back already.
Made it rest on front and rear seats folded so plenty of room to sit up in and plenty of length for me at 6'3. Couple of airmats to sleep on. Downside to that is not much room underneath it for storage. Replaced rear middle seat with a ply box that holds little ods and ends and got roofbox if we really needed extra space.
As above, wind deflectors are great for leaving windows open a crack to lessen condensation and insulated window covers work well for heat and privacy. If windows really bad in morning, 10min with aircon on sorts that out. Got some midge net and handful of magnets to stop bugs getting in.
Powerbank with led strip lights make it a bit nicer to sit in at night.
Definitely not a camper, we call it the car tent. Handy for early starts when trying to get some hills in.
Also made a single version using leftover ply that fits me and the bike in there.
When I was car sleeping, I bought a few cheap, foil backed foam yoga mats and cut them to size for each of the windows. I found that really helped with controlling the temperature. Foil side outwards in summer, foil side inwards in winter.
I kept a windows open 2cm on each side of the car for ventilation, and if midges were a problem I used one of the net sunscreen cover things that slide over the top of the door/window.
The boot was long enough and perfectly flat with the rear seats folded, so I just used an old foam mattress that was part of a guest bed that I cut to size for half the boot width.
Wide necked fabric conditioner bottle to pee in during the night.
I always took a couple of chocks to level the car, but don't think I ever needed them.
I also had a little tarp that I would tie to the roof rails and put up with some poles to sit under, and a gazebo to go over the back of the car to create a bigger sheltered outdoor space, although I didn't always use these.
I found it a comfortable set up, and it was cheap to achieve. I was using the car in a similar way to a lot of other people were using their half converted vans, probably with a similar level of comfort, but for a fraction of the cost and without needing to drive a van for the other 95% of the time.
A tent would probably have been just as comfortable and possibly easier though.
Sleeping in a car is crap but at the very least get some wind deflectors so you can sleep with the windows slightly open and not have the rain streaming in.
We've got window socks now for the young'un they'd be great for keeping insects out but when it's raining they grab water and funnel it into everywhere. Combined with wind deflectors they'd be the perfect solution.
For a short while I lived in an original vw beetle with my girlfriend and a cat. It was in no way comfortable and I wouldn't do it again.
google suv camper and watch some videos.
I made a bed thing for my mk3 but it's a tight squeeze, passenger seat all the way forward and only then just fit
I lived in an original vw beetle with my girlfriend and a cat. It was in no way comfortable
Insert Mallrats joke about the back of a Volkswagen.
Did it once, never again.
Although I felt sorry for those around us as it was at the Le Mans 24hr bike race and bloody freezing so I just left the car running all night (Xantia diesel)...
Slept in the back of my v50 a few times.
Foil backed bubble wrap for window insulation, one rear one wound down 3-5cm, with elastic midge net over it for ventilation and an old wind deflector to keep out any rain, air bed, duvets, pillows. Not amazing but decent enough.
I remove the base of the rear seat (60%) split and use half a table to level out the gap.
Bike with wheels off across front seats.
Apart from the ventilation point I never found it to be particularly bad as long as you can create a flat area to sleep. No colder than a a tent but I have only done it down south but have done so during frosts.
I've done it loads in our various estate cars.
Ventilation is key as mentioned above, otherwise you get condensation dripping everywhere.
4seasons sleeping bags or winter duvets and blankets/throws - you are effectively sleeping outdoors in a metal box due to the ventilation needed.
A sheet of Buffalo board / Wisa Hexaplus cut to shape to act as a 'seat delete' flat panel.
* Interesting point of note - first time I met MrsRNP parents was when I'd treated their daughter to an all expenses paid skiing trip to Scotland......
We arrived back at her place (hadn't been dating long) just as her parents drove up. The back of the Astra estate had all the seats dropped and sleeping bags and duvets strewn everywhere. I also wearing a Fuct brand T-shirt with "Hi my name is - SATAN" logo. They were church goers.
Her dad gave me the 'i know what you've been doing with my daughter glare'
I drove away thinking - 'shame, I really liked her.
I regularly used to camp in my Nissan patrol. 2nd and 3rd row seats folded up, airbed in the back, a few blankets underneath and a sleeping bag. I did have to get up as soon as the sun came up or get roasted.
Wide necked fabric conditioner bottle to pee in during the night.
Ah, the old Lenor Urinal. I went through loads of those in my van.
I really should have washed them out first because the first time you use one you get blasted in the face with an overpowering wind of 'summer breeze' or 'mountain meadow' or whatever flavour it was.
We had a Kangoo mpv that we used as a makeshift camper for years. I removed the rear seats and cut 2 pieces of ply that ran the length of the van vertically and it dropped into the rear footwell and follwed the profile of the back of the van. I slotted these bits and cut 3 more pieces to run across the van, still vertically and they had corresponding slots in to interlock with the other 2 pieces to create a self supporting riser section. I then cut 2 more pieces that formed the flat section to put the mattress on to. We had a double air matress from gooutdoors - fitted perfectly. The riser sections created storage space under the bed and made for a really solid and comfortable bed.
As mentioned above, we used wind deflectors so we could have the windows cracked open a couple of inches each side and some foil backed bubble wrap insulation cut to fit into the window apertures (some needed stick on velcro or suction cups to hold them on)
We found it really comfortable, and I slept waaaay better in there than I do in tents.
I might be able to find some photos of the board setup that I made if my explanation doesn't make sense, give me a message and I'll have a look.
I don't get the aversion to just using a tent?
The only faff is deciding which tent to take.
I don’t get the aversion to just using a tent?
Because you can't use it in a lay-by or car park? Because you don't want to spend 30-45 mins u packing and packing up?