Comfortable Car Camping (RV parks, mattress, hotel)

[puff5655]

Who's slept in their car while driving up?

I was planning on driving alone, but I finally convinced a friend to come with. We'll both be sleeping in the back of my 04 Forester, with the back seats folded down.

I'm trying to figure out if there's a sleeping mat out there big enough for 2 people that's comfortable, and isn't incredibly expensive.

I first thought about a couple of those "egg-carton" foam mats meant for beds that could be cut to shape, but those might take up half our cargo space during the day.

Ideas?

[Bob Blockus]

I would recommend every two full days driving resting several hours. Then making rest stop for full overnight someplace isolated. Populated highway one can pull into hotel parking lot and sleep in car. Lower 48 states the outer belts like salt lake city takes about 3 hours drive time. Good idea to drive to Alaska with new set of auto tires.

[Rance]

I made the trip once planning on pitching a tent every night. By the end of the first night I said to heck with that and got a hotel every night but one in my 4 day trek! It's pretty dang nice having a hot shower a sort of comfy bed to stretch out in after driving all day and half the night!

How's about one of those air matress' you could deflate and roll up?

[tigre79]

I'd just bring a tent. Otherwise you're going to have the hassle of moving a bunch of stuff around to have space for you to sleep, after you've driven all day. Open and closed cell foam pads can be gotten pretty cheap, but aren't as comfortable as the self-inflating kind.

[blueflames50]

we built an interlocking plywood bed frame for the back of the van, think of a tic-tac-toe board pattern but offset, high enough to slide gear under in the cubby holes. Throw a futon mattress on it....
the frame is just plywood cut to height in strips and slot notched in so that the pieces slide together, we did put longer (piano) hinges on the underside to the plywood platform that holds the futon mattress....easy to store to when not in use.

[warptman]

I did the car camping twice, on my first couple trips. After the second trip in a van, I never did that again. Nothing beats a warm bed and a hot shower in the morning. Think about it, you're driving a car up or down and sleeping in it. One gets so sick of the car after the first couple of days. Hotel/motels aren't that expensive, each town has a few places with different rates.

[puff5655]

The space is too tight for an air mattress or a hand-made bed frame (although that's a cool idea).

We're planning on staying at campsites, and getting a full nights sleep EVERY night. We were just thinking we'd feel safer in a car than a tent, and originally had the thought that it would be easier, but now its starting to seem like it will be way more complicated.

New question.. how available are full-service campgrounds with flush toilets/hot showers along the AlCan?

[warptman]

Canada RV Trip Planning Information

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[Frostnip]

Originally Posted by puff5655

We're planning on staying at campsites, and getting a full nights sleep EVERY night. We were just thinking we'd feel safer in a car than a tent, and originally had the thought that it would be easier, but now its starting to seem like it will be way more complicated.

Personally I don't mind sleeping in the car, but if your main reason is safety you probably don't need to. With two people together you aren't going to appeal to most human predators and if you're at all smart you won't have to worry about animal predators.

I do always try to pitch tents in places it'd be hard for someone to accidentally run over with their car, though That's my big fear, not sure if it's rational.

[arctichomesteader]

Just put the front seats back as far as they'll go and sleep that way. Then you'd also be in a better position to start and move the car quickly in the unlikely event something did happen.