Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If a tent is not an option, why not just rent a small RV or buy a small tow behind camper? It would probably be nice to have a kitchen and shower at the end of a day of dirt biking. You mentioned going as far as buying a new vehicle surely a camper rental is going to be cheaper than that.
Hey all, hoping to have someone who is KNOWLEDGEABLE and actually done this themselves; not really looking for someone with an opinion who "thinks" it will be bad or never tried it before or does not know anyone. So please refrain from providing false feedback thanks!!
Anyhow, I am planning a dirtbike trip on a particular area and plan on sleeping in my car in Colorado. Hotels are too far away from the area and dont want to have to keep driving back.
Issue is, sometimes it gets either too cold or too hot so I would like to leave a constant temperature on.
I am thinking maybe 4 or 5 nights sleeping in this area. what are your thoughts? Or should I really be looking at a diesel at this point? like a transit van
Your title makes it seem like the car will be running for days straight without shutting off. I suspect this is not the case. You wouldn't be running the car during the when you're out biking, right?
I have put many miles on my car on road trips and almost always sleep in the car.
So I drive 8 hrs, sleep for 3-6hrs depending on how tired I am, then drive 7-8 more. Done this many times.
I usually turn the car off when first going to sleep, because heat or A/C has already been running.
Then after an hour or two, if I get cold or hot, I turn the car on for a short bit. So basically on a few of my road trips, I've idled my car for at most a few hrs. Never really felt like I needed it on non-stop for the entire time I slept. Since you're posting this now, I suspect you're referring to cold weather. If you prepare, you don't need to keep it on all night, just wear a blanket, good socks. If it is on for a short period, 30 minutes, don't think it would hurt the engine much, just the environment.
In general, yes. idling your car will wear out the engine more. How much, who knows. There is no standard or way to test how much of decrease in lifespan other than anecdotally. You will also use fuel, which is obvious.
Harm the environment but probably about the same as running heat in a hotel room.
You should also check for local idling laws and make sure you are not breaking a law by sleeping in your car.
Hey all, hoping to have someone who is KNOWLEDGEABLE and actually done this themselves; not really looking for someone with an opinion who "thinks" it will be bad or never tried it before or does not know anyone. So please refrain from providing false feedback thanks!!
Anyhow, I am planning a dirtbike trip on a particular area and plan on sleeping in my car in Colorado. Hotels are too far away from the area and dont want to have to keep driving back.
Issue is, sometimes it gets either too cold or too hot so I would like to leave a constant temperature on.
I am thinking maybe 4 or 5 nights sleeping in this area. what are your thoughts? Or should I really be looking at a diesel at this point? like a transit van
Too cold=build fire/leave car door open.
Too warm=battery operated fan.
In my younger days, I traveled all over the U.S. in a pickup truck with a canopy and slept in the bed. Get yourself a thick sleeping pad and a good sleeping bag. Wear a cap. Sleep with your head uphill. Get a package of chemical hand warmers and stick one in the foot of your sleeping bag if it gets too cold.
If you want to get fancy, go rent a small portable generator and take an electric blanket with you. Where I live, Home Depot rents a Honda 2000W Inverter Generator for $212 per week.
In my younger days, I traveled all over the U.S. in a pickup truck with a canopy and slept in the bed. Get yourself a thick sleeping pad and a good sleeping bag. Wear a cap. Sleep with your head uphill. Get a package of chemical hand warmers and stick one in the foot of your sleeping bag if it gets too cold.
If you want to get fancy, go rent a small portable generator and take an electric blanket with you. Where I live, Home Depot rents a Honda 2000W Inverter Generator for $212 per week.
This is a good idea; I myself was thinking of the OP installing one or two deep cycle batteries in the vehicle's trunk, charged by the electrical system. A small inverter and an electric blanket should keep him warm through the night, I would think maybe 100 watts would keep one toasty.
Very damp inside brought back vivid memories of my cheek stuck to the window of an old Chevy stationwagon that two of us were sleeping in on a weekend hiking trip to the NC/Va border mountains back in the 80's.
Temperature got down into the low teens. I must have rolled over during the night and landed up against the window. My cheek was frozen pretty good up against the glass of the back window when I woke. We had to run the car for about 15 or 20 minutes to unstick it and not pull off skin.
I did a cross country summer trip MANY years ago and slept in the car most nights, 18,000 miles in 2.5 months. It was a 1964 Skylark Wagon, and I did have A/C (Sears underdash). This was summer though it got to freezing sometimes at night in the rockies. I never left the engine on, at most, ran it 15-20 minutes to get the heat or AC to bring the temperature up or down. There is just too much chance exhaust leakage into the car. When moving the wind blows any leakage away, sitting it just rises. That risk may be far less today, but I would still not be that trusting with something that could kill you. Better to bring extra blankets, and perhaps a battery-operated fan and lots of batteries.
Good advice. I've slept outside many nights at higher elevation and used nothing but a very heavy and good-quality sleeping bag. All of us on a botanical survey did this and put the bags up on army cots. This reduced the chances of a scorpion or rattler trying to share our warmth.
Good advice. I've slept outside many nights at higher elevation and used nothing but a very heavy and good-quality sleeping bag. All of us on a botanical survey did this and put the bags up on army cots. This reduced the chances of a scorpion or rattler trying to share our warmth.
No scorpions or rattlers at high elevations. They stay below 7,000 feet.
Good advice. I've slept outside many nights at higher elevation and used nothing but a very heavy and good-quality sleeping bag. All of us on a botanical survey did this and put the bags up on army cots. This reduced the chances of a scorpion or rattler trying to share our warmth.
Stay out of a running vehicle if sleeping.
Have slept on ground many a night in all kinds of weather.
Buy a container of male tiger urine and spread on ground all around sleeping area. This will keep the snakes and scorpions away.
This is a good idea; I myself was thinking of the OP installing one or two deep cycle batteries in the vehicle's trunk, charged by the electrical system. A small inverter and an electric blanket should keep him warm through the night, I would think maybe 100 watts would keep one toasty.
I like your idea better. An electric blanket draws about 60W, so a battery pack such as this should do the trick:
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
