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Grex > Cars > #131: What Does Your Car Say About You? | |
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| 25 new of 46 responses total. |
jmsaul
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response 12 of 46:
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Jan 27 00:57 UTC 2004 |
SUVs scream "soccer mom" to me. So do minivans.
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bhoward
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response 13 of 46:
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Jan 27 05:44 UTC 2004 |
To me, SUV's scream "free lodging", particularly when you consider the
often high cost of staying in hotels and ryokan in certain areas of Japan.
It's true I don't need my Toyota "Surf" (called 4-runner in the US) to
go off-roading, but it has proven quite handy for hauling our bikes and
doubling as a mobile hotel when we road trip.
Heh. We even put a (cheap) form of tatami in the back. Very comfortable.
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keesan
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response 14 of 46:
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Jan 27 13:48 UTC 2004 |
We carry our camping gear on our bikes when we road trip. It leads to some
unexpected invitations for free campsites in yards, often including breakfast.
Anyone ever offer SUVs free parking overnight so they can sleep there?
On our last two bike trips totalling 3 weeks, we had planned out most of it
to stay with friends, but also stayed with a carpenter when we got stuck in
a heavy storm and waited it out at a lumberyard, stayed with the owner of a
museum in Dundee when it got dark and we asked about a park, stayed with a
total stranger who yelled at us from his porch to ask if he had a place to
camp, with a neighbor of his; next trip we camped in two orchards and with
the mother of someone training two young steers to pull something down the
middle of the road. The SUV would most likely have scared them away.
You can also put bikes on trains, probably a lot cheaper than you can put cars
on trains.
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jmsaul
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response 15 of 46:
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Jan 27 14:02 UTC 2004 |
Re #13: I have to admit that I'd never thought of them that way.
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slynne
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response 16 of 46:
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Jan 27 15:55 UTC 2004 |
The "cheap lodging" thing is one reason why my next car will probably
be a station wagon. I figure I can put the seat down and put a futon in
the back and then save myself a bunch of money on hotel rooms if I
drive to California or something.
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gull
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response 17 of 46:
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Jan 27 16:33 UTC 2004 |
Station wagons and vans are both even better than SUVs for that. Most
SUVs I've seen were surprisingly small inside.
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scott
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response 18 of 46:
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Jan 27 16:44 UTC 2004 |
I used to have a little Nissan pickup with a cap, and I'd camp in the back
of it on occasion. It even had screens on the cap windows.
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rcurl
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response 19 of 46:
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Jan 27 19:37 UTC 2004 |
I car-camped in my station wagons for many years. I built a platform in
the back with panels that lifted up to access storage underneath. I used
just a foam pad and sleeping bag. Also had curtains on the windows.....
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slynne
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response 20 of 46:
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Jan 27 19:58 UTC 2004 |
I like the idea of a panel that would allow storage underneath. Hmmm.
Well, when I eventually get a station wagon, I will have to look into
that.
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rcurl
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response 21 of 46:
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Jan 27 20:33 UTC 2004 |
In case it helps - I welded up a 1/2" angle-iron framework that fitted
the full back and used 1/2" plywood panels that could be lifted out.
You just don't want to sit up suddenly from sleep.
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slynne
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response 22 of 46:
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Jan 27 20:52 UTC 2004 |
Hmmm. Well I wont be welding up any framework ;)
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gull
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response 23 of 46:
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Jan 28 01:36 UTC 2004 |
You could probably make something similar out of wood, if the extra
weight isn't a problem.
My wagon already has a lockable storage compartment under the load
floor, but I doubt anyone makes them like that anymore.
If you won't have any passengers, you can gain more storage space by
taking out the passenger seat and leaving it at home. This is an old VW
dune buggy trick. On most cars with bucket seats, taking one out only
requires removing a few bolts. (On VWs it was even easier -- they just
slid off the tracks.)
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keesan
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response 24 of 46:
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Jan 28 02:17 UTC 2004 |
We slept in a Jeep once. How do you ventilate and keep out mosquitoes.
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rcurl
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response 25 of 46:
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Jan 28 06:01 UTC 2004 |
You *could* cover the windows with mosquito netting, although I didn't.
This was a while ago, mostly out west, where there were few mosquitos
and repellent took care of them.
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slynne
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response 26 of 46:
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Jan 28 20:05 UTC 2004 |
I have seen screens that can be put in car windows. Or rather I have
seen grates that are designed to allow a person to leave a dog in the
car with the windows down. It would be pretty easy to put some
screening on those things.
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gull
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response 27 of 46:
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Jan 29 00:18 UTC 2004 |
You could glue that magnetic strip stuff you can buy at craft stores to
some screening cut to the right shape.
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keesan
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response 28 of 46:
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Jan 29 14:59 UTC 2004 |
It seems easier to tent. Jim once made a car tent to fit over the back of
a hatchback car.
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gull
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response 29 of 46:
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Jan 29 15:18 UTC 2004 |
It depends on where you plan on sleeping. If you'll be staying at
campgrounds, a tent is fine. If you're going to be sleeping in truck
stops and highway rest areas, you can't pitch a tent and you need the
extra security of a hard-sided vehicle.
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keesan
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response 30 of 46:
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Jan 29 16:48 UTC 2004 |
I can't sleep in a truck stop or highway rest area, they are much too noisy.
How secure is a hard-sided vehicle with the windows open for ventilation?
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gull
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response 31 of 46:
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Jan 29 17:20 UTC 2004 |
Depends on how far they're open, naturally.
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rcurl
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response 32 of 46:
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Jan 29 18:54 UTC 2004 |
You need very little ventilation at night. If it's freezing out, the
windows might ice up a little from your breath, but no harm in that. (I
crossed the country once in February in my wagon-bed. I stayed mostly in
State parks (not many people were camping in February!). The cat got used
to it and would go out the window to do what cats do and then would return
and climb into my sleeping bag with me.)
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keesan
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response 33 of 46:
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Jan 29 20:13 UTC 2004 |
Try sleeping in a closed car in August and you might think you need more
ventilation. Even a screened tent gets pretty hot and moist inside. A
screened tent in a snowstorm was more comfortable once the wind picked up and
dried things out a bit. People exhale moisture. It condenses on cold
surfaces and then drips on the sleeping bag and if it is down, the bag no
longer insulates.
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slynne
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response 34 of 46:
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Jan 29 20:31 UTC 2004 |
Yeah. I just want something so that I can sleep in rest areas. When I
go on road trips, I like to drive until I am tired, pull over to sleep
for a while and then get up and start driving again. Sleeping in rest
areas is cheap and also would save me the hassle of trying to find a
hotel that allows dogs.
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rcurl
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response 35 of 46:
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Jan 29 21:34 UTC 2004 |
Re #33:that's why leaving a couple of windows open a crack is useful. But
even August nights are usually cool. Condensation is not a problem in a
car, if the roof liner doesn't have places from which moisture can drip.
(However there was one night in Death Valley when it was too hot to sleep
in the car, so I slept outside. This turned out to be interesting as the
desert floor was crawling with insects, although none of the biting
variety.)
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mdw
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response 36 of 46:
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Jan 30 02:35 UTC 2004 |
Most states don't want you to sleep in rest areas -- probably for
various reasons like pressure from the motel industry, concern about
drug dealers, the homeless, and other "undesirables", etc. Basically,
this means you can't stay the night, and you can't set up a tent or
otherwise make yourself at home. I don't know of any state that forbids
getting a "nap" - the simplest solution I've found is to park away from
the busy part, put the front seat all the way down, and use a blanket,
pillow, etc., to make myself a bit more comfortable. It should in
theory be possible to sleep 1 hour and drive 2 hours indefinitely,
albeit not much fun.
People on motorcycles have a few more options, mostly due to the
motorcycle being smaller and easier to hide, but also because of the
clothing and such. For instance, anything that's good at 70 mph is
generally also going to keep you warm while you sleep under the far back
picnic table, and most bugs can't bite through it either. The
motorcycle itself can be rolled off the pavement and out of sight.
The opposite extreme seems to be motorhomes. There's a whole culture of
people who've retired, sold their house, bought a motorhome, and live in
it year around, up north in the summer, down south in the winter.
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