Camping Inside 04runner

[Jfunk]

I know this thread is old as hell but since I thought the information was valuable I figured I'd at least share my setup.

I removed the rear seats as others have mentioned cause the extra leg room is nice. I bought 2 lawn chair mattress pads and laid them down. Next I put a feather bed on top of the pads and then slept with a blanket and another down comforter. Needless to say we were extremely comfy - in fact, my girlfriend and I were calling it the "4 seasons". When we were done I sleeping, I would fold both ends up kind of like a taco and hold the two ends together with a bungie cord. This gave me ample room in the back for firewood, tools, etc.. and then I would also have room in the front for a cooler and luggage, etc..

This setup got me and my girl through 4 days traveling the northern part of the Washington Backroads Discovery Route.

 

[Jfunk]

I see this thread is also about 4th gen 4runners... incidentally my whip is a 97. I suspect you can duplicate my setup if you wanted to in a 4th gen.

 

[verman84]

I go up to Michigans Upper Peninsula in October every year to go bird hunting with my family and I usually just sleep in my tent during the week. Temps in mid/late october up there are usually 40-50 during the day and 20-30 at night. I have a 15º down sleeping bag and an insulated backpacking mattress and those two will keep me warm down below freezing.

I was really excited since I just bought the 4runner in July and this was going to be its first real trip where I could get to know it on a long road drive while also getting it out into the woods and tracks.

This year I left Chicago later than I wanted so I didn't get up to our camp until around 2am. Temps were 30º and I was exhausted from a full day of work and a 7.5 hour drive. I backed in to a level spot and slid the front seats forward. I moved my gear to the passenger seat and folded the rears flat.

I kept the heater going the whole time as I prepped the car just to make it more comfortable to fall asleep.

After that I put my sleeping pad down and jumped in my sleeping bag and fell asleep looking through the moon roof at a clear sky. I had just enough service to pick up a blackhawks game and listen to the last few minutes before falling asleep.

The big thing to remember about sleeping in your car is that it won't keep you any warmer than sleeping outside in cold temps. They simply don't insulate that well. The only thing it does is keep you out of the wind, rain and snow. The problem is that you need to vent it or the humidity from your breathing inside the vehicle will make it feel even colder if temps get really low and it can actually freeze on the windshield/windows and create condensation or ice.

I will say the simplicity of being able to pull in, fold the seats down and go to sleep was pretty nice. I ended up staying in my truck the rest of the weekend simply due to the fact that all I had to do was run the heater for a few minutes, pop the rear hatch and crawl into a warm bed. I'm 5'10 and I put myself at a slight angle so that if I wanted to be straight I could. I imagine that something like a 4" thick inflatable twin mattress would be a perfect fit to fill up the rear and still fit between the wheel wells. It ended up raining most of the days we were up there so it was really nice not having to pack up a wet and muddy tent.

Also, before dropping money on a heater that requires any sort of chemicals/electricity etc, consider investing in a nice sleeping bag right from the start. It will be safer and require much less energy to keep going throughout the night. There will be no risk of fire, the battery dying, the chemicals failing, or simply not working. And remember not to run a propane heater in a closed environment unless you don't want to wake up the next morning.

 

[28.]

Great thread..

 

[m85476585]

Also, before dropping money on a heater that requires any sort of chemicals/electricity etc, consider investing in a nice sleeping bag right from the start. It will be safer and require much less energy to keep going throughout the night. There will be no risk of fire, the battery dying, the chemicals failing, or simply not working. And remember not to run a propane heater in a closed environment unless you don't want to wake up the next morning.

Some propane heaters are rated for indoor use. The catalytic converter should get rid of carbon monoxide, so the only dangers are excess CO2, low oxygen, risk of fire, and lots of moisture in the air. Some of them have an oxygen sensor to make sure the oxygen level stays safe. But I wouldn't trust them while sleeping.

A better solution would be to make some kind of mini-furnace that heats air but has a fresh air/exhaust vent outside. It could also pull in fresh air from the outside, heating it, and expel moist stale air from inside.

I don't want to get side window visors for various reasons*, so a mini furnace would be a good alternative. Maybe it could sit on the roof in the sunroof opening and have a gasket to seal out water. Like the roof vents in an RV, but removable for daily driving.

*Problems with side window visors/deflectors:
-The plastic distorts light, making weird artifacts when you look through them
-The dark ones make it feel like there's less visibility, but clear ones don't look as good and still have other problems.
-They push out the window seals, so if you remove them the windows may not seal well, or there may be extra wind noise
-They add extra wind noise/drag
-More strain on the window motor
-They may trap dirt and scratch the window since they are not as soft as the window seals
-Rear ones have to be installed with adhesive
-Ones that stick on the outside surface of the door might not stay on well, are hard to find, and leave bad residue if you try to remove them

Maybe instead of a furnace, you could have a propane water heater outside the vehicle and run water lines inside, using a small pump to circulate water. Then have a hot water radiator inside as part of the loop.

A heat recovery ventilator might be good to bring in fresh air without dumping as much heat, but you would probably have to DIY a small one, and you would have to handle condensation somehow.

A dual battery setup would be best to power these heating systems since the starter battery isn't really designed for that kind of load.

 

[m85476585]

I camped in a 4runner this weekend. Not mine, but a V6 SR5.

It was -10 F outside, so I left it running the whole time. I thought it would take too long to warm up if I turned it off but then wanted some heat later. I also didn't want to open a window for ventilation because of the cold, but keeping the windows closed with no ventilation would have made them frosty by morning from condensation.

I left the windows up and the heat on, and the temperature was comfortable. The engine temp gauge stayed in the middle, despite the extreme cold and low heat output from idling. I didn't smell any exhaust, and there was enough wind to blow it away. When the catalytic converters are warm the exhaust shouldn't be too harmful/smelly. The LEV II standard is 4.2 grams of CO per mile (compared to over 440g CO2 per mile for combustion of gasoline at 20mpg). Carbon monoxide is dangerous even in very small concentrations, so a battery powered CO detector would be a good idea if you plan to sleep with the engine running. Actually, it wouldn't be a bad idea to permanently mount one in the vehicle somewhere.

The range indicator only dropped about 5 miles in a few hours of idling, and the gas gauge barely moved. But when I started driving around the range decreased much more than the amount I was driving, and the gas gauge caught up. I'm aware that the range indicator is just an estimate, but I see it as a way of reading the gas gauge with more resolution than the needle gauge. The most reasonable estimate for idling fuel consumption I've read on here is about 0.5gal per hour.

Sleeping in the front seat was rather uncomfortable, and I wasn't able to sleep well. I didn't put the seat in "relaxation mode" or whatever they call it when you slide the front seat all the way forward, remove the headrest, and fold the seatback so it's level with the rear seat. I didn't have camping stuff otherwise I would have slept in the back with the rear seats flat.

I've always thought it's silly that people prefer the V8 for its smoothness, but the vibration from the V6 while I was trying to sleep was kind of annoying. But I do like the slightly longer range that the V6 has on a tank of gas.

We should have nice weather here this week, with lows only around freezing, so I might go camp in the back of mine one night.

 

[SI2IS2T4R]

Nap time....

I know this thread is old as hell but since I thought the information was valuable I figured I'd at least share my setup.

I removed the rear seats as others have mentioned cause the extra leg room is nice. I bought 2 lawn chair mattress pads and laid them down. Next I put a feather bed on top of the pads and then slept with a blanket and another down comforter. Needless to say we were extremely comfy - in fact, my girlfriend and I were calling it the "4 seasons". When we were done I sleeping, I would fold both ends up kind of like a taco and hold the two ends together with a bungie cord. This gave me ample room in the back for firewood, tools, etc.. and then I would also have room in the front for a cooler and luggage, etc..

This setup got me and my girl through 4 days traveling the northern part of the Washington Backroads Discovery Route.

Ok, who's ready for a nap now!

 

[Benski]

Buy a cot!

I have a 1996 4Runner and I go on trail riding trips with my Honda 250 Enduro that are several hours away so I camp for a night or two. I bought a Deluxe Folding Cot from LL Bean that fits in the back of the truck and rests on the rear seat folded up. I keep it partly folded while driving so the front seats can be back. At night, I slide the front seats forward and unfold the cot. I sleep fully stretched out and it is very comfortable. I bought rain gutter screens which I cut to fit over and into my back seat windows for ventilation. You can find the gutter screens in white or brown at Lowe's or HD. You will see how the channel will fit over the top of the window. It works well and keeps the bugs out.

 

[Runner-Wannabe]

I’m loving the idea of camping in a 4Runner. I can’t tow a both camper and a boat. Thinking of buying a cooking/dining shelter as the base camp setup and trying some boon-docking next summer/fall

 

[Fern]

Just came back from a camping trip. I used a twin air mattress and doubled up on the sleeping bags. Worked great!

 

[702tripgen]

I use two backpacking cots and it works great with lots of room. Pull the front seats forward as far as you can, tilt the backs forward and fold the rear seats. The height of the cot will give you more length as your head will be above the rear seat cushion that is folded forward. It will also give you more width as you will be above the wheelwells. It will be flatter than the cargo area floor and more comfortable. You have room underneath the cots to store some cargo. I then store large cargo on the roof rack with a tarp over it. Two large/tall people can sleep very comfortable this way. The cot legs must be high enough to clear the rear seat hump and wheelwells but not too high as your face will be in the roof.

Do you have brand/models of the cots you are using by chance? Thanks!

 

[mkscrewy]

i've been camping out in Montauk during moon tides from June-September. The actual camp sites out in nearby Hither Hills go fast, but I'm only there to fish so I stick to the lower parking lot at the light house. I also drop down the 2-seat back seat and leave the single one up. Have plenty of room for a Pelican Cooler and all my fishing stuff. Granted, I'm more on the "modest" side (wetsuit works well for this out in this place) so I can stretch out almost fully in the back with the back seat down. this is pretty no-frills "camping"—cheap beer, PB&J, good sleeping bag but no sleeping pad, cot, or air mattress. Those are good, cheap improvements though.

i'm also liking the idea of putting in something so I can keep the windows open at night. Will have to look more into that.

 

[Brutalguyracing]

i've been camping out in Montauk during moon tides from June-September. The actual camp sites out in nearby Hither Hills go fast, but I'm only there to fish so I stick to the lower parking lot at the light house. I also drop down the 2-seat back seat and leave the single one up. Have plenty of room for a Pelican Cooler and all my fishing stuff. Granted, I'm more on the "modest" side (wetsuit works well for this out in this place) so I can stretch out almost fully in the back with the back seat down. this is pretty no-frills "camping"—cheap beer, PB&J, good sleeping bag but no sleeping pad, cot, or air mattress. Those are good, cheap improvements though.



i'm also liking the idea of putting in something so I can keep the windows open at night. Will have to look more into that.

I use simple screens with magnets on windows and moon roof

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[TheLander]

overnight camping

Camping overnight in my "new" 4R is the reason I bought it, planning on putting on window rain covers so that I can open windows even if it rains, then placing some screen with pockets for magnets to make sure no bugs, skeeters get in, got a camping "self inflating" air mattress (2 inches) and a nice bag, cooler with some beer and some food and all set, further down the road will do a serious build but for now I am ok

 

[Roccoeight]

I basically live in mine and travel all summer all over the country mountain biking.
I have a rooftop homemade shower tank and window screens. A 5" memory foam mattress and 4 pillows.
Works great anywhere you can park safely for the night and did this in the USA and Canada for the last 2 years

 

[ieatfish]

I basically live in mine and travel all summer all over the country mountain biking.
I have a rooftop homemade shower tank and window screens. A 5" memory foam mattress and 4 pillows.
Works great anywhere you can park safely for the night and did this in the USA and Canada for the last 2 years

What do you do for window screens? I made some mesh and cardboard inserts for the top of the windows but it would be nice to roll them down all the way.

 

[wkeryder4]

What do you do for window screens? I made some mesh and cardboard inserts for the top of the windows but it would be nice to roll them down all the way.

I use these and they work great

Amazon.com: Uarter Universal Car Rear Side Window Baby Kid Pet Breathable Sun Shade Mesh Backseat (2 Pcs) Fits Most Cars/SUVs: Baby

 

[Ken Kezzy]

We often go to the countryside with our family, it is normal to sleep in the car, but of course it is better to choose comfort for all family members. We have Outbound 8-Person 3-Season Lightweight Dome Tent in which there is more space than in the house. The frame is so strong that we are not afraid of any weather conditions. Please note, you may also like it.

 

[Whamola]

What do you do for window screens? I made some mesh and cardboard inserts for the top of the windows but it would be nice to roll them down all the way.

I use the gutter guards from Lowes. Used electric tape on the sharp corners and to give a little bit of wiggle room. I can't roll down all the way, but if it rains, I can leave them on protected with my rain guards.

I don't mess with trying the rear window anymore.

 

[richsd]

Good bug screens for rear windows:
Amazon.com: Car Window Shade Protection for Baby. Back Seat See Through Stretchy Mesh Sock Style Sun Shades. They Totally Cover The Windows For Full Protection. Sunshade Fits All Sedan Cars. 2-Pck (Medium, Black) : Automotive

Basics for 4Runner camping:
1) Remove rear seat bottoms for more room.
2) Get several, sturdy plastic storage containers for food and gear. These, along with cooler, can be quickly stacked on one side of the rear cargo area for sleeping on the opposite side. If you have two sleeping inside the truck, containers can be stacked on roof, even if you have a Thule cargo carrier on the roof; store containers on one side of the rooftop. Good, solid containers and 45 qt. cooler may also be simply stacked outside the truck when not in bear country. Other gear like cloths duffle bags may be stored on front seats. You should be able to set up the back for sleeping in ten minutes.
3) A ground tent is an alternative but sleeping inside the 4Runner is best. No wet tent in morning, no wind snapping the tent all night, metal walls to keep out grizzlies etc. Think three times about all the hassle involved with rooftop tents.
4) Thule or Yakima rooftop cargo carriers can hold a lot of large gear: folding chairs, shovel, vehicle recovery traction tracks, air compressor, backpacking gear and four-person base camp tent among other items.