Making my 3rd gen suitable for winter living?

[AntiVenom]

I don't know how involved you want to get here (at some point it stops being about cheap, and starts being about whether or not you can do it or not).

You could consider a small tent heater, create some kind of board/cutout for the rear window, and have the hot air vent come in that way. runs off propane *and* a 12v source for the fan.

Additionally I'd say, if I was going to live in my car for a few weeks. I'd buy a car cover, then buy some heavy duty reflective mylar and attach it to the inside. and make a giant emergency blanket for my car. though you might not even need the mylar, since i think these tent heaters are generally on the bigger side (4-6man tents). meaning you probably wouldn't be too worried about radiative heat loss, since you'd have excess heat. also, the canopy/cover, would help retain the hot air a bit longer even without the mylar.

So basically some small heat source so you can vent the moist air(hot air through the back, moist air through a cracked front window. that air vented in to a canopy over your truck, and you could prob be really warm and dry.

 

[wc11]

It's sheet metal & single pane glass.
While it's better than a tent especially for wind, an arctic sleeping bag is a must.
You shouldn't burn anything like camp heaters or candles as it uses up the oxygen. You'd have to keep a window open which defeats the purpose.

As others have said, you need something to absorb moisture.
Mold , mildew, and then interior panels will rust.

Then there's the smell of the damp, moldy, mildewy interior which means you will smell that way.

But then again, your a snowboarder :rofl:

An electric heater would be best if you can swing it. Maybe slip a local a few bucks and plug into their house.
Electric heat is also very dry so it'll take care of your moisture problem.
But you might wake up with the truck encased in ice depending on the temp differential.

 

[papapoopski]

IMO - Your truck is waaaaay better than any winter tent - better wind protection, no set up or take down, it has a built in heater, ect, etc. Leave a crack in a window and your sunroof for ventilation - don't let condensation build up.

The condensation is a giveaway to others that you are sleeping in your car - find a private spot in a dark corner somewhere, especially for that middle of the night bladder call.

Blow up air mattresses don't offer much insulation. You can have a great sleeping bag but if you compress the bottom onto a cold surface, you will get cold.

If you do use one of those cheapo air mattresses, pile up blankets or use a foam topper - just don't get it wet. Dry, dry and drier is what you are after. I use my backpacking equipment and combine this
(on the floor) Thermarest Backpacker Lite Self Inflating 72 Inch Sleeping Pad, 62186 | Sleeping Pads & Air Beds | Sleeping Gear | GEAR | items from Campmor.
and this under me Thermarest Ridgerest Cell Foam Pad Regular, Sleeping Pads & Air Beds | Campmor

a warm bag is good. I use synthetic bags as condensation can weigh down a down-filled bag

a sleeping bag liner is nice too - a simple fleece, etc (NO cotton) sleeping bag liner keeps you warmer and your bag cleaner and drier on the inside - if you keep your head inside the bag while you sleep you will breath all that water vapor into your bag - and its a hell of a lot easier to wash the liner than the sleeping bag

Have a few sets of clothes to wear on the mountain while you are riding. Have a clean pair of socks for every day. Put your used stuff into a garbage bag. Putting wet stuff into the truck keeps the air moist and it stinks up the place. Dry, dry and drier is the name of the game.

Most resorts have a spa area. For like $10 - $15 you can use the hot tub, showers, pool, locker room etc for the day. Keep yourself clean. The truck is gonna stink. They may even have a drier somewhere for you to use. I also treat myself to a massage at the spa for saving money on accomodations.

A couple nice things to bring -
drier sheets for the truck and if you find a drier somewhere
Moist wipes - like the ones you use for a babies butt. Keeps your feet clean, hands etc.
A boot drier with a car adapter. This is one thing that is hard to keep tidy. You go out all day and sweat in your boots - then what do you do? Most of us don't have 2 sets of boots/liners to alternate days while the other dries. Stuff drier sheets in there with the boot drier on. Just don't leave it on too long - it will kill your battery.

Electronics - have a backup battery charger handy - I have a small solar unit that I put on my dash to charge a main battery pack, which then charges my cell. A spare battery is nice to have too. The cold will kill your battery charge. Keep your phone in an interior pocket while you ride.

Since your friends have conversion vans, maybe they will take your boots overnight to dry - definitely bring some bounce drier sheets in this case. Stinky boots will wear out that welcome.

Also - you don't need any of this. I have found it makes things more comfortable for me.

Best case scenario - Have fun at apres, meet a hottie, go back to his/her place and forget the whole sleep in a car thing.

Just sayin

 

[packweco]

I'm 6'2", so I don't fit between the tail gate and the bottom of the rear seats when they're folded up. I had this idea to get a cot to put on one side of the 4runner that would extend over the top of the folded up seat and come close to the back of the front seat (hopefully that made sense) giving me the extra 4-5 inches I would need.

Put a sleeping pad and a bag on and you're good to go. I figured it would be good because you could leave it set up and have storage underneath so you don't have to move all your crap to get set up to sleep. It would put you close to the roof, but I think if you found the right height cot that would fit around all of the parts of the runner, it could work perfect. I could see the wheel well getting in the way of the legs, so finding the right one would be the key.

As everyone else said, the right bag and pad make all the difference in the world.

 

[white_n_slow]

Gonna chime in here:

Truck is way better than a tent. Mainly because you don't have to crawl around in the snow to get in and out. A good 4-season tent will have a pretty low profile and depending on the construction of the rain fly and vestibule, will probably require you to dig around in the snow to get in/out.

Remove the rear seat bottoms and stash them at your house if you don't anticipate driving other people around. This will give you more head/foot room and allow you to store stuff in the rear seat footwells.

You'll need to keep the windows cracked to keep the inside of the truck from icing up. Another way of saying this is it will be COLD AS FARK inside the truck at night. I would get the warmest sleeping bag you can afford and a good bivy sack to keep your sleeping getup dry. Even with the windows cracked, moisture will still probably be a challenge.

On the cold as heck note: get a nalgene bottle to pee into because you're sure as hell not going to want to go outside to drain the snake.

 

[Coastal616]

On the cold as heck note: get a nalgene bottle to pee into because you're sure as hell not going to want to go outside to drain the snake.

Last camping trip, it snowed, it was cold. I found the rear door in a 4runner was the perfect width to kneel, brace yourself on the top of the door frame and water the grass from the comfort of your vehicle.

 

[spongerx]

I've used an electric blanket before as well...just used an inverter and plugged into the outlet in the back.

Did that not kill your battery having the power run all night?

 

[Millerad1651]

We actually let it get as warm as as it'll go, then unplug it. That lasts a few hours, then we'd plug it back in for a few minutes. We did it twice overnight, not too bad and didn't kill the battery. Started right up in the morning.

 

[threadlessclimber]

On the cold as heck note: get a nalgene bottle to pee into because you're sure as hell not going to want to go outside to drain the snake.[/QUOTE]

Use a Gatorade or soda bottle-a lot cheaper then pissing in a $10 bottle (tainting it forever) and you can tell in the dark what to pee in and what to drink out of. :dizzy:

 

[Mtssurf1]

Tent or 4runner, or BOTH?!

So the people in this thread seem as if its split, tent or 4runner for sleeping in.. Why not both? A small pup tent to fit into the back with the seats folded down. This way you could have the windows cracked slightly for ventilation as previously stated and you could have a warm tent. While your in your tent it will be much warmer then the 4runner. Which is still warmer and need I say less windy. That's what id do. Maybe not the most practical idea of a tent inside of a 4runner but heck they do have small enough tents. Maybe it just sounds good in my head

 

[rideexileex]

I'm surprised no one else has caught this... but ditch the air mattress! Those things are miserably cold in the winter time. Get a more insulating foam air mattress.

A dedicated 12V heated blanket is awesome, as most have built in timers to prevent running the battery down. Using an inverter is only going to kill a little bit more efficiency and kill the battery more quickly, but it sounds like if you'll be at a resort, a jump start shouldnt be too hard to come across

 

[Aznwolf118]

I do the sleep in back of the 4runner. But like someone mention just get bomber equipment like you were tent sleeping.

I have vent shades on my windows so I just crack the fronts. I also have the 1st gen roll bar fitted and use that to make a somewhat internal tent.
I got some cheapo wool blankets, and sewed them together so I can lay over the roll bar to the rear trunk and attach them to the front head rests to keep some heat from escaping through the roof. Everything packs small and and I can push all the gear to one side and sleep on the other.

-big anges insulated air core with a foam mat under it. Something about the sheet metal floor board sucks heat. I also have a space blacket lining between the floor board and the rear mat for extra piece of mind (honestly not sure if it does anything)

-in winter I run a -20 mountian hardware mummy bag.
I also have a set of cabela ecwcs (pant, cap, and top) just incase I need more warmth than the standard sweats, I can layer and still not feel bulky.

It's so much more comfortable than replacing a tent after it snows.
I also agree that condensation is one of the problems but having vent shade on all 4 windows I have been able to control some of it and still have piece of mind that sometimes its hard for people to tell if my window is open and if anyone is sleeping in the runner with the wool blanket just looks like someone is moving junk. I have used this set up for about 3 years or so

 

[spongerx]

What are some of the best places people find to park their trucks at night so they don't get any visitors telling them to move along?

Also, some more info/ideas here http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/169864-Sleeping-in-the-car-in-the-winter

 

[OTB]

What are some of the best places people find to park their trucks at night so they don't get any visitors telling them to move along?

I dunno, but legal camping places are a good start.

After that, any place that has a decent amount of traffic and overnight parking but be aware that some of them are on the lookout for urban campers.

On a side note, Wal-Mart's corporate policies favor allowing RVers to park overnight where local ordinances permit. So as long as there is no city ordinance against it, you will fine.

As far as keeping warm goes. People camp year round in tents even in below zero freezing temps.
The same gear that keeps them warm will keep you warm. Also like stated no air mattress. You will loose too much body heat from underneath.

 

[white_n_slow]

Most of the resorts around here have no problem with vehicles camping overnight as long as they're in the back of the parking lot and not taking up prime parking spots. On any given morning there are at least a few RV's in the Utah lot at Mary Jane.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I slept in my old Lada in the mountains before, but I went to a year round camp ground with plug ins and plugged in a in car heater(thermostatically controlled) also cracked the sun roof. Was awesome and worked great.

This is pretty much the best suggestion so far.

 

[TOY2G]

if you are parking and not moving the 4runner, you may consider this. as the snow builds up on the truck, your insulation factor will increase. You loose most of you heat through the windows and under the vehicle where the cool air blows. if you really are going to spend a couple more than a few days in your vehicle, think about covering it with a heavy tarp that reaches the ground (to blocks the wind under the vehicle). it wont make your vehicle warms, but it can help contain a some of the BTUs you produce when asleep. and dont be afraid to cover your vehicle with snow (alot of it) it is a great insulator.

BTW I have spent 4 days in a snow hut on MT.Bachelor at the base of a tree under 4' of snow. as long as you stay dry, it can be pretty cozy.

Waking up in the back of the 4Runner on Imogene Pass, is better than even the finest hotels I've stayed in.

Did you stay in the mining camp on the Telluride side, or is that your mailbox on the summit?:cheers:

 

[M-Piers97]

Get a military surplus MSS sleep system, it comes with 2 bags and a bivvy bag to keep the dew/ice out of your bag/insulation. Altogether its good till -30 F

Military Surplus MSS -30 Degree 4-Piece Sleeping Bag System

 

[flatboy]

This is pretty much the best suggestion so far.

I was actually looking at some in car heaters last weekend and thinking of installing one in the 4 runner, they take a bit to mount nicely without drilling holes in bad spots and don't want to be rushed if I do a ski trip this winter and I can't get a hotel.

If you can plug in this works super awesome.

 

[OTB]

I know a lot of people will chime in on the supposed dangers of this but it can be used indoors.

Mr. Heater - America's Most Popular Portable Heaters

That being said, I personally would still only use it up until I get ready for sleep as not to waste gas and the fact that I would have a warm enough bag that I wouldn't need the heater once I was in it.

I have one of these and they work great. I have the portable buddy and it will heat a space. If it tips over, it shuts off. It will have no problem heating the inside of the truck quickly and as long as you don't run it all night, the fuel will last a long time. I think there are also conversions available to run these off a large tank in which you can set the tank outside if you want (only if you are in a legal camping area of course). Even with it being rated for indoor use, I would still leave a window cracked but you will be doing that anyways unless you want a damp foggy mess in the truck.