Sleeping in a car? :D

Heyya,

So, I'm working in the Intensive care (Home Mechanical Ventilation) with an ALS(Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) patient thats around 85 km away from my home, am 12 hours there and traveling back and forth each day is really straining me, takes me 2:30 hours back and forth just to drive and 170 km driving each day ain't fun. Also the bill for the gas is really huge considering that the car uses around 8,2 Liters of Super 95/100 km.
Im considering sleeping in a car when I have 2-3 days of work in a row to save on the gas. Got a little VW Polo 6N 98"..

So anyone got any experience sleeping in a car?
Is it possible to get some quality rest/sleep?
And what should I prepare for it? (I carry my Zastava M92 always with me wherever I go, so I guess I'm pretty safe on that part)

Thinking about to get a mattress into the car, and modify it a bit to make the surface below the mattress as flat as possible but am concerned about the temperature, its November, and Cars get cold pretty fast...
Dont have any sleeping bags, but I could use some big trash bags, tape and 2 blankets :D

And ofc is it legal to sleep in a car? Or do I need to find special places for that?

http://www.thelunchboxdiaries.com/wp...3-01-00-pm.png

All I got. :P

I believe that the legality of sleeping in a car varies from place to place. Some Wal-mart will allow you to park a ways out from the door and sleep in the parking lots under the protection of their security cameras. I pulled over once in a 24 hour wal-mart parking lot, had a creepy feeling, and when to get a hotel.

If I sleep well in a car won't impact if you will sleep well in your car, or vice versa. How tall are you, vs the condition of your back and shoulders, of the inclusion of a neck pillow might matter. And quality of sleep is only a portion of the issue.

How likely is a criminally minded person to notice you in the location you plan to stop? No one wants to be a victim of opportunity.
How safe is an area if a bad person does take an interest in your parking space? Will people will hear you scream in the event of a crime? Is there video to identify the person that harmed you?
How likely is it that people will let you sleep? Sleeping in a residential area someone will come knock on the window to find out why your are in front of their yard. In a commercial area with little traffic a police person is likely to check unusual cars to keep you from casing a business to rob. Industrial areas are WAY to creepy at night.

I have taken a nap in my car, and if I had an SUV or Van I might consider sleeping there longer, but you might have more options.

If there is a university, sometimes you can rent an unneeded room at the dorms for less then a hotel. Lots of people want the money from a room mate, but they prefer living alone. Someone might rent you a room on craigslist for a couple hundred per month if you just need the space for 1-2 nights per week. It might be cheaper to rent a space at a camp ground or a lake along the path your taking.

Good luck. :)

Heh,

Security is not an issue at all, as stated above, I'm armed to the teeth. (my good ol Zastava M92 is always in the car)
Paying for a sleep somewhere beats the point of the whole car sleep.

I think I will try it tomorrow, found a nice silent and dark spot in the forest 1-2 km away from my working place, shouldn't draw any unwanted attention.

My only concern is that I wont freeze my ass off during the night time :D Or that the Police might make me any trouble
So thinking about making a field heater out of some cans. Also bought a car blanket to cover the windows of the car for some privacy, maybe I can even sleep naked :D

Have a good blanket to keep you warm. Depending on your area it can get pretty cold at night, so a legit blanket like thick wool will keep you toasty. Have a flashlight (even better if it's a headlamp because hands free). Might as well have a knife too. Be aware of your surroundings always. What part of the world are you at? If a cop does engage you and he sees that you are "armed to the teeth" with a gun your situation may get hairy... in the US anyways.

I probably wouldn't park the car in a too secluded of an area. I feel you would be in a disadvantageous position if you get attacked because you're basically trapped in a car unless you react quickly and appropriately to the situation. Have your weapon within reach and rehearse in your mind what you would do to quickly defend yourself in such a situation, and then actually practice your "defensive maneuvers" (grabbing your weapon or moving to the driver seat and driving away, etc). Are you prepared to shoot a person if you have to? Are you willing to take someone's life? Is it worth it?

This sounds ridiculous man lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AOD_LoneSpirit

Also bought a car blanket to cover the windows of the car for some privacy, maybe I can even sleep naked :D

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Is the cover going to be outside the car? I would set up curtains for the windows inside the car so you can control what you see from the inside. And I wouldn't sleep naked lol, that will just make it harder to defend yourself and you'll be cold.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AOD_Irtar

http://www.thelunchboxdiaries.com/wp...3-01-00-pm.png

All I got. :P

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omfg hahahaha

I drive an '86 Volvo Station Wagon. I've slept in my car, and it isn't exactly pleasant.

I have slept in the car before on long road trips, i am usually not alone however; I can usually sleep pretty easily however its not the most comfortable thing, all i would suggest is to lock your doors and bring a blanket and pillow if you want.

It depends hugely on the climate you are in, I sleep in an old T25 on and off through-out the year, when it gets down to -10c or so things can get pretty damn cold. As she is a work in progress we have taken her from the un-insulated cargo van conversion she originally was to her currently semi-converted state towards her end goal of being a year around camper.

Apart from insulation (works against hot & cold) you also need to bear in mind condensation, as you breathe in the vehicle you will get condensation build up over the course of the night, cracking a window is normally enough to stop it but then you loose heat etc.

Lastly you will want to consider batteries, like do you want to listen to the radio etc in the evenings? Do you have internal lights (my misses uses LED strings running of AA batteries until we got the internal 12v sorted).

Can advise on any part of it, but the primary focus is normally insulating windows (biggest heat loss/gain part) and making sure you dont run the battery down over-night.
Oh & as for space, it depends on the car build/type and your height/dimensions (aka i am 6ft 4 inches so take quite a lot of space but am a skinny f*ck)

Am away from tomorrow evening for a month, but will try to check this page on my phone

In New Zealand, people turn their cars into campers all the time. Most rental companies retrofit vans and rent them out to tourists.
Just Google, how to turn your car into a camper.

As long as you do it right, sweet as bro!

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Well, I decided to do it, finished my shift, went to a secluded area on a small hill, next to a forest, no light, no people, just me and my inner demons.
I'v put a mattress into the car, got 2 blankets with me, its pretty cozy :D

I found some styrofoam in a dumpster with some cardboard sheets to make the sleep surface flat as much as possible, now I'm lying on some 30 degree angle, works for me.
The car's back windows got a dark tint so I just put some curtains on the front windshield and the two sides, got a good view.
I expected it to be cold, but it isn't, the outside temp is around 3-4 Celsius. Just have to take off the clothes now, I cant sleep while wearing any clothes except my underwear.
Who would think that a 2,07 m tall and 140 KG heavy guy could comfortably sleep in a Volkswagen Polo 6N1 :P

Got a Laptop and 3G internet, water bottle, urine bottle, and a small gas heater, currently making some tea..... What could a man possibly want more in life???
Gonna finish watching "The Hobbit: Battle of five armies" and off for a shut eye :D
The scenery is pretty awesome, can see a Nuclear reactor and the smoke coming out its chimneys, tho its kinda creepy to be here alone, in the dark without any living soul around me.

My only concern now is that I don't wake up tomorrow all smelly and go in such a state to work, hope this deodorant can mask the smell if it happens :D

And I'm pretty sure my mind is playing tricks on me, I feel like being watched from time to time, as if an Unholy presence is there lurking outside. (Prolly watched too many Walking dead episodes)
Gonna post some pictures of my setup when I get home, the 13 MP camera takes a toll on my mobile internet limit which is only a mere 200 MB
If all works out good, then tomorrow gonna get home, get some shower, get Schnaps (Plum Brandy) and go out again to sleep in a car but will also make a fire outside the car, for some camping.

This is just awesome.

Sent from my IPhone.

:)

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Well uhhh, glad it worked out. :lmao:

Do you have any major highways/roads nearby with a truck stop? Usually those are quite safe... plus the added benefit of a bathroom.