Camping out in your Z

[moonpup]

gezzer & ddezso

You two are just cracking me up!

Camper + :eek: = Tomo

[Cethern]

That camper is cool! It maybe to heavy for a Z to pull though. But my K5 would enjoy it.

[1 Bravo 6]

Camping,

CAMPING ??????????????

When you've spent as much time "CAMPING" (YUK) as I have, you'll never pitch a (uggghh) tent again.

When we head off into the never never, following along behind my Prado is a 18 foot caravan with ALL the comforts of home. If the weather is hot, I'm cool under the awning; if it's cold and/or raining, I'm warm and dry inside the van. None of this lighting a fire (especially if everything's WET), to cook a meal, Barb can choose between a four burner gas stove, the gas oven, an electric fan forced cooker and a microwave.

Have you ever noticed how, regardless of WHERE you sit around a camp fire, the smoke will always zero in on you??. If you have the sense to pack a gas mask, you can at least sit in the smoke to keep the blood sucking mosquitoes

and other anoying insects away. I just close the van's screen door, safe and sound behind the screened windows.

There's no crawling into a cramped sleeping bag, all tired out from setting up a (ARGGHH) camp and looking forward to a nice, comfortable sleep only to find that under the sleeping bag is the tent floor and under THAT is a double damned rock or stick directly under your backbone. I can sleep in a nice, comfortable bed with clean sheets after watching my favorite shows on the T.V.

There's no climbing out of your tent, all bleary eyed from a sleepless night trying to find a comfortable spot without a rock under you and finding the larder you hung in the tree so it's out of reach of ground bound beasties has fallen prey to tree climbing beasties who have made such a mess of your tucker bag that what the tree climbing beasties haven't devoured wound up on the ground anyway for the ground bound beasties to feast on and you count yourself lucky to find the coffey and sugar hasn't been scattered. (You soon learn to completely disregard the added flavour of the ants that DID find the sugar).

Have you ever woken up at two in the morning with a bladder at bursting point due to all the tinnies you consumed the previous night and tried to unzip the sleeping bag then unzip the tent flap while listening to the rat a tat tat of the rain falling on the tent and in the full knowledge of the fact that you are going to get soaking wet before you can get back in the tent ?. (That's why I learned to keep an empty screw top WIDE necked bottle or jar in the tent with me). I simply open the compartment under my nice, comfortable bed and slide out the porta potty.

Anyway, to answer Tommo's question;

Why would ANYONE in complete control of their faculties even CONSIDER deliberately sleeping in a car that doesn't have much more luggage space than a pushbike ??????? Well, ....... that is,.....anyone other than Tommo that is.

As the theme music for the old T.V. show DRAGNET went,;

Dum, De Dum Dummmmmmmmmmm.

Rick.

:devious: :devious:

[ggarrard]

I'm with 1 Bravo 6....time to admit your age, and appreciate the finer things in life...Camping out of a Zed was done when we were young and foolish.

GWGarrard

[TomoHawk]

I wouldn't call it foolish to take camping gear with you when you travel. A hotel or motel room.can cost up to US$100 a night. and if you can plan a trip to stop at a campground, you'll be saving a lot of money (BTDT.) When you've spent as much time camping in the mountains or backcountry as I have, you learn how to minimize your gear compliment and how to pick & prepare your place where you pitch your tent and sleeping gear to ensure a comfortable rest.

I'm not insisting that everyone sleep in the car- I was wondering if anybody had tried or done it in a Zed. I've done it in another car once, and it was comfortable, but slightly cramped. I still prefer to stretch out on the ground, and the camping gear I have would easily fit into the car.

[Ed]

Rick, nice story. Makes one realize how much we love our comforts.

I had to sleep in my Zed once. I was on my way home from New Mexico to San Diego (back when I used to live there ) I left NM at about 4 pm and had a 12 hour drive ahead of me. By midnight I was beat. Falling asleep at the wheel and all. I figured I better find a place to pull over and take a nap. Found a little town called Gila Bend. I think it's in Arizona. Well it was summer time and at 12:30am it was still 95 degrees F, 35 C. I didn't want to get a hotel room because I just wanted to take a nap and get back on the road so I could get home. Pulled the Z into an empty lot. Reclined the seat as far as it would go. Nice and comfy, pushed the seat up a bit too so my feet were under the pedals. Turn the car off and the sweating started. With no A/C I was screwed. Roll down the windows. Still hot. Now it's 2am and it's still hot outside. Man! WTF! I opened my door stuck one leg out, had the windows rolled down, wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, sweating my a$$ off. Next thing I know it's 6am. I was happy to get back on the road and turn on my A/C.

[Mike]

If you were to specifically head out camping for an extended time, I'm not sure a Z would be the best option. But, a tent and all the normal camping gear would be required. You could possibly fit it all into a classic Z.

I once drove from Portland, Oregon to San Diego, CA with my sister and my girlfriend. They took turns laying down in the back of the car even with all of our luggage.

I also spent the night in the woods after a long motorcycle cruise into the mountains. My buddy and I had cigars, whiskey, two sleeping bags, and a warm clear night. Slept right on the ground. McDonalds in the morning and we were good for another day of cruising. You can't do that right now in the Pacific NW, but, it's certainly possible in the summertime.

Why do you ask? Did your old lady kick you out?

[TomoHawk]

Me?

After I get my Z fully fixed and equipped, I plan on taking a few weeks to cruise around. Maybe from Ohio to NYC, then to Miami (US-1) then over to L.A. and back. That's $2500 - $3000 in hotel/motel roomage or probably much less if you can get a spot at a campgrounds. Maybe even free if you want to be a contortionist and sleep in the seat.

[rexz]

When i was young and poor i slept a few nights in my first z. lucky for me it was a 2+2 with the back seat in the up position the front seat can recline almost flat. the seat back actually goes on top of the back seat. was'nt to bad and im 6'2''..

20 years later hell no im spending the money for a decent nights sleep.

rex

[Go240Zags]

Never tried to sleep in a Z, however my buddy and I were on a road trip to Montana for a canoe trip near the Butte area. We were going to college in Spokane and set out in his his '74 VW Beetle. By the time we hit Missoula he was starting to snooze at the wheel. Asked me if I could drive, but I was in no better shape. Pulled over at a park and tried to sleep with the seats reclined. I'm 6'6" tall and his car had the knee prints in his glovebox door to prove it. After trying that I said the heck with this and we tried to sleep in sleeping bags in a park, but the grass was wet. So we headed for a concrete slab where the picnic tables were. That was worse, even though it was summer it was d--- cold. After tossing and turning for about four hours I got up around 6 a.m. and told (not asked) him we were going to hit the road. Spent the morning in the Sheraton lobby drinking coffee and reading the newspapers, grabbed some breakfast and were on our way. I don't mind camping, but a tent would have helped as would have a nice dry spot to pitch it. (A night with a co-ed at MSU would have been even better). On our canoe trip we camped by the river. 1Bravo6 you're right, I think my sleeping bag still smells like campfire smoke from that trip 20+ years ago.

Anyway, there's a company that manufactures those motorcycle tent-trailers just across the border in Osoyoos, BC, Canada - LeesureLite and they have some nice models for pulling behind compact cars. http://www.leesurelite.com Wrote an article about them a few years back. They'd be perfect for pulling behind a Z and they have models big enough for my stretched frame. I tested a few of course there a couple grand $Cndn.

When you find your spot, just sent up camp, disconnect and enjoy your Z and see the sites. Come back and you have a place to sleep.

[TomoHawk]

I was thinking that one of those motocycle trailers would fit well behind a Z, and it's probably possible to make something like that even.

[JimmyZ]

Twenty years ago sleeping in a car was reasonably safe. Today though...

Every time I ever slept in the Z I was woke up by a concerned state trooper. (Like to catch power naps on anything over 24hrs straight driving) They probably thought that I got whacked. Maybe one should include an "I'm just resting" note as part of the standard Z sleeping kit. (Should have said Zzzzzing kit) :-)

Before leaving home take out your passenger seat and use your luggage to form a plateau level with the rear. Bummer that the strut towers don't allow you to toss too much. The cab is so small that fresh air becomes scarce quick.

The camper a few posts up is way cool! I've seen a modern version of the same camper... Sweet