Sleeping in a car while chasingthe foliage

[Forte Photo]

Hello New England,

My wife and I are renting a SUV and expecting to be able to sleep in it while chasing the fall colors.

Any thoughts from the locals ??

Thanks,
James

[tremint]

I too am planning the same. What kind of SUV are you looking into.

I did camp once. I think it will be similar except that you dont have to putup the tent and take it down each time. You can go to a campground and pay around $15. You can use the restrooms and I think it s a safer place

[pwt54]

It's been done by a few folks. It seems to work alright.

[ixl]

I've done this a couple of times. It is a cheap way to go, and also a time-saver. Of course, it does have its obvious drawbacks.

I only did it by myself, and used a Ford Explorer. For 2 people you will need a significantly larger vehicle, because you also need space for your 'stuff' after you stretch out for the night.

Bear in mind that not all vehicles have rear seats that fold down completely flat. You need to check first, some won't work properly.

I brought with me a power device which is basically a large rechargeable deep cycle battery with DC and AC (inverter) outputs. I charge it while driving the car and then use it when I am stopped to run my PC, camera battery charger etc. This way I don't drain the car's starting battery.

I used an inflating mattress pad and a sleeping bag. It still gets cold in the car by morning. One trick I used was to leave the keys in the ignition and the heat set to maximum (doors locked of course) so in the am I could just reach over, crank the engine and then stay under the covers until the heat got going.

Plan to find a hotel every few days unless you like being stinky.

Hope your trip goes well.

c