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Tripping truck sleeping

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I had another month or so living in the back of the tripping truck over the last winter and I’m still discovering things

Condensation under the foam sleeping pad remains an issue, especially on cold winter nights. Keeping the windows open and cap door open helps, but running a small fan helps even more. The fan sound doesn’t bother me, in fact it is kind of white noise that occasionally covers more annoying sounds.

Even so there is a body outline of moisture on the bottom of the microfiber pad cover and I’ve learned to flip the mattress on its side, inside the bed against the left hand side windows. It doesn’t block my view there and it dries out quickly.

I had some concerns about eventually degrading the foam and stuck a piece of Ridgerest pad between the mattress and bed floor, which itself is covered with minicel exercise flooring. That seemed to be ideal; much of the moisture is trapped in the ridges and it is easy to pull that pad out and allow it to dry.

I’ve run out of cold weather testing time, but I want to try one of our old ThermaRests between the mattress and bed floor in lieu of the Ridgerest and see which works best.
 
I once had the same problem in the kennel, where two dogs slept year-round. The solution was to drill holes in the raised floor so the moisture had somewhere to go. No more damp blankets.
 
Getting rid of condensation and moisture from your lungs and body is the main hurdle to overcome when it comes to long term comfort. The bedding is the hardest to deal with. Air it out at every opportunity. I will always trade some ventilation for a lower temperature.

One solution for a basecamp is the trad canvas tent and wood stove. The radiant heat of the stove makes drying everything easy. The cold back of the truck with all of that steel makes it much more challenging. I had a Toyota once that came with a full carpet kit and foam padding in the canopy. There was a large crawl through space from the cab. It was by far the most comfortable truck to sleep in I have owned out of a long list. For long term sleeping I would consider the investment. I used to sleep in it at ski areas in Colorado even when the temps were below zero.
 
Getting rid of condensation and moisture from your lungs and body is the main hurdle to overcome when it comes to long term comfort. The bedding is the hardest to deal with. Air it out at every opportunity. I will always trade some ventilation for a lower temperature.

The open windows help, but I believe that having a small fan running overnight moves the air under the cap around and adds some additional air flow through the window on cold still air nights.


The cold back of the truck with all of that steel makes it much more challenging. I had a Toyota once that came with a full carpet kit and foam padding in the canopy. There was a large crawl through space from the cab. It was by far the most comfortable truck to sleep in I have owned out of a long list. For long term sleeping I would consider the investment. I used to sleep in it at ski areas in Colorado even when the temps were below zero.

The funny thing is there isn’t much steel in the back of the Tacoma. The cap is fiberglass and fully carpeted. The bed is some (thin) composite material and it had been fully sheathed – bottom, sides, “headboard” and tailgate – with minicel exercise flooring. All of the sideboard storage boxes and platforms are carpeted.

The crawl through from cab to cap sounds advantageous. Was there a sealable door in that space, so that condensation from the bed didn’t fog up the windshield? That was sometimes a problem when sleeping in the van.

Not that I plan on buying a new truck anytime soon. And that area would be inaccessible for me anyway; the gear that is dry bagged and I don’t need to touch until it is ready to go in the boat resides in the back seat area.

Dry bags and a fire extinguisher. I knew I needed to replace the winky fire extinguisher I’ve had in my tripping trucks. It is (was) a tiny halon thing, not much taller than a beer can. “Was” because not only was it usually buried inaccessible under a mountain of gear in the back seat, but because the pin vanished and I briefly set if off yanking out gear.

The smallest one I could find was a Kidde Marine Fire Extinguisher. This, but it was $9.99 at Wally World

http://www.amazon.com/Kidde-Mariner5-Extinguisher-Pressure-Gauge/dp/B0014ZQJAK

It’s even white to match the truck and is now mounted to the back right door post, out of the way but accessible above where I pile gear.



I’ve used a fire extinguisher on the road only once, near 30 years ago. But when I needed it I REALLY needed it. Hopefully this one sees similar inactivity.
 
I once had the same problem in the kennel, where two dogs slept year-round. The solution was to drill holes in the raised floor so the moisture had somewhere to go. No more damp blankets.

Sleeping on a breathable material cot probably has the same advantage, and in a van, with better headroom, that might be just the under-condensation ticket. I wnet te other way with the OEM holes in the Taco bed.

I took some time when I first bought the Taco to fill or cover the all of the drain holes in the bed. I didn’t want rain spray or dust coming in through those holes, which are unnecessary with a cap in place.

I even sealed the giant dust-sucking gaps in the tailgate closure, ‘til that end wasn’t just bug proof, but light tight. But I still seem to accumulate a layer of dust at the tailgate end.

And then I remember that friend Willy with a similar vintage Taco had told me that he had found six more hidden drain holes in the bed – three in each of the storage compartments at the tailgate end.

I opened those compartments, emptied them and briefly considered converting them to terrarium. There was enough fine desert dust in there to grow cactus. The truck gear I store there - towing cable, chain & hook, jumper cables, rags, etc – were likewise dust ebcrusted.

Twelve holes actually, the compartment “doors” drop into three large slots open to the undercarriage. For dust-proofieness the bottom of those compartments may as well be made of chicken wire.

Those storage compartment in the bed are directly behind the rear tires. No wonder I had brought back dirt road dust samples from Maine to Utah. Stupid design, someone should introduce Toyota to scupper plugs.

I plugged the drain holes and gasketed the door panel slots, cleaned the filthy gear and put everything back in place. I need to find some long dirt roads soon for a test.

If you have a cap on a late model Tacoma those holes in the bed floor are a dust collector.
 
Mike,

Ok, I have kind of a silly question...Do you have to sleep in your truck or do you do it for adventure? I think it's kinda cool that such a utilitarian vehicle can be made so comfortable.

Momentum
 
Mike,
Your description of your rig, helps explain why you are willing to spend so much time sleeping in it. It sounds comfortable. I sleep in my Ford long bed quite a few nights a year in all seasons except the dead of winter. I tow a large aluminum fishing boat and often go out for 2-3 days with my dog. Except for the rubber mat on the floor, there is a lot of exposed steel and fiberglass. It is still pretty good down to about 20 degrees F or so.
 
Do you have to sleep in your truck or do you do it for adventure? I think it's kinda cool that such a utilitarian vehicle can be made so comfortable.

Well, I do have a home, and a nice one at that, with an even nicer shop.

But the tripping truck bedroom is my home away from home when travelling. Since retiring two years ago I have (I kept count) 238 days away from home tripping and travelling. A good portion of that was spent in a tent while tripping, but quite a bit was also spent sleeping in the back of the truck.

If I’m just stopping somewhere to rest for the night I much prefer the simplicity of opening the tailgate and climbing into bed to the hassle setting up a tent, pad, sleeping bag, etc and packing it all up the next morning. Worse if it is wet out.

I much prefer the truck bed to a sterile motel where I have to tote in everything I need for the night. With the outfitted truck bed everydamn thing I need or want is strategically within arm’s reach. To the point that when visiting friends I’d rather sleep in the truck.

The current Taco outfitting is a continuing process. I turned 250,000 miles on an ’84 longbed, including a radical sabbatical crisscrossing the continent for a year and a half. That one was as utilitarian as it gets, four banger manual, vinyl bench seat, crank windows. Great truck.

I turned the same mileage on a ‘95 Extra cab that was even better outfitted, helped by with cabinetry, electrical and welding skills.

It remains a continuing process. I have yet to devise a simply way to “awning” the side windows so I can keep them open in the rain. There’s a Catch 22 there; it’s raining and 100% humidity, and I can’t open the side widows.

I have a sized and pre-roped tarp that hooks to the roof racks, which requires only two rack attachments and three stakes, but I’s love to devise something even simplier.

Not sure what that is, but I am sure what it ain’t. It isn’t an RV style furled awning. I don’t want to drill any holes in the cap and want something lightweight. I’m still pondering that one.

And I’m still pondering the non-battery light and fan. The extension cord is the best and easiest option if there is power available, which excludes anywhere remote.

I’m thinking that the simplest solution may be to have a 12v fan and light, and run them when necessary off a small deep cycle battery in one of the back compartments. I’d need to recharge that battery, but I’m leery of any wiring or configuration that might drain the truck battery.

The mobile bedroom evolves. There is no way to figure out or pre-plan all of the strategically simple outfitting at once, but every time I spend a night or two in the truck I discover some tweak to make it a more efficient sleeping quarters.

Some of that is stupid-simple little stuff. I found that having an open topped container at hand in the bed was invaluable and secured a small rectangular trashcan on the sideboard adjacent to the nightstand box. That holds a spare LED flashlight hooked to the side, spare bulb for the reading light, trash bag or two, roll of paper towels, and other small items I don’t want to lose in the truck bed jumble.

I also discovered that compression bags are a PITA for daily access and storage of clothes or sleeping bags. I’m not into uber stuffing and compressing everything between nightly truck uses and I want it to keep stuff airing out semi-unsmushed. Loose compression straps and buckles are beyond an annoyance if left unbound.

Still, I still want the compression bags with their specific gear, and not where-did-I-put-that. Best solution I’ve found for sleeping bag storage is to use a way oversized stuff bag and put the compression bag and loosely stuffed sleeping bag inside that.

While I was sitting in the bed moving outfitting parts and pieces with a quarter inch nut driver in hand (which fits 90% of the stuff on my Leer cap. I keep one in the glove box) I checked all of the screws. The Taco has seen more than its share of dirt road jiggle, and even though I had checked and tightened all of them 2 years ago some were looser than I’d like.

If you have a cap on your truck it is probably worth checking the sundry nuts and screws, especially the hex heads around the window frame. And yeah, just put the appropriate sized driver in the glove box when you’re done, you never know when you might want to do a little on the road outfitting.
 
radical sabbatical - Love it. Gotta remember that one. Everyone needs to take one of those. Good for the soul.

4 banger manual with crank windows truck - Had one once, and still miss it.

window awnings - Would those aftermarket tinted plastic awnings you see on driver and passenger windows work?

oversized stuff bags for sleeping bags - Yes. Also handy is to string up an indoor clothesline to air things out while on the road.

keeping tools in the glove box - I've almost learned that lesson. There's no shortage of storage space in a minivan, so I have no excuse. I still manage to leave handy dandy tools behind. On the counter. In the kitchen. Safe and sound. 400 miles away from our first campsite.
 
radical sabbatical - Love it. Gotta remember that one. Everyone needs to take one of those. Good for the soul.

1988. Ten years with the State in a job I enjoyed, with the promise of a job whenever I returned. If I came back within two years I lost nothing in accumulated service/benefits. I’d been on a dozen cross-country trips by then, and knew what it was about.

And what I was about; one last long fling, roaming the country. I returned married with a child on the way. To a better job with the same organization. One of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.


4 banger manual with crank windows truck - Had one once, and still miss it.

And side vent windows! I had to search for a ’95 Toyota PU that had vent windows, and it is one thing I miss on the modern Taco. I do miss the adventures in that plain vanilla Hi-lux, but that vinyl bench seat was anything but high luxury on long drives. The only thing that came close in term of un-ergonomic seat discomfort was the 67 VW bus.

window awnings - Would those aftermarket tinted plastic awnings you see on driver and passenger windows work?

No, it needs to come out at least a foot or so from the walls; the cap walls taper down outwards from the roof, and windblown rain and etc. The tarp works to cover the windows in the rain, but of course I have something wet to take down in the morning and dry out at some point.

Something like a bubble window well cover slipped into a track epoxied on the cap would work, but they’re too big to schlep around.

http://www.truevalue.com/thumbnail/...overs/Window-Well-Covers/pc/3/c/2831/2832.uts

oversized stuff bags for sleeping bags - Yes. Also handy is to string up an indoor clothesline to air things out while on the road.

Yeah, I have a couple of drying places at the rear of the bed. I keep an old Pack-towel shammy cloth hooked there for window and mirror condensation. I also keep a small squeegee to clean the cap window.



Where could the inch of dust in those siderail storage compartments have come from?

Leaving holes in the bed exposed to the undercarriage is a stupid design.

keeping tools in the glove box - I've almost learned that lesson. There's no shortage of storage space in a minivan, so I have no excuse. I still manage to leave handy dandy tools behind. On the counter. In the kitchen. Safe and sound. 400 miles away from our first campsite.

I often travel with a selection of tools to work on friend’s properties around the country, which would suffice nicely if I needed to build a house on the side of the road, but a tool box of selected mostly-mechanic’s implements lives in the truck full time. Like the minivan there are numerous storage compartments in the Taco, enough that I keep a laminated index of what’s where in the sun visor.
 
Some old camper trailers have windows with louvered glass. Kinda like horizontal blinds, with screens of course. The concept works, but I have no idea how to perform precision cap surgery to achieve this. Find an old pair of these windows, larger than the current cap ones, then cut and fit?
 
I have been a road warrior all my life until recently. We used to drive across the country every summer in college just for something to do. I had a VW bus with 23 windows for many years and then a long line line of pickups. The long bed Ford with a 7.3 liter diesel is best vehicle I have ever had out of about 30.

Around here most storms have lots of wind. There is no comparison between being in a tent and the back of the truck when the wind is blowing horizontal snow. The back of the truck is cozy, like a fort when we were kids. Opening the canopy door and lowering the tailgate is the only awkward move from the inside. It is really easy to wake up on a road trip, drink some bottled coffee and some cold breakfast and be on the road again in 15 minutes. I like to sit in the truck by the heater as the new day begins with the rumble of the diesel, my trusty dog Ruby Begonia a BC, and maybe some tunes on the box.
 
I've never had that undermat moisture problem while sleeping in the back of my Taco. Of course, mine is not rigged out like yours. In 1977, I had some foam pads made up for me that were encased in Herculon, the stuff they use to encase pads in the landing area of high jump and pole vault pits. It's waterproof, but the pads are starting to break down and I think about replacing the pads (there are two, 2" pads that I layer on top of each other). Your sodden tale of moist padding has me thinking again.

So, here is a simple suggestion, because you know I am all about simple. Put a thermarest on top of your foam matterss.

One of these days I need to see the pimped out truck, though that route is not for me. I am, however interested in some of the improvements you noted. I've driven down that dirt road from Capitol Reef to Bull Frog, collecting the requisite cubic foot of fine dust within the cap. A reduction in the dust collecting capability Toyota built into the rig would be a good thing.

BTW, Willie passed by here during the winter and left a tennis net for your cap pimping pleasure. It's not what Will had in mind, but perhaps your mattress needs to be suspended on a tennis net. Next time one of us in the other's neighborhood maybe the net can be delivered.

Also, I too have found that rain makes for a soggy night under the cap. If you figure out a ventilation solution for rainy nights, I'll be very interested.

~~Chip
 
I've been traveling, camping and sleeping in van conversions for 30 years. The back couch folds down into a bed. I remove the middle row of seats to create living room. I have storage space for all my canoe and camping gear in between the rear couch/bed and the back doors, including a clothing rack bar, and I keep all my canoe and camping gear in the van year round, ready to go.

I have plenty of living room in between the front two captains chairs and the rear couch/bed to have an ice chest, water jugs, food box and other gear. I keep some tools under the seats. I can stand up at least in a hunched position. A St. Bernard or Sophia Loren could sleep on the floor in the living room while I am on the bed.

Compared to tenting out of cars--which I used to do with small vehicles--I never have to set up a tent in the rain or dark, and I never have to search for a costly tenting campground while on the road. I don't even have to to exit the vehicle to get to my living and sleeping area, as I would with a pickup truck, but just step from the driver's seat in the living area. I can pull in to sleep anywhere where vehicles are allowed to park and don't have to pay for a campground. If I want some campground amenities when traveling, I am allowed in pure trailer parks with a van conversion because they are considered RV's. That doubles the number of pay campground available when traveling around the US.

I've never had a condensation problem even with all the windows closed. Perhaps it's the much greater interior volume than a capped pickup truck bed or the significant amount of carpeting, upholstered seats and insulated walls and ceiling.

Built on the same frame as pickup trucks, I find van conversions to be the ideal road travel and sleep vehicle for canoe journeys. My current Dodge is a gas pig and creaking at 18 years of age, but I can't afford anything new and it still serves its purpose.

Until I have some inside pictures, here's the outside. I can recline on my rear couch and get splendid views out those picture windows, which have shades on the inside.

IMGP0094.JPG

IMGP0001.JPG
 
The only time I've noticed condensation issues in my Dodge Caravan was with 2 people and a dog sleeping in -12f in Montana. Even then I didn't notice until we were 100 miles down the road and water started to drip from the head liner as the interior warmed.

I sleep on a folding cot. On top of the cot are a couple sleeping pads and a thin fleece blanket to keep me from sticking to the pads. I leave the rear quarter windows open if it's not buggy or raining but many nights they're closed. 2-3 weeks at a time isn't uncommon and the longest I've done is a couple months. When I'm traveling I rarely sleep outside of the van for more than a night or two of camping. Maybe it helps that I'm normally traveling in cool and dry climates (SW during winter).

I can certainly relate to dust problem. I never tried to seal my van up tight and man can it suck up the dust. I try to avoid long gravel/dirt roads when possible but I still travel plenty of them to get where I want to go. The worst was leaving from Tucson a couple years ago to the east on Tanque Verde road. Looked like once it crossed the mountains it would meet up with a blacktop. But the road turned out to be gravel/dirt. This went on all day and it wasn't until I was within about 20 miles of Wilcox that I finally hit pavement. It was a long day of driving and everything in back of the van was covered in a thick layer of dust. Yuck!

Alan
 
Glenn makes a great point about vans. In the days of cheap gasoline, vans and panel trucks were very popular. It seems they have fallen out of favor, because many people associate vans with suburban soccer moms and find them to be uncool. I really enjoyed the 1965 VW bus with a sunroof and those little subway style windows. It required a lot of maintenance and was under powered compared to modern vehicles.

I learned to put together a bedroll from hanging out with horse and mule packers. Start with a canvas cover to protect everything and hold it together. I add a cot pad, piece of foam and a Thermarest, then a 20 degree down bag and 2 Pendleton blankets. The rig is good to well below zero and very comfortable. The canvas helps hold the blankets in place. I have slept out in it plenty of times and awakened to as much as 5 inches of snow on it. It keeps the frost off and still breathes. I have never been interested in a bivvy sack.
 
Some old camper trailers have windows with louvered glass. Kinda like horizontal blinds, with screens of course. The concept works, but I have no idea how to perform precision cap surgery to achieve this. Find an old pair of these windows, larger than the current cap ones, then cut and fit?

The cap on my ’84 Hi-Lux had those crank open louvered windows.

There were plusses and minuses. On the plus side the entire length of window “opened”, not just half a slider. And they could be cranked open just enough to allow some air flow and still occlude rain.

The minus was that they were far from dust-proof, and leaving the crank handle accessible got in the way of gear storage on the side of the bed.

I had a good test of the waterproofieness of the cap windows, tailgate, cap door and bedrail seal this morning. I had a coupon for a free car wash and ran the Taco through, with jet blasts of water coming from every direction.

Not a drop. That alone is enough to make me forego cutting or drilling any holes in the cap.

I hadn’t been through a car wash in years and had forgotten the vertigo-like feeling. This one was a pull in and park it type, and as the mechanism moved alongside the truck with the window visibility covered with brushes and foam I got discomforting feeling that the truck was moving, even though it was in park with the emergency brake on. And, suddenly, my foot on the brake.

Freaky.
 
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