2000 Toyota Camry

[michele0203]

Hi all! 

Any tips for sleeping in a Camry?  I'm 5' 6 1/2 inches...I'm thinking the passenger seat is my best option.  The back seats don't come all the way down because of the padding on the back of the seat, plus there's no way my body would fit in between the little space that's open to the trunk from each individual back seat.

I'm planning to wait until the weather gets cooler, in about a month or so, at a local WalMart just a few miles from my apt.  I will also try a rest stop that's nearby and allows one night of overnight parking.  In the meantime, I'll work on making window coverings for privacy.

 

[akrvbob]

Michele, we are very, very glad you are here, you are wise beyond your years! I gotta be honest with you though, it's a hard go of it in a Camry. If there is any way you could trade it for a good used minivan you will be much better off.

Are you going to stealth in your town and keep working or will you try to get work on the road?   If you are going to work on the road, here are 8 jobs that work especially well for vandwellers
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/budget/workcamping-jobs-for-nomads/

Three jobs are especially common, Campground host in the National Forests -> Beet Harvest -> Amazon.com

At the beet harvest, you'll never set foot on a farm, you work for the sugar company.

 

[Txjaybird]

Hello Michele and Welcome,  I'm  not familiar with your Camry.  Do you plan on spending a lot of time in it or living out of it? I know of people living out of a Prius.  Depending on your plans you may want to get something bigger if that's possible.   

 I'm 5'5in and drive a older Ranger ext cab pickup.  After buying it 12ys ago I could sleep 2 to 4 hrs. at a time in the front seat,  now I'd be afraid to try.  I've been thinking that at some point I may take out the passenger seat and use a milk crate with a plywood top and bedding on it.  That way I could sleep with my knees bent with out getting hung up in the steering wheel!  It will be a trial and error kind of thing for me and I'll have to get some one to pull the seat out for me too.

Jewellann

 

[michele0203]

Thanks so much for responding, Bob! I have watched many, many of your videos!!! Thank you for sharing your wisdom! Well, my "practical" thought was to "test" out this lifestyle by using my current vehicle and having my apt as my main dwelling until I could figure out the kinks. Yet I agree, it's going to be very challenging in a Camry. Yes, I could trade in my vehicle for a van, that's actually what I seem to feel the most comfortable with, out of all the options I've seen so far. I want to be able to stealth camp...whether in my city or elsewhere. I really love the idea of traveling, but currently I have some health issues that limit my physical abilities, so I would need to find a job that wasn't very physically labor intensive. I could always go PT at my current employer and stealth camp and that would save me money, but I have a feeling I'm going to want to get on the road as soon as I get my setup!

I'm a single female and my knowledge of vehicles is limited to knowing that I need to get my oil changed every 3000 miles...so I'm feeling a bit lost and overwhelmed when it comes to getting a van. I also worry about being ripped off, but I suppose that could happen regardless.

Hi Jewellann! Thanks for the welcome! I have thought about doing something similar with the taking out the front seat and putting a crate and a board and bedding. In all reality, I am a large woman so it's unlikely that I will be able to get comfortable in any car where I don't have enough room to stretch out...I think it was just a thought for me before I commit to take the plunge, but I think I just need to "do it!".

 

[Suanne]

Hi Michele and welcome to the forum!

Have you considered removing the back seat?  I looked and there's at least one YouTube video that shows how to do it for a 2000 Camry.  

Once the back seat is removed, make a flat area to sleep so that your legs and feet are in the trunk.  Move the front passenger seat up as far as it needs go for you to stretch out and make a flat sleeping area with some plywood to place a thin-ish mattress.  (I use a 3.5" REI pad, very comfortable for this large woman). You may need to sleep on a bit of an angle.  Some basic carpentry skills and tools will be needed to make that short plywood platform flush and level with the trunk.

The other bonus of removing the back seat is that you'll have more space for storing your gear and supplies.  If it were me, I'd set up the other side of the back seat area for sitting, lounging, dressing, etc.

The best to you in your planning ... it's a wonderful lifestyle!

Suanne

 

[LeeRevell]

Rather than the extreme tightness of a small car, why not trade it for a similar platform stationwagon? Same smaller footprint for parking, same good fuel economy, much more inside space unencumbered by framework behind the rear seat.
Just a thought.

 

[wanderinglaurence]

I don't get these replies. The poster HAS a Camry. Of course you can ALWAYS BUY another vehicle. There is a huge thread on Prius camping which is SMALLER than Camry. So why not. I've slept in the back seat of my Camry easily (side sleeper). Once I discovered I never paid for motels again-just slept in rest stops. I would remove passenger front seat, rear seat, cut out trunk opening as much as possible, deck the whole space flat with access to underneath usable space, then frame out an interior build. I saw someone mount solar charge controller, monitor, inverter, and fuse panel on a piece of plywood and attach on the side in the back. Rear side windows are unnecessary. I'd figure out a roof rack and put at least a 350W residential panel on roof. But could start with foldable portable panels velcroed up there when I'm stationary. Maybe just use the 350W to charge a big Jackery-no idea. Get a pop-up shower/toilet, a poop bucket, one burner propane stove, 5 gal water bottle with a rechargable pump faucet, black out reflectix. WHY NOT A CAMRY?

 

[ckelly78z]

With the Camry, I would utilize the trunk for extra sleeping area, but I would need to lay flat, so removing the rear seat cushions, and replacing it with a flat foam pad that extends over the rear footwells would provide some relaxation space that wasn't cramped.

Remove the passenger seat along with the rear seat cushions to really open up the interior.

 

[MGfromBC]

This is a 2 door Saturn I used to roam the world with.  The right back seat was the living and dining room.  The left rear seat and part of the trunk were the bed.  From the bed side I could fold down the right seat to pull out items in the trunk.  A piece of 2x6 foot plywood made the bed with a thermarest mattress.  I'm  6 feet tall.  When I folded up the pillow, bedding and mattress into the trunk I had a wooden table/counter/desk.  The wire baskets that replaced the front seat worked out fairly well.  It's hard to see but, under the pillow area, to extend the bed, is a wooden box with a deep cycle battery on it.  I\ve got a Huge Kia Sportage now and hardly know what to do with all the room.

This is a post of what I've been doing to the Kia while I wait for the Covid to subside.

https://www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=43494

MG