Car camping

[Sulevia1944]

Has anybody set up a Hyundai Elantra Touring for sleeping/gear storage?

 

[user 37446]

Ok so no I dont own an Elantra, but the general rules of using a car should apply. Since it comes in either a 2 door coupe, 4 door sedan or 5 door hatchback, it depends on what you have.
If you have a hatchback then the rear seats fold flat, allowing you a small but useable area (run the passenger seat fully forward and flip it forward as well) to lay down in. If you get really creative see about removing the rear seat completely, may afford you more room.
Play with it, I doubt this is anything except an"steel tent" for a night or weekend though. Now mind you my Prius isn't very big either, but there's people who live OUT of them...
Search our car forum for "Prius camper" for other ideas.

 

[Sulevia1944]

Thanks for your reply, I do have the hatchback. Otherwise I wouldn't be considering retrofitting it for tnis old body. I will check out putting the seats down and checking out how low they go.

 

[user 37446]

I got the "seats fold flat" off a published review of a, um, maybe 2007 model. Be aware that if they changed "generations" along the way, yours may to. That happened to me on my Prius, the gen 3 seats do not fold flat, the gen 1 and 2 do, and most of the blogs and YouTube videos were of the older fold flat models. That caused me quite a bit of fussing till I realized the change.

 

[Ken in Anaheim]

Check out Tailveil.com   I've no experience with them but they look cool/useful.

 

[Randingo]

This is the bed I built for my Ford Escape.  24" x 75".  With the passenger seat all the way forward I have 2" clearance to the back hatch and 2" to the seat. The rear seat is folded down.  Made from 5/16" OSB and cheap carpet. 

 

[sephson]

My Kia Soul is similar in size and layout. You may be able to steal a few ideas from my setup.

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=9848

 

[AnnieSantiago]

Has anybody set up a Hyundai Elantra Touring for sleeping/gear storage?

No, but I set up my Mercury Tracer back in 2011. Here is a blog on how we built the bed. I lived in this for about 6 months. I'm considering doing it again and this time will remove the back seats also for more space. 

Building the Car Bed

 

[Kia girl]

I had a 2012 Hyundai Elantra and bought one of the air mattress that fit the back seat. I had a bag on the top of it for more storage. It worked as long as i didn’t have the keys in the back and kept hitting them when i was sleeping. I killed the battery on a few occasions. Oh and mine wasn’t a hatchback but was a sedan.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[OkiePaige]

Transitioning out of stix and brix initially into a hyundai sonata, will accept all tips and tricks TIA

 

[user 15722]

Transitioning out of stix and brix initially into a hyundai sonata, will accept all tips and tricks TIA

Of course you have seen how binge reading through all the threads over a number of days will bring a lot of related info...

It's a pleasant and helpful group here, so Always ask questions when in doubt !
wheels

 

[S.IX:Phoebe]

My wife lived out of her Geo Metro for five years. It's much smaller than these newer hatchies but it was super roomy for her 5' 11" height.

I'm not knowledgeable on the new vehicles, but I would think comfort is just as important in anything regardless of what you are driving. When we chose the Saturn we looked for easiest accessibility, rear seats had to fold down flat (or close to it), front seat had to go far upwards and had to feel squishy but cozy. Again, this is just us. We are just squishy and cozy kind of girls lmao.

 

[BikeBoomer]

This is the bed I built for my Ford Escape.  24" x 75". 

Looks real good.  I am amazed at how one can adapt a car to work for them.

 

[BHiggins]

I have been getting my car ready for the trip to Quartzsite..I have a 2006 Mazda 3..my back seat lays down so I have acquired some 4" thick foam, going to cover the foam with a sheet before I load it with my tent, food and all camping supplies and my dog and I am  going to leave it that way in case I have to car camp....I won;t have any heat in my tent, so this will be my first time there. and car camping..

 

[Suanne]

I've been living out of my hatchback, off and on, since 2009. Now, it's more "on" as I'm a full-timer. I say living "out of" instead of "in" my car because I consider the whole of my camping area an extension of my home. So, being a car dweller is actually living quite large ... with million-dollar views!

If your back seats will lay flat for a comfortable bed, or you can remove the seat(s) and build a good bed, then that's the biggest requirement for a livable space. Another necessity for me is a comfortable sitting area. In my car, that is the back seat, behind the driver, next to my bed. This space is used for relaxing, getting out of the weather, an office, where I change my clothes, and for a bathroom. My bed becomes a desk or a side table at those times.

The other necessity is good storage. Because space is at a premium, I use soft-sided bags because you can mold them to fit in the odd-shaped storage areas of a car. Also, when they are empty, they take up no space (unlike drawers, crates, or bins). The old adage of "a place for everything, and everything in its place" has become my mantra. Believe it or not, it's easier to lose something in the small space of my car, than it was in my sticks-and-bricks. So, I really try to put everything away in its designated spot immediately after I finish using it.

If interested, I have several how-to articles on my blog. They are in the right-hand column. https://SuanneOnline.blogspot.com.

Have fun planning and getting ready!

Suanne