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- Aug 10, 2016
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It might be a while before I can break loose, for various (mostly private) reasons. My Suburban promises to be the best long-term "escape pod" tug, but I do have more immediate concerns and limitations.
My daily driver for the last 6 years or so is an 06 Chevy HHR, which has been very reliable and pretty economical as well.
I'm going to try to get loose for some longer solo weekend trips if I can, but while I'm not full-timing, fuel mileage will be a concern for some of the longer trips, such as visiting my family in NM or attending next year's RTR.
With that in mind, and with Bob the Burban standing by for future long-term use, I'd like to outfit Herman (the HHR) for some solo tripping. With the least amount of modification to the car itself (cuz, need to sell it by the time I cast off in Bob, so no hackjobbery), I think I can make a serviceable little micro-RV.
There's *almost* enough room for my 6'4" frame to lay down with the back seats folded flat, but I could fold down the front passenger seat to open more of that up, though it'll be slightly inclined, as that seat doesn't fold level with the back. That's fine, I use a lot of pillows to incline my head anyway. A piece of padding, cut to shape, would line the floor in back, and extend to the front on the right seat, just cut out where the driver's seat is. (pic attached). Seat can be raised for a passenger easily, too.
I'd use a camping mattress, self inflating, to provide a sleeping surface to the right, along with my Marmot sleeping bag and an extra blanket. To the left, I figure I'd line up some plastic drawers on the floor, and top them with some plastic bins, to store food, clothes, and other supplies. None of this would be heavy stuff, other than a water jug maybe, and maybe a few cans of food. Of course, I'd secure these so they don't slide around.
I should be able to enter/exit the right rear door, teardrop style, so the fact that I can't open the rear hatch from inside shouldn't be an issue.
I have a class 1 hitch I installed years ago, for a bike rack, and I figure on finding a lightweight cargo basket for that, to hold a tent, camp chair, and my Montague folding bike. It would also make for a fine place to put a couple gallons of gas if I'm gonna be in remote areas for long.
Following the weather, there won't be much need for heavy-duty climate control, and the little ecotec engine sips fuel if at any time I have an "emergency" need for heating or cooling. I wouldn't idle it on a regular basis, just because I wanna be efficient, but it's good to know it'll do it if needed. In the areas where I tend to enjoy "being", the air tends to be on the more arid side anyway, so a low power evaporative cooler and a solar panel go a long way... so would my "instant" canopy, which will cover most of my car... and it's white. Might skip the normal tent and just go for that, maybe bring some side panels I can hang to turn it into a tent when I want it.
Anyway... nearly all this will be useful in the Suburban eventually, and getting back into a smaller space would re-acclimate me to it (been a little while since I was an OTR trucker, living in tiny sleepers that made my HHR look big inside).
Again, I'm just getting words on screen, as it seems to help my thought process.
My daily driver for the last 6 years or so is an 06 Chevy HHR, which has been very reliable and pretty economical as well.
I'm going to try to get loose for some longer solo weekend trips if I can, but while I'm not full-timing, fuel mileage will be a concern for some of the longer trips, such as visiting my family in NM or attending next year's RTR.
With that in mind, and with Bob the Burban standing by for future long-term use, I'd like to outfit Herman (the HHR) for some solo tripping. With the least amount of modification to the car itself (cuz, need to sell it by the time I cast off in Bob, so no hackjobbery), I think I can make a serviceable little micro-RV.
There's *almost* enough room for my 6'4" frame to lay down with the back seats folded flat, but I could fold down the front passenger seat to open more of that up, though it'll be slightly inclined, as that seat doesn't fold level with the back. That's fine, I use a lot of pillows to incline my head anyway. A piece of padding, cut to shape, would line the floor in back, and extend to the front on the right seat, just cut out where the driver's seat is. (pic attached). Seat can be raised for a passenger easily, too.
I'd use a camping mattress, self inflating, to provide a sleeping surface to the right, along with my Marmot sleeping bag and an extra blanket. To the left, I figure I'd line up some plastic drawers on the floor, and top them with some plastic bins, to store food, clothes, and other supplies. None of this would be heavy stuff, other than a water jug maybe, and maybe a few cans of food. Of course, I'd secure these so they don't slide around.
I should be able to enter/exit the right rear door, teardrop style, so the fact that I can't open the rear hatch from inside shouldn't be an issue.
I have a class 1 hitch I installed years ago, for a bike rack, and I figure on finding a lightweight cargo basket for that, to hold a tent, camp chair, and my Montague folding bike. It would also make for a fine place to put a couple gallons of gas if I'm gonna be in remote areas for long.
Following the weather, there won't be much need for heavy-duty climate control, and the little ecotec engine sips fuel if at any time I have an "emergency" need for heating or cooling. I wouldn't idle it on a regular basis, just because I wanna be efficient, but it's good to know it'll do it if needed. In the areas where I tend to enjoy "being", the air tends to be on the more arid side anyway, so a low power evaporative cooler and a solar panel go a long way... so would my "instant" canopy, which will cover most of my car... and it's white. Might skip the normal tent and just go for that, maybe bring some side panels I can hang to turn it into a tent when I want it.
Anyway... nearly all this will be useful in the Suburban eventually, and getting back into a smaller space would re-acclimate me to it (been a little while since I was an OTR trucker, living in tiny sleepers that made my HHR look big inside).
Again, I'm just getting words on screen, as it seems to help my thought process.
