howdy!

[gargoyle]

This looks like it will be fun.
A little about me. I live in Indiana, and travel for a living.

A little over a year ago, I got stuck in Carlsbad NM, hotels were $150.00 a night. :huh:  I said "No way!", and tried to sleep in my car ('05 Pontiac Vibe). It wasn't comfortable, as I was trying to sleep in the front seat.
So I began my car-camping journey. I found that with the seats folded down and a inflatable camping mattress, I could get flat and sleep fine. The  journey continued with window shades, different mattresses, where to park, screened windows, 12v fans, etc. I logged 60,000 miles in my Vibe while camping, hoteling and car camping.

It's nice to see a bunch of  other crazies doing this.

Fast forward to today and I now drive a '02 Honda Odyssey. I've removed all of the rear seats,  and now sleep in the van when traveling. I have a hammock that work' s with my van. (weather permitting, rain has a way of getting in via the straps, a problem I am trying to solve.) I also have the inflated pad folded away, so I can sleep if it raining.

 

[Almost There]

Hi Gargoyle!!

Bout time you wandered in to here! We'll have you being a seasoned van dweller in no time flat...  

But I'm still not sure how you fit that 6' plus body in an Odyssey let alone the Vibe!

Welcome a friend of mine to the forum guys!

And BTW, we're not crazy..crazy is paying $150. a night for a hotel room!

 

[Almost There]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Gargoyle. There's lots of people here who live out of various cars, some of them full time. Oh and there's some that hang in hammocks too! Maybe one of them will have solved the water entry problem.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[BradKW]

So I had to Google Carlsbad, NM because 1) I'd never heard of it, and b) with hotel prices like that I assumed that I'm missing out on something. Now I know that Carlsbad a) ran out of Potash, b) opened a nuclear waste storage facility in 1999, c) is a fossil fuel boom town atm. I didn't add it to my bucket list itinerary

I can kind of picture your hammock setup as straps running through to tie onto a roof rack, with doors closed on top of them? As an aside, we encourage pictures 'round here

So if the straps are wicking water inside, no amount of constriction is going to prevent that, which got me thinking what might help. One thought would be a curved bracket at the door that forces the strap down before going up to tie point...idea being gravity assists water dripping off low point instead of coming in. Another thought might be to find a material that is more hygroscopic than the strap, tie little painters on and see if can divert some water like that.

Both of those suggestions might be total ******** though...but when using big words, it can be hard to tell. Welcome to the forums

 

[cyndi]

I lived out of my '05 Vibe in between selling my Class C and purchasing my van. I miss  the gas mileage

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard Gargoyle !

$150 a night hotel in Carlsbad ?
You chose wisely ........

 

[gargoyle]

It was a matter of the workforce in town to build a pipeline. Price gouging by the local hotels. He who has the gold...

Thanks for the invite Almost There.   And I will rephrase my crazy comment, "I know one crazy here".

@BradKW. Carlsbad is home to the famous Carlsbad Caverns. Put it back on your bucket list, as it is an amazing wonder of our world.
https://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm

 

[gargoyle]

I miss  the gas mileage

I hear ya. Going from ~30+mpg to 20-22 mpg is a wallet killer. but the van is a better sleep overall.

And I can pack more crap in the van.... :dodgy:

 

[rvpopeye]

I lived in Lakewood at the SKP Ranch for a month in 04-05 just a little north of Carlsbad.
($2.50 a night for a no hookup site (now $5))
Was going to take one of the tours but decided I didn't want to pay $20 to be 185' underground !
Found some video's later that were beautiful , wish I had spent the 20. Skuh kuh kuh kuh

 

[Dennis]

Hotels, motels, rooms, rv spaces, all crazy prices back then in that area. Probably still not cheap. I worked west Texas for a while in the oil field driving a truck.
Those prices are enough to drive one to car camping.