If you sleep in car, would it be bad for your back?

[Florid]

Since you cannot lie down flat? You back would be always curved somewhat since the chair doesn't recline till it is flat?

 

[Ziggy Moon]

I have a Hyundai two door hatchback (no longer running because of my stupidity) that I used a few times to stealth camp at different Wal-Mart's.<br><br>What I did was to remove the back seat and lay a cut/formed piece of plywood topped by foam from the very back of the car, forward to the back of the front seats. I am 5'11", and I had just enough room to lay comfortably. Although, when completely laid out straight, my feet fell dead middle, in between the front bucket seats. Overall, it was the perfect little weekend get-away stealth vehicle (no one suspects this type vehicle to be used as such) - although, there's not much room for long term. <br><br>Also, all back windows were covered with extremely dark tint.

 

[caseyc]

Ummmmmmm.......................................YES! &nbsp;My back would ache like a son of a gun. &nbsp;Is there a point to this thread?&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">

 

[Florid]

<p>Ziggy,</p><p>If the backseat was removed, was your head in the trunk?</p>

 

[Ziggy Moon]

I have a very bad back, Casey.... but I did OK, as I said. But I wouldn't want to do it long term.

 

[Ziggy Moon]

It was a hatchback... but yes, the trunk. The plywood was cut/formed to fit from very back of vehicle (trunk) to he back of the front bucket seats. Then laid over with nice. thick piece of foam and bedding.

 

[caseyc]

Yeah, my back can't handle a hard surface. One time decades ago my chiropractor took an X-Ray picture of my spine and showed it to me. She said to me, does your back hurt you? I said no, why? She said according to this X-Ray picture, your back should hurt!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">&nbsp; The X-Ray picture showed a curvature of my spine at both my lower back and my upper neck. I'm guessing the cause was from my early school days of constantly slouching in my chair and trying to take a nap while the teacher was lecturing!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">&nbsp; Nowadays, I have to sleep on cushy memory foam mattress, and memory foam pillows too, otherwise I feel like a wreck in the morning.

 

[Ziggy Moon]

I'm the opposite, Casey. I have to have a nice firm mattress. Soft kills me... as a matter of fact, the floor is my bestest friend when my back gives me the worst of times. I got so bad one time in life that I was stuck in a wheel chair... finally had to give in to surgery. Now... well. at lest I'm out of the wheelie and still functional.

 

[RJCooper]

I had three discs removed from my back.&nbsp; I sleep on the ground with a few layers of different items and have never slept better.&nbsp; I am a side sleeper and a crouch pillow is a must.&nbsp; When I start to sleep the crouch pillow is used as a leg raiser(under my knees).&nbsp; If you have ever had the pleasure of sleeping on a goosedown bed, you would know what it is like on my layered system.&nbsp; <br><br>I could not imagine sleeping in a bucket seat or the back seat of a car for more than a few hours.&nbsp; I am 6 foot and like my leg room.&nbsp; Another nice thing about sleeping on the ground is I don't fall far.&nbsp; lol

 

[Ziggy Moon]

RJ.... I would'nt and couldn't sleep in a bucket or back seat either... I suggested removing the back seat and building a flat surface from the back of the vehicle forward to the front seats. On many cars, this gives you plenty of room for bedding - but not much room for anything else.

 

[Ziggy Moon]

I know this has been posted by someone, somewhere here on this forum.... but couldn't locate it. But anyway, while I used my Hyundai, this Prius is a similar example of what I was referring to when building out the back of a vehicle for sleeping - only, mine was not so involved.<br><br>[video]

 

[Niall-CorollaLiving]

I can lay flat in a Volvo V70, but I can't fully stretch out. Not a big deal, because my legs tend to bend when I sleep. I am 5' 9-10".

 

[Spirituallifetime]

If I were going to live out of a car I think I would have a tent that is quick to set up and take down to sleep in. Like the small popup tents or instant tents with the poles already attached for quick setup.

 

[Suanne]

<p>For me, comfortable sleeping is my #1 consideration in vehicle dwelling -- car, van or RV.&nbsp; As for sleeping in a car, it depends on the car.&nbsp; I sleep in my '04 (Second Generation) Prius.&nbsp; The seats are configured such that a person 7' tall could sleep completely&nbsp;stretched out.&nbsp; The Third Generation Prius, from 2010 up, lost this seat configuration and&nbsp;someone&nbsp;only 5'6" or shorter could totally&nbsp;stretch out in bed.<br><br>I'm a part-time "vandweller."&nbsp; When I travel solo, I sleep in my Prius.&nbsp; When I travel with DH, we&nbsp;use a 20' Class C.&nbsp; Of all of these beds -- home, Prius, and RV -- I prefer my bed in the Prius for comfort (for details, see <a href="http://suanneonline.blogspot.com/p/bed-in-prius.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://suanneonline.blogspot.com/p/bed-in-prius.html</a>).<br><br>I suspect several hatchbacks out there have seats that lay down flat.&nbsp; I know some car-dwellers who sleep in sedans where the back seats have been removed and open to the trunk.&nbsp; They sleep stretched out that way.&nbsp; So, yes, you can have a comfortable bed in some cars.&nbsp; You just need to check them out to make sure they are right&nbsp;for you.<br><br>Suanne<br><a href="http://SuanneOnline.blogspot.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://SuanneOnline.blogspot.com</a></p>

 

[user 423]

You don't see them much these days but a small station wagon would be good for car dweliing. Years ago I had a Corolla wagon and occasionally slept in the back while travelling. Me and the GF chose to hit the MD shore one weekend when a hurricane hit. The tent leaked like a sieve so we were lucky to have the wagon to jump into.

 

[Cubey]

I had a 2003 Taurus station wagon in 2008, which I sold to my mom after about 8 months. While I could lay down inside, it was cramped as all get out and had no handle inside the back hatch due to having a rear facing seat meant for kids (so they can't open it). So I had to climb in the rear side door and shimmey around. It was not nice at all really. If it had an inside handle on the hatch, I wouldn't have minded it as much. Plus I had almost no place to put anything since the cargo area was supposed to be for sleeping. it required flattening out the back seats (they fold forward). So I had a bed and almost no storage except the front passenger seat area. Okay for a week trip but that's about it.<br><br>If I were ever to go with car living, it would be with a 90s Chevy Caprice/Buick Roadmaster station wagon, the last of the true full size station wagons. Some have the LT1 like Corvettes and they can tow close to 5,000lbs safely. They get about the same mpg as that whimpy v6 Taurus I had that is a much smaller car and can only tow 1000lbs or so. But at 23-24mpg, you may as well have a mini van for more headroom and storage.<br><br>It should be noted I have slept in compact sedans before. On road trips as a kid, my mom and I would sleep in her 91 corolla. We laid the bucket seats back and slept that way, but I found it nearly unbearable since I like to sleep in any number of positions. <br><br>Last year I went car camping and I didn't bring enough padding for the ground in my tent. I had to sleep in the back seat of my 93 Escort and I was cramped and uncomfortable but it beat trying to sleep on the hard ground like I did for the first night.

 

[Pikachu711]

This is the precise question that I'm facing at the moment. I'm inheriting a Ford Crown Victoria from my Mom. She took meticulous care of her car so I'm getting a vehicle that was well maintained. I was planning on buying a van but I'm going to try and see if I can make the car a viable option to start with as a "test" van dwelling vehicle.

The back seat measures approximately 53 inches door to door so I don't know how it will work for a sleeping arrangement. In the past I've occastionally slept in car back seats but that was quite a few years ago. At 55 years old I don't know how I'll manage it now. If it works great, but if it's not overly comfortable I may have to sell the car and buy a van. I don't have to stretch out while I sleep so I'm going to give it a try. Maybe I'll get used to sleeping in the back seat but there's only one way to find out. I'll try it for awhile and see how it turns out. If I can manage it, I may keep the CV and save the money I've been saving for a van.

Is sleeping in a car bad for my back? I'll find out when I move into my CV. I'm going to try and go to Quartzsite and do a test run of sleeping in my car.

 

[stude53]

Hey, Pikachu

Have you thought of removing the back seat and the partition to open up to the trunk?
I have seen such arrangements that build a flat bed platform about 48" wide and over six feet long, then put in a 4-6" foam mattress to sleep on.

Bob

 

[Pikachu711]

stude53, thanks for that suggestion. That is one option I've been considering. As you mention, that would open the trunk area to create an extended bed option. I will consider that option. Another option I'm considering is to put items in the foot wells in front of the back seat to create a wider sleeping area. By using all the surface area available in the back seat area I could create some additional space for a bed with more diagonal space. If this does not work I may decide to remove the back seat to open the trunk for a normal size sleeping area.

The fact that this is a full size vehicle does give me quite a few options on creating a sleeping area. I'm going to try all my options. Eventually I will find the ideal solution to a workable solution to a sleeping area.

 

[battlefield]

Thanks for these thread you have show here, Last few days i am searching these type of thread because i was thinking to buy the car which have to be comfortable me and my family. That's why i was collecting some few information about the car..Thanks a lot..