Newbie here

[purplepeopleeater]

Hi y'all! New here to this website & forum. Enjoy the outdoors and miss being out in it since a fall 2 years ago. Long story short I can no longer take long walks,go canoeing,camping in a tent and more that I used to do,especially with my grandkids. I have been thinking of ways to maybe start sleeping on short trips at first in my vehicle if I can manage to get in and out of it ok. Thanks for having me here! I am sure I will learn much!

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums purplepeopleeater! Take it slow and easy and you'll be fine. Nature is a wonderful healer!

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.

 

[Queen]

Welcome PPE, you'll find a lot of us here that can no longer camp like we used to, lots of good info on the site about making things work as best we can. Jump right in.

 

[djkeev]

Welcome!
Sorry to hear about your fall, getting old really is the pits sometimes, I KNOW that I am no longer invincible nor do I heal quickly after any injury like I used to!
Heavy Sigh...........


Tell us about your vehicle that you plan to use.
Is it a Car? SUV? Van? Pickup? ......

Dave

 

[SoulRaven]

Welcome! I think you can pull this off and getting outdoors is so healing to body and soul.

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forums    

Good luck and all the best with healing up from your fall.   What type of Vehicle are you considering using ?

 

[purplepeopleeater]

Thank you for the warm welcomes! I have a Toyota Highlander V6 5 seater that I was planning on using basically as is for now but can see some potential problems already. I have watched  some videos and am thinking of doing similar to what Suanne did in her Prius. However with the back seats down the seat backs don't feel sturdy (cardboard inside?) and there is a slope from the seats to the cargo area which also feels like may be cardboard for a few inches. I am thinking about getting a piece of plywood cut about 37"x24" and using it on the 60% side top half extending over the edge of the headrest a few inches down past the crease/soft spot onto the cargo area floor,padding it underneath with towels and blankets for support. This won't require working around the wheel well and will also fit in the back for storage if I want to use the seat (I have 10 grandkids). I have only gotten into it from the hatch and then discovered there doesn't seem to be a latch from the inside out. ? Thankfully I had left it open so was able to get out. Because of knee problems I don't know how difficult it will be for me to get out of the back since I can't open the hatch inside and until I have plywood on the seat back I don't want to try climbing that way and end up putting my knee through the seat back. ?
I am open to any suggestions. Thanks! ?

 

[purplepeopleeater]

Figured the bed out! Built from 2x4's and plywood,it is 24" wide and goes from the hatch to a few inches behind the front passenger seat. Built with 3 hinged sections the front 2 pieces can be folded over to fold it back onto itself to store it if I want to utilize both back seats as passenger seats. I can also slide it forward onto the folded down 2nd row seat to have access to the built in tool storage and storage space in my Highlander. Removing the headrest from one back seat allows me to get in & out of the opened bed despite limitations in flexion of my knees. I am excited to start spending more time outdoors! Hopefully once I start doing so I can work my way into longer trips and " outdwelling" and eventually become a fulltimer!

 

[ArtW]

Good going! You will figure this out as you gain experience
I am frankly surprised there's no inner release for your hatch, I though all cars came with 'escape from the trunk' devices today
A good mechanic could likely figure out how to add one, though it likely wouldn't look factory lol

 

[purplepeopleeater]

Thanks for the encouragement! My guess would be that there is no inside latch release for the cargo area because they state the cargo area is not a passenger area. If it seems to be too much of a hassle I will have a mechanic look at it.

 

[Txjaybird]

  Hello and Welcome!   You just got here and you've already figured out a sleeping area in your vehicle!  My knees used to dislocate and pop right back in. Sometimes they would do this 2 to 4 times in a row.  I seem to have grown out of it in my 30s, however I have to have some form of padding to crawl around on and I'm not as flexable as I use to be.  I'm just one of many who has learned to overcome various physical issues.  By the way you have 2 more Grankids than I do

Jewellann

 

[abnorm]

Checking a Toyota forum...................

It appears this is a common complaint.......... there is a manual latch behind an access panel on the inside of the door.......you'll need a screwdriver

 

[ArtW]

^^ In that case I would locate the access cover and remove it permanently

 

[purplepeopleeater]

  Hello and Welcome!   You just got here and you've already figured out a sleeping area in your vehicle!  My knees used to dislocate and pop right back in. Sometimes they would do this 2 to 4 times in a row.  I seem to have grown out of it in my 30s, however I have to have some form of padding to crawl around on and I'm not as flexable as I use to be.  I'm just one of many who has learned to overcome various physical issues.  By the way you have 2 more Grankids than I do

Jewellann

Nice to meet you! Lol...we could start a whole camp with all our grankids! ?

 

[purplepeopleeater]

Checking a Toyota forum...................

It appears this is a common complaint.......... there is a manual latch behind an access panel on the inside of the door.......you'll need a screwdriver

? NOT very convenient! Thanks for looking into it for me. Much appreciated!

 

[purplepeopleeater]

^^ In that case I would locate the access cover and remove it permanently

That is an option! Who knows what else I may find under there!

 

[purplepeopleeater]

? NOT very convenient! Thanks for looking into it for me.

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard purplepeopleeater !
(awwwww , now that song is stuck in my head ! Always liked it though....)

It sounds like you're well on your way to figuring out how to make things work for you.
Ask all the questions you want here , plenty of experience to draw on.

 

[ArtW]

Who wears short shorts? flyin purple people eater
We wear short shorts! flyin purple people eater
I LIKE short shorts! flyin purple people eater
sure looked strange to me
LOL loved that song back in the day

 

[aspenpine]

Hi Everyone!  

I just registered and am looking forward to being a part of this forum.  I bought my van about a month ago and am paying for it by driving for a ride-sharing service.  Luckily all the seats fold down to the floor so I can go camping and eventually dwell in it.  Now I'm working on designing a bed that I can install and remove easily.  I'll probably try sewing some blocks of foam together.  

So happy to be reading all your posts so I can fantasize about the future!

Karen