Sleeping in a Nissan Versa Hatchback...nuts?

[Mystic]

Has anyone here ever slept in a Nissan Versa hatchback? I'm going camping next week and I think I want to try it. The front seats fold down flat and I can fully lay out. I think it will be more comfortable than a tent. Am I crazy?

Alas! I don't have an RV/truck/Van/Camper yet!

 

[Almost There]

Not necessarily crazy...people sleep in all kinds of vehicles. But I do suspect that some get better nights sleep than others.....  

Just bring the tent along and whatever you normally sleep on in the tent (air pad, cot etc) so that at 3 AM if and when you figure out that there has to be a better place to sleep you can get up and stumble in to the tent!

Either that or try it out for a night in your driveway BEFORE you go camping.

 

[skyl4rk]

https://goo.gl/EdJVg8

It depends on your size. I removed the front seat and put a plywood base down on blocks. It was sort of comfortable. My head and shoulders were on the back seat and the rest of me was on a backpacking pad on plywood. It was not quite long enough for a six foot person.

If I were smaller, the seat folded down flat might have worked. For later trips I took out the front seat and back seat and opened up the car all the way into the trunk. I could sleep very stealthily in the back with a box over where the rear seat was. But that was very loud while driving so I don't recommend it.

Jamming bug screen into the window trim in the back was very effective and necessary in hot weather.

 

[sephson]

Nope, not nuts at all.

The Versa hatchback is very similar to my Kia Soul, which is my road trip vehicle. I know this won't be helpful in the short term, but you should check out my thread on my road tripper. It might give you some ideas for the future.

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-My-Future-Road-Tripper

 

[TMG51]

If you can lay flat, you're good to go. I slept in a smaller hatchback where I couldn't lay down. Ended up building a platform over the seats and sleeping near the ceiling. Did that for a whole summer.

 

[Suanne]

... The front seats fold down flat and I can fully lay out. I think it will be more comfortable than a tent...

I agree that your hatchback would likely be more comfortable than a tent since you can fully lay out in it.

I sleep in my hatchback. It's a really comfy bed. If interested, here is information on how I set my bed up http://suanneonline.blogspot.com/p/the-bed-updated-april-2015.html.

Happy and safe travels! Suanne

 

[Van-Tramp]

I did it in Hawaii (rental car) and it sucked

 

[Mystic]

thank you for all the replies!
I think I am going to have to find out for myself. I will bring a tent just in case.

In the meantime, I am drooling over every Van, RV, Trailer I see....lol.

 

[muddy]

I don't think that is nuts at all. For a weekend, worst case is you end up with a sore back, maybe a bruise on your head from hitting the roof... I have seen some great "micro camper" hatchback builds.

 

[BigT]

Not crazy at all.  I camped in my Honda Civic one time and it was great!  I had a tent, but I just couldn't get comfortable in it, so I slept in the car instead.  
Cars just feel more secure to me, and I love the sound of the rain on the roof.  

 

[introverting]

...and I love the sound of the rain on the roof.  

+1

 

[LeeRevell]

In my cross country travels in military service, I slept in various cars I owned during those years. A 1968 AMC AMX two seater, a 1975 Pontiac Firebird and a 1971 Dodge Polara. Only the huge Polara was at all comfortable. I could actually lay on the back seat, even with my height.
This is a big reason I eventually switched to vans. Bigger really is better!
But I can understand why some like their small cars.

 

[Mystic]

Thank you everyone, for your replies.

I ended up trying it out on a camping trip last week and I must say.....I really enjoyed sleeping in my Versa!

It did take some fanagling though. I pushed the front seat forward and then the seat back all the way down (taking the headrest off first). The seat then meets the backseat so it is practically flat. I am 5' 5" and can sleep full out. However, there is kind of a dip in the actual seats so I had to put stuff there to straighten it out. I used a airplane neck pillow on the rear seat and a folded  yoga mat and flat pillow on the drivers seat. I also had a foam thing that I put over it all, with a cushy sleeping bag on top.

It was more comfortable than the tent because the tent folded up at 3am due to high winds! lol! Thankfully, I had the car set up done as a backup already.

The goal was trying to see if I could get it to work well enough, without having to buy anything new. It worked! So now I know that I have no excuses, I can get out of town anytime I want, and I don't have to wait to have the perfect equipment or rig. I'm living in LA right now and its driving me bonkers! I need to get out every now and then to regain some sanity. 

If I was planning on full-time living in my car, I would do things differently and probably get a Prius. But for now this worked.

I do want to move towards the full-time nomad life eventually, so I am in the visualizing and fantasizing part of the dream now. Every day I change my mind as to what kind of rig I would like to get.

 

[mdoverl]

The Prius is a great choice, I've been sleeping in mine for a month now.

 

[USExplorer]

I also sleep on folded down seats, though my SUV is somewhat bigger than your hatchback. I found it is very important to have a flat sleeping surface. Use what works best in your case to create a level platform. I would also recommend parking on gentle up or down grades and trying out the bed to determine which grade is most comfortable for you. Some cars have a front seat that folds down a few inches higher than the back seat, so parking on a downgrade will help level the platform.

Also out West it is dry enough that you can sleep under the stars most nights, as long as it is not too windy or cold. I often slept on the roof of my SUV but a hatchback does not have a flat roof so that won't work for you.