Sleeping in SUV driver's seat to increase living space?

[Bear415]

Operating under the presumption that a person is comfortable sleeping on their back, are there any reasons why skipping a bed build in the back and sleeping in the driver's seat would be unworkable full-time?

Of course, all of the windows would be blocked as best as possible, the seat would be as far back as possible to avoid entanglement with the pedals, and there would likely be extra padding and sheets of some sort on the seat.

If it could work out for me, that would most likely simplify the build greatly, and open up a lot more space in something the size of an SUV.

The front seat would also be my office, with a steering wheel desk, and access to air conditioning or heat as needed.

 

[bullfrog]

In old trucking days you would see many drivers drooling over the steering wheels of what today are called day cabs at rest areas or the side of the road. It was for some the only way to get a few hours sleep maybe 2 to 4 hours as you couldn't reposition to keep your arms or legs from falling asleep due to lack of circulation. Start your build with something you can get a good nights sleep in or on, even a tent cot. With a good night's sleep you can deal with the rest of the problems much easier.

 

[MrNoodly]

Sleeping is an important part of living, to me.

 

[B and C]

There is no right or wrong way to go about this. The easy way to find out if it will work for you is to just try it. You can always make adjustments. A lot of people start out with one arrangement and then later change it to better suit them.

 

[Bear415]

Sleeping is an important part of living, to me.

And you somehow think that it isn't for me? As I clearly said in the OP, "Operating under the presumption that a person is comfortable sleeping on their back".

Feel free to tell me why you think it wouldn't work, but please don't somehow act as if sleep - something every human does for about 1/3 of their lives - isn't important to me.

 

[B and C]

Wow. No need to get snippy. We are a laid back bunch here.

 

[highdesertranger]

i can sleep in a bed or a cot or I can sleep in a lounge chair just fine. but I have never gotten a good nights sleep in a vehicle seat. I can fall asleep for a few hours but then I wake up and can't get comfortable and I end up tossing and turning the rest of the night.

before you make any decisions or mods to your vehicle I would try it out.

highdesertranger

 

[maki2]

It sounds to me like you don't yet own the vehicle you are thinking about sleeping in. But you are at the stage of trying to figure out if you can get away with sleeping in a driver's seat as a regular bed. Unfortunately that does not work as an approach because every vehicle make and model is unique. Most times the driver's seat does not recline to a fully flat position. So if you can't sleep at an angle then you will need to edit your search criteria to vehicles with seats that fold flat.

The next issue is that the cushions of the seat and seat back are not typically flat and level even when they are folded flat. I have one of those types of cars. They fold flat and so do the rear seats but the "bed" is not even close to being level because of the shape of the cushions. The primary purpose of seat is of course to offer comfort when a person is sitting in them. So that is what the designers must do, design for sitting comfort. What that means is you will need additional infill cushions to level out the surface.

The next issue is if you are relying on the drivers seat alone for a bed then your feet won't be supported or your head will be hanging off. That means you will need to design some type of cushioned bench behind the drivers seat to that when folded down that extra bench becomes part of the bed.

It is important to practice analytical, visual thinking and imagine yourself in the space. See the seat fold down, see yourself lying on it. Make a habit of doing that kind of thinking and you will be able to think up solutions that work for your own needs. Some people call it having an imagination but that is not what it is. It is a method of thinking about things and it is a skill that you can rapidly improve upon with daily practice.

 

[BelgianPup]

I used to have to sleep occasionally in the front seat of a Suburban, simply because I couldn't stay awake any longer. You can't stretch out, and the steering wheel gets in the way. And if you sleep on your back (I can't), your knees are always sticking up.

 

[Seminole Wind]

yes it can be done, i did it for 2 years. not by choice and certainly would not choose to do it that way. i even had the back seat out so the drivers seat laid almost flat. i would say i could get quite comfortable. but not good for a nights sleep. do able if that was my only option, but i would spend a little extra time $ and effort to build a bed in the back. if more space is needed there are ways to make a bed that folds out of the way ot converts to a table or sofa.

 

[MrNoodly]

And you somehow think that it isn't for me? As I clearly said in the OP, "Operating under the presumption that a person is comfortable sleeping on their back".

Feel free to tell me why you think it wouldn't work, but please don't somehow act as if sleep - something every human does for about 1/3 of their lives - isn't important to me.

I'm sorry that my humorous intent was missed, even though there was a smiley face at the end.

I think sleep is too important to do in a less-than-satisfactory way. Don't skimp, don't make do, don't compromise. You can do your other living anywhere, including outside your vehicle, including in the driver seat. So to me the bed comes first, then a place to poop. After those, everything else is way down on the list. Your inanimate stuff doesn't need to be comfortable. You do.

 

[RoamerRV428]

don't skimp is a clear winner in this....cause this is ALL the time, YOUR life.

if you are a good 'recliner type sleep person' then yes it will suit you easily. If you do require stretching out after time then the sleeping in a reclined position is sucky in the end.

but you know you.....go with what works point blank for you only you know this

Asking others if it suits them will get responses of 'oh heck no, never, or occasionally....' etc.....but this is ALL about you and what you need. Do for you and go for it.

 

[JohnnyM]

This is a great topic; glad you brought it up, Bear.

So far we haven't heard from anyone who actually prefers to sleep in a recliner and does so even if a bed is available, so let me be the first. I've been doing it for years and it works for me; I never lie down on a bed if I can avoid it. At my daughter's house I sleep in her living room in her La-Z-Boy (the height of luxury living, my friends) and on the road I sleep in either the lightweight recliner in my Casita or in the driver's seat of my Ford Flex (a small SUV with nothing-special seats). Even if I have to stay in a motel I gather up all the available pillows and arrange them to try to recreate the zero-gravity effect of a recliner.

Now it is true that I'm old and creaky and that I have to get up several times a night for this and that, but I find it really uncomfortable to rise from a prone position (especially if I'm in a hurry), so I try not to get into one in the first place. I started doing this a while back when I was in an accident where I broke my collarbone and cracked several ribs. Getting out of bed was awful, so I took to snoozing in a recliner and have never looked back. When it's time to get up I just flip the lever and push myself up from the sitting position -- easy as pie.

In the Flex if I'm too cold or too hot or need a fan I just reach over and press a couple of buttons and in a few moments I've got it right where I want it. If I have to leave the vehicle, I just open the door and step out. That's harder to do if you're lying down in the back with six inches of headroom.

So, to respond to the OP, let me cast one vote that it's perfectly fine to sleep on the driver's seat of an SUV. YMMV, of course.

Johnny

 

[shlasasha]

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