Waking up stealth what do u do?

[Yogidog]

Hello all, I am leaving house in two weeks, I have done this before but never for extended time, in my hometown. I dread the waking up cold and somewhat disorientated. I am fine boo docking or traveling to the next area. Just typing this I can see attitude is everything. Any practical ideas to make it positive? Thanks hope u all woke up happy :heart:

 

[highdesertranger]

don't wake up cold. I feel one the most important things is having a sleeping system that will keep you warm and cozy without artificial heat in any temperature. highdesertranger

 

[Yogidog]

Highdesertranger, what do u use? thanks

 

[Suanne]

Yogidog,

I woke up to 29F this morning in my Prius at a Walmart parking lot. But, I was toasty warm in my bed. Underneath I have sheep fleece and a 3.5" self-inflating REI mattress pad (like a Thermarest). I use flannel fitted and flat sheets and a folded-over king size down comforter over me. When it gets even colder, I sleep with a hoodie sweatshirt pulled up over my head.

I will say that it's difficult to remain stealth when the weather is so cold; condensation forms on the inside windows. For instance, I had two windows cracked about 3/4" for a cross-breeze over my head. I also had black fleece curtains up all around. But, there was still ice on the front windshield and back hatch window this morning. Such condensation/ice would not have formed if someone were not sleeping inside.

The good news is that I stayed warm enough getting out of bed to use the bathroom and dress before I turned on the car's heater/defroster.

I now sit in a Starbucks, drinking hot coffee, catching up online, waiting for the weather to warm before heading over Donner Pass.

The best to you as you plan out your vehicle for the vandweller lifestyle.

Suanne

PS -- I had a friend that would wake up disoriented. She got in the habit of writing a note to herself each night explaining where she was, why, and where she was going.

 

[Yogidog]

Suzanne, so good to know someone else is out there in 29 degree weather and waking up without freezing! Thank you for the description of bed set up I will look for a down comforter, I think that would solve much of the problem.

I just read your curtain description in the car forum the other day, I am going to make them with the black fleece you described and how you can just pull them back and tie them. I have done the up and down in the past and it is a pain, thanks for detailed instructions.

Donner pass I am going to go visit my daughter in Reno in August when I get done working and saving here, planning on staying at the national forest around Truckee for a month or two then head toward quartzite. Great to here there is a Walmart to stay at around there. Do u like that area? Is it easy to vehicle dwell? I will be in a very small pickup truck, that's why I started reading car fourum I am going with the bags instead of plastic too.

Always have to remember the warm coffee shop and Internet upon awakening ?. Sounds really nice . Love the idea of writing a note where I am!!!

Thanks so much, hope your day is a good one!

 

[Almost There]

PS -- I had a friend that would wake up disoriented.  She got in the habit of writing a note to herself each night explaining where she was, why, and where she was going.

I should have used that technique.

Yogidog, I was on the road for 14 years running a mobile business that had me all over the eastern seaboard.

I often woke up slightly disoriented. I knew where my bed was, what vehicle I was in and why but my questions were most always 'What county/state am I in and what is the tax rate' - I was running my own art/craft business.

Just lay there for a minute until the answers you need come to you before you start your day...

 

[Yogidog]

Almost There,

That is funny, at least I never thought about the tax rate upon awakening! There's a gratitude ?. I was actually just taking a break from resailing looking for fleece pajamas u talk about .

Hope your day is a good one, always appreciate your wisdom and experience in your posting, thanks for sharing it with us.

U had an on the road business before we were all trying to do it, excellent!

 

[Gigi]

I have had the same question about waking up disorientated, Yogidog. I read in someone's RV blog (they all jumble together so I can't remember exactly where) to use a dryerase board and write down your camping space number so if you need to call 911 you know where you are and I thought, "hey, I'm gonna due that so when I wake up I can know where I am!" Now, I just have to make sure I do it.

 

[Almost There]

Almost There,

That is funny, at least I never thought about the tax rate upon awakening! There's a gratitude ?. I was actually just taking a break from resailing looking for fleece pajamas u talk about .

Hope your day is a good one, always appreciate your wisdom and experience in your posting, thanks for sharing it with us.

U had an on the road business before we were all trying to do it, excellent!

Thank you!

The fleece pajamas that you're looking for aren't really pajamas at all. I got a set of microfleece thermal tops and bottoms from Marks' Work Warehouse because they fit, well, like thermal underwear as opposed to loose fitting like pjs would. I've always hated pjs cause they ride up in all sorts of places... :dodgy: It means that they don't ride up on the legs or arms. My tops actually have the thumb slit in them which keeps them nicely down on my arms.

I've also been known to just throw clothes on over top of the thermals on a super cold morning and wait until it warms up before I get out of my thermals. That's something you might not be able to do with pj's.

Mine are a 'T-Max' label.

If you do like pj's in general, I've also seen one piece 'onesies' in fleece around although I don't know about getting out of them in the middle of the night for a nature call, that might be a little brrrrrr!!

The other thing I found at MWW was a pair of Max Heat socks that actually had a thermal R-rating on the package...man are those things warm. Even on the coldest night I have warm tootsies. I keep a pair of lighter 'warm' socks for other nights because the heavy ones are really too warm for just cold nights.

 

[GotSmart]

Staying warm is always a priority.

 

[rvpopeye]

I use 2 sleeping bags , different widths ,the smaller 1 inside the other.
Then I wear compression style long undies and some socks , adding 1 or 2 fleece tops , if no hoodies I put on a fleece cap and if that's still not enough I throw my down jacket over my legs and feet ! I also have some fleece gloves if I want to have my hands out .
This will get me down into the 20s ......always wake up warm and toasty! Remove layers as it warms up !
Oh yeah , it's all on top of 9" of memory foammmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I did have a nice high loft down comforter once but wore it out and couldn't afford to replace it! With down , the thicker it is , the warmer it is.....

I like the dry erase idea too !
I already use them to print my routing and exits , turns etc on the inside of my windshield for easy ref while driving ......(no co-pilot)

 

[SoulRaven]

Frequent cold weather camper here, and I mean REALLY cold weather...

Staying warm in bed is generally not a problem without an added heat source, it's getting out of that nice warm bed that that makes things miserable. My solution to this is to keep my heater within arms reach of my bed, so all I need to do is stretch one arm out from under the covers to light my heater, then back under the covers until everything is warmed up nice and cozy.

If you're a morning coffee or tea drinker, you can also make it the night before, put it into a good thermos, and keep it in bed with you overnight to have nice hot coffee/tea when you wake up without having to make it first.

I've never had the problem of waking up disoriented, but the idea of writing everything down before bedtime sounds like a good one.

The routine I enjoy, is after getting up, fixing myself a nice breakfast, then relaxing for a bit while planning out my day. No hurries, no worries, even if I already have a schedule, I try to plan things so it is always a relaxed pace. If that means getting up a little earlier, that's okay, because that's much better than needing to rush rush to get things done and be somewhere on time.

 

[SoulRaven]

Yogidog,

I woke up to 29F this morning in my Prius at a Walmart parking lot.  But, I was toasty warm in my bed.

...

The good news is that I stayed warm enough getting out of bed to use the bathroom and dress before I turned on the car's heater/defroster.

Curious, does being in a Prius mean you get instant heat even when the engine is cold or do you still have to idle it for a bit first before things get warm?

Yogidog, when buying bedding keep in mind that cotton will feel very cold to the touch in humid conditions. I have an amazing luxury comforter I was gifted that I cannot use at all 8 months out of the year in Seattle because it'll make me colder rather than warmer!

I personally find that while I now have a sleep setup that can keep me warm down to the coldest weather we get here, the transition time when I get out of bed and get dressed is still something I absolutely loathe in cold weather. My weight is double digits--I have almost no fat to insulate me. Furthermore, ever since I was very young I've used the sensation of being toasty warm to ground myself emotionally, which means I tend to be subconsciously hanging onto that as a lifeline and then the moment it's out of reach I start to feel unsafe and panic. My minivan takes a good 10 minutes or so before it even begins to put out heat and my clothes are cold to put on. I've tried sleeping with them in my bed or even sleeping with them on, but it significantly disrupts my sleep.

I could imagine that someone of a healthy weight and without the psychological ties to heat could probably withstand a few brief minutes of cold easier. But I haven't yet found a solution that works for me, and it makes winters more miserable than they need to be. If I manage to get a heater this will be the main reason why.

PJs are good, I go with the onesie types because my abdomen is extremely sensitive to pressure; I've tried several two piece thermals and they caused severe issues. Yes, using the bathroom at night is cold.

I need to start writing myself a note again. The main thing was for calling 911, I learned that the hard way...

For orientation, I tend to visualize that van's surroundings and where/how I am parked before falling asleep. If it's a new spot I need to do it longer/more often throughout the evening. When I wake up, the first thing i do is mentally "reach" for that stored visualization of where/how my van is oriented. Once I've retrieved that then I feel like everything falls into place for me and I know where I am. Very rarely I cannot remember or get it wrong, and need to look outside to remember. This is somewhat startling/disturbing but doesn't last long.

Orienting to your surroundings is actually something that psychologically calms the central nervous system. We're wired to relax when we know exactly where we're at in relation to everything around us. Hearing this from my therapist has helped confirm for me my practice of orienting for the night. It's also a major reason I seek out familiar spots when in distress, because I already have the surroundings mapped out in my head.

I wish I had a better answer for you on the cold. For me, a miserably cold transition from bed to world can leave me virtually drowning in the aftereffects all day. If that isn't you, that's awesome and you've got a shot at comfort without a heater. If you experience similar, then it might be a bit rougher ride. :/

 

[Iggy]

My biggest problem when waking is remembering what direction my van is facing. I installed my roof vent toward the front of the van and I like leaving it slightly open for ventilation. That means the head of my bed is also towards the front of the van, and I'm facing the back. In the mornings, everything seems backwards. Really wish I would've put the vent in the back! It feels more natural for my head to be in the back and my feet forward. Live and learn!

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Suzanne, so good to know someone else is out there in 29 degree weather and waking up without freezing!  Thank you for the description of bed set up I will look for a down comforter, I think that would solve much of the problem.

Uhm, the only real advantage down has over synthetics is that it can be much lighter for the same warmth level.  For that reason, it's the first choice of mountain climbers and backpackers. 

It has no particular advantages for a car camper.

It's much more expensive than synthetics.  It's harder to wash than synthetics.  Unlike synthetics, it loses it's insulating values when it gets wet.

Do a Google Search on "Down vs Synthetic Comforters".

Regards
John

 

[Yogidog]

Thanks u guys so much,
after reading all your posts I was validated that waking up in cold weather takes a lot of planning, effort and emotional fortitude! I was feeling ridiculous, like how hard could this be? your making too much of it, being a baby. So knowing this is a real, valid concern helps me settle down and solve it.  Fear was starting to consume me, these mornings were all I could think about. I wasn't able to focus on all the other cool stuff that will happen the rest of the day.

So warm under clothes that fit close to the body, first. Looked up micro fleece it says it wicks moisture away from body, so money permitting that will be first choice, I think it is a wise investment. Yes never like wearing pj in a vehicle, it feels very weird, I think what if something happened and I had to get out! Good to know that is not required

Iggy Yes, I forget why but I had to sleep backwards in my van, like the vent situation, and it was amazingly weird and disorientating start the day backwards!

Bitty I think you are right on that it is a basic survival thing being orientated to our surroundings and it calming our central nervous system. This knowledge will help me be nice to myself when I need to find familiar places where I feel comfortable when I am stressed.

The visualization works wonders doesn't it? they say our brains don't know if something is really happening or not. I use it to rehearse the steps I need to take in the morning, it does ingrain it.

Gigi, Love the idea of using the white boards to orientate and for exits, much safer than little scraps of paper, map or phone and I like whiteboards

Optimistic paranoid, u are right on with the down, I thought I could use my dads down comforter, I got it a few days ago and it was so musty I couldn't use it. Knew I would have to scour resale stores for quite awhile to find one and it may still have the stink factor. Good to know it is not the only solution.

Popeyes your post was the one that confirmed my belief this is a lot of work! I did the same as u but with out the 9" of memory foam and extra sleeping bag, I can see where those would make all the difference. But what work, gloves hats, hoodies, socks, sleeping bag coats, then turning over was an issue. I was like the little kid in the Christmas story.

Off Grid, thank you so much this will solve a few problems, the coffee in a thermos will absolutely work, and if I am in the back of the truck can turn on the heater like u said, if in the cab can start the truck, either way, Stay under the covers!!

I am totally with u on the I rushed mornings. Peaceful, relaxed mornings are really important to me and set the tone for the day. This is problem of trying to be under the radar, stealth, not turning on heat ect. I have been debating on if I should just be out in the open, I may try it and see if I am comfortable.

I saw from other posts that u go with the less stealth approach and build campers for the homeless. Maybe you could tell me what you do, on my captains log? I started on the board of directors for homeless thing and these campers may be the solution they are looking for. They have the money and the willingness. They don't want people dying in the cold, love to hear more.

Got smart I couldn't see your picture on my phone, typed this at home and wrote I feel like the kid in Christmas story, I came to library to post and here it was, u summed it up perfectly hehe 

Bitty, Seattle???!!! U make the Michigander look like a wimp! U hit the nail in the head with being warm being emotionally grounding and "when it is out of reach I feel unsafe and panic" I do experience something similar. But now thanks to all u I have a plan to create warmth and well being
I cant thank u enough

 

[skyl4rk]

I find that I sleep better in cooler temperatures. For bedding, a sheet, fuzzy blanket and cheap sleeping bag worked down to just below freezing with no pj's or other bed clothes. I always put a fleece throw over my head and shoulders when it is cold. Point the van so that the morning sun comes in the windows. Stay in bed until the sun starts warming things up. Heat up water for coffee. It is nice to have a heater but not necessary. Turn the heater on, get back under the covers and get up in 15 minutes. Getting up to pee at night is more of a shock than getting up in the morning.

 

[SoulRaven]

I saw from other posts that u go with the less stealth approach and build campers for the homeless. Maybe you could tell me what you do, on my captains log? I started on the board of directors for homeless thing and these campers may be the solution they are looking for. They have the money and the willingness. They don't want people dying in the cold, love to hear more.

Okay, I'm a dummy...  I couldn't find your captains log...  I'm more than happy to provide you with everything we do, can you provide me a link to where you would like me to post it?

Cheers!

 

[Suanne]

...I am going to go visit my daughter in Reno in August when I get done working and saving here ... Great to here there is a Walmart to stay at around there. Do u like that area? Is it easy to vehicle dwell? I will be in a very small pickup ...

For me, Reno was an OK place for passing through. I prefer to spend my "vandwelling" time in the backcountry, rather than in town. But, the Reno Walmart I spent last night at felt safe. I use the app "OverNight Parking Finder" to find Walmarts (Rest Areas or Truck Stops) to sleep at when I'm on my way from Point A to Point B. The Walmart on Damonte Ranch Pkwy seems to be the only Walmart in Reno to allow overnight parking.

.. Curious, does being in a Prius mean you get instant heat even when the engine is cold or do you still have to idle it for a bit first before things get warm? ...

Hi Bitty, Instant heat would be wonderful, but such is not the case. The heater in my Prius works like a conventional vehicle's heater. That is, the source of it's heat is the engine. My 2nd generation Prius probably heats a bit faster, however, because it stores hot coolant in a 3-liter thermos-like container just after it's turned off. The warm coolant is pumped back when the car is turned on again. Not only is a warm engine more efficient than a cold one, boosting MPG; but, it also provides cabin heat a bit more quickly than a conventional vehicle.

Yogidog, Important points that bear repeating -- cotton will make you colder when it's damp, down looses its insulation abilities when wet, and synthetics (or wool) keep you the warmest when wet, damp, or humid. Thanks much Bitty and OP for that reminder. (Since I already had a down comforter, that is what I use. It only works for me because I'm almost always "vandwelling" in dryer climates, especially in the colder winter weather.)

Suanne ... who expects a balmy low of 44F tonight

 

[Txjaybird]

Staying warm is always a priority.

OH MAN!  NOW WHEN I SAY "YOU SURE LOOK CUTE IN YOUR PINK BUNNY SUIT"     
FOLKS ARE GONNA START TAKING POTSHOTS AT ME AGAIN!!!       AND STOP KICKING THAT CAT WHEN YOU THINK WE CAN'T SEE YOU    :angel:    GOOD MORNING,,,,,,, TJB...Queenie is down for the count and whats that cats name anyway?