3rd Gen 4Runner - Life Inside/Heading West

[Laxaholic]

Taking a month or so off work, and planning to head West in my '97 4Runner. Looks like I'll do New Orleans, Austin, Colorado, Montana, and loop back toward NYC. Just put new Cooper Discoverer AT3's on, which are extremely well mannered, and a brand new clutch (at 230,000mi). Smooth as butter.

Plan is to sleep inside, keep the snowboards/bikes on the roof and bike rack. Cargo box up top, the most aero looking one I could find on CL.

For you guys that have done this before, what is the best way to keep it toasty inside to crash? Sleeping pad, some big blankets, and pillows are what I have at this point. Will be staying with friends along the way, and have a place in CO. Space heater? I would be interested in putting in a second battery. Want to be able to charge my old dinosaur of a laptop.

Has anyone reupholstered their seats to add heated seats? I added some on my '06 Impreza wagon, that looked factory. Wondering if I can do the same with these seats. Might as well repack the foam while I'm at it.

My other option; sell the Runner and by an older GX470. Why? I have a manual trans, with no cruise control. It isn't the best thing on the road, being a 2.7litre...and I'd like some more power. I had a 100 series ages ago, and that was too big. The GX seems to be the right size, and easy to find. What do you guys think?

 

[Laxaholic]

Lots of views, any responses folks?

 

[nixid]

Maybe in addition to a second battery to charge your laptop, use it for other accessories, like a 12v fan, 12v heater. See post about building cheap second battery. There are more than a few platforms people have built for the back of the 4runner, here and 4runner forums. Storage underneath platform, and sleep on top. Where are you keeeping the Lacrosse sticks?

 

[Crenshaw]

I wouldn't do a thing. Sounds like you're loaded up on cold sleeping gear- without some significant work, you're not gonna be "toasty" ever but you can be absolutely comfortable sleeping.

I'm a huge proponent of those modern jumper box's that can charge off the truck if necessary. They're dirt cheap anymore and can jump the truck, charge your phone/laptop/whatever, I think mine even has a flashlight built in. Get two if you really need the juice. Way cheaper than 2nd battery, control, etc... I do realize there are ways to do that on the cheap but KISS.

GX470's are awesome too, I have one. But unless you're planning on upgrading your truck for the long run anyway I certainly wouldn't consider shopping for one just for this trip. Especially since it sounds like the 4runner is pretty well sorted.

Don't forget we've been ski bumming for decades out of the back of Volvo's, VW's, Honda Accords, etc...with none of the yuppie accoutrements. Just don't forget beer.

 

[robert]

First and foremost, make sure your vehicle is up to the trip. Anything due or near due on the PM list ought to get sorted first. Repairs on the road suck since they can involve delays and overnights in hotels (added expense). Make sure you have spares of anything that could sideline you or put you in danger if you're going off the beaten path ex. spare belt(s), spare headlight bulbs (sucks losing a light on a back road), etc. Have the tools and knowledge you need. Make sure your jack, spare tire, etc. are all present and in serviceable shape; ex. make sure you can crank your spare up and down (I spray that whole mechanism down with oil at least once a year). Pack any "survival" gear you may need if you plan to go off-road- what do you need to survive for a couple of days if you break down or get stuck? Warm clothing/bedding, food water, fire starting and signal gear. I carry a couple of road flares in addition to an LED strobe; the strobe is also nice if you have to pull over to change a tire or something.

Make sure you lock your gear on top and if you don't normally carry gear on your rack a reminder on your dash can save you a lot of grief.

A nice cold weather bag may be ideal but it's not absolutely necessary if you prep ahead and have enough wool blankets/down comforter/other warm bedding. Make sure you have appropriate clothing and I like to keep a pair of thick wool socks just for sleeping and I wear a hat since I'm balding. If you're really worried about the temp dropping, you can toss a water bottle filled with hot water in the bed or put one of those Thermaband heating pads on your back before turning in. Windows lose heat like crazy; I'd swing by Lowe's/HD/whatever you have there and buy some Reflectix and cut to size to cover the windows. It'll give you privacy, keep the lights from bothering you and insulate. Drape a blanket behind the front seats to give more privacy and to reduce the amount of area you're trying to keep warm. Make sure you have some sort of insulation below you; air mattresses generally suck at this.

A simple 400w inverter will charge your laptop; it may not operate it if it's a power hog like a gaming laptop but it should charge it. A jump pack of some sort can be a God-send and they're not very expensive anymore- there are recommendations in the 12v power section. You will not have enough juice to run any 12v heater so I wouldn't bother; I wouldn't use a propane appliance but if you do make sure you get a CO detector (the Buddy heaters have a low O2 sensor, not a CO detector and they're bulky and inefficient).

Several of the guys on Tacomaworld have installed the seat heaters off ebay and had no problems with them.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-HEATED-SEAT-HEATER-PAD-SWITCH-KIT-TOYOTA-CAMRY-ECHO-LAND-CRUISER-PRIUS-SIENNA/201533018245?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649


Oh, almost forgot- road tunes!

 

[99Yota]

Guessing you are probably well on your way by now but just in case you are still looking for input...

Quite a few nights experience sleeping in pretty cold temps (0F and below).

Here are my suggestions:
- zippo hand warmer
- balacalava
- ventshade
- screen/duct tape

If you happen to have a sleeping bag, pick up one of those zippo hand warmers and put it in your sleeping bag right by your feet. They cost about $13 and will burn all night long in the provided felt pouch and keep your feet warm. If you have sweaty feet and sleep with socks on, they will be dry by the morning. Pick up a balaclava and provided you sleep with it covering your nose, cold temps will absolutely not be an issue.

Regarding vehicle related 'mods' I would consider one of those auto ventshades which allow you to crack your window for ventilation without letting rain weep into your vehicle. Another handy item is a screen mesh which you could fab up with some tape and a trip to home depot. This lets you crack your window without having to worry about mosquitos which may/may not be an issue.

If you have the right gear, I'm not sure a heater will do too much good plus it will probably suck too much electricity to run all night. This being said, I have considered getting a 1500-2000w inverter to run a hair dryer to help take the cold off on really cold mornings. Propane powered heaters usually have oxygen safety cut offs which cut off heat as soon as the oxygen level falls too low. In a small enclosed space like a vehicle, this equates to about 5 minutes or so. Not very useful right better alive and cold then dead and well, dead.

Hope this helps

 

[JLee]

I don't see any reason to change vehicles solely for this trip, but I do love the GX. You're welcome to check mine out if you're ever in northern NJ.

 

[Evan.Fiorentino]

I spent 14 nights in my 4Runner in Colorado/Grand Teton NP and the temps weren't too cold, about 35-40 or so and I was totally comfortable with similar gear to what you have or has been recommended. I found my nights got a lot more comfortable when I was able to level out the cargo area in the back since the rear seats have a very slight upwards angle, even with the seat bottoms removed. I highly recommend cracking a window or if you are going to keep them closed, have some kind of heating solution to keep the condensation on the inside of your windows from freezing, that sucks when that happens lol.