FJ: Sleep Inside or tow teardrop trailer?

[Clutch]

Why not just a tent or sleep on the ground...

I have slept in my truck and LC before and it is always stuffy and hot...

I rarely use a tent in the west here...good sleeping bag and pad...nothing like staring at the stars

ground pads fricken kill me, my back just spasmed thinking about it, Ha!...hammock is where it is at.

just look at my eco friendly low impact, no disturbing the ground set up.

no trees? you could rig up something that attaches to the receiver hitch and the front bumper, that hangs the hammock along the side of the vehicle, without too much drama

 

[jonesw3]

X2 on hammock camping!

 

[xCSx]

just thought of something, a teardrop would never make it through some water crossings, even if they aren't that high.

 

[grimbo]

just thought of something, a teardrop would never make it through some water crossings, even if they aren't that high.

Why do you think that? Can't see any reason why not if they are built right with appropriate door seals. They would seal just as effectively as a vehicle. I would say a vehicle would be more prone to water ingress than a well built teardrop

 

[xCSx]

they are very light weight, i could imagine them tipping over

 

[Vegas_Nick]

I just did a 5 day four night off road adventure and the top of my list when I got home was starting an offroad tear drop build! When we were up in Cerro Gordo the wind was howling and that made setting up the tent a three person adventure. The second night it dipped down to 37 degrees at Bridgeport Reservoir so I unpacked everything out of the FJ and slept in in. Only having a full sized air mattress it wouldn't fit so I hurt like hell the next morning. :Wow1:

So the build will begin soon. A simple 4x8 from 3/4 birch and a exoskeleton (read that roll cage) and roof rack are on the drawing board. Don't let anyone tell you that they can't for water. The folks at Chris Craft would argue about water tight wood. :088: So that's a story for another time.


Just my opinion, and I can say that out of the 40K miles on my 2010 FJ, 10K of it has been on the dirt and many nights of tent camping. This was my first step towards it when I built a simple gear hauler to go behind the FJ. This way I wasn't unpacking the entire truck every time I needed something:

 

[Louisd75]

just thought of something, a teardrop would never make it through some water crossings, even if they aren't that high.

How deep are you planning on crossing?

And out of the water:

(not my teardrop, but if I were to build one I'd be copying theirs)

Most of the teardrops I've seen for offroad sit up fairly high and probably wouldn't even get the bottom wet. Of course, if you like testing out your snorkel your experience may differ.

 

[christ0pher_m]

Sleeping in the FJ isn't bad with 2 normal sized people. Things that make it better are taking out the seat bottoms, build a flat platform for a good air mattress, screens for the windows, battery powered fan. I also put a door latch inside for the back door. You also have to remember that there won't be much room for storage with the mattress inside so you'll want some good waterproof containers (a rooftop bag has been really handy too). A small pop up toilet/shower/changing tent has also been a good addition.

We are restoring a pop up camper for campground type camping, but for quick setup and longer trips, we'll still be sleeping in the FJ.

 

[xCSx]

aye lots of good discussion here!

 

[troyboy162]

You have a rig large enough to sleep in the back comfortably so the question becomes do you need more storage space. I use a sleeping platform and pack underneath it with my 4runner. You end up sliding into the back and can not sit upright in bed, but when outdoors I only crawl back there when its time to go horizontal anyhow. Its an option to think about and you can save the 7k for gas money

 

[lqdchkn]

Sleeping in the FJ isn't bad with 2 normal sized people. Things that make it better are taking out the seat bottoms, build a flat platform for a good air mattress, screens for the windows, battery powered fan. I also put a door latch inside for the back door. You also have to remember that there won't be much room for storage with the mattress inside so you'll want some good waterproof containers (a rooftop bag has been really handy too). A small pop up toilet/shower/changing tent has also been a good addition.

We are restoring a pop up camper for campground type camping, but for quick setup and longer trips, we'll still be sleeping in the FJ.

What are you considering "normal"? According to the US statistics from 2006 the average US male height is 5' 10". SWITAWI posted that he was very close to that and it wasn't what he would consider comfortable

 

[SWITAWI]

I guess in the end it all comes down to preparation. I tried to sleep in the back on the spur-of-the-moment and it did not work for my height. However, christ0pher_m is right and I should have dug a little deeper for my previous reply. Having the rear seat bottoms removed would have helped me greatly. Without them acting as the impromptu 'headboard' (as you can see on the right side in the picture below) that limits the overall length of usable space I probably would have been much more comfortable...

And there's even more room to be had with the rear seat removed because then the front seats can be moved/leaned forward like this picture from an FJ Forums member shows...
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...tech/57756-yet-another-sleeping-platform.html

Also a couple of FJ guys speak highly of the TruckBedz air mattress that is shaped to fit inside the FJC. As you can see it fits really well, and it saves your back from the hump where the seatbacks fold down, but once again that is with the rear seat bottoms removed and the front seats moved forward...
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/camping-equipment/147046-truck-bedz-review.html

 

[Desert Dan]

Nice set up in the 4R SWITAWI.
I didn't know there was that much length in the 4R.

I wish the Toyota front seats folded forward like the xtera.

 

[xCSx]

ohh that mattress is great

 

[SWITAWI]

Nice set up in the 4R SWITAWI. I didn't know there was that much length in the 4R. I wish the Toyota front seats folded forward like the xtera.

Actually all those pics are FJ Cruisers. The 4Runner has even more interior length (those lucky b@$tards) and a flatter floor as well (insert more jealous commentary). :sombrero:

ohh that mattress is great

I totally agree. I believe that is TruckBedz P/N 20 TCSB. There is a cheaper vinyl version, but since the heavy-duty version is made from '420D nylon backpack cloth and then RF welded into shape' it should be durable enough to last for a good while. I wish the air pump was housed internally like my 6yr-old Intex air mattress, but oh well. When my queen-size Intex finally dies I may get one of these.