My 1998 Jeep is often my "home away from home" when I travel.
So why does a 72-year old woman travel and sleep in her Jeep? Certainly not because I have to...it's because I want to! I love Nature and want to be out in it, communing with it.
Once upon a time I owned a 20-foot, Class C RV. I loved it. It was my home when out gold prospecting and rockhounding...a tiny house on wheels with all the comforts of home.
Living in Southern California at that time, I could go RVing year 'round. However, I now live in Northern Idaho where there's only about five months when I can use an RV. Yes, I could drive to southern deserts to escape the snow and ice but I do enjoy winters at home watching the snow fall while sitting in front of the fireplace sipping hot cocoa, knitting, or reading.
And, I live in a condo that doesn't permit storing an RV on site, I'd have to pay for offsite storage and leaving an RV sitting idle for six or seven months doesn't appeal either - nor is it good for the vehicle to sit idle.
Having to maintain and insure two vehicles is not a choice I want to make either. Having an RV and all it's attending expenses and limitations would make me feel obligated to use it more often than I otherwise might and an RV limits where I can go. It's just easier to pack the Jeep and take off at a whim.
My Jeep's four-wheel drive capabilities expand my horizons by allowing me to go more places away from the usual camping crowds and side by side RV parks.
"Simplify" is my motto! And it is for all these reasons that my Jeep has become my "RV" of choice. It's, well, simpler! Furthermore, I'm a fan of using what I already have and re-purposing, if possible. Thus, Jeep-as-RV is how I roll!
Several considerations arose in making my Jeep my on- and off-road domicile.
1. I didn't want to alter the inside of my car in any permanent way in case I needed to carry passengers or wanted to trade it in. Therefore, no interior alterations or "builds" as is common among those traveling or living in their cars.
2. I needed an uber-comfortable place to sleep and relax.
3. I wanted to be able to prepare delicious meals.
4. Factors #2 and 3 - if properly realized and implemented - meant that I could/would be willing to endure less sophistication when it came to bathing and pottying.
A comfy place to lounge and sleep is essential, preferably one with a view.
I require comfort! Therefore, a standard camping mattress of 24-inches wide, by 1/2- to 2-inches thick wasn't going to cut it. So, I purchased a 4-inch, full-size memory foam mattress from Walmart. I cut it in half and piled the one half atop the other. This gave me a mattress 8-inches thick and 27-inches wide! Yahoo! And, my car bed is as comfortable as my bed at home! Yay!!!
A Jeep bed fit for a "Jeep Gypsy"!
I selected the area behind the front passenger seat to place the bed thereby avoiding the spare tire which is mounted inside the car at the rear driver's side. Borrowing an electric carving knife (the only way to efficiently cut foam), I cut the mattress/s to fit the inner contours of the Jeep's cargo area...the wheel well and a few other minor contours.
I like things pretty...and very often homemade. I cut and re-sewed a blue and white duvet cover to fit a comforter created by cutting a flannel-lined sleeping bag in half. For a sheet beneath the comforter, I cut and re-sewed a matching top sheet into a "sleep sack" that sits atop the mattress and can be removed and washed.
The mattress itself is double-wrapped in a fitted twin sheet that serves to keep the mattresses together and dust-free. The matching blue and white shams were perfect for the two bed pillows that when used together make a comfy backrest when lounging. I use one pillow for sleeping and the other between my bed and rear passenger door for insulation on cold nights and as protection against the door handle.
A problem that solved itself is that my cargo area is two inches shorter than I am. Hmmm...what to do. By removing the headrest of the folded down passenger seat from its storage spot I was able to gain the needed two inches, and because my bed is 8-inches thick - coincidentally the same height as the headrest storage spot, my pillow bridges the space between mattress and passenger seat perfectly.
When the passenger seats are folded down their headrest posts slide into storage spots behind the two front seats. I removed the headrest from its storage slots behind the passenger seat gaining a few needful inches.
Removing the headrest gave me an additional few inches allowing me stretch out fully on my car bed. This was the only alteration I needed to make and it's temporary. When not traveling I replace the headrest into its slotted storage spot.
Two pillows create a comfy backrest turning my bed into an area to lounge, read, watch a movie (on my Kindle), knit, or enjoy the view.
As you can see, the factory installed spare tire is inside the car.
Although the spare tire takes up room in the back of the Jeep it too has it's silver lining. It's mounted slanted over the rear wheel well leaving room behind it to store mosquito netting "socks" that slide over the passenger door frames. These socks allow me to keep the windows cracked open, or down, while keeping bugs out.
Behind the tire I also store the blackout "curtains" (Hefty trash bags) that I velcro over the windows for privacy at night.
The zippered pocket on the tire cover holds a variety of supplies...a can of flat tire fixer, a portable battery charger for the engine battery, a can of bear spray, and there's still room for a bottle of wine and a bottle of vodka. Never let it be said that I roll without "comforts"!
Conveniently located on either side of the spare tire are factory-installed metal loops that I use to hook a bungee cord for holding rolls of paper towels and toilet paper. What could have been an obstacle has become storage! The tarp on the bed allows me a spot to store my camp chair while driving, thus keeping my bed clean.
The tarp has several uses. When I'm driving my camp chair lays on the tarp keeping my bed clean. If I'm in a camp without shade I attach the tarp to my rooftop carrier along the driver's side. I have a couple of expandable poles that enable me to create an effective sunshade and tent rope and stakes to secure the poles in place.
Notice in the photo above a red bungee cord used to secure my rolled up windshield cover and a collapsible camp table in its bag (hidden behind the windshield cover). Behind the bungee storage is a netted storage compartment that holds toilet paper rolls and boxes of ammo. From a bungee stretched between ceiling handholds a solar charged Luci Light provides in-cabin ambient lighting at night. I charge the Luci light on the dash board while driving, or in camp. A charge will run the light several nights.
In my next blog I'll share my camp kitchen options. One for nice weather if there's a picnic table, another for nice weather if there's no picnic table, and another for a rainy day in the car. I'll also share my "rolling" pantry, clothing and grooming storage which...hint, hint...all takes place on the passenger seat and it's floor space.
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