Perfect Fest Vehicles?

[journeybear]

... I'm thinking about putting the back seats down and putting a mattress in the back ...

My first two cars (80s) were Gremlins (go ahead and chuckle - they were ugly but cute, quirky but fine), and the first one had a passenger seat that was broken, ever so slightly, in a good way. When you folded the back down, it'd go all the way down - flat. That made for a nice if slightly narrow single bed, which was A-OK for sleeping. I don't think I ever took it to festivals - that came a couple of years later - but I did take it on a month-long road trip through the Southwest, going to canyons, Indian ruins, hot springs, and searching for the best bowl of chili. That was a bowl of green at a roadside diner in New Mexico. Wish I could remember its name.

Your plan might work just fine. If they lay down flat like mine did, that's a key element in making it comfy.

<Pictures Mr. Condino curled up in his bass case the same way the cat curls up in a mandolin case>

Oh, for a picture of that! But probably from the olden time, before people took pictures of every bloody thing.

[pops1]

While it would be easy to convert something to sleep in, the most important part for me is cooking. Cooking in the rain while dry and warm. It would also be nice to be able to stand while doing so. Since I am Celiac I am not able to eat festival food. In fact there are almost no places in a small town to eat. A restaurant would have to be knowledgeable about gluten and cross contamination. One I like to go to every year, but make the drive for a few hours of fun, and drive home. There is no place in the town that I can eat a meal, and taking food for three meals a day is a pain if you don't have a good place to prepare them. I have driven across country with my cooler and stopped at rest areas to cook, but was lucky and didn't hit any rain when I needed to cook. It always rains at a festival that I go to, it seems. If you are having a drought, invite me to your festival, problem solved. I am looking, and plotting, on making something just for traveling and festivals. Cost is a concern, so planning on adapting something myself.

[Jeff Mando]

Great to hear all the happy and not-so-happy experiences and memories on this thread. It seems everyone has their own requirements that work for them. For me, as a young man it was all about the adventure with little concern for the comforts. As I got older, my needs seem to have increased. Also, now I reserve the right to just say "No" and stay home and watch Law and Order, if it seems like too much work. In my younger days the thought of staying home wasn't even in my thoughts, no matter how brutal the conditions I was up against. Sure, it is a state of mind, but....

Plus, after you have done something year after year -- you kind of know what it is all about. So, you can build on that. Or not.

Budget is often a concern. My previous point was buying a $200K RV doesn't save you money over hotels. You buy it because you like camping (but not exactly roughing it.)

Finally, stories of cooking in the rain and mosquitos made me think of the zen resolve that homeless people must develop to basically "camp" 7 days a week, year after year. Of course, "resolve" can be bolstered with the addition of mind-numbing substances. Not that I would recommend that.

[morgan]

The major drawbacks of camping are 1) sleeping on hard ground; 2) getting comfortably out of the rain when needed, and 3) campground noise. Big trailers and decked out Sprinter vans solve all of these problems with luxury to spare, but there are simpler solutions to those problems. Big trailers require big trucks to tow, and those trucks, trailers and vans cost big $$ and then you get 12 mpg while traveling. When my wife got tired of camping due primarily to 1, 2 and 3 above, my solution was to build a vardo trailer. Full size comfortable "gaucho" bed bed that retracts to half-size when not in use, sink with hand pump and 2 jerry cans for fresh & waste water, solar/USB-rechargeable Luci Lites for lighting, and a little Jackery unit to power computers, fans, etc. Insulated with thinsulite as much for noise as warmth. Bucket with a toilet seat for when you really need it. Weight is about 1500 lbs and we tow it with a Rav 4. If you've spent your life camping in a tent, as we have, this is the lap of luxury. If you're used to a big trailer, it's bare bones, and some might find it too minimal for long-term excursions (The interior photos showing the collapsed bed are mid-construction)

[Bob Caldwell]

I added this to my Highlander hybrid, used a EcoFlow/solar combo, plug in fridge. I spent 6 weeks on the road, camped at festivals and national parks, stayed in hotels when we needed some luxury and laundry. Best part is I don’t have to maintain and insure a second vehicle.

[Russ Jordan]

I can see myself having issues getting out of Bob’s rig safely in the middle of the night!!

[MikeEdgerton]

The major drawbacks of camping are 1) sleeping on hard ground; 2) getting comfortably out of the rain when needed, and 3) campground noise. Big trailers and decked out Sprinter vans solve all of these problems with luxury to spare, but there are simpler solutions to those problems. Big trailers require big trucks to tow, and those trucks, trailers and vans cost big $$ and then you get 12 mpg while traveling. When my wife got tired of camping due primarily to 1, 2 and 3 above, my solution was to build a vardo trailer. Full size comfortable "gaucho" bed bed that retracts to half-size when not in use, sink with hand pump and 2 jerry cans for fresh & waste water, solar/USB-rechargeable Luci Lites for lighting, and a little Jackery unit to power computers, fans, etc. Insulated with thinsulite as much for noise as warmth. Bucket with a toilet seat for when you really need it. Weight is about 1500 lbs and we tow it with a Rav 4. If you've spent your life camping in a tent, as we have, this is the lap of luxury. If you're used to a big trailer, it's bare bones, and some might find it too minimal for long-term excursions (The interior photos showing the collapsed bed are mid-construction)

I'd probably consider doing this just for the project of building it.

[morgan]

Sue Reiter said I have been to one jam camp and no other such festivals or events as of yet. I stayed in a cabin with a bunch of other people, not optimal. I just got a newer car, a 2nd hand Forester SUV, and I'm thinking about putting the back seats down and putting a mattress in the back and getting one of those tents that hangs off the back end of the vehicle, so there's a place to change and such.

My daughter wanted to learn basic carpentry so she and I built out her Honda Fit with a hinged platform bed that folded forward when you put the seats forward, and provided storage under the platform. It gives you an actual flat bed, and in a Honda Fit you need the extension of the seats forward to stretch out. Maybe not so much in a Forester. She took off on a month-long trip soon thereafter and said it was great. There are lots of youtube how-to videos and it wasn't difficult or expensive, just a sheet or two of plywood, some piano hinges, and a few screws. You can just take it out and stash it when you're done with the trip.

[Don Grieser]

morgan, that is very cool. I'm going to have to look into building one of those. I have a friend who built a tiny house on a trailer--maybe he can give me some assistance. My old 4 cylinder taco might be able to pull that.

[morgan]

It's built on a 5 x 8 mesh-floor utility trailer from tractor supply, and is modeled on the traditional "ledge" style roma caravans. "Ledge" refers to the shelves that go out over the wheels to provide extra width. There are brackets attached to the frame to support the shelves. My shelves are 9 inches, and the walls slope out at 5 degrees, which gives you another inch of width per vertical foot, which all adds up to being just able to squeeze a full size mattress (actually futon with a 2-inch mattress pad) across the end of the trailer. (If the mattress ran lengthwise their wouldn't be enough residual usable space to make the trailer useful.) It's lightly framed mostly with 2 x 2s, with 2 x 3 rafters running lengthwise. The side walls are 1/8-inch marine plywood, and the end walls are tongue and groove white pine. The roof is "poor mans fiberglass" - canvas glued (lots of glue)! on bendable plywood covered by 6-7 coats of paint. Dutch doors were very common on the caravans. There's enough info on the web to get you started, but I had to let the project rattle around in the back of my head for a year or two before I settled on a design. Van life web sites were helpful for some of the interior details and insulating.

[Mainer73]

I love the two vardos.

[Sue Rieter]

... Weight is about 1500 lbs ...

I'm assuming that's without your stuff on board? 1500 is the tow weight limit for my Forester.

[DaveGinNJ]

I would take it one step further and ask, how much do you like camping vs staying in really nice motels?

As a young man, I camped out of necessity of being broke. Actually, if I had my sleeping bag and my Ford van I was all set. Obviously, it works better in nice weather. Sometimes, I would lay my sleeping bag on top of the picnic table at a rest area and slept like a baby under the stars! I even "camped" parked on the street in New York City -- which was kind of scary 40 years ago. Today, I doubt it is even legal. And, in theory, I saved a lot of money on motels. In reality, I couldn't have traveled to a tenth of the places I've been, if I had to figure lodging into the cost. So, there's that.

Fast forward, my neighbor across the street bought a super fancy (expensive) RV when he retired and he and his wife went to every state except Alaska and Hawaii. They loved camping and spending time seeing all the sights. They did that for 20 years, she got sick and died, and now he doesn't use it but won't sell it because of the memories. Today, it is mostly used for a storage shed.

Two extremes. I'm not a kid anymore, and as a senior I prefer a motel with cable and internet. Of course, these days even Motel 6 will give ya that. OK, simple math says a $200,000 RV divided by a $200 a night hotel equals 1000 nights in a really nice hotel. If you can settle for a less fancy hotel you might get 2000 nights. OK, if you go out for 5 nights/6 days that calculates to 200-400 vacations in a nice motel. In all honesty, I know I don't have 200 vacations left in me. Let alone the desire.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Obviously, a nice RV requires major maintenance/tires etc., which is an added cost. Food, you have to buy either way. OTOH, you could get a nice used rig for $10-20K if you can get by with less space/comfort. Another factor, if you need to be immersed 24/7 in the BG festival, then camping is the way to go.

I also wonder how much is spent on gas and hookup fees. From a pure cost view it would seem like if you aren’t traveling that often a hotel would be cheaper. But then you may miss out on some the festival experienc

[Bill McCall]

Festival locations vary greatly. Wintergrass is in 2 adjoining, very nice hotels. A very popular Oregon festival is outside a town of 200 people. Obviously, amenities differ, hard to camp in Bellevue and no hotels in Tygh Valley.

The decision making math on how to go to festivals is too complex to do anything other than say ‘it varies’ for different people.

[morgan]

Sue Reiter asked "I'm assuming that's without your stuff on board? 1500 is the tow weight limit for my Forester. "

That's correct. It includes the mattress but otherwise empty.

[sunburst]

I also wonder how much is spent on gas and hookup fees. From a pure cost view it would seem like if you aren’t traveling that often a hotel would be cheaper. But then you may miss out on some the festival experienc

Cheaper to stay home (and miss out on the festival experience).

[marbelizer]

Love Bug trailer with picnic table, umbrella, coleman lantern, beer cooler.

[Simon DS]

Years ago when I had a car I thought of building a roof rack that would extend out to become a platform for a bed with tent sides that fitted around it.
The top would be open to the sky. That would be my perfect dream fest vehicle.

[journeybear]

I refer you to my tale of woe as related in Post #15. Sleeping on my futon mattress under a blanket of stars was great for two nights. But then when it rained - not so much. In what you describe, you could still duck inside your vehicle until the rain stopped, but the bed would be ruined. Unless you had an impervious tarp or such that could be deployed very quickly. Very quickly.

[CJD257]

Coleman Utah Pop up has served us well with three young kids. I LOVE sleeping with the sides wide open -really don't love enclosed airstream style sleeping. As they got older, they could go set up a tent if they wanted to be cool.

We are headed back out after a Covid/Kids getting older break) I see some kind of sprinter van in the future. We camp more than festival sleep.

One downside of the pop up is the inability to lock it. My newfound mandolin flue makes a locking option more attractive (sad to say).

[Bill Cameron]

Well I am of course an Eastman loyalist, midrange 5s or 6s, but it’s understandable that other folks like Kentuckies…oh wait.


My last. 2 minivans, a Chev Uplander and the below-mentioned Toyota Sienna,both 2008, I just took the back seats out and built a basic full-area shelf to stow my gear under and throw a mattress on top of. Worked fine and cheap to drive. Atlantic Coast rust just shot the Sienna out from under me, I now have a short box GM Canyon crew cab, put a blue plywood box on the back but it’s pretty small in there, I’m trying to figure out a camping rig. Maybe even a removable (?) second storey for the box, but cab-over. But a small lightweight trailer, teardrop or Boler-style might suit me. I’ll see.

[Jim Hilburn]

At my age if your going to camp you got to go in style. This is Winfield last year.
We did tents for years but made the upgrade about 10 years ago. First one was a nearly identical camper but it had a bunch of problems like roof leaks and spongey floor.
We saw this one locally about 4 years ago and jumped through the hoops to get it.

- - - Updated - - -

Stand on your head.

[Steve Mead]

Saw an ad yesterday for this new Toyota camper but the price is right up there

https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-...2021-sema-show

[journeybear]

... Stand on your head.

The pic rights itself when you click on it.

[sunburst]

The pic rights itself when you click on it.

Not if you're standing on your head.