23+ years in the Army taught me a thing or two about STAYING warm. We are warm blooded and that is what you need to keep in and not keep the cold out. 1. We used to keep our cold weather bags in a "waterproof" bag. Learning to turn that bag inside out and put it over the foot end of my bag was the single best thing to do for cold feet. I slept without socks after learning that trick. 2. Drink a hot drink with a healthy dose of fat in it. Hot chocolate with a couple of spins of butter in it is my personal favorite. Digesting the fat keeps your metabolism running thru the night and keeps you warm. 3. Take 2 DIFFERENT bottles inside your bag at night. They should not only look different they should feel different. One should be full of hot water and it will help warm your sleeping bag. The other is an empty (I use A Gatorade bottle) that you can pee in at night. Nothing sucks more than having to leave a nice warm need to take a leak at 0200. 4. If you wake up cold in the night so some crunches while in your sleeping bag. Working the ab muscles will generate some heat and hopefully give you an extra hour or two of sleep. 5. I put a butane or propane stove within arms reach with a lighter on it. Next to that an empty coffee pot that I fill with my water bottle (not the Gatorade bottle!). When I wake up I fire up the stove, fill the pot and put it on to heat. You can hear when it is ready and your 3/4 the way to a hot cup of coffee. I hope these ideas help. Look to other "experts" like backpackers etc for other ideas.
General Antiseptic No I haven't. When I said "DIFFERENT" I meant two bottles that were different in size and shape. As soon as I touch either bottle muscle memory would tell me which one I had. I'm sure there are a great many experiences that a Soldier would consider routine that a civilian would have a hard time comprehending.
Remember Kiddies, if it comes down to paying the rent or making the car payment, make the car payment. You can live in your car, but you cant drive your house.
41 Mhz And never buy a car that you cannot pay cash for. If you have to get a loan from a bank to buy a car, you cannot afford the car. Too many ignorant young people driving around $14,000-$23,000 cars you know damn well they are making payments on something that devalues every mile you put on it. Get a beater between $1500 to $5,000 with cash up front, instead of pretending you are something you are not.
I car camped for 8 mo in and around Portland before I finally got into a place.. Portland is easy to car camp because it doesn’t really get cold even at night but it is wet hahaha other than that a great lax place to be car camping and homeless in general
When I was 23, I left for Boulder,Colo, in March from Indiana!! I had a shell on my pickup truck with a bed and 1 thousand dollars to my name!! I so enjoyed the winter camping that now I'm 68 and do the same thing every once in a while!! It still reminds me of my youth, what fun!! Thanks
The best heat source I've ever had while winter van camping is my pitbull.....those little buddy heaters are ok but nothing beats a nice warm dog under the covers with you in sub freezing weather!
I was going to say the same thing, except my pup is a small yellow rescue lab named Katy. She loves to snuggle on cold nights in the Colorado Rockies. Dogs are the best!
Get a stainless steel water bottle and stop at the gas station before you go to bed. The coffee makers usually have a lever for hot water only on the side. Fill your water bottle up with hot water and place it in your sleeping bag.
About point number 6, I would suggest you to invest in some window rain guards. They allow you not only to keep the window opened when it's raining or snowing, but they also hide the open window. Your tupperware lid is a good idea when caught by surprise, but it would look sketchy in a residential area and would attract unwanted attention. Depending on your vehicle, you can find some for under 50$, but it's worth it. Stay safe! :)
So low profile that you might forget about it! I left the window cracked while I went hiking around on a trip across California and there was a sandstorm and now 6 months later, I'm still finding pockets of sand in my car!
check out wellvisors com I spend alot of the summer sleeping in my 4runner and having an inch or two to roll all the windows down and stay dry is dreamy.
You dont have a nice warm sleepingbag if you wake up freezing, you have a crappy cold one...spend some money on a norwegian sleeping bag with comfort temp down to -40c and you will never wake up shivering again..
dont care how good your bag is. When you wake up at 3 am to piss your dick is still going to freeze to your hand..lol.... Car camping (or van) camping can be cold. I have a little buddy heater on a 25 lb propane bottle. Thats my solution. But kind of hard to have in tighter quarters like a car....
@@BackcountryNomad You can use a bottle to piss in during night, so you don't have to open the doors and take in the cold (or freeze your most precious bodyparts).
Regardless what size vehicle you have a 12v fan (usually wigh a suction cup for the windows) only draws 1 AH. The smallest passenger vehicle has a 50 AH battery. You are only supposed to drain no more than 25% of your battery so it will still crank the starter the next day. So, if you are laying and/or sleeping with a fan on for 12 hours straight with the vehicle OFF, that is only 12 AH drained from the 50+ AH battery. Less than 25% drain. You are fine without a 120v fan on a power inverter. Also, as a trucker we has a bunk heatet. It is 12 volts as well. quite a bit more expensive but you can get heat with the truck off. But if it is -20°C or colder the you risk your truck not starting the next morning. LoL!! Those are my heat and fan solutions.
Here’s my suggestion for heat: if the car is not running, you don’t have to have the window open for fresh oxygen. The car has plenty of air drafting areas for that. Also, tea candles put under terra-cotta vases provide excellent heat that is slowly released. Getting a few round stones to absorb the heat from the heater while driving, then tuck them in with you at night is also a great way to keep the inside warmer for longer. If you don’t want stones, then find something that can absorb the heat throughout the day and slowly release it at night. Using cloth between the windows and the styrofoam blackouts will reduce the frost on the windows. The cloth will absorb the moisture more than the window will collect it. Try to reduce the space that you want to keep warm by using partitions such hanging heavy blankets. Or make a small tent just large enough for you to fit your bedding in. This will help to capture your own body heat and insulate you from the larger area of the interior. Foam padding is also a great insulator for a bed, as well as making it softer. Also the direction and location that you park makes a difference also.. try to park on the south side of a large building or structure. If you are in the wilderness, try to park on the south side of an embankment or hill. And park as closely to it as possible. Parking under some cover also helps to protect from heat loss. So if you can park under a thick branched tree that would be good. Just be aware of any snow that has accumulated in the tree that might be a problem if it fell or broke a limb. Of course don’t park under a tree if there is a thunderstorm or high winds.
I know this comment was from 6 years ago but honestly I’ve found that if I don’t sleep with the window open i wake up heavy breathing and gasping for air a bit. I’d suggest keep the window open or at least In my car I find I need to! Have fun all
What he forgot to tell you: 1. Always change out of your clothes into dry clothes before bed, always! 2. Use a wool blanket under you on top of a sheet of styrofoam to keep yourself warm. 3. Don't keep your window cracked in weather under 45 degrees. Unless there are more than 5 people in the car. Then have someome open a window thru out the night a few times. 4. Get a sleeping bag rated for -30 That has an area for your head head to be inside the bag. 5. Shower only after you wake up. You never want to shower right before bed with wet/damp hair or skin. Unless you shower and wait 2hrs before bed. 6. Electronic cars with push start need a secure system. When you have the key inside the car it doesn't always keep the doors unlocked. 7. Always sleep with a hat on. 8. Remove your shoes before you sleep 9. Rain X has a product that keeps the windows from fogging up. 10. Park your car sunrise for morning sun on your windsheild.
My childhood friend's Father,brother, uncle died in a snowstorm in Idaho from Co2 poisoning parked in a car during a snow storm. The snow blocked the tail pipe and they had the heater running. Always check it is not covered before using the heater.
I am very sorry to hear that Linda. That is a very real and scary reality with snowstorms. Thank you for sharing, I will be keeping that in mind for sure in future winter travels.
Frost guard for your windshield. Privacy and no scrapping the frost off in the morning. Took my two oldest daughters(9&7) car camping last week. Had a freaking blast! Camped in a state park the provided electricity. Put an extension cord in through the sun roof and plugged in a mini heater with a thermostat. Took two dogs and a cat.lol
More tips... Sleeping on an air mattress can be cold. Try a foam one that will trap your body heat. Also, if you truck has remote start, activate it in the middle of the night if you wake up. The truck runs for 15 minutes and shuts off automatically so you can fall back asleep and not worry about it. That's usually enough time to warm up the interior and you don't waste too much gas. Do that 1-2 times a night on those really cold nights.
tip: buy a $200 car starter. On the cold mornings just remote start your car with the key before getting out of your sleeping bag. Best investment ever!
I put one in my Transit T350 and it is awesome. Additional security and the ability to start the van (pre set the heater etc) them roll over and snooze only to rise in a toasty vehicle is worth the expense.
Once I decided to drive alone from the Netherlands to Sweden. Had a couchsurf in Helsingborg which was great. And next day afternoon driving to Stockholm. Late in the night wanted to go to a hostel somewhere in the middle of the route but all of them where closed. Some point I had to sleep in the car in the night. I had a cheap cotton sleeping bag and just other cotton clothes. Temperatures went down just to bit below freezing point and it was horrible! Every 30min woke up to start up the car to heat up enough so I could sleep again 30min. I really learned from this experience and tried afterwards to learn more about sleeping in a car. Well 8 years ago there was actually none information about it on the internet. Just an American article I founded that your best place to sleep was at a car parking at a Wall mart. Rest none! But I read that cotton is a killer since it holds moisture. So bought a goose feather sleeping bag, thermarest sleep mat. And the best thing you can buy for your money... FLEECE BLANKETS! they are cheap and hold almost no moisture. Last couple of years when I leave Friday's after work to drive to Austria for a week of winter sports I drive as far as possible I can. And sleep in the car somewhere in Germany near to a highway resting place or so. But If I do that I do not park my car next to the highway because of the noise. And not next to trucks since they have automated trailer cooling or heating systems which could wake you up. Then I take off most of my clothes and wrap my self in a thin layer of fleece blanket into the goose feather sleeping bag. And it works like a charm! Even when it's freezing. Next morning if I wake up just turn on the engine to make it toasty and get my self ready for the last bit of driving. Sleeping in the carIt's a little adventure and saves you big money sleeping in hotels or so. Good luck! :)
that's right cotton is very bad for winter; unlike wool or synthetics it does not keep you warm if it gets moist, say from body heat, sweat and it's a poor insulator.
There are couple of cheap ways to prepare for a cold night in a car which I have tried. 1. Take out the seats , carpets, door panels and roof lining, insulate using heat shields or like sound proofings. 2. Make good window shields using heat shields and clothes like what you see in the videos (most of heat escapes through the glass). 3. Fill your cabin with comfy blankets, bags and clothes. 4. Take 4 or 5 good plastic water bottles, if possible fill it with hot water from surrounding outlets and tuck them in between the blankets (make sure its tight and sealed ) dont sleep directly on top of them. 5. If possible buy your personal hot bag (there are electric ones available ) 6. Install extra deep cycle battery on your car with an inverter and an isolator, that way you could use low watt electric blankets (some even with power banks are available ). There are also other expensive ways to get cozy. Good sleep to all campers.
I'll be semi homeless. Jacked up my rent to be unaffordable and I've got problems with bugs that won't go way. They can F their rent. My car is paid off and I intent to stick close to work. On super cold days I'll get a hotel. Fam's house on weekends (they are hour away) just temporary but it's going to be interesting to see how it does in really cold weather. Warm weather it was fine. Guess I'll find out. Lol
Absolutely loved this video man. Well done sir! From a technical standpoint: Your video quality, editing, sound track and commentary were all on point. From a personal standpoint: I just got done with a six week road trip ‘stealth car camping’ down the entire East Coast from Portland Maine, all the way down to Jacksonville Florida. Having done that over the past six weeks, I COMPLETELY relate to some of the points you had in the video. 1. ALWAYS DISARM THE CAR ALARM (Loved it! Thought I was the only one who’d done that): I was in South Carolina and made COMPLETE jerk of myself in a Walmart parking lot at 3am doing that. 2. Frost on the inside of the window. This is such a pain right! 3. Sleeping in the car will be miserable. But it’s all about the places you go. I loved that point and completely agree. Only way I’ve been about to take the trip I’ve taken is because of my willingness to make the plunge into ‘stealth car camping’ as I call it. Wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had over the past six weeks for anything. Sorry for the long comment, but keep up the good work. Just wanted to let you know I dig the video and know your struggle brother. p.s. if you come through Chattanooga TN in the next three months, give me a heads up, you can crash on the couch.
James! It's nice to meet you and thank you for your kind comments and support, that means a lot! It sounds like you've had some pretty great adventures yourself! That's awesome! It's not the easiest thing to do that's for sure, but it can be worth it as you know;)
A hint for the inside freezing of the windows, get a moisture capture thing from dollar tree, it helps keep the moisture down and also keeps the car smelling fresh.
keep a lot of newspaper at few places in your van, trow them every 2 days or so, and keep replacing them with fresh ones, they suck up a lot of the humidity naturally. Grantee less in your windows
The advice is good, but personally I think there many aspects about winter car camping can cozy and peaceful, not all “cold and miserable”. In line with that quote “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.
I swear, you have less subs and views that you should have. Video quality, the fact that you timelapsed a lot of stuff and you edited every second is something you see at channels with 300k+ subs. I subbed to you, man. Good job! I'm waiting for new videos. Have a nice day!
Mihai, thank you very much for your kind words and support! I love doing this stuff and will keep doing it. It's a blast for me, I'm very happy to hear you like what I'm making. Are you a hiker or traveler?
Agree this vid is so good and well edited, but without losing the realness of it. First winter car camping vid I watched. My vid is just pants in comparison :p Thank you for putting it up and out there :)
I dropped everything and packed all my possessions in my camaro and drove up to Maine, took me three days, and two more when I was here to get situated into a pkace. On my extremely limited budget this video made the difference between if I would've made it or not. So this us just a genuine thank you, don't know if I would've been able yo without this
Put up a heavy curtain blocking the front seat area from the rear sleeping area. Get 2-4 big deep cycles and run a small 12v heater and electric blanket. Super comfy
I use 3 or 4 hot water bottles. An alternative would be to use plastic water containers. Build a fire in ur camp and heat up enough water to fill ur containers. keep the containers under a thick comforter. I never use sleeping bags just lots of thick fluffy comforters.
If you do this again, check out a 12 volt electric blanket. they come with 30 to 45 minute times so you can warm up your bag before getting into it. Hobo ovens: smaller steel can that can hold votive candles and a larger can that goes over it (with holes for air). Look up heat a seat which will warm you up without electricity.
That's a good tip with the foam insulation! Single mom van dweller here also if you can go to a thrift shop and fine like an ice bucket, we use glass and it's fairly large ish, but we get candles the big thick candles from like thrift stores for $2 maybe 3 or put them in there and we lite those and we just let those go and let all the residual heat from the candle help keep the inside of the van warm while we have a little cracked window. Also there is our mr. Buddy heater, it uses a lil propane tank or a big one, up to you. we only use the 1 pound cylinders and just buy a couple of those a week s but that's being used as needed seeing as we're in the mountain tree line next to a city vancamping for free
I've slept in my car when it's really cold maybe once or twice. Both times I had two sleeping bags, one inside the other, some thick boot socks on top of regular socks, long johns, sweat pants and snow pants, a tee-shirt, a hoodie, and my winter coat, a snow cap, my hoodie's hood as well as my jackets hood, and last but not least, a good thick pair of gloves. Stayed pretty warm and was able to fall asleep
This was fun and interesting. I once got stuck out too far to get to a hotel and did some unplanned car camping in winter hehe, about 30 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and it wasn’t too bad. We kept our layers on, cracked the windows, shivered a bit and were just fine. Car camping saves a lot of money if you can find safe enough places to do it. This video had awesome tips!
I have used a normal electric blanket, with a 12v deep cycle battery and a 120v inverter. The battery can provide enough power for 2 days use, before a re-charge is needed. A queen sized blanket is 130 Watts. Using a separate battery ensures that you can always get the car started.
@@nhcharmedone False, marine batteries are hybrid type of battery. They can start a car and provide some cycling ability but will die fairly quick. The batteries you see at walmart are not deep cycle.
Hey, LOVED the video, nice job! I live in my RV full time and RVers often use a heater called Mr. Heater Buddy. It's a small propane heater that can be used indoor and outdoor and doesn't require any electricity. I use them when my power goes out for backup, a really handy dandy heater and not expensive. You can use the disposable 1lb. propane bottles (convenient) or with the use of hoses you can use a larger tank (economical). I plan on using this heater this fall on a trip across the country that I will be sleeping in my van. You do not have to freeze! Best of luck to you, keep on keepin on!
That's great advice Patty! So cool you live in your RV, what a cool way to live! Very inspiring! I've done the buddy heater before and it worked, but I have the large version and I wasn't comfortable sleeping with it on as everything is so close inside this SUV. But maybe the smaller model with more breathing room could work. Thanks you!
I found out, if you have large box of candle put it in the jar lit one candle touch the metal top increase 20 to 30 degree upper but open the window very little. I learned from Minnesota people. That's a wonderful idea
1989 I used to travel around in my 77 Dodge Van. This is before Internet and UA-cam. I followed the 70* line north and south, sometimes it got colder and there was frost on the screws that held up the headliner and frost on the windows inside and out. All in all I was warm enough on my platform bed. I did have a 50 caliber bullet box wood stove mounted on an all metal milk crate with a 3" diameter stove pipe going out sheet metal mounted in the window. If I burned 3 paper grocery bags filled with tumble weed stems I could cook a small pot of rice. Small cut wood sticks were way better.
Love the ammo box stove! However my '66 Bronco was a convertible in '83 & '84, with no suitable flue location. Lots of air leaks... Sure is a lot more comfortable in the van now with the the Wiggy's bags and pad, but that old green Bronco was the ultimate stealth camper. All you needed was space between trees and a gate in the fence. 229k on the factory clutch when the rust won the war.
Fought with my then wife, took a break to Bishop, CA for almost 3 weeks. Wear jeans, long socks, shoes, t-shirt, sweater, nylon light jacket, 2 blankets and wrap yourself up like a burrito and try not to move as much. Use the hoodie on the sweater to cover your face. Find a cardboard so that you can pitch a tent on the hoodie so you can catch some of the warm breathe air
always a challenge. I like to line up water bottles on the dash and let the defrosters heat them up for washing up in the morning. 4 bottles will wash your hair and the rest of you if you practice. lol.. stay warm out there!!!!
Spent lots of cold night in a truck while hot shotting cars. Wax the hell out of your windows and keep all the moisture control packets you find in food or electronics. Place them everywhere. I always used woolto keep warm. Good luck
Thanks for the honesty about the cold. Some of the conversion van videos are essentially house on wheels with dangerous propane heaters, etc $$. I do what you're doing. It's not a house, it's a van.
if u can pee in a water bottle, bring a big empty one so you don't loose heat getting out to tinkle in the middle of the night. Also a good snuggle buddy right after.
I've had a propane portable heater in my truck before. As long as there is a window cracked, are super careful and turn it off before you sleep it works better than great.
Cool idea with the foam. My favorite camping vehicle would be the prius its automatic idle shut down and low cooling and heating cycles make it affordable to conventional car idling. But planning out makes all the difference if you have to ruff it out without modern conveniences.
There are also Heating Pads, Hot water bottles, & electric Blankets, if you don't mind carrying an extra long lasting good size car battery. Plus with an inverter, you can watch netflix with your computer, or Smartphone, Charge your stuff, & there are actually Many solar appliances now. This woman WILL find a way to have coffee & stay warm still stiff ol bones are ready to move...or Not LOL Also lighting candles will provide quite a bit of heat just put them down in coffee cans in a safe place Like a Cake pan & some I've heard use heated rocks put unto coffee cans & set in a baking pan.
Me and my wife car camped at a Loves Truck Stop in Alabama in the middle of the summer in a 13' Subaru Outback 2.5 we had our bed mats and blankets, cooler, carbon monoxide detector, and we I let the car idle all night (about 8.5 hours) for use of the AC, because at night with the high humidity/temps were still in the high 85-89° that car only used barely over 2 gallons of gas at a cost of $5.00. So for the occasional car camper and the more fuel efficient cars and if you take the appropriate safety precautions I have no problem letting the engine run all night to keep me comfortable.
Another suggestion. Did u know if you wash your mirrors w shaving cream humidity, as in shower steam won't fog up mirrors soooooo I figure it will keep Windows looking good even though your humid breathing steams it up. Come on this may work..... Try it.
Take it from me, who has spent a lifetime in the wilds in all seasons. Sleeping in a good sleeping bag inside a high quality tent erected beside the car is far warmer and dryer, with a lot less condensation, than sleeping inside a cold metal box (your vehicle).
That's awesome! Funny how things work out like that. I've got some other videos in Edmonton. And some of my next ones will be back in Edmonton again actually.
Just stumbled on this video after taking my 2004 Honda Pilot on a couple of winter overnight dispersed camping trips. When you added to remember to unlock your car with the fob before starting the car (or opening the door) I had to laugh because that happened to me and had me scrambling to figure out how to quickly turn it off at 2:00AM.
I did it for two years in my station wagon. Parked next to a light pole got me electricity from the pole and I got me an electric heater that one look like a radiator.
You don'tabsolutely need a great sleeping bag as long as you have a number of cheap ones. Preferably one mummy bag and a couple larger rectangular bags so you can nest them. The idea 9f one super cold weather bag is mainly a backpacking concept. People slept in the cold for millennia before the invention of lightweight backpacking. They used piled up blankets and furs. Same idea. You do absolutely need a great winter sleeping hat. Trapper style is great. Won't fall off your head bcs of chin strap.
Currently I have a -30 mummy bad but the zipper is broken so it's more like a comforter now I also have 3 relatively light blankets.. It's getting around freezing at night and I'm fine sometimes I wake up sweating. I'm probably gonna have to buy a new sleeping bag when it gets colder
You don't need to crank a window, just make sure the heaters are not set to recirculating and you have a feed for fresh air at a lower height, keeping more hot air in that way. Cars are not designed to be air tight. Think how many times 4 people have travelled in a car for 2hrs+ with windows shut. Equivilant of 8hrs breathing of one person and not even close to being a problem. With all the windows shut the heat will stay in longer as well.
These people all want to sleep with the car turned off. They think they're going to die if the car is running. Do you die when you're awake driving around.
They have things called heaters you know like small ones. Small air heaters are really great too because they suck out the cold air and give out warm air. It’s not going to be toasty warm but it’ll still be more bearable from freezing cold.
They are getting better at those electric blankets to where they are portable. They even made a jacket version that I would like to get. Even the small heaters are good. 1 winter my apartment Air/Heating unit broke down. I didn't have to much money so I ended up get a Holmes® Oscillating Ceramic Indoor Heater. It worked "Really" well for my studio apartment, and it has a thermostat dial that kept my place at a steady temp. You might want to set it up on the passenger side foot spot.
Have you never heard of Mr. Heater - Little Buddy or Big Buddy? I run my heater in my camper shell (5 winters now!) Roasty-toasty. I put my 25 lb. propane tank between my seats (I have an extra cab) and run the 8' hose through my sliding rear window and across my curtain rods (yes I have curtains - I am after all a woman and have womanly needs!) I also have a hospital mattress - and plenty of pillows and sleeping bags. Also, a bookshelf and various racks. It is "homey."
Don't worry about the condensation being uncomfortable. Worry about the damage it's doing to your car. The open window will help, as will the kitty litter.
By far your video is the best "camp in car" video. You are nice guy, natural, not fake, cool edit, good sequence and everything else ;) thanks bro looking forward in to camping in my crapy toyota SEDAN in Iceland :D
Thank you Lukas, I appreciate your kind words! I hope your Iceland car camping experience is by choice... that sounds like an amazing place and would love to come see it!
MILE30 Adventures wow that's a realy quick respons :D well I was thinking about camping for a while now, it was coming and going. And now I'm in Iceland and here accomodations are super expencive, and I though... Why not try at least for "Icelandick summer". My friend will be doing that, actually a lot of people are doing that here. So that would be my dream come true :D be a homless for a while :D I wish you all the best, world needs that possitivity
You can buy Mass Loading Vinyl or Sound deadening foam sheets and install them behind every piece of plastic trim, under the carpet and roof. They will insulate the car from the weather :), besides obviously making the car quieter on the road.
Excellent video thank you. I'm in the process of moving into my wife's Honda Fit. This and many of your other vids will be helpful. I'll be in touch. Thanks again!
A Honda Fit! Wow, that's quite the move! I've slept in one a couple times and considering the size of the vehicle it's not bad at all. But it's still a tight fit! Good luck with your move!
Thank you . It's a necessary evil. I'm so looking forward to it. A major life change I'm hoping for the better. I want to move in asap before the death of winter comes so I can have time to slowly get used to it.
My tip for keeping warm. Make sure you have peed before sleeping and pee when you feel the urge. Otherwise your body will try too keep it warm instead of yourself. I simply use a juicebottle with a extra big opening myself
A good pee bottle is a key item to keep handy. And when it's really cold, the pee bottle makes a nice hand warmer - or whatever body part is coldest - for about 15 minutes or so. Really cold is really cold and necessity is the mother of invention.
I have one, but it s the extra large one. This is just a personal preference, but I don't feel super comfortable with having a flame in the car with propane when I sleep. I know a lot of people do it and if it works for them, that's great. Just not my preference. But I agree, it would be MUCH easier and warmer!
thanks for the great vid 👍 good thing you mentioned about heating yourself before sleep - takes so much time to naturally heat yourself in sleeping bag in -C conditions. Food with lots of energy right before sleep does wonders too.
Hi just saw your video. I live in MN, so am familiar w moisture in the car. Get a pair of tube socks and a bag of rice. Fill the sock w Rice, tie the end, and put it near a window or vent. Might need to try a few places. It helps keep the windows from fogging up if you get over heated. Good luck!
So, I cut out the foam to fit into my windows-done. Then, I crack one window 1-2" to get the air ventilation. But, wouldn't it be blocked by all of the foam cut outs? Wouldn't the cut out get blow over? How did you get around this? Besides that one point of confusion, this video was EXACTLY what I was looking for, and it was really well made.
Hey Zach! I'm glad you found the video helpful! With the foam, cut them so they are snug enough so they won't fall out. The foam will bend a bit. It will be virtually be impossible to get a perfect seal with the foam, so the air will get in through the imperfection around the edges. If you are worries about not enough air getting in, you can adjust your cut a bit to have bigger gaps. I hoped this helped!
I was told several years ago, by a trucker, that a candle will keep the temperature above freezing in inside the cab. I would suggest, maybe, a candle in a glass? A Ball jar would probably most likely not to break from the heat. Any empty glass jar that you get from the super market should be heat resistant. Put it in a cup holder in the console. You have two cup holders, maybe two candles. Light one and when it burns down light the other. Even if this works it will still be cold, but you won't have any frozen water or sweat. You can find cheap candles in thrift stores. Some are used, but others are not. There are five hour candles too. I found mine at the Dollar Tree. Four candle stick candles for a dollar. Twenty hours of flame. I haven't burned one, so I don't know if they really do burn for five hours.
I have a 2004 Honda CR-V I do the same dam thing when I go skiing. Right down to the battery pack and windows, I used reflex. Best dam thing ever is a Military -40 Degree bag!
If you have a hybrid like a Prius, it will automatically start the engine every so often, warm the car up, then shut off. This helps the engine stay warm...and you....and doesnt run enough to cost hardly any money, and doesnt run enough to build up CO gas. Its awesome summer or winter because the engine doesnt have to run much, and all fully automatic like a house thermostat.
I've been (intentionally) homeless for over a year and have slept outside in -53 C temperatures. Last winter I slept *outside* in Ashland, Wisconsin. For 2 days it was the coldest place on Earth. I made a yurt, tucked 3 winter sleeping bags inside of each other over a layer of plywood and cardboard, and lit candles before going to bed for a few minutes. It was so warm I slept naked inside the bags.
Just so you know, about the heat, you can easily get a lot of heat, you can bye a noiseless oil heater that uses diesel. You have to make a few modifications to your car, but then you can sleep in 86F if you want to:-)
You are welcome, try to look at the oil heater for the piaggio ape, it is small and works, you should properly look for a used one, they are wary expensive:-)
MILE30 Adventures i am a firefighter and first responder. That is a very very bad idea. The risk of co2 exposure is very high. Starting your vehicle with a window cracked is much safer. Be sure that your exhaust is no blocked.
Awesome man, I do this every year in my truck hunting season. When it gets to the 20's things get much less comfortable. Im trying to set up a winter truck bed rig but haven't tried yet. I use a small propane heater with window cracked on really cold nights its awesome. except for when I burnt a sleeping bag lol.
That sounds awesome Kenny! That's what I'm afraid of with the heater! Just need to find a good spot for it. I'm excited to hear more about your bed in the truck when you end up doing it, that sounds awesome!
@@brendanmcanally3309 just go to place that sells beds and find one that is made of all foam like the memory foam ones, you can find them quite cheap now or even free if ou don't find a second hand one xD. If it is all foam you just cut the fabric open, use a stanley knife or electric carving knife and cut the foam them bam stitch it up and you got a custom size mattress.
23+ years in the Army taught me a thing or two about STAYING warm. We are warm blooded and that is what you need to keep in and not keep the cold out.
1. We used to keep our cold weather bags in a "waterproof" bag. Learning to turn that bag inside out and put it over the foot end of my bag was the single best thing to do for cold feet. I slept without socks after learning that trick.
2. Drink a hot drink with a healthy dose of fat in it. Hot chocolate with a couple of spins of butter in it is my personal favorite. Digesting the fat keeps your metabolism running thru the night and keeps you warm.
3. Take 2 DIFFERENT bottles inside your bag at night. They should not only look different they should feel different. One should be full of hot water and it will help warm your sleeping bag. The other is an empty (I use A Gatorade bottle) that you can pee in at night. Nothing sucks more than having to leave a nice warm need to take a leak at 0200.
4. If you wake up cold in the night so some crunches while in your sleeping bag. Working the ab muscles will generate some heat and hopefully give you an extra hour or two of sleep.
5. I put a butane or propane stove within arms reach with a lighter on it. Next to that an empty coffee pot that I fill with my water bottle (not the Gatorade bottle!). When I wake up I fire up the stove, fill the pot and put it on to heat. You can hear when it is ready and your 3/4 the way to a hot cup of coffee.
I hope these ideas help. Look to other "experts" like backpackers etc for other ideas.
Very useful info for me except the gatorade part since I'm a woman 😂
snowyconfession, you need to Google "female urinary device".
I couldn't understand anything you said. would you mind explaining a bit more on whatever army technique you learned. thanx
General Antiseptic No I haven't. When I said "DIFFERENT" I meant two bottles that were different in size and shape. As soon as I touch either bottle muscle memory would tell me which one I had.
I'm sure there are a great many experiences that a Soldier would consider routine that a civilian would have a hard time comprehending.
Shawn I am not sure if you are serious or not.
Remember Kiddies, if it comes down to paying the rent or making the car payment, make the car payment. You can live in your car, but you cant drive your house.
I LOVE this!!
41 Mhz And never buy a car that you cannot pay cash for. If you have to get a loan from a bank to buy a car, you cannot afford the car. Too many ignorant young people driving around $14,000-$23,000 cars you know damn well they are making payments on something that devalues every mile you put on it. Get a beater between $1500 to $5,000 with cash up front, instead of pretending you are something you are not.
been sleeping in cars 2 years now...its tough, stay positive ,dont think to much...where are u from?
I car camped for 8 mo in and around Portland before I finally got into a place.. Portland is easy to car camp because it doesn’t really get cold even at night but it is wet hahaha other than that a great lax place to be car camping and homeless in general
@@bjorn3923 what about right now? Is it cold right now? I live in the bay area and its getting cold.
When I was 23, I left for Boulder,Colo, in March from Indiana!! I had a shell on my pickup truck with a bed and 1 thousand dollars to my name!! I so enjoyed the winter camping that now I'm 68 and do the same thing every once in a while!! It still reminds me of my youth, what fun!! Thanks
The best heat source I've ever had while winter van camping is my pitbull.....those little buddy heaters are ok but nothing beats a nice warm dog under the covers with you in sub freezing weather!
Gah! I would love to have a dog come along for something like this. 100% yes!
Liam Kelly , 2 or 3 beat 1.
What do you call a really cold evening?
A: 3 Dog Night.
I was going to say the same thing, except my pup is a small yellow rescue lab named Katy. She loves to snuggle on cold nights in the Colorado Rockies. Dogs are the best!
Liam Kelly Best idea yet! Dogs are nothing but love!!
Get a stainless steel water bottle and stop at the gas station before you go to bed. The coffee makers usually have a lever for hot water only on the side. Fill your water bottle up with hot water and place it in your sleeping bag.
When I first started camping in my sedan, I somehow managed to pull the emergency trunk release with my foot, setting my alarm off at 5am 😅🤣
Use newspapers to make a pattern for Windows then use it to cut the window insulation
That probably would have been easier haha
About point number 6, I would suggest you to invest in some window rain guards. They allow you not only to keep the window opened when it's raining or snowing, but they also hide the open window. Your tupperware lid is a good idea when caught by surprise, but it would look sketchy in a residential area and would attract unwanted attention. Depending on your vehicle, you can find some for under 50$, but it's worth it.
Stay safe! :)
Hey! That is a great idea! I was actually toying with that idea earlier this week. Smart and very low profile. Thanks for the tips!!
So low profile that you might forget about it! I left the window cracked while I went hiking around on a trip across California and there was a sandstorm and now 6 months later, I'm still finding pockets of sand in my car!
Oh no!! I don't want to imagine that mess.
check out wellvisors com I spend alot of the summer sleeping in my 4runner and having an inch or two to roll all the windows down and stay dry is dreamy.
Awesome, thank you Logan!!
You dont have a nice warm sleepingbag if you wake up freezing, you have a crappy cold one...spend some money on a norwegian sleeping bag with comfort temp down to -40c and you will never wake up shivering again..
Norwegian sleeping bag?
dont care how good your bag is. When you wake up at 3 am to piss your dick is still going to freeze to your hand..lol.... Car camping (or van) camping can be cold. I have a little buddy heater on a 25 lb propane bottle. Thats my solution. But kind of hard to have in tighter quarters like a car....
CHANCE Cayenne when can we go camping bud?
@@BackcountryNomad You can use a bottle to piss in during night, so you don't have to open the doors and take in the cold (or freeze your most precious bodyparts).
Link me a sleeping bag?
Regardless what size vehicle you have a 12v fan (usually wigh a suction cup for the windows) only draws 1 AH. The smallest passenger vehicle has a 50 AH battery. You are only supposed to drain no more than 25% of your battery so it will still crank the starter the next day. So, if you are laying and/or sleeping with a fan on for 12 hours straight with the vehicle OFF, that is only 12 AH drained from the 50+ AH battery. Less than 25% drain. You are fine without a 120v fan on a power inverter.
Also, as a trucker we has a bunk heatet. It is 12 volts as well. quite a bit more expensive but you can get heat with the truck off. But if it is -20°C or colder the you risk your truck not starting the next morning. LoL!!
Those are my heat and fan solutions.
Here’s my suggestion for heat: if the car is not running, you don’t have to have the window open for fresh oxygen. The car has plenty of air drafting areas for that. Also, tea candles put under terra-cotta vases provide excellent heat that is slowly released. Getting a few round stones to absorb the heat from the heater while driving, then tuck them in with you at night is also a great way to keep the inside warmer for longer. If you don’t want stones, then find something that can absorb the heat throughout the day and slowly release it at night. Using cloth between the windows and the styrofoam blackouts will reduce the frost on the windows. The cloth will absorb the moisture more than the window will collect it. Try to reduce the space that you want to keep warm by using partitions such hanging heavy blankets. Or make a small tent just large enough for you to fit your bedding in. This will help to capture your own body heat and insulate you from the larger area of the interior. Foam padding is also a great insulator for a bed, as well as making it softer. Also the direction and location that you park makes a difference also.. try to park on the south side of a large building or structure. If you are in the wilderness, try to park on the south side of an embankment or hill. And park as closely to it as possible. Parking under some cover also helps to protect from heat loss. So if you can park under a thick branched tree that would be good. Just be aware of any snow that has accumulated in the tree that might be a problem if it fell or broke a limb. Of course don’t park under a tree if there is a thunderstorm or high winds.
Thank you for these great ideas Vincent!
I know this comment was from 6 years ago but honestly I’ve found that if I don’t sleep with the window open i wake up heavy breathing and gasping for air a bit. I’d suggest keep the window open or at least In my car I find I need to! Have fun all
What he forgot to tell you:
1. Always change out of your clothes into dry clothes before bed, always!
2. Use a wool blanket under you on top of a sheet of styrofoam to keep yourself warm.
3. Don't keep your window cracked in weather under 45 degrees. Unless there are more than 5 people in the car. Then have someome open a window thru out the night a few times.
4. Get a sleeping bag rated for -30 That has an area for your head head to be inside the bag.
5. Shower only after you wake up. You never want to shower right before bed with wet/damp hair or skin. Unless you shower and wait 2hrs before bed.
6. Electronic cars with push start need a secure system. When you have the key inside the car it doesn't always keep the doors unlocked.
7. Always sleep with a hat on.
8. Remove your shoes before you sleep
9. Rain X has a product that keeps the windows from fogging up.
10. Park your car sunrise for morning sun on your windsheild.
My childhood friend's Father,brother, uncle died in a snowstorm in Idaho from Co2 poisoning parked in a car during a snow storm. The snow blocked the tail pipe and they had the heater running. Always check it is not covered before using the heater.
I am very sorry to hear that Linda. That is a very real and scary reality with snowstorms. Thank you for sharing, I will be keeping that in mind for sure in future winter travels.
CO , carbone monoxide. That's what come out of your exaust not carbone dioxide co2
Linda Moses Wow good tip. Sorry for your loss.
Dummies
With the heater running, wouldn't it be pulling in fresh air?
Frost guard for your windshield. Privacy and no scrapping the frost off in the morning.
Took my two oldest daughters(9&7) car camping last week. Had a freaking blast! Camped in a state park the provided electricity. Put an extension cord in through the sun roof and plugged in a mini heater with a thermostat. Took two dogs and a cat.lol
More tips...
Sleeping on an air mattress can be cold. Try a foam one that will trap your body heat.
Also, if you truck has remote start, activate it in the middle of the night if you wake up. The truck runs for 15 minutes and shuts off automatically so you can fall back asleep and not worry about it. That's usually enough time to warm up the interior and you don't waste too much gas. Do that 1-2 times a night on those really cold nights.
tip: buy a $200 car starter. On the cold mornings just remote start your car with the key before getting out of your sleeping bag. Best investment ever!
Ah, I never would have thought of that! Good idea!
Awesome idea
Why not save the $200 and just crawl to the ignition while in your sleepibg bag?
I put one in my Transit T350 and it is awesome. Additional security and the ability to start the van (pre set the heater etc) them roll over and snooze only to rise in a toasty vehicle is worth the expense.
My Fusion Titanium has that and Ive used it when I slept in the car exactly as you say and yes its a game-changer in the mornings
Once I decided to drive alone from the Netherlands to Sweden. Had a couchsurf in Helsingborg which was great. And next day afternoon driving to Stockholm. Late in the night wanted to go to a hostel somewhere in the middle of the route but all of them where closed. Some point I had to sleep in the car in the night. I had a cheap cotton sleeping bag and just other cotton clothes. Temperatures went down just to bit below freezing point and it was horrible! Every 30min woke up to start up the car to heat up enough so I could sleep again 30min. I really learned from this experience and tried afterwards to learn more about sleeping in a car. Well 8 years ago there was actually none information about it on the internet. Just an American article I founded that your best place to sleep was at a car parking at a Wall mart. Rest none! But I read that cotton is a killer since it holds moisture. So bought a goose feather sleeping bag, thermarest sleep mat. And the best thing you can buy for your money... FLEECE BLANKETS! they are cheap and hold almost no moisture.
Last couple of years when I leave Friday's after work to drive to Austria for a week of winter sports I drive as far as possible I can. And sleep in the car somewhere in Germany near to a highway resting place or so. But If I do that I do not park my car next to the highway because of the noise. And not next to trucks since they have automated trailer cooling or heating systems which could wake you up. Then I take off most of my clothes and wrap my self in a thin layer of fleece blanket into the goose feather sleeping bag. And it works like a charm! Even when it's freezing. Next morning if I wake up just turn on the engine to make it toasty and get my self ready for the last bit of driving. Sleeping in the carIt's a little adventure and saves you big money sleeping in hotels or so. Good luck! :)
that's right cotton is very bad for winter; unlike wool or synthetics it does not keep you warm if it gets moist, say from body heat, sweat and it's a poor insulator.
The music is as loud as your voice. I did not finish the vid.
Good tips thx gooiee reisen..
There are couple of cheap ways to prepare for a cold night in a car which I have tried.
1. Take out the seats , carpets, door panels and roof lining, insulate using heat shields or like sound proofings.
2. Make good window shields using heat shields and clothes like what you see in the videos (most of heat escapes through the glass).
3. Fill your cabin with comfy blankets, bags and clothes.
4. Take 4 or 5 good plastic water bottles, if possible fill it with hot water from surrounding outlets and tuck them in between the blankets (make sure its tight and sealed ) dont sleep directly on top of them.
5. If possible buy your personal hot bag (there are electric ones available )
6. Install extra deep cycle battery on your car with an inverter and an isolator, that way you could use low watt electric blankets (some even with power banks are available ).
There are also other expensive ways to get cozy.
Good sleep to all campers.
Winter car camping, baby. I love it.. And like you said it's all about the journey.
Yes it is!
Why not just toss a few hand warmers in your sleeping bag over night? They're about 25 cents in bulk, and they last 6-8 hours.
That’s brilliant
I’m watching this because I’ll be homeless soon
Lmk if u need any tips ive done it before...
Same
Same
Same my dude. My landlord sold the house from underneath me
I'll be semi homeless. Jacked up my rent to be unaffordable and I've got problems with bugs that won't go way. They can F their rent. My car is paid off and I intent to stick close to work. On super cold days I'll get a hotel. Fam's house on weekends (they are hour away) just temporary but it's going to be interesting to see how it does in really cold weather. Warm weather it was fine. Guess I'll find out. Lol
Absolutely loved this video man. Well done sir!
From a technical standpoint: Your video quality, editing, sound track and commentary were all on point.
From a personal standpoint: I just got done with a six week road trip ‘stealth car camping’ down the entire East Coast from Portland Maine, all the way down to Jacksonville Florida. Having done that over the past six weeks, I COMPLETELY relate to some of the points you had in the video.
1. ALWAYS DISARM THE CAR ALARM (Loved it! Thought I was the only one who’d done that): I was in South Carolina and made COMPLETE jerk of myself in a Walmart parking lot at 3am doing that.
2. Frost on the inside of the window. This is such a pain right!
3. Sleeping in the car will be miserable. But it’s all about the places you go. I loved that point and completely agree. Only way I’ve been about to take the trip I’ve taken is because of my willingness to make the plunge into ‘stealth car camping’ as I call it. Wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had over the past six weeks for anything.
Sorry for the long comment, but keep up the good work. Just wanted to let you know I dig the video and know your struggle brother.
p.s. if you come through Chattanooga TN in the next three months, give me a heads up, you can crash on the couch.
James! It's nice to meet you and thank you for your kind comments and support, that means a lot! It sounds like you've had some pretty great adventures yourself! That's awesome! It's not the easiest thing to do that's for sure, but it can be worth it as you know;)
A hint for the inside freezing of the windows, get a moisture capture thing from dollar tree, it helps keep the moisture down and also keeps the car smelling fresh.
There's a cool idea! Thank you Jessie!
Jessie Gilbert. Those things are so cool! You can see the water it pulls from the air.
A dehumidifier?
keep a lot of newspaper at few places in your van, trow them every 2 days or so, and keep replacing them with fresh ones, they suck up a lot of the humidity naturally. Grantee less in your windows
The advice is good, but personally I think there many aspects about winter car camping can cozy and peaceful, not all “cold and miserable”. In line with that quote “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.
I swear, you have less subs and views that you should have. Video quality, the fact that you timelapsed a lot of stuff and you edited every second is something you see at channels with 300k+ subs. I subbed to you, man. Good job! I'm waiting for new videos. Have a nice day!
Mihai, thank you very much for your kind words and support! I love doing this stuff and will keep doing it. It's a blast for me, I'm very happy to hear you like what I'm making. Are you a hiker or traveler?
Neither. I'm a watcher for now. I just like these things. Maybe in the
near future I'm gonna go camping, but for now I need to finish college.
Ah, fair enough. I do a fair bit of watching this sort of stuff too. Good to know for when the time comes.
Exactly.
Agree this vid is so good and well edited, but without losing the realness of it. First winter car camping vid I watched. My vid is just pants in comparison :p Thank you for putting it up and out there :)
I dropped everything and packed all my possessions in my camaro and drove up to Maine, took me three days, and two more when I was here to get situated into a pkace. On my extremely limited budget this video made the difference between if I would've made it or not. So this us just a genuine thank you, don't know if I would've been able yo without this
Put up a heavy curtain blocking the front seat area from the rear sleeping area. Get 2-4 big deep cycles and run a small 12v heater and electric blanket. Super comfy
I use 3 or 4 hot water bottles. An alternative would be to use plastic water containers. Build a fire in ur camp and heat up enough water to fill ur containers. keep the containers under a thick comforter. I never use sleeping bags just lots of thick fluffy comforters.
If you do this again, check out a 12 volt electric blanket. they come with 30 to 45 minute times so you can warm up your bag before getting into it. Hobo ovens: smaller steel can that can hold votive candles and a larger can that goes over it (with holes for air). Look up heat a seat which will warm you up without electricity.
Huh! Thank you for this! I'll look into this for this winter!
That's a good tip with the foam insulation! Single mom van dweller here also if you can go to a thrift shop and fine like an ice bucket, we use glass and it's fairly large ish, but we get candles the big thick candles from like thrift stores for $2 maybe 3 or put them in there and we lite those and we just let those go and let all the residual heat from the candle help keep the inside of the van warm while we have a little cracked window. Also there is our mr. Buddy heater, it uses a lil propane tank or a big one, up to you. we only use the 1 pound cylinders and just buy a couple of those a week s
but that's being used as needed seeing as we're in the mountain tree line next to a city vancamping for free
I've slept in my car when it's really cold maybe once or twice. Both times I had two sleeping bags, one inside the other, some thick boot socks on top of regular socks, long johns, sweat pants and snow pants, a tee-shirt, a hoodie, and my winter coat, a snow cap, my hoodie's hood as well as my jackets hood, and last but not least, a good thick pair of gloves. Stayed pretty warm and was able to fall asleep
Nice! That would make a good picture;)
Lol I don't think I own that much outer covering. Impressive.
All that clothing is actually keeping ypu colder
.
I laughed really hard around 2:39 to 2:45😂😂 Great video man
a "damp rid" bag significantly reduces frost as it absorbs condensation.
hmm, gotta look into that!
olddogtrainer olddog Also if you're cheap try kitty liter in a thin sock or patyhoes.
This was fun and interesting. I once got stuck out too far to get to a hotel and did some unplanned car camping in winter hehe, about 30 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and it wasn’t too bad. We kept our layers on, cracked the windows, shivered a bit and were just fine. Car camping saves a lot of money if you can find safe enough places to do it. This video had awesome tips!
I have used a normal electric blanket, with a 12v deep cycle battery and a 120v inverter. The battery can provide enough power for 2 days use, before a re-charge is needed. A queen sized blanket is 130 Watts. Using a separate battery ensures that you can always get the car started.
Paul , can you tell me a bit more about deep cycle battery , ??
@@erumkanwal8179 Its also known as a marine battery, they are able to be drained down without the same issues as normal car batteries.
@@nhcharmedone False, marine batteries are hybrid type of battery. They can start a car and provide some cycling ability but will die fairly quick. The batteries you see at walmart are not deep cycle.
Hey, LOVED the video, nice job! I live in my RV full time and RVers often use a heater called Mr. Heater Buddy. It's a small propane heater that can be used indoor and outdoor and doesn't require any electricity. I use them when my power goes out for backup, a really handy dandy heater and not expensive. You can use the disposable 1lb. propane bottles (convenient) or with the use of hoses you can use a larger tank (economical). I plan on using this heater this fall on a trip across the country that I will be sleeping in my van. You do not have to freeze! Best of luck to you, keep on keepin on!
That's great advice Patty! So cool you live in your RV, what a cool way to live! Very inspiring! I've done the buddy heater before and it worked, but I have the large version and I wasn't comfortable sleeping with it on as everything is so close inside this SUV. But maybe the smaller model with more breathing room could work. Thanks you!
My roomate bout to be doing this cuz we kicking his ass out lol!
BEST COMMENT 12-3-20 💪🏽😂👌🏽‼️
Lmfao savage
Lmfaoioo
I found out, if you have large box of candle put it in the jar lit one candle touch the metal top increase 20 to 30 degree upper but open the window very little. I learned from Minnesota people. That's a wonderful idea
1972 Blazer under 2' of snow but a sleeping bag down to 5 degrees did the trick and I was 25 years old and now almost 65!
Wow! What an adventure!! I bet you'll never for get that!
nick acoutin I woke up to an inch snow on me once but only 2 blankets bundled up with 12+ hand warmer shake heaters pasted to me kept me toasty!
1989 I used to travel around in my 77 Dodge Van. This is before Internet and UA-cam. I followed the 70* line north and south, sometimes it got colder and there was frost on the screws that held up the headliner and frost on the windows inside and out. All in all I was warm enough on my platform bed. I did have a 50 caliber bullet box wood stove mounted on an all metal milk crate with a 3" diameter stove pipe going out sheet metal mounted in the window. If I burned 3 paper grocery bags filled with tumble weed stems I could cook a small pot of rice.
Small cut wood sticks were way better.
Love the ammo box stove! However my '66 Bronco was a convertible in '83 & '84, with no suitable flue location. Lots of air leaks... Sure is a lot more comfortable in the van now with the the Wiggy's bags and pad, but that old green Bronco was the ultimate stealth camper. All you needed was space between trees and a gate in the fence. 229k on the factory clutch when the rust won the war.
Fought with my then wife, took a break to Bishop, CA for almost 3 weeks. Wear jeans, long socks, shoes, t-shirt, sweater, nylon light jacket, 2 blankets and wrap yourself up like a burrito and try not to move as much. Use the hoodie on the sweater to cover your face. Find a cardboard so that you can pitch a tent on the hoodie so you can catch some of the warm breathe air
Was once in the middle of Kansas on a cold 10-0 degree night. Had to sleep with nothing but a jacket. Was the longest night I've ever spent.
Oh wow! That doesn't sound nice:s
Bruh, what happened?
Lame sauce
always a challenge. I like to line up water bottles on the dash and let the defrosters heat them up for washing up in the morning. 4 bottles will wash your hair and the rest of you if you practice. lol.. stay warm out there!!!!
Spent lots of cold night in a truck while hot shotting cars. Wax the hell out of your windows and keep all the moisture control packets you find in food or electronics. Place them everywhere. I always used woolto keep warm. Good luck
Moisture packs in an interesting idea!
Mike Lewis Awesome tip
I hate when my windows get all moistured up, I have to remember to do this
Thanks for the honesty about the cold. Some of the conversion van videos are essentially house on wheels with dangerous propane heaters, etc $$. I do what you're doing. It's not a house, it's a van.
if u can pee in a water bottle, bring a big empty one so you don't loose heat getting out to tinkle in the middle of the night. Also a good snuggle buddy right after.
snuggle with your piss bottle? You'd probably shit in a plastic bag & do the same too.
"It's going to be. It's going to be miserable" 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Test out a UCO candle lantern. It solved my tent winter camping condensation and in a vehicle it can add the slightest amount of heat.
I've had a propane portable heater in my truck before. As long as there is a window cracked, are super careful and turn it off before you sleep it works better than great.
Huh, thank you for the tip Otto!
Cool idea with the foam. My favorite camping vehicle would be the prius its automatic idle shut down and low cooling and heating cycles make it affordable to conventional car idling. But planning out makes all the difference if you have to ruff it out without modern conveniences.
Oh interesting! I haven't heard of that before. I'm a bit confused though, does that mean that the car is idling throughout the night?
Lol a Prius isn't driving in the snow...
MILE30 Adventures the car starts up periodically to recharge the battery
There are also Heating Pads, Hot water bottles, & electric Blankets, if you don't mind carrying an extra long lasting good size car battery. Plus with an inverter, you can watch netflix with your computer, or Smartphone, Charge your stuff, & there are actually Many solar appliances now. This woman WILL find a way to have coffee & stay warm still stiff ol bones are ready to move...or Not LOL Also lighting candles will provide quite a bit of heat just put them down in coffee cans in a safe place Like a Cake pan & some I've heard use heated rocks put unto coffee cans & set in a baking pan.
egn83b what about a Tesla? I think a Tesla would be the great camper car (° ͜ʖ°)
Me and my wife car camped at a Loves Truck Stop in Alabama in the middle of the summer in a 13' Subaru Outback 2.5 we had our bed mats and blankets, cooler, carbon monoxide detector, and we I let the car idle all night (about 8.5 hours) for use of the AC, because at night with the high humidity/temps were still in the high 85-89° that car only used barely over 2 gallons of gas at a cost of $5.00. So for the occasional car camper and the more fuel efficient cars and if you take the appropriate safety precautions I have no problem letting the engine run all night to keep me comfortable.
Another suggestion. Did u know if you wash your mirrors w shaving cream humidity, as in shower steam won't fog up mirrors soooooo I figure it will keep Windows looking good even though your humid breathing steams it up. Come on this may work..... Try it.
Lisa Morrow, makes sense to me. I like you, you think outside the box!
Great idea! Thanks!
Lisa Morrow Wow
Best bag I found ,,,. Army surplus winter bag ! And a sock filled with cat litter cuts down on the frost ! N always a wool hat !
Watching this because I am behind on my rent, also I have used my car before at festivals, estate's rock push the seat down and your off, good video
Thanks Billy! It's a great way to save money that is for sure!
Billy Ramone Billy I can relate.
Take it from me, who has spent a lifetime in the wilds in all seasons. Sleeping in a good sleeping bag inside a high quality tent erected beside the car is far warmer and dryer, with a lot less condensation, than sleeping inside a cold metal box (your vehicle).
This video was in my recommended clicked on it and first thing i see is my apartment building. So cool to see your from Etown
That's awesome! Funny how things work out like that. I've got some other videos in Edmonton. And some of my next ones will be back in Edmonton again actually.
Just stumbled on this video after taking my 2004 Honda Pilot on a couple of winter overnight dispersed camping trips. When you added to remember to unlock your car with the fob before starting the car (or opening the door) I had to laugh because that happened to me and had me scrambling to figure out how to quickly turn it off at 2:00AM.
I did it for two years in my station wagon. Parked next to a light pole got me electricity from the pole and I got me an electric heater that one look like a radiator.
You sir are a very smart man
How? Please share I can't find any convince with this one.
You don'tabsolutely need a great sleeping bag as long as you have a number of cheap ones. Preferably one mummy bag and a couple larger rectangular bags so you can nest them. The idea 9f one super cold weather bag is mainly a backpacking concept. People slept in the cold for millennia before the invention of lightweight backpacking. They used piled up blankets and furs. Same idea.
You do absolutely need a great winter sleeping hat. Trapper style is great. Won't fall off your head bcs of chin strap.
Currently I have a -30 mummy bad but the zipper is broken so it's more like a comforter now I also have 3 relatively light blankets.. It's getting around freezing at night and I'm fine sometimes I wake up sweating.
I'm probably gonna have to buy a new sleeping bag when it gets colder
You don't need to crank a window, just make sure the heaters are not set to recirculating and you have a feed for fresh air at a lower height, keeping more hot air in that way.
Cars are not designed to be air tight. Think how many times 4 people have travelled in a car for 2hrs+ with windows shut. Equivilant of 8hrs breathing of one person and not even close to being a problem.
With all the windows shut the heat will stay in longer as well.
The Ferret So true
These people all want to sleep with the car turned off. They think they're going to die if the car is running. Do you die when you're awake driving around.
They have things called heaters you know like small ones. Small air heaters are really great too because they suck out the cold air and give out warm air. It’s not going to be toasty warm but it’ll still be more bearable from freezing cold.
the foam thing is pretty clever! thanks!
Yeah, I've found it quite helpful and multi-functional. Just takes up some room is the only downside.
They are getting better at those electric blankets to where they are portable. They even made a jacket version that I would like to get.
Even the small heaters are good. 1 winter my apartment Air/Heating unit broke down. I didn't have to much money so I ended up get a Holmes® Oscillating Ceramic Indoor Heater. It worked "Really" well for my studio apartment, and it has a thermostat dial that kept my place at a steady temp. You might want to set it up on the passenger side foot spot.
Also try sleeping bag inside black sleeping bag. Double up. Black to be invisible yo see through windows
Have you never heard of Mr. Heater - Little Buddy or Big Buddy? I run my heater in my camper shell (5 winters now!) Roasty-toasty. I put my 25 lb. propane tank between my seats (I have an extra cab) and run the 8' hose through my sliding rear window and across my curtain rods (yes I have curtains - I am after all a woman and have womanly needs!) I also have a hospital mattress - and plenty of pillows and sleeping bags. Also, a bookshelf and various racks. It is "homey."
Keep socks full of kitty litter in your car. They will absorb a majority of the moisture so the windows don't freeze on the inside
Interesting idea! I've heard rice works too. Thanks for the idea!
Don't worry about the condensation being uncomfortable. Worry about the damage it's doing to your car. The open window will help, as will the kitty litter.
Terracotta pot heat is amazing as long as you can truly provide a safe place in the car to use it
Very informative. Awesome video. If I could give you thousands thumbs up, believe me, I would bro!!!!!
You're awesome! thank you so much! I'm glad you are liking my videos!!
You can use those hand and body warmers to help keep yourself warm while you sleep. I've used those during power outages, and they work really well.
not that long video, but to the point. Thank you for pointing the important things out.
No problem! I'm glad it helped! Are you planning to do some cold nights in the car?
By far your video is the best "camp in car" video. You are nice guy, natural, not fake, cool edit, good sequence and everything else ;) thanks bro looking forward in to camping in my crapy toyota SEDAN in Iceland :D
Thank you Lukas, I appreciate your kind words! I hope your Iceland car camping experience is by choice... that sounds like an amazing place and would love to come see it!
MILE30 Adventures wow that's a realy quick respons :D well I was thinking about camping for a while now, it was coming and going. And now I'm in Iceland and here accomodations are super expencive, and I though... Why not try at least for "Icelandick summer". My friend will be doing that, actually a lot of people are doing that here. So that would be my dream come true :D be a homless for a while :D I wish you all the best, world needs that possitivity
Wow! That sounds like a great adventure!! If you end up posting anything from your experiences let me know, I would love to follow along!
MILE30 Adventures I doubt that I will do video, but we will see :)
All you need is good sleeping bag I go snow camping and just sleep under a tarp
Nice! I tried that too last winter. I want to do that more this year.
You can buy Mass Loading Vinyl or Sound deadening foam sheets and install them behind every piece of plastic trim, under the carpet and roof. They will insulate the car from the weather :), besides obviously making the car quieter on the road.
Excellent video thank you. I'm in the process of moving into my wife's Honda Fit. This and many of your other vids will be helpful. I'll be in touch. Thanks again!
A Honda Fit! Wow, that's quite the move! I've slept in one a couple times and considering the size of the vehicle it's not bad at all. But it's still a tight fit! Good luck with your move!
Thank you . It's a necessary evil. I'm so looking forward to it. A major life change I'm hoping for the better. I want to move in asap before the death of winter comes so I can have time to slowly get used to it.
David Kanyan where does your wife live?
Jacob In the house like normal.
David Kanyan excellent idea thank you :)
I spent a year in my 1996 minivan,it wasn't bad really not as bad as I expected.although my sleeping bag was good down to -42 degrees Fahrenheit.
I might be evicted next month. Definitely needed this advice. Thank you.
This is good challenge for years to come
My tip for keeping warm. Make sure you have peed before sleeping and pee when you feel the urge. Otherwise your body will try too keep it warm instead of yourself. I simply use a juicebottle with a extra big opening myself
I didn't know that. Thank you Johan!
Johan Sl Excellent tip. I also heard eat right before bed as your body generates more heat to digest it.
Hello Sailor
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
A good pee bottle is a key item to keep handy.
And when it's really cold, the pee bottle makes a nice hand warmer - or whatever body part is coldest - for about 15 minutes or so. Really cold is really cold and necessity is the mother of invention.
Have you try using a Mr. Buddy heater to keep warm
I have one, but it s the extra large one. This is just a personal preference, but I don't feel super comfortable with having a flame in the car with propane when I sleep. I know a lot of people do it and if it works for them, that's great. Just not my preference. But I agree, it would be MUCH easier and warmer!
I use mine only when awake, windows cracked and co2 alarm
Good to hear that. I would be nervous to sleep with it on too.
Where can I buy it ?
@@MILE30Adventures yes and don't risk running it and thinking your going to stay awake...the warmth will put you to sleep....IT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA
Thank you - headed to Montana and it will be cold. Nice to know how to prepare!
You're welcome! Enjoy your trip and stay warm!
Put a bag of rocks in the engine compartment during the day then at night I'd put them in my sleeping bag.
@Shorty you can do the same thing with rocks around a fireplace camp fire.
@Shorty some day
thanks for the great vid 👍 good thing you mentioned about heating yourself before sleep - takes so much time to naturally heat yourself in sleeping bag in -C conditions. Food with lots of energy right before sleep does wonders too.
Yes! Very good call with that.
Hi just saw your video. I live in MN, so am familiar w moisture in the car. Get a pair of tube socks and a bag of rice. Fill the sock w Rice, tie the end, and put it near a window or vent. Might need to try a few places. It helps keep the windows from fogging up if you get over heated. Good luck!
Huh! Well theres an idea. Thank you for passing this along. I'll have to give that a try!
Little Buddy Heater .. Many people use these when car camping.
Seen April 5, 2018. Your video is excellent. Thanks for a informative video. 👍
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it and maybe got something new out of it!
12v deep-cycle rechargeable battery and tiny 12v heater that uses little watts. Can put inside sleeping bag and use as desired.
So, I cut out the foam to fit into my windows-done. Then, I crack one window 1-2" to get the air ventilation. But, wouldn't it be blocked by all of the foam cut outs? Wouldn't the cut out get blow over? How did you get around this? Besides that one point of confusion, this video was EXACTLY what I was looking for, and it was really well made.
Hey Zach! I'm glad you found the video helpful! With the foam, cut them so they are snug enough so they won't fall out. The foam will bend a bit. It will be virtually be impossible to get a perfect seal with the foam, so the air will get in through the imperfection around the edges. If you are worries about not enough air getting in, you can adjust your cut a bit to have bigger gaps. I hoped this helped!
Thanks so much, keep making great content!
I was told several years ago, by a trucker, that a candle will keep the temperature above freezing in inside the cab. I would suggest, maybe, a candle in a glass? A Ball jar would probably most likely not to break from the heat. Any empty glass jar that you get from the super market should be heat resistant. Put it in a cup holder in the console. You have two cup holders, maybe two candles. Light one and when it burns down light the other. Even if this works it will still be cold, but you won't have any frozen water or sweat. You can find cheap candles in thrift stores. Some are used, but others are not. There are five hour candles too. I found mine at the Dollar Tree. Four candle stick candles for a dollar. Twenty hours of flame. I haven't burned one, so I don't know if they really do burn for five hours.
Neat idea! I'll give that a go and see how that works. Thank you for the suggestion!
When I lived in my truck in the winter, I would burn a small candel and it would shoot up the temp and keep the humitiy low
I'll be giving that a go this winter. Thank you for the idea!
That candle is burning your breathing oxygen, forcing you to breathe carbon dioxide, and a massive fire risk. Not the best idea.
I have a 2004 Honda CR-V I do the same dam thing when I go skiing. Right down to the battery pack and windows, I used reflex. Best dam thing ever is a Military -40 Degree bag!
Nice! I should look into one of those. I bet there is a decent price tag attached though!
E bay 50$ had few rips easy sew!
hmm! I'll take a look! Thank you Tony!
Best way to winter camp in a car is to drive to a warmer climate.
Agreed!
Yup just quit your job and drive to where its warmer.... SMH
@@danielszabolcsik1610 LOL
Got Gas?
If it was only that easy
If you have a hybrid like a Prius, it will automatically start the engine every so often, warm the car up, then shut off. This helps the engine stay warm...and you....and doesnt run enough to cost hardly any money, and doesnt run enough to build up CO gas. Its awesome summer or winter because the engine doesnt have to run much, and all fully automatic like a house thermostat.
best way to car camp in the winter is do it in Arizona.
Faaaair enough!
libertyn jeopardy just not north arizona where snow storms happens... Phoenix isn’t all of Arizona
I just came from Arizona.. night time temperature was 22 F
@@bloubrown802 I'm just heading INTO AZ from Northern NM, not what I wanted to hear after doing a couple nights in Denver lol.
I've been (intentionally) homeless for over a year and have slept outside in -53 C temperatures. Last winter I slept *outside* in Ashland, Wisconsin. For 2 days it was the coldest place on Earth. I made a yurt, tucked 3 winter sleeping bags inside of each other over a layer of plywood and cardboard, and lit candles before going to bed for a few minutes. It was so warm I slept naked inside the bags.
Me too. I love living below my means. Gives me fulfillment and keeps me pushing on.
Just so you know, about the heat, you can easily get a lot of heat, you can bye a noiseless oil heater that uses diesel. You have to make a few modifications to your car, but then you can sleep in 86F if you want to:-)
Wow! Thank you for the idea!
You are welcome, try to look at the oil heater for the piaggio ape, it is small and works, you should properly look for a used one, they are wary expensive:-)
Good advice, thank you!
MILE30 Adventures i am a firefighter and first responder. That is a very very bad idea. The risk of co2 exposure is very high. Starting your vehicle with a window cracked is much safer. Be sure that your exhaust is no blocked.
John Davis Yeah. I wake up dead all the time.
Awesome man, I do this every year in my truck hunting season. When it gets to the 20's things get much less comfortable. Im trying to set up a winter truck bed rig but haven't tried yet. I use a small propane heater with window cracked on really cold nights its awesome. except for when I burnt a sleeping bag lol.
That sounds awesome Kenny! That's what I'm afraid of with the heater! Just need to find a good spot for it. I'm excited to hear more about your bed in the truck when you end up doing it, that sounds awesome!
What about getting a hybrid and using the automatic temperature control while your sleeping.
Do the batteries last through a long, cold night?
Wash your Windows inside w shaving cream. It might keep frost off. It works in bathroom from shower .
buy a foam mattress and put that in the back. Much warmer and comfortable
Link me one i can cut off?
cut up*
@@brendanmcanally3309 just go to place that sells beds and find one that is made of all foam like the memory foam ones, you can find them quite cheap now or even free if ou don't find a second hand one xD. If it is all foam you just cut the fabric open, use a stanley knife or electric carving knife and cut the foam them bam stitch it up and you got a custom size mattress.
a simple video with good pionts and a good clean edit. Nice work. Good stuff.