How are you guys camping out in your enclosed trailers? I was thinking about a hammock because it would be easy to put up and take down but don't know if an 8ft wide trailer is enough length and if the weight can be handled by whatever supports the walls. Other options are a cot or air bed but I would prefer cot if I could find something comfortable
Son and I slept in a 6x12 many times. There's a couple of options that we've tried. Never tried the hammock part, but I think that could work, too. One thing I did was to put 2x4's crossways between the walls in the back. I had E-Track on each wall and used the 2x4 mounts with a sheet of canvas sewn down each side for the 2x4's to slide in to. The canvas was pliable enough to not make it hard to sleep on and my son slept up there. I had a large cot that I slept on.
As he got older (and bigger) I bought a bigger cot for him to sleep on, but it limited the walking space between for trips to the bathroom. To make the cots more comfortable, I bought a full size memory foam pad and split it in half to sleep on. When traveling, I'd roll up the pad and cinch it with an old belt. I also had a small plastic box with a couple of sheets and inflateable pillows to sleep on.
We eventually moved to fold down cots made with 2x4's and thin plywood that folded up against the sides of the trailer when traveling. Or, we'd often keep them down and just set his kart on that with the extra stuff underneath.
I posted this link in Tom1200's thread about upgrading his camper van, but it's worth mentioning here. The Teardrops N Tiny Travel Trailers site has a BUNCH of ideas in their cargo trailer sub that might give you some things to think about.
-Rob
Once upon a time I had a 1966 GMC van that I used for moto-cross events. I made a frame of aluminum angle iron and put hinges on one side, foldable legs on the other. It folded against the wall when not in use.
Go to a vintage event and you'll see all sorts of trailer camping set-ups. An air mattress on the floor is most common.
I've got a friend that just rolls out his sleeping bag on the deck of his open trailer when he sleeps at the track. If it's raining he'll throw a tarp over himself. He's way tougher than me. I want a real bed and a bathroom within 15 or 20 feet. Another friend has a fold down bunk on the side of the trailer. That seems like a reasonable approach to me. Although it doesn't solve the bathroom issue.
I've played the mental "how would I camp in the trailer" game a few times, although never actually gone through with it. Assuming you're willing to roll the car outside at night, an air mattress seems like the best solution. Lots of room with the car gone, reasonably comfy, and if you stick a piece of memory foam on top it's got pretty good insulation as well. I think you can get ones with 12V DC inflator pumps, or you can probably run an AC one off an inverter.
Random paranoid thoughts -- make sure your trailer doesn't have a hasp lock on the side door, in case someone decides it would be funny to lock you in there overnight. Probably worth doing something to make sure the tow vehicle can't move, either, because the only thing that would suck more than someone stealing your tow vehicle and trailer is if they did it while you were asleep in the trailer!
I think ventilation, or lack of it, would be the biggest problem. Personally, a hammock sounds really uncomfortable for sleeping - I'd go with an air mattress on the floor.
I think there are many answers , weather , hot , cold , rainy , humid....
At the track only or on the way to the track and back home ......
With the race car in the trailer or not....
And many more ,
I have an open trailer and Chevy van, sleep in the van with a nice thick foam mattress and blankets or sleeping bag ,
Bring ez-up canopy , comfortable fold up chairs and an ice chest.
Spares and tools if it's a race weekend and not a car show weekend......
stuart in mn said:I think ventilation, or lack of it, would be the biggest problem. Personally, a hammock sounds really uncomfortable for sleeping - I'd go with an air mattress on the floor.
If there's a vent in the roof, it's more than likely a 14x14 opening which is the "standard". At the very least, I'd put in a Fantastic Fan. If you really want to wake up rested and ready to go, get a standard RV rooftop unit and a generator.
I know that some older class A RVs had drop-down beds that went over the cockpit area. I have no idea what kind of support they need or if the mechanisms are available, but if you could find one of those, that might be a good way to save some space. Having cots/beds that fold up to the wall seems like the easiest way to go, though. You could go fancy with a real mattress or make it really thin and size it so that a standard air matress would sit on top of it. I can even envision building such a bed that could be adjustable to be a workbench during the day.
Has anyone tried any of the 12v fans orA/C unit's? Some times they are called kennel coolers.
Paul B
I forget which model but one of my teammates has an air mattress that is somehow different than most. It's actually firm and feels like a real bed. It's about 10" thick. Plus the inflator/deflator is built in. I love that mattress as does every other team member/SO who has borrowed it.
we sleep on cots with a big shop fan....generator is drowned out by the fan. If I was going to do it a lot, I'd add a rooftop a/c.
Friend had a metal frame made with a pulley system to raise and lower a queen size mattress across the back end of his enclosed trailer. Unit raises up to the ceiling completely out of the way when not needed. Another friend carries a folding cot in his trailer for unexpected visitors who may need a bed.
Donebrokeit said:Has anyone tried any of the 12v fans orA/C unit's? Some times they are called kennel coolers.
Paul B
Personally, no - but in researching DIY camper builds, the subject comes up often. The main issue with them is they are essentially 12V fan powered swamp-coolers or evaporative coolers. They work well in dry climates, but quickly drop in effectiveness when the relative humidity goes up.
Unless you spend a bucket of money on a bank of batteries, it would not be easy to run an A/C unit off an inverter for any length of time.
If I were to sleep in a trailer and wanted a vent in the roof, I would go with a boat hatch. They are strong enough to be walked on, but are made to be an egress point if needed
Fwiw my new to me trailer does have ac and is an 8x20 it's bare except maybe a 3 ft workbench shelf on the front
I would not mind adding a vent as well one of those covered ones like the Maxx be cool if that could run off solar
Friend had a metal frame made with a pulley system to raise and lower a queen size mattress across the back end of his enclosed trailer. Unit raises up to the ceiling completely out of the way when not needed.
I recently looked at a few toy hauler trailers and a lot of them have a setup like that in the back. But, i feel like air mattress is the easy button here. A lot of them have built in motors that can both inflate and deflate them.
A lot of them have built in motors that can both inflate and deflate them.
It wasn't fun when i found that the motor didn't work. Sleeping on a hard surface is not that much fun
Spent many race weekends sleeping in a trailer. HVAC unit is a must, otherwise I would tent camp.
I don't understand guys that can stay at hotels...there's always too much to be done on the car or if not, a whole lot of other extracurricular activities going on after dark.
Waking up on a deflated air mattress is part of the experience.
Tyler H said:HVAC unit is a must, otherwise I would tent camp.
You can install ac in a tent. Works great if you're not paying the electric bill! I still have the professionally modified cardboard in the barn (two engineers, an engineering student, and a HVAC install guy sitting by a fire count as professional, right?). You can also install a window AC unit inside a cabin and plumb in some venting to the window if ac units are explicitly prohibited. We don't go to the MIS Nascar race anymore but I've been known to stay at the same campground since I already have all the right "equipment" at my disposal.
Whatever happened to those air mattresses from the old cartoons where they pulled the string and the mattress inflated itself almost instantly?
GCrites80s said:Whatever happened to those air mattresses from the old cartoons where they pulled the string and the mattress inflated itself almost instantly?
they make them. They are foam, you pull the plug and the foam expands, sucking in air, Put the plug back in to keep them inflated.
If you are truly worried about air con units, get one of the portable ones with a small hose that runs to a window sash. A small vent hole in the floor and it will expel the hot air down where nobody needs to know.
The easy button I think if mine didn't have a rv ac on it is the dog house ac units from climate right
I have a 24 footer that is nice. It is set up for both 12 volt and 110 so the generator outside works. Roof AC unit is wonderful, even in Texas. Bed 1 is on top of a built in storage at the very front of the trailer. It was not quite wide enough to with an air mattress so I built a 14 inch wide bench that slides in and makes the bed wide enough...and we pull it out as a place to sit or whatever. Spent a little time wiring for 12 volt, USB, inverters and battery charger to top off 2 large deep cycle batteries that can run the winch, small fans, radio, strings of LED lights. 110 can be plugged in and will charge batteries, run lights and supply all the 12 volt stuff as well as several 110 plugs. A powered roof vent and above stuff about securing the doors without being locked in as stated above help.
Bed 2 is just a fold down that is kinda high, but makes a good work area and I haven't fallen off yet. Air mattresses and inflator are stored under bed 1.
Bruce
In reply to Dead_Sled :
The most fun I’ve ever had camping was at the Watkins Glen NASCAR race. We were going to sleep in our truck but NASCAR we weren’t able to get it out of the pit area and once the garage closes for the day no one is allowed back in. I made friends with some local kids, overcame a crippling fear of heights and fell asleep on the top level of a rickety multi-story structure built atop a Ryder truck. I may still owe someone a golf cart that the sheriff impounded.
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