Wagon Camping?

I was training this last week at a different facility than I usually stay at.  Instead of making the company pay for a hotel I decided to "camp out" in my wagon!  Anybody else like to camp in their wagon?

I've always wanted to. Always keep a sleeping bag / thermal blanket in it for emergencies. I almost slept in it back in 2011, after driving for fifteen hours, but my mom would not let me pull off at a gas station in Tennessee at 2 A.M. Ended up at a $40 motel.

The company is paying for a motel? That's a no brainer......I would not be sleeping in the back of a car.

Tom

I used to sleep in my wagon (1st RMW) when I traveled from Louisville - Chapel Hill for baroque cello lessons once a month.  Did that for about 6 months. I only had money for food and gas but was so thankful to have my wagon! It does make a good single sleeper with the right setup.  My favorite is laying on your back and watching the rain hit the vista glass...lulls you right to sleep.  Lol  

But man...your company should be paying for a hotel in your case! Lawd!

My former neighbor who bought one of my wagons is currently living out of it in Wal-Mart's parking lot while Social Security keeps stalling on his disability case.... He bought it with the idea of having somewhere to stay no matter what....

Jeez,talk about mixed emotions with that last comment.

Andebe wrote:

Jeez,talk about mixed emotions with that last comment.

Not really homelessness in a RMW.....

Needs a good shower and frige installed.

Man, hopefully your old wagon had tinted windows, Don!   That doesn't sound like fun, hope his disability comes through for him!  I pretty much opted for the back of the wagon instead of driving an hour each way to the hotel every day/night after a 12 hour shift.  Plus it wasn't too bad, I had a bathroom, shower, food and coffee pot 20ft away

My house has a second garage with a half bath and three ton heat/air.... Could wagon or van camp in there easily if I ever had to rent my house out...

I haven't camped out of it, but I have no doubt it would be great to sleep in, because of *ahem* other things than may or may not have happened in the wagon. Two years in a row I've worked at Country Concert in Ft. Loramie, OH and last year my friend that works it with me and I decided we were going to stay out there, this year we're saying the same thing. One nice thing about these wagons too is we can tow pretty well too.

Nice! I've crashed in my wagon many times after a long night of drinking! I sure wish I'd of had a wagon when I was younger and always chasing women around at music festivals and campouts;)
PS the full sized blow up mattress is a must if you like being able to walk after sleeping in the back-

[quote="Dropkick_Eddie" ...  I sure wish I'd of had a wagon when I was younger and always chasing women around at music festivals and campouts...
[/quote]

That's why I drove a custom van back in the 70"s. more "head" room.

Hahaha "head room"

for the past several years ive gone to the rolex 24 hr and to the Sebring 12 race (to watch the C7R Corvettes win) and i slept in my wagon. so much easier than a tent etc. the folks i meet up with have all the camping equipment,etc so its easy for me to be self contained,off the ground at nite,dry etc.after a few adult beverages all day its comfy enuf.just have to remember to not sit up to quick! if all else fails the front seat backs really recline along way too. ZZZZ

Havent done it yet,but its on my list of things to do with the wagon. Got some great state parks near by.

I,ve napped in the back of a couple of my wagons,. usually on cross country trips, but definitely need to stop for a shower before the second night,.and remembering to have something to drink is a good idea ,.montana in the summertime can get uncomfy, even at night,.

I slept in the back of my Olds when I went to the 12hrs of Sebring a few years ago. Funny thing is of the 13 wagons I've had that's the only one where the seat didn't fold down was the one I slept in lol.

Flash Gumby has a tent that attaches to the tail gate so you have a ton of extra room in there. It's pretty sweet.

Any pics of that floating around?

Reviving an old thread. Thinking about taking my 1995 Caprice wagon to EAA Airventure next week. Lookin to be hot but considering camping out solo in the back of my wagon instead of in the tent. Never really camped before except for a night here and there but any tips? Got an inflatable mat and a camping fan but any tips to beat the heat would be appreciated.

Keep the keyless remote handy so you can open the back glass easily - beats having to crawl out of the rear doors or crawl over the front seat to open the window.

Really zero privacy unless you make some curtains of some sort

It's going to be hot and stuffy inside the car unless you're ok with letting the car idle with the A/C on. Maybe get a CO detector so you wake up in the morning. Open windows will likely attract a lot of bugs/mosquitos overnight.

I'd probably sleep feet forward - that way you can sit up easily just by opening the glass?

Let us know how it goes!

Good idea on the CO detector. I have one and will be sure to pack it. The event is huge and I chose to camp to give me a place to rest mid day if I choose. I have a large EZ-UP tent and may park the rear under it with mosquito netting so I can leave the back open for maximum ventilation.

Winger67 wrote:

Good idea on the CO detector. I have one and will be sure to pack it.  The event is huge and I chose to camp to give me a place to rest mid day if I choose.  I have a large EZ-UP tent and may park the rear under it with mosquito netting so I can leave the back open for maximum ventilation.

you could also make screens for the front window. I would buy plastic screen and just cut it big enough to just close the door and have it cover the windows so you can leave them open and not worry about bugs, especially if you have the back open inside a screened EZ-up

Fix Until Broke wrote:

Keep the keyless remote handy so you can open the back glass easily - beats having to crawl out of the rear doors or crawl over the front seat to open the window.

Ha! I know someone who bought a retired hearse.  He had it at a weekend-long event, and decided it would be a good place for a mid-day nap.  He crawled in the back and got some sleep.

When he woke up, that was the first time he realized that the coachbuilder didn't expect that rear passengers would need to get out unassisted.  No inside door handles or window switches except for the front seat in his car.  

Quote :

Really zero privacy unless you make some curtains of some sort

It's going to be hot and stuffy inside the car unless you're ok with letting the car idle with the A/C on.  Maybe get a CO detector so you wake up in the morning.  Open windows will likely attract a lot of bugs/mosquitos overnight.

I'd probably sleep feet forward - that way you can sit up easily just by opening the glass?

The forecast for Oshkosh event shows overnight temperatures in the high 50's to mid 60's.  No need to run the a/c.  

You could get a roll of fiberglass (metal might scratch the paint) window screening and some magnets.  Cut the screen a little bigger than the window opening, and use the magnets to hold it to the door frame.  That way, you can roll the windows down without letting bugs in.

Last summer, my son and a friend went on a 4000 mile road trip.  He took the Country Squire (it's more expendable than the Roadmaster, in the event he needed to abandon ship on the other side of the country), but camping in a full size wagon should be pretty similar regardless of brand.  He is an Eagle Scout who has logged about a year's worth of nights of camping.  He slept in a tent for the parts of the trip in national parks, but during some of the intermediate portions of the trip, they would camp in the car someplace like a Walmart parking lot.  He said reclining the front seats was a lot more comfortable than stretching out in the cargo area, and had the added benefit of not having to shuffle everything around right before trying to get to sleep.

Dragonwagon wrote:

Fix Until Broke wrote:

Keep the keyless remote handy so you can open the back glass easily - beats having to crawl out of the rear doors or crawl over the front seat to open the window.

Ha! I know someone who bought a retired hearse.  He had it at a weekend-long event, and decided it would be a good place for a mid-day nap.  He crawled in the back and got some sleep.

When he woke up, that was the first time he realized that the coachbuilder didn't expect that rear passengers would need to get out unassisted.  No inside door handles or window switches except for the front seat in his car.  

Quote :

Really zero privacy unless you make some curtains of some sort

It's going to be hot and stuffy inside the car unless you're ok with letting the car idle with the A/C on.  Maybe get a CO detector so you wake up in the morning.  Open windows will likely attract a lot of bugs/mosquitos overnight.

I'd probably sleep feet forward - that way you can sit up easily just by opening the glass?

The forecast for Oshkosh event shows overnight temperatures in the high 50's to mid 60's.  No need to run the a/c.  

You could get a roll of fiberglass (metal might scratch the paint) window screening and some magnets.  Cut the screen a little bigger than the window opening, and use the magnets to hold it to the door frame.  That way, you can roll the windows down without letting bugs in.

Last summer, my son and a friend went on a 4000 mile road trip.  He took the Country Squire (it's more expendable than the Roadmaster, in the event he needed to abandon ship on the other side of the country), but camping in a full size wagon should be pretty similar regardless of brand.  He is an Eagle Scout who has logged about a year's worth of nights of camping.  He slept in a tent for the parts of the trip in national parks, but during some of the intermediate portions of the trip, they would camp in the car someplace like a Walmart parking lot.  He said reclining the front seats was a lot more comfortable than stretching out in the cargo area, and had the added benefit of not having to shuffle everything around right before trying to get to sleep.

I would just order some of these on amazon and slip on the door frame for ventilation.

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Ventilation-Comfortable-Elasticity-Retractable/dp/B09Z82BDZM/ref=asc_df_B09Z82BDZM?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=79852162947083&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583451681515923&psc=1

Camped out at EAA Airventure first night in the wagon.  Lucky for a cool week so staying warm pre-sunrise was actually the issue.  I agree.  I think the front seat reclined may actually be more comfortable.  I had a couple duffle bags in the back with me and it becomes difficult to move in the 4'x8' space.  There's not enough height to sit up so changing clothes is a bit difficult.  

Second night I slept in a tent for the first time since 1993.  Modern tents are a breeze to set up.  First time using my new Kelty Night Owl 2 and had it mostly set up in 15 minutes.  Much more height and room to stretch with some gear inside.  Downside is crawling out at my age is kinda awkward.  Of course, it doesn't provide as much noise isolation as the wagon either.

So I would say for an overnight rest stop, the front seat of the wagon works fine but if I'm going to be staying a while, pitch the tent.

this is the way i like to camp