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Sleeping in cars


sdkrc

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I'm a connoisseur of sleeping in cars. I spent half a year sleeping on 2 chairs held together with belts and subsequently 7 months sleeping on a table in a flat with a rat problem. During those periods I'd have aspirational thoughts of a nice campervan, a canal barge or an estate to sleep in.

I used to regularly sleep in my Audi C6 estate and would rank that as my #1 car sleeping recommendation. I once went camping with the lads, they got pissed before pitching their tent and it blew into a river. That night 3x large, grown men slept in great comfort thanks to a flat load bay, felt lining and ample room.

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The worst night's sleep was across the back of an A2 whilst going to see an eBay purchased boat in Plymouth. We picked up my dad's mate who had spent a not insignificant amount of his life in prison, I let him drive and he did 200miles at 95mph, most of those in 4th gear.

The seat belt buckles dug into me all night and there's an insurmountable gradient only noticeable when you're lying down. The stains in this pic aren't mine but are representative.

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Honourable mention to a night in the Insight. Much roomier than you'd think, you can't recline the seat without moving it forward but it somehow was tolerable and almost pleasant.

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So where have you slept and how would you rate it?

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After the birth of my first born, I was getting zero sleep. I would go to my mk2 cavalier, get under a blanket with a pillow for my head and set my alarm clock for 55 mins. If you are tired enough, the lack of comfort is okay. 

 I used to eat my lunch at my desk about 11 am. 

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I often used to have a powernap at lunchtime in my car/van/truck. Once managed a four hour long powernap in my Calibra after driving 120miles to Betws Y Coed, which I apparently got away with, despite being parked in the work compound. 

My most comfortable car for sleeping in was my Vauxhall Omega which had lovely soft heated armchairs and masses of legroom. The back seat was comfortable too. 

The least comfortable was a night spent with a girl I'd met at a music festival in the back of a 306 XSI. It was one of those annoying situations where the legroom was insufficient for me by about three or four inches, so I had horrible cramp the next day. Not that I did much sleeping...

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MK7 Civic. Passable but not amazing. Even I, at 5ft7, had to lie diagonally for leg room and there is a height change where the seat back folds down that needs a cushion or blankets to fill.

The Acclaim you can nap in but not much more, even with the seat reclined right back your feet are in amongst the pedals. The 740 can accommodate a double mattress with the seats down so should be excellent...

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When I was about 16, it was 8pm and three of us decided we would go for a couple of days to my mates dads caravan in Caernarfon. We lived in Rotherham. We drove down in his three door renault 5 (monaco 1.7 😎) and obviously when three lads turn up at a caravan site at 11:45PM, the warden quite rightly told us to FRO.

So we pulled into the next layby and attempted to sleep. I was laid in the back, going across, (ish) with the other two reclining their front seats, luckily they didn't go that far back so I was left with just enough room.

We all just about nodded off OK, until at about 3am I woke up with an urge to stretch my legs a bit, which turned into a full on panic attack and the realisation that I was claustrophobic and had to IMMEDIATELY get out of the car.

Obviously the lads in the front weren't amused at all when I woke them up, and then when they saw the panic I was having, they were all of a sudden very amused indeed at my plight.

It's 20 years ago and recalling the story genuinely has made my palms sweat and my legs ache.

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My favoured position for car sleeping is the front passenger seat reclined as far back as possible. Ideally wrapped in a big duvet. Worked ok in a Vauxhall Omega, Citroen Xantia, Mercedes S-class and a few other things. Very occasionally I’ve had the luxury of an estate to sleep in the back of, but not often.

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Ford focus Mk1 at the FOD. 

I tried half-inflating a blow up mattress in the boot, but the car was about 8 inches too short for the mattress and subsequently me. Then tried lying in the boot with my head on the folded-up seats, squeezed in with the the other crap in there. That didn't work. Ended up in the passenger seat, but I couldn't push it back due to the rear seats being folded so I woke up a billion times in the night with massive cramp (my body is 90% legs) from being folded up all wrong. 

Great FOD weekender though. 

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Used to race minimotos around the country as a young gun. First time I slept in the car I think I nearly died. 
 

I rock up quite late the night before to Nottingham raceway off the A46 in a H plate mk3 fiesta - all the gear in the back - bike, couple of Jerry cans full of petrol etc

Decided to get some Kip so moved to the passenger seat, reclined and wrapped myself in a duvet

Woke up about 5am, absolutely freezing but massive headache and stopping myself from being sick all over the car

 

Probably should have unloaded the car - absolutely full of petrol fumes from the Jerry cans.

 

Horrible night.

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Not got the pics to hand but many of us do it at Shitefest! 

I've done it a few times, a double air bed blows up beautifully in an estate car! Did it in the saloon laguna too and it wasn't too bad. 

Also slept across the back seat of a zx which wasn't as fun, although alcohol helped. 

It's a dilemma I have nowadays. I have a lovely tent which I wish I used more, but it's a grade a faff to assemble and pack away... Kipping in the car is just easier for weekends here and there

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Sorry for another salacious reminiscence but I can remember my brother once trying to have relations* with his then girlfriend in the back of his 1960 Landrover. He was thwarted by the spare wheel (mounted behind the front seats) which worked loose and fell on him.

I did once sleep in my Landrover, I'd have been warmer sleeping rough tbh.

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I've slept in the 308, and in my old S60 a few times, when the little un was poorly and in hospital over night, and they would only let one of us stay with him.

So the wife stayed up in the room, and I stayed in the car.

Both were comfy enough, but it was sodding cold, especially in November, and I had a North face hoodie as my only warmth.

I reckon if I'd had a sleeping bag I'd have been happy enough though.

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Slept in the front reclined seat of a mk2 focus when me and the Mrs had a fall out. Damn cold and uncomfortable. Also slept in the front seat of a suzuki baleno as I was falling asleep while driving so safer to stop. 

At one shitfest I also managed to fold  back seat down and sleep diagonally across the back end of a xsara hatchback. Nowadays I need to be warm and comfortable or else I suffer for days after. 

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I would like to add to the list of sleeping in a Vauxhall Omega but I do remember it wasn't comfortable. Can't remember if I was across back seat or in driver's seat but there were two of us in there. Mid-spec velour I think.

We'd been imbibing vodka jelly the evening before and were so pissed we couldn't even begin to try and find some floor space inside the house let alone a bed. 

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I've only done it once. Went back to Lincoln for a night out with some friends a few years below me after I'd graduated. House party followed by venturing into town, and then I was gonna crash on their sofa when we got back. Only another guest decided to throw up all over said sofa, so when I got back, it was wet from being cleaned and had no cushions as they were all in the washer. A bit drunk at 3am and ready for bed, I decided that the cold tile floor didn't appeal as a sleeping surface and elected to sleep in the back of my Megane. I put the passenger seat all the way forwards and sort of slept in an L shape across the back seats and into the footwell while wrapped in a double duvet with the window open a crack.

More frustrating was the next morning when I needed to use the facilities and no-one answered the door at the house, ended up driving down to the local McDonalds!

 

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I've done it too many times, one evening two of us ended up sleeping in the front of my MK1 Fiesta while the back was full of stuff for a boot sale the next day, had the police wake us up at some godforsaken hour to check on us.

I had a VW van years ago I used as a camper, but did end up sleeping in it one night with no airbed/bedding etc after a row with the (then) girlfriend - it was bloody cold and uncomfortable! 

Also kipped in the back of my Passat a couple of times, once after the ex-wife went skitzo and threatened to stab me (another cold uncomfortable night), and once when I got a migraine driving up the M11 and couldn't carry on, so had a nap in the back at the services until I felt better. 

Driving to Germany in either a 7.5 ton lorry or Sprinter has seen me sleeping in the cab numerous times, a van is just about OK on your own across the seats, but trying to sleep in that poxy lorry was a nightmare, I never found a comfortable position in years of trying. Best was pulling the seatbelt tight and getting it to lock, then resting my head against it - but I'd always end up nodding forwards and waking up. Don't miss that at all. 

Had the German police wake me up to check my ID once too, bastards.

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Only had the one occasion sleeping in a car. I was at a party/piss up down on the beach and after a long evening drinking beer it stared to rain. We were all to hammered to go home so we decided to stay the night. I was driven there so I had to share a Honda Jazz with my mate Finn, with one blanket. I had the passenger seat fully reclined and my bag in the footwell to prop up my feet and in all honesty it was quite comfortable (with the exception of the garlic heavy post-kabab arse gas).

The following morning consisted of more beer and multiple day old supermarket cakes for breakfast as it was Finn’s birthday.

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Worst is a toss up between a Discovery shared with the ex after the kids left the tent flap open and soaked half the bedding and a Sierra shared with 3 mates, 2 of whom were taller than me.

Although not much worse than sharing a Fiat Tipo that had sunk into a muddy field with my baby son (he's 17 now).

Lovely nights kip in 405 and BX estates but beaten by the Dacia.  My youngest set a bed up in it last time we went to the FoD as it was peeing down.  Fully inflated airbeds wouldn't fit but 75% inflated they were super comfortable and we both slept like logs.

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