Camping with an i-miev

[BenBrown]

Before I got Gregg I saw this real cool photo of a camping get together with all these rv trailers and motorhomes... and an i-miev with a nano sized pop up trailer or tent. That inspired me.

I want to go camping with my i-miev. Anyone know more about the photo I saw or camp out using your i-miev? I'm 90% sure I could also sleep comfortably inside Gregg, but before I invent the wheel,...any one do this?

Its been 40 years since my last camping experience and I've got this on my bucket list for 2016.

 

[PV1]

You mean this picture?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/23079348@N08/15299104536/in/set-72157647894969501

Found in the thread "National Drive Electric Week - Pittsburgh, PA" (http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2338), posted by Jray3.

For sleeping inside the car, if the front seat would flip forward and lay flat, it would be perfect. Since it doesn't, the best way would be to lay with your head near the hatch and your legs over the front seat. If you remove the front and rear headrests, fold the rear seat down, and slide the front seat all the way forward and lay it back, you can get it near flat from the hatch all the way to the dash.

I haven't tried sleeping in the car yet, but I did lay down in the car like this once for kicks at the RV show when I had Koorz there.

 

[BenBrown]

That has to be the photo. Incredible how memories can blur... :roll:

That would be fantastic if I could find out the specs for what jray3 did. I would definitely plan on hitting all the Michigan state campgrounds I could. (I wonder how many have electric outlets on sites.)

For in car sleeping... I've wondered about using one of those large inflatable balance balls and a moveable platform to level out the "sleeping" area so I could stretch out into the passenger area. The plus to that would be when temps and humindity stay in the upper 90'sF in August I could at least sleep cool....

Thanks for the lead...

 

[jray3]

Hi Ben, yep that car top tent is fun. The manufacturer is long gone, and it's a shame, as it was well built for the price, and most roof top tents are very pricey. Here's another view.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/23079348@N08/15299103676/in/album-72157647894969501/
Since I had very young kids and the i-MiEV Thule rack was expensive, I just built 'er on a trailer so we bed down less than 3' off the ground instead of up in the trees. The whole shebang weighs a tad over 400 lbs. Could've been less, but the trailer is a plywood box around a heavy aircooled VW transaxle complete with torsion bars and brake drums on a Type III VW subframe rather than a lightweight Harbor Freight trailer. I've since added hub adaptors so the trailer can roll on i-MiEV wheels or VW wheels, depending on what I'm towing it with. The kids are also much taller now, so I'll probably take it out van-top camping this summer.

The state inspection was a snap, but of course I didn't divulge Phase II, which is to be pusher trailer function with one of the following: a 48V battery pack powering both a large UPS and a Kaylor-Kit (WWII aircraft starter/generator, for a pusher trailer that has regenerative braking) or a VW engine-powered pusher trailer, as I demonstrated with the resurrected Straubel Pusher, which has since been re-retired to the Historic EV Foundation.
http://insideevs.com/explained-mitsubishi-miev-range-extender-story/
http://www.hevf.org/

I have not attempted to camp inside the i-MiEV.

 

[Mart]

I guess I'm old school. I think there's plenty of room in the car for a couple of back packs, sleeping bags, and a tent.

 

[blackheart]

I was totally thinking of a small teardrop trailer that also has a pusher engine. Maybe something like a smart transaxle or something. It wouldn't win any races but might help you get a little further away from civilization - or at least to an RV park with a plug ;-)

 

[misterbleepy]

I used to camp with my (now ex) other car, in a small trailer tent. It weighed around 200-250 kilos and looked like this:

Camper Van and Folding Camper by misterbleepy, on Flickr

Here in the UK, we're not allowed to tow with the i-MiEV, so we have camped using a tent instead. But I bet it could tow a trailer tent of that weight no problem.
One time when we were camping a motorcyclist who arrived at the campsite was asking about the weight, as his GoldWing trike was allowed to tow up to 250kg.
When folded up, the trailer tent looked like a small trailer - it was lower than the rear window of the car, so easy to see over through the rear view mirror.

 

[jray3]

I was totally thinking of a small teardrop trailer that also has a pusher engine. Maybe something like a smart transaxle or something. It wouldn't win any races but might help you get a little further away from civilization - or at least to an RV park with a plug ;-)

Oh but it would win races! The aircooled VW pusher almost exactly doubled my available Hp while adding only about 14% in weight, and made a huge difference in highway passing ability. I got some incredulous thumbs up after blasting past slow rigs, esp. going uphill!
My only close encounter with law enforcement was a state trooper who sped up and lingered for a closer look after I came roaring up an on-ramp, but the shiny new trailer license plate probably helped prevent him from stopping me.

 

[DonDakin]

So I seem to have some time on my hands,

When I read this post I thought maybe I should try this out.

So I went and added some foam I had lying around to the rear area of the car and just like PV1 said if you lie on the foam towards the rear of the hatch and hang your feet over the front seat fully reclined with the headrest removed I works well. your feet kind of go downwards a little bit but it's actually really comfortable. The foam is about 3 inches so it matches well with the end of the front seat. It works pretty well for sleeping in the car. I'm 5'10" btw.

I think this is actually a useful thing to do if you ever have to do a 2-3 hour charge. Its kind of like the space travel hyper sleep idea. Have a comfortable snooze and when you wake up your all ready to go.

http://imgur.com/a/3ozZa

Don......

 

[danpatgal]

We went camping in our iMiev the past two summers, and it works out pretty well. My son decided to sleep in the car on one of the nights (the ground, despite sleeping bag padding, was a bit too hard for him). He just slept in the passenger seat reclined as far back as possible. It was more comfortable than on the ground, so he said.

Both years I took our 240v (14/50R plugged) EVSE to use the electrical connections at the camping sites. It works out pretty well.

 

[BenBrown]

Hi Ben, yep that car top tent is fun. The manufacturer is long gone, and it's a shame, as it was well built for the price, and most roof top tents are very pricey. I have not attempted to camp inside the i-MiEV.

Who was the maker? I wonder if anything like that is made for motocycles and if it would be lighter?


btw... intermittent wifi access... really appreciate all the respones. I've been told the window for camping reservations at our State parks this Spring and Summer are closing quick so I will try to jump on this...

BB

 

[jray3]

Who was the maker? I wonder if anything like that is made for motocycles and if it would be lighter?
BB

The company was Mombasa Outdoors of Arlington Tx, website was www.car-top-tent.com
The internet archive "way back machine" has some screen captures. Entry model was $600, made in China when most others start at $1000. It has an aluminum frame, steel hinges and ladder, and Masonite platform.

Motorcycle tents include a trailer, so much more expensive.

Mombasa Outdoors was copying the eezi-awn from South Africa. Their basic Jazz model starts at $1800! http://www.equipt1.com/i/roof-top-tents/jazz

 

[misterbleepy]

There's a van parked near where I live with an Autohome roof tent on top - they're Italian - website here:

http://www.autohome-official.com/en/