A logical question is, why do you need to spend the night in a car at all, or why specially equip (build) a sleeping place in it? After all, it seemed simpler: we take a tent, sleeping bags, rugs with us, calmly set up camp and spend the night in comfort. But it's not always that simple.

If you purposefully go in the warm season for a few days to relax in nature, then spending the night in, or even under an awning, is certainly the most optimal and preferable option. However, even if you constantly carry a tent and sleeping gear with you in the car, situations often arise when the need to spend the night is inevitable. But spending the night in a tent for one reason or another will be uncomfortable or even difficult. For example:

— The terrain or its top layer makes it difficult to set up a tent. Or it takes a lot of effort to clear the space. Rocky surface, dense bushes, slightly swampy or flooded ground after rains, deep snow cover, wasteland with litter lying around in the city, etc.

— For some reason, it’s simply not practical to set up a bivouac. A short rest during long hauls, a suitable place for bivouac will be a considerable distance away from the stationary vehicle, unfavorable weather conditions, you meet someone at the airport in the evening, and the flight is delayed for 5-6 hours, etc.

In such, the above, and similar cases, the most acceptable option for solving the issue of spending the night may be a car tent installed on the roof of the car. When folded, it looks like a trunk, and some models can also simultaneously perform its functions. This car tent is quickly and easily put into working order, and spending the night in it is very comfortable.

But its shortcomings sometimes outweigh all its advantages. It makes no sense to carry it with you all the time, since it increases the windage of the car, thereby reducing the speed and increasing fuel consumption. And most importantly, the price is quite high.

If in your car the backs of the front and rear seats can be folded out to a horizontal or almost horizontal position into a flat sleeping place, or the length of the car is enough to form a flat sleeping place by folding only the rear ones, without touching the front seats, then you are guaranteed good rest and sleep.

This arrangement of a sleeping place in a car is effective and does not require any cash costs. But only if you have no luggage with you, or very little, or you are alone. Otherwise, the unpleasant process of transferring things from the trunk to the passenger compartment begins. And if there are a lot of them, then lay them out under the car or next to it. This takes some time and is not always convenient. For example, in the dark or in the rain. But in the morning the whole process will need to be repeated, but in reverse order.

Unfortunately, such a transformation of the interior is not possible in all cars. In some cases, profiled front seats with pronounced lateral support can only lie on top of the rear seat cushions, and not flush with them. The bend at the junction between the cushion and the back of the front row seat can also interfere with relaxation and rest.

A special sleeping rack or a sleeping system of sections for a car.

For those who need to spend the night in a car quite often, we can advise you to arrange a comfortable sleeping place in advance. By making a removable, collapsible, easily installed one. To do this, it is necessary to make a special structure that will be mounted on top of the folded seat backs and cover the free space of the car.

First of all, for convenience, the car should be placed on a more or less horizontal area, with the front in the exit direction. And if you don’t plan to get up early, then also take into account the direction of sunrise so that it doesn’t shine in your eyes in the morning. The car must be set to the parking brake.

If you are spending the night in a front seat whose backrest does not recline to a horizontal state, then try to find a small hillock and park the car so that the front is slightly higher than the rear. Then the body will take a more horizontal position and sleep will be more comfortable.

You can protect yourself from insects with a net or gauze pressed against a closed door. To ensure proper ventilation of the cabin, you need to leave two diagonally open windows slightly open, otherwise in the morning everything inside will be covered in condensation and very foggy.

If you have already assembled a car kit and constantly keep it in your car, then most likely it already contains a compact fleece blanket or blanket; add to this an inflatable pillow and an air mattress, and you will be guaranteed a good night’s sleep.

In the cabin, diagonally, it will be useful to pull a pre-prepared rope or cord. Useful for hanging small items, as well as drying towels and clothing items. If it’s cold outside, you can “insulate” yourself with a couple of 1.5-2 liter plastic bottles of hot water, after wrapping them in a towel or any other suitable piece of fabric. Or use catalytic.

If these funds are not enough to ensure that the overnight stay is at a comfortable temperature, then we periodically start the car, turn on the heater and warm up the interior. On particularly cold nights you will have to do this quite often. Sleeping in a car with the engine constantly running is strictly not recommended.

Today I would like to talk about spending the night in nature.

There are several options here - you can sleep in a tent, stay in a car, or visit a friend or not necessarily a friend of a beekeeper or forester (they are always happy to have guests). By the way, most apiaries and guardhouses in the forest do not have locks, since there is no point in hanging a lock anyway - they will break it if necessary. So even if the owner of the house is not there, you can always spend the night in such a house, provided you don’t spoil anything there and clean up everything after yourself. And if you also leave a present in the form of an intoxicating liquid, then the happiness of the owner of the Foreast Hotel * will know no bounds. But an apiary is an exceptional option, so let’s take a closer look at the first two.

On our trips, we spend the night both in a tent and in a car. It is more convenient to sleep in a car for several reasons.

Firstly, the tent needs to be set up and assembled, and if the trip involves moving to a new place every day, then this process can be a little tiring. Moreover, if the weather leaves much to be desired and showers you with fog or rain, then the tent most likely will not have time to dry out and you will have to pack it up wet and go to bed damp.

Choosing a place for a tent is also not easy - sometimes there are pebbles, sometimes pine cones, sometimes marshy areas.

Another disadvantage is that at night all the rustles and sounds in it can be heard very well. And if before that the whole evening around the fire they told stories about “inexplicable anomalies of this place”, about rassomas that attack peacefully sleeping tourists and about connecting rod bears, then especially impressionable people (me, for example) can forget about sleep.

Another drawback is that if the tent is not placed in the shade, the morning sun will drive you out of the tent very early. Although for many this is not a problem.

No matter what, I love spending the night in a tent. In the near future I’m going to write an article on and about how you can do it on your own.

And today I decided to pay attention to the equipment of the sleeping place in the car.

Sleeping in your car has many benefits. Firstly, you don’t need to choose the place so carefully - where you stand up, lie down there, the main thing is that the car stands more or less level.

Secondly, you can always start it and turn on the stove if the temperature drops below comfortable or turn on the autonomous stove that many travel cars are equipped with.

If your jeep has a long wheelbase, then the bed can be left in place even on the road. This often helps us out, the children sleep - and we move on.

The car also has light bulbs, shelves, pockets and other small amenities that make life much easier. And many even have televisions.

The meaning of organizing a sleeping place in a car is approximately the same. If you want to sleep comfortably, then you need to not just fold out the seats, but start designing a special bed.

To do this, the rear seats are either removed completely (as was the case in our short Patrol) or folded forward and a metal frame, covered with plywood and necessarily attached to the body for safety purposes, is mounted at their level. Roads are different and there have been cases when cars lay on their sides, and I wouldn’t want the frame, along with a bunch of various tourist utensils lying underneath, to end up on top of the driver or passenger. Moreover, this frame is located above the wheel arches, which significantly expands the bed, and there is enough space below where you can put things. Here's what it looks like for us:

And in this video you can see in more detail how we arranged everything:

This is the most common option for arranging a sleeping place for avid campers. However, there are other options.

Someone sleeps on the roof of a car in a special tent

The simplest recommendation is that a sleep-deprived driver should not drive, just like a drunk driver. It’s a pity that the “snot tester” has not yet been invented... But the tone of any person decreases several times during the day for objective reasons that are in no way dependent on us. So, if you nod off at your desk in the afternoon, then this is not a sign of promiscuity, but a natural state of the body. Although there is nothing good in the fact that your boss finds you dozing peacefully on papers or on the keyboard. But nothing fatal.

What other options? Maybe three cups of coffee? Energy drink? Cigarette? God forbid you! One is more harmful than the other! It’s better to go out into the fresh air (of course, not in a traffic jam or on the highway at night) or at least open four windows (just not in rain or snow).

Stop and sleep!

But the main recipe is one - stop in a safe place and take a nap. You may be late somewhere, but you will remain safe and sound. True, not everyone is able to fall asleep quickly and easily, with their head resting on their chest or on the headrest - it is more difficult for a person with a more subtle “nervous organization” to do this than for a “thick-skinned” person. Yes, and a “half-hour” nap will help only when there is not much left to go. And on a long journey?

It’s good for truckers - they have comfortable sleeping places in their cabs. Another thing is an ordinary passenger car, where you can’t really fall apart. So all hope lies in the infrastructure: now along most highways there are many cozy, relatively inexpensive motels, where the driver and his companions can quite comfortably spend the night. It turns out that spending the night in your own car is no longer relevant? Not at all!

Looking for a bedroom

Motels are not available everywhere. The country is “immense”, and the further from the capital, the rarer the “oases”.

YOU SHOULD NOT THINK THAT ONLY LOSERS WHO CAN’T SAVE UP FOR A MOTEL OR PLAN THEIR ROUTE ADVANCE SLEEP IN THE CAR

It also happens: signs of civilization are encountered every twenty to thirty kilometers, and then suddenly - bam! And there are no more than a hundred “keme”, only gas stations flicker in the night. And the desire to sleep is unbearable... At least insert matches between your eyelids so that they don’t close.

True, roadside hotels are usually small - a dozen or two rooms. And they may simply be busy. We should have stopped earlier... But who knew?

The plan was to drive and drive, but in the middle of the night my eyes began to stick together. This happens especially often in the autumn-winter period. During rain, snowfall and darkness, the average speed drops significantly, and travel time increases accordingly. The main troubles are on the eve of winter, when it is still damp during the day and freezes with the onset of darkness. It’s so slippery that it’s not just driving, it’s impossible to walk! And then only to the parking lot - the nearest one. Out of harm's way.

In general, have you often had to stop at roadside motels (if there are any along the way and are not full)? To me - yes.

If only there was a pillow...

They are also quite good, more or less clean, decorated according to the owner’s taste, sometimes quite intricately, and the cuisine is often decent. Not a Grand Hotel, of course, but it will do for a rural area. It’s just that in most cases, the “long-distance guy” hangs out here until late: smoke with a yoke, chanson with obscenities at full volume. And girls who are not at all “difficult” in behavior and not the most attractive in appearance catch you in a cafe and knock on your room: “Man, please match the lady.” In a word, this will not suit everyone. And this is the third obvious reason.

There is one more “but” - finances! As the hero from the unforgettable “Mimino” said, “Listen, what normal person would go to Moscow without money, well, we went to a restaurant, back and forth, the money ran out...”

Therefore, the objections, “they say, you need to pack for a trip with a reserve, and any driver should always have an extra 800–1000 rubles for overnight accommodation in his pocket,” we cannot accept as an argument. You never know what has already happened on the way - they punctured a tire, broke down, “shared with the inspector,” etc., etc.

We stay in the car

A CAR IS NOT THE WORST PLACE TO STAY. THE MAIN THING IS TO ESTABLISH THE “NEST” CORRECTLY AND CHOOSE A PLACE FOR A SAFE PARKING

If you give this money for a warm bed today, there is no guarantee that tomorrow you may not have enough of it for unforeseen needs. And our people, after all, are not too rich to easily part with an extra “stuff.”

I will find you more than one or two good reasons why you sometimes have to spend the night in a car: you had a fight with your wife, but you don’t want to bother your friends; I’m in bad health and need to take a break; you meet someone at the airport, but the flight keeps getting delayed... You can continue ad infinitum.

Make yourself comfortable

Almost all passenger cars offer the possibility of rest and sleep. To do this, the front seats are folded out to a horizontal or almost horizontal position.

Previously, somewhere before the sixties of the last century, when there were no headrests yet, and the front sofas were solid and flat, the back of the first row fell flush with the plump pillow of the second, forming an excellent double bed. Happy baby boom times!

Now the profiled front seats, famous for their complex shape and pronounced lateral support, lie only on top of the rear seats. In addition, the kink at the junction between the pillow and the back of the front row makes it difficult to stretch out and relax.

In terms of height, most models do not limit us - our legs can be stretched freely. So if you are spending the night alone, it is better to move to the right seat so that the steering wheel and pedals are not in the way. What if in a company? To do this, you can use both front seats, and another crew member can be sent to the trunk by folding the second row of seats - especially if the car is one-volume, of which there are many now.

And many sedans have a folding second row. But it would be nice for this “third handy” passenger to find some kind of mattress - the floor is a bit hard!

We decided to compare models of different classes based on the convenience of sleeping in a car and, having assembled five different cars, “slept” in them. What came out of this can be seen in the photographs. And - have a restful holiday!

He is Goga, he is Zhora, he is Gosha. Sorry, aka the Peugeot 4007 and, more importantly and nicely, the Mitsubishi Outlander XL. The quality of materials here is quite decent - both leather and plastic are designed to please riders and “loungers”. And on a good “mattress” you sleep soundly.

The chairs here seem to be created for “settling down” after a tiring journey - they perfectly hug the body and do not put pressure on the lower back or knees. True, they “impose” the position “on the back”. It's almost impossible to turn on your side here - the pronounced profile of the lumbar support gets in the way. The trunk is spacious, but a bit harsh on the flat plastic.

But in terms of the convenience of “crawling” onto the rear bed, the “French” has no equal, because the lower flap of the lid folds back to a horizontal position, and you can sit on it, say, to put on your shoes or drink some tea and look at the stars.

Driver and passenger airbags, front side airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags, ABS, stability control, cruise control, fog lights, headlight washers, xenon headlights, light and rain sensors, climate control, rear parking sensors, socket 12V in the trunk and in the front center armrest, leather interior trim, 18" alloy wheels

A minivan always remains a minivan (from a sleeping point of view!). Even if it bears the proud name “Great Wall”. The Chinese have nevertheless learned to more or less diligently copy Japanese products of past generations. And Сowry is no exception.

Large internal volume, a lot of “air”, front seats that move far away are obvious advantages for overnight accommodation. And there is plenty of space in the trunk - you can even sit alone.

But there are also some comments: the relatively high minivan seat makes it difficult to stretch your legs horizontally - it forces you to keep your knees half-bent. And when you “put your body” in the trunk, there is a risk that the “seats” of the third row, very precariously tied to the walls of the body with Chinese straps, will collapse on you like a blade invented by the glorious Doctor Guillotin. Yes, and you will have to constantly heat the large interior, and there is little trust in the door seals.

Front airbags, ABS, anti-theft system, leather upholstery, climate control, power windows in the front and rear doors, central locking with remote control, height-adjustable steering column, power sunroof, fog lights, folding rear seat, power and heated exterior mirrors, 12V socket, multimedia system (CD/MP3/MP4/DVD/U USB/Bluetooth)

Many people probably don’t remember (it’s a girl’s memory!), but about ten years ago on the Russian market, the creative representatives of this brand’s representative office came up with this slightly clumsy slogan for advertising: “This is not a dream, this is Nissan.” Just a dream in hand! After all, it is the passenger flagship Teana that has something that many more eminent manufacturers can envy - the right front seat with leg support. It is equipped with a servo drive and is capable of raising your calves, tired from overwork, almost to the level of your knees. For some reason, this device is funny called an ottoman - either in honor of the collapsed Turkish empire, or in honor of the creator of the internal combustion engine, Otto...

Taking into account the status of the model, which requires the presence of a personal driver, you can start “putting pressure on the mass” while driving. Luxurious bed! But for one thing, the left chair is not “ottoman”. And only a crazy person will fit into the trunk here - the back of the second row does not recline. Although if you tie your arms and legs...

Driver and passenger front airbags, driver and passenger side airbags, curtain airbags for the front and rear rows of seats, ABS, ESP, light sensor, electric adjustment and folding mirrors, climate control, Intelligent Key access system, push-button engine start, cruise -control, leather interior, color touch display, rear view camera, xenon headlights, 17'' alloy wheels, navigation system, BOSE audio system

You say: “One in Polo is not a warrior”? That's right - the car is a family car, suggesting not only city trips, but also long-distance travel in a large company.

Once upon a time, Polo was considered a B-class. Now this sounds like a mockery - how “everything got mixed up in the Oblonskys’ house”! This “B-class” can easily accommodate four well-fed travelers. The front seats are surprisingly spacious and comfortable - we can settle in and fall asleep quickly. On the second row sofa we will place a representative of the younger generation, who was also lucky enough to “join the beauty” in the person of the “people's car”. And in the trunk (provided that it is free from a heap of bags from your favorite hypermarket or from tomato seedlings) you can easily put your beloved mother-in-law. Although if the Polo was purchased with her financial participation, it would not be a sin for the head of the family to sit in her place, and for the grandmother to sit in the salon. It’s not in vain, it’s not in vain that there are six-month queues for this model. Or should we say “six-monthly”?

Frontal airbags for driver and passenger, power windows front and rear, ABS, driver's seat height adjustment, steering column height and reach adjustment, central locking, immobilizer, electrically heated front seats, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors, 15-inch alloy wheels, tires 195/55, fog lights, air conditioning, radio/CD/MP3, chrome trim of interior elements

The domestic “berry” has matured to the size of a station wagon. And, probably, taking into account the affordable price, this is the most affordable means of transport for long trips in the Russian outback - maintainable and passable, compact and roomy.

It is in Kalina that many compatriots will have to camp on a long journey due to the lack of a motel or money for an overnight stay. I admit, before the “laying of the body” we expressed considerable skepticism about “sleeping comfort”. But! The test on myself completely refuted any mistrust!

I especially liked it in the station wagon trunk - despite the winter night shooting, your humble experimental servant instantly dozed off. The reason is that the floor here is uneven and rises at the level of the folded seats, forming a natural elevation in the headboard area, and the shag carpet of the upholstery is quite soft.

ABS, driver and front passenger airbags, audio equipment, velor upholstery, rear head restraints, folding rear seat, climate control, tilt-adjustable steering column, electric drive and heated exterior mirrors, heated front seats, power windows front and rear, on-board computer, fog lights, 14'' alloy wheels, immobilizer, remote controlled alarm, remote controlled central locking

Where can you sleep better?

The test result was unexpected for us. As it turned out, size is not always decisive: all five applicants turned out to be quite suitable for a full overnight stay, the difference is only in the nuances.

Most comments are made about the largest of all - Great Wall Cowry. “Minivan style” high seating forces the sleeper to bend his knees.

Lada Kalina did not present any surprises. The trouble is that in a compact car, in the very rear position of the seats, their backs do not fold down, but lie on top of the second row sofa. And to make the “bed” flatter, you have to shorten its length.

The VW Polo turned out to be quite good for sleeping and spacious in length. Only a limited width dimension can prevent large people from lying down on a “parallel course”.

Nissan Teana would rightfully claim leadership. Its comfortable seats for both sitting and lying positions, and especially the right one, “Ottoman”, will allow two passengers to have a great night's sleep. But the back of the rear sofa does not fold.

And therefore, the French-Japanese crossover Citroen C-Crosser comes out on top in terms of its total advantages. Bravo-bravo! It is both cozy and spacious here. Four adult riders will be able to spend the night here without crowding. But - with the presence of mattresses for those sleeping in the back.

Be on the lookout!

When sleeping in a car, there are a couple of important considerations - warmth and safety.

In our cold climate, in most cases, even the outerwear that you have with you does not allow you to feel comfortable in a cold car. After all, in sleep, when the muscles relax, the pulse becomes less frequent, and we need more warmth. And the outside temperature naturally drops at night.

It’s good if you have a warm blanket in stock, or even better - a sleeping bag, which allows for a normal overnight stay without additional heating of the cabin, even at slightly sub-zero temperatures.

And what about significant ones? And without a bag? And here the question arises - should I start the engine? In the past, all instructions advised against doing this. And if you start it, then turn the car with the exhaust pipe into the wind - so as not to get burned.

Now everything has changed noticeably. Catalysts in exhaust systems absorb most of the carbon monoxide, door and trunk seals have become noticeably better, and the chance of sniffing (albeit not fatally, but causing a headache) has become scanty.

But, again, this applies to modern cars. If your “hardware” is on its last legs and was produced in the last century, it is still better to make centimeter-sized slits in a couple of windows - so as not to harm your health.

But regarding criminal safety, the advice is obvious: spend the night where you are not alone - at gas stations and at traffic police posts. The likelihood that “dashing people” will come there is almost zero. But because of this “almost”, do not forget to lock the central locking from the inside. And leave the keys in the ignition, even if the engine is turned off - just in case there is a fireman. To quickly jump into the saddle and get away from problems - you never know what kind of negative characters will think of knocking on your window. God protects those who are careful!

And one more thing - do not take the next one “on your chest, for warming up”, even if you plan to sleep all night. Firstly, you may not have time to clear your head before the morning, and with the current “prohibition” law, you risk being in a hurry for a couple of years. Secondly, what if the dream passes and you feel the urge to go earlier?

Special test: time to sleep!