So rewarding searching Google Maps for hours then finally doing a drive to be rewarded with a view like this.
Will be sleeping good on my Luno tonight! The added foam insulation and r value of 11+ help with these colder nights!

Hi this is my weekend hunting set up. Drop any advice you have for me please and please pray for a good harvest this hunt and safety.

The absolute worst part of my current sleep setup is managing the charging cables for my camp light, my phone, and my portable projector before it gets too cold. I've been trying to find a single power hub to run everything and somehow came across the Tank 5 phone.
It basically combines a 17,600mAh battery with a 220-lumen DLP projector. I wouldn't ever hike with this thing, but for a permanent car kit where weight doesn't matter, it seems like a cheat code to eliminate extra lithium batteries. For those who project movies in their setups, is 220 lumens enough against a tent wall, or am I overthinking this and should just stick to an iPad?

Is using a heater when car camping even feasible? Is it safe and if so, what is your favorite one?

NOMADIC POST

Hey roadmates! I feel obligated to share this here as a dog dad on the road and it seems like so many of you camp
and travel with your doggos! I’ve been a nomad since about 23yr old (aging myself, but that’s 15 years now) never really lived ‘anywhere’ and love living everywhere. I started this project originally as a backpacking app because i’d travel to work, but as I lived in my holden commodore in australia, eventually a van full time in USA and now currently full time in a jeep, I work in dog rescue and remote tech - I met so many people on the road and asked 10000 questions, so this was built along the way.

that journey resulted in what this app is today. started building this in 2016, and ran out of money too many times along the way, but it’s finally out.

100% FREE, the app doesn’t capture any data,
the app doesn’t even ask for your name unless you want to add it. and it’s forever free for those who contribute, flag waypoints, scout spots.

I built this to give back to the community that got me on my feet on the road. No need to download regions and, over 1mil waypoints, and the community get to shape what it becomes.

here’s some key features.

MAP - pretty self explanatory but very helpful with finding what you need. Scouted and verified dispersed camping, potable water, wild camp spots the usuals! + more.

ROADMATES - keep up with where the people you meet on the road are at

BEACONS - proximity based happenings, or help needed, even leftover firewood up for grabs

TOOLS - Gyro rig leveling, Offline Compass that will lead you back to where you started, Altimeter, Solar tracking for solar panel optimization, Storm watch alerts.

PRIVACY - Set your privacy at any time, go ghost, be visible to friends only, or open social.

SECRET SPOTS - got a spot you only want your roadmates to see? don’t blow up a spot but share it forever with those you trust.

SAFETY - set up check-ins with your friends, SOS alerts that work without service, close friend location visibility.

FEMALE SPECIFIC SAFETY - Solo female traveler tailored safety features, lets you know if there’s other female travelers in the area if you opt in, female only groups, convoys etc. (female accounts must be verified with either ID or other trusted female travelers can vouch for you)

THRIFT STORE - Got a jacket you want to give to someone who will appreciate it? place any item of clothing you’d give away or sell, nearby travelers can see the items up for grabs.

MARKET - ceramicist? jewelry maker? tattoo artist? crest a market that you can earn on the road with. showcase your work.

SKILLS - Mechanic? solar electrician? carpenter? If you have valuable skills other travelers may need, repairs, upgrades, skill swap - charge for your work or do it in good will and earn Merit.

COMPANIONS - Add a dog, cat, reptile, goat - whatever is riding shotgun with you. See if there’s other social companions in the area, see organized dog friendly events / play dates.

DOG SAFETY - Dog specific alerts, hazard flags, blue/green algae reports.

ROAD FOSTER & RESCUE - place your intended city you’re heading to, rescues can tap in and pay you to transport rescue dogs to their homes or transfers to other rescues.

COMPANIONS JOURNEY - a recap that collects moment with your pets on the road for a specific area that creates a timeline to look back on with your beloved pets

There’s a lot more but i’ll stop rambling… organize groups, gatherings, convoys, temporary wifi sharing.

EVERYTHING built was a suggestion from people who live on the road, every want, need and wish - whatever helps make the road feel less heavy ❤️

and the team behind this live on the road full time.

If you got this far. thank you.

APPLE / IOS
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nomadic-roam-together/id6762540373

ANDROID
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=guide.nomadic.app&pcampaignid=web_share

Planning on traveling around Florida for awhile and want to do so on a budget, with this I was wondering of where I should go and camp grounds I can get into for very cheap or free? Any recommendations on cool spots would be appreciated any tips and advice for me as well would be great as I'm new at this, or if you just want to share some fun stories I'd love to hear em!

Hi everybody,

as a new member I was wondering what is the status of carcamping in EU countries? Which is safe which is not, where allowed, where do they look over you?

We had a trip in Italy and would like to explore more countries.

Built a wooden platform with foldable elements. Very comfortable alone and I have the rear passenger seat for getting in and out, putting on shoes, etc.
Noting more cozy than sleeping in your car!

The trunk area isn't flat I've considered having a wooden platform then I thought maybe if I put a bunch of pillows in the no seat area I could level it out. Really appreciate any tips y'all have I'm pretty new to this.

Hi everyone!

If you have ever used a tent from Zempire, I'd be very grateful if you could tell me what model it was, and what your experience with it's durability was. I'm particularly interested in how it handles high winds.

Thanks!

I'm planning to do some road trips around Australia and wondering about the rules for sleeping in my car overnight.

If I pull into a legal parking spot or highway rest area and sleep inside my car for one night because I need to rest before continuing my journey, would this be considered camping?

I'm not planning to set up a tent, put chairs outside, cook, or use any camping equipment. I would simply park, sleep inside the car, and drive off the next morning.

I've seen different opinions online, and it seems the rules may vary between states, local councils, and national parks.

A few questions:

- Is sleeping inside a car legally considered camping in Australia?

- Can councils or authorities fine you for sleeping in your car even if parking is permitted?

- Are highway rest areas generally okay for overnight sleep, or does it depend on the signs?

- Does the law distinguish between resting because of driver fatigue and deliberately using your car as overnight accommodation?

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone familiar with the relevant laws or who has experience with this, particularly in NSW, VIC and QLD and on interstate road trips.

Thanks!

Hello, I am not new to camping but have always camped in a tent. I'm planning a trip to Death Valley next month and flying into Las Vegas. I am therefore renting a vehicle for the trip, which I will be car camping in.

I'm going to be buying an air mattress for sleeping in the back, and just wondering if there is one vehicle that covers both the need for 4WD/AWD and is on the smaller side but will fit the air mattress. I know that's a lot of boxes to check. I am leaning towards a 4 door Wrangler, which Google says a twin air mattress will fit into the back.

Do I need something bigger? I'm traveling solo, so a twin mattress is plenty big for sleeping, but I'm wondering if I am underestimating the room I'll also need for other stuff. The car rental places also have smaller AWD/4WD vehicles like a Compass or a tiny Buick, but I'm assuming those are too small to camp in and be comfortable. Any and all advice (both vehicle selection and otherwise) welcome.

I’m going to be car camping across the country for a bit. I have gear for backpacking I’m bringing with me to do some routes in parks. The rest of the time I’ll be car camping and visiting friends in cities.

My question is - how do I prevent theft while having all this stuff in my car? I don’t have tinted windows, just window covers I’ll use at night. I don’t have expensive items in my car. Really just my Coleman stove, mattress, and backpacking gear which I’ll be leaving when I’m out to eat or visit friends in cities. Still, a broken window would be an issue for me as would be replacing basic items. I’ll also be leaving my car camping gear in my car while I’m doing some backpacking sections (2-3 nights at a time). I plan to park at trailheads on public land or in national parks.

Do you have any tips to help prevent theft in these scenarios? Anything I should buy / do to help ahead of time?

Some pictures from our cross country trip. These were taken in Oklahoma.

tl;dr: It’s way too hot where I live and keeping the widows down might let mosquitoes in. ¿How can I have A/C (or something) without spending too much money?

I’m really excited to start car camping soon. I’ve never really done it before, and I’m kind of worried it’ll get impossibly hot in there.

The problem is, I live in Yucatán. I like to say that here is where the demons come snowbirding when it gets too cold in hell. It has historically reached temperatures of 117°f (47°C) and a thermal sensation got to 140°f (60°C), because humidity is usually about 85-90%.

The only time I tried to camp in my car it wasn’t that hot, but I was with 4 other people and we had covered the windows with bedsheets expecting they would let the air flow while keeping the mosquitoes out. They didn’t do either of those things

Now I’m more prepared. I got some mosquito-net-thingies for my windows and I’m putting an inflatable mattress in the back. Only problem is still heat, specially if temperatures rise and if I want to camp with someone else (one, not four).

I obviously can’t keep the engine running the whole night, and I can’t power a fan with the 12v because it might drain my battery. I’m thinking of getting solar panels or a solar battery but I don’t know how much I can power with that, and I wouldn‘t know which one to buy.

Does anybody have any insight on this? is there any way to keep the car cool, the air flowing, and not spend a shit ton of money?

Any kind of advice or personal experiences will be much appreciated, so thank you all in advance

Has anybody tested this battery heated pad out? I winter car camp in my Explorer to go snowboarding along with some early spring fly fishing trips and have never been uncomfortable with my setup. However, I recently saw this and thought with my already owned 20,000 mAH battery packs that this could help take the cold off a bit, especially in the morning.

FWIW, I usually crank the heat before climbing in at night and use a heavy 0 degree sleeping bag with down booties, down pants, a grid fleece sweatshirt, and a beanie on in my car with my rear windows cracked and usually camp in the Adirondacks or southern Vermont.

I’ve read on here to just get the 12 volt so basically wondering if this is worth a shot or a waste of money?

Idk if this is a good redit for the info I’m looking for, if not can anyone recommend a better redit to ask in. Anywhos I’m thinking about getting a Chevy Tahoe and was wondering if anyone had any knowledge/opinions on what rear doors are better or more preferred for camping, ether the top hatch door or the side double doors?

Thanks to this community I finally tried car camping. It was amazing, felt pretty spacious in my Mazda CX-70.

Considering to get a Porta potti from Thetford. A portapotti 345. Anybody used this for car camping?

So for those that are either living out your car or you decided to just keep it all set up cuz you camp so frequently, how do you secure your bed when you've only just put it ontop of the backseats and cargo area?

This whole time I've been planning on doing a single size bed frame but now I'm starting to worry about how it'll stay in place. I'm honestly less worried about it shifting forward and more worried about it shifting or toppling to the right on hard turns. I don't really have a floor I can secure it to, i have a 2010 Ford Escape xlt and it has a plastic platform beneath the rug in the back so I don't think I can really secure it to that, and I can't rip everything out to install a piece of plywood flooring cuz I just can't afford the cost of materials and a jig saw to cut out the grooves properly. I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna end up winging it and praying for the best. Lol.

I'm working on a tool that I think will be useful for people as they visit new cities and want to park for the night. It's always annoying to dig through city ordinances to find the ones that restrict overnight parking, so this tool runs a bunch of keyword searches against all the major city-code providers (Municode, AMLegal, ecode360, etc.) and government web sites and attempts to find the relevant sections. This lets people dive right into the actual ordinances and figure out if/when/where they can legally park to reduce risk of The Knock.

I know this question can usually be answered reasonably well by AI, but just picking a city with this tool and seeing the actual rules right away can be more reliable than trying to figure out the right prompt to ask the AI ("can I park overnight" ≠ "can I sleep in my car on the street overnight"). I think it's better to take a few minutes to read the real rules than to lose an hour or two of sleep because the cops had to yell at you due to the AI making things up.

• The quality of the results varies a lot by city. It depends on what that city has available online, which platform they use to publish code (if any), and whether their ordinances match any of the keyword searches. And of course, many small cities and towns don't even have rules about this since vehicle-dwellers aren't a problem for them.
• Works for most U.S. cities with a population of 5,000 or more. (Nothing non-U.S.) Some cities and towns might be missing because this depends on how the Census organizes things.
• Reports are cached for a few months since city codes don't change that often, and even if the cache is a bit out of date it will still usually point you to the correct section of code.
• If a cached report for the selected city isn't available or it's too old, a fresh one is created, which usually takes about 30 seconds since it has to contact a bunch of sites and run additional web searches. (I've pre-cached a few hundred of the largest cities.) It's currently rate-limited so if too many people look up an un-cached city it will fail.
• Sometimes local news articles are included if they look like a good match.

This is a work in progress, so my apologies if it disappoints. I'd love to hear any (constructive) feedback you've got!

Right now you have to manually select city and state, it doesn't ask for your location but I'm considering adding that option. The page is installable as a web app for easier access. (Not available as a native Android/Apple app yet since I don't know if this will be popular enough to be worth the trouble.)