Just wondering if anyone has tried to sleep overnight in the back of their Santa Fe.

We're not planning on doing it often, but there is a chance that we (wife and I) may need to do so in the coming weeks (just for one night) if we get stuck without a room.

We've got sleeping bags and a foam mattress that we can cut to fit the back. It'll be tight quarters but it should be doable.

I have some vinyl screen that I can cut and place over a one to two inch opening in the windows to help keep the condensation down (if it doesn't rain or snow).

If anyone has done this, I'd be interested in their experiences and look forward to any suggestions to make the best of it.

I tried to on I-95 but I as soon as I had fallen into a deep sleep I had a GA state trooper tapping on my window telling me that I couldn`t. :whistling:

I've slept in my '04 once. I should have brought an air mattress but did not. It was not the worst sleep I've ever had but it was not the greatest as my hip bones kept digging into the gap between the folded rear seat and the cargo floor.

My advice; bring an air mattress.

Thank you for the replies!

Sounds like it can be done, so we'll pack a 3" memory foam base to sleep on if we need to spend the night in it.

We'll hotel it if there are rooms, but sometimes they are all full.

Our soft-sided luggage can sit on the front seats and that will free up the back to lay the seats down and stretch out; well that might be a stretch ;)... but it will beat sleeping in my '69 Mustang -- that was uncomfortable!

If anyone else has any other hints or tips, let us know.

Dear RJ,

I have slept in the high country ( that means over 10,000 feet) here in Colorado in the fall. The Santa Fe is fine if you do have a foam mattress or air mattress. Those self-inflating matresses designed for backpacking are not sufficient...you do need at least 3 inches of cushion. Don't forget the toilet paper.

Byron

Gas prices that high that you have to sleep in the cars ? ? ?
Vacations will never be the same....

Just returned from 1300km trip through the Rockies... the Santa Fe is possibly the best vehicle that we've driven through them.

Our luck held as friends put us up for sleep overs and we didn't have to sleep in the car; but we were prepared just in case.

We averaged 8.9 l/100km (31.74 Imp mpg, 26.43 US mpg) which is quite good considering the variety of terrain, and some city driving through Calgary.

Fuel prices ranged from $1.23/litre ($4.65/US gal.) to $1.48/litre ($5.60/US gal.)

Hi

My wife and I have slept in our 07 Santa Fe a few times.
Have had a lot of fun parking up is some cool places for just 1 or 2 nights, have even used it for the night before a big mountain bike race.
arrived at the race venue really late the night before. Parked next to the lake (in a camp site) and just hopped into the back for a good nights sleep.
Next morning no drama, just short ride to the start line. Makes going to out of town events so easy :)

This post has been edited by NDURO: Aug 15 2008, 07:35 AM

Hi NDURO,

That's great news!!

Thank for the pics too. Can you tell me whether that is an air mattress or is it some other form of mattress? I was thinking of using a 3" memory foam mattress topper to sleep on. Maybe I should get an air mattress instead. If it is an air mattress, can you tell me the dimensions (length and width)?

I'm not too tall (5'10"), but my wife thinks the floor bed may be a bit short. Did you have any issues with the length of the floor bed?

Any issues with condensation inside the cabin? Did you have any windows open a bit or did you have them all closed?

Thanks for your input!!

Hi

We use a 4” futon mattress off our spare bed. I Just pick up the whole bed made up with sheets etc and slide it into the back of the car, works well. We do have to slide the front seats forward to get a full length bed. I think a 3” memory foam mattress would work well. Could even make cut outs around the wheel archers. I’m not a big fan of air mattress.

The mattress is 1.85m long x 1.35m wide (73” x 53”)
Yea length is a bit tight but once you have moved the front seats forward there is lots of room. It’s nice and cozy ☺

No problems at all with condensation. We leave a window down just a little (only camped in cold weather so far) and use suction cup window shades for a little privacy. I think if we were parked up on the side of the road at night with the tinted windows and shades up you would struggle to see us camping in the back.

Give it at try, car camping has worked out really well for us when we want to camp out and are arriving somewhere late at night. Friday night traffic can be insane trying to leave Auckland NZ in rush hour. We like leaving after rush hour and have an easy drive out of town.

Cheers

NDURO,

Thank you for the update!

I think I'll cut the memory foam to fit as you suggest.

Good point about moving the front seat forward, that will make a big difference.

I'm also going to pick up a set of those shades :)

Good luck, Let us know how you get on/any tricks or tips.

Cheers