Overnight Camping in the Hybrid (no tent)

[Zane C]

Does anyone have experience camping overnight in a Mav Hybrid without a tent?

Any tips/recommendations appreciated!

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[Maverickman74]

Go on a clear stary night and be happy you live in sunny california. Another option is park between 2 trees and just bring a 10x10 tarp, 50ft of rope, 6 stakes, and a hammer.

This is more or less the arrangement you are looking for. If you dont have 2 trees lined up over the exact spot you want, you just need more rope and more trees to pull the main line into the position you want. For rope I would highly consider paracord. It is more than strong enough for any tarp. It can be purchased online(0.06-0.07 cents per foot on amazon and such) very affordably. It also will last many years. The best tarps around here are the 10 mil thickness ones at Ace Hardware stores. you can buy pre made stakes, or make better ones out of short rebar sections from Home Depot or Lowes. They will cut them for you if they dont have pre cut ones. Just bend the top over with something sturdy. If you dont own anything sturdy like a vise or a trailer hitch. Look around for a guardrail or a parking bollard with a hole in it.

This picture was taken from a google image search. The website is:
https://survivalfreedom.com/how-to-hang-a-tarp-for-shade-the-4-best-ways/

I know nothing about the site beyond this page, but it seems to have practical information like the kind I learned from my folks camping and my years in scouts. Looks like the site is largely focused on hunting. I dont hunt, but hunters know more about outdoor living than marketing associates, data clerks, and such.

Once you have decent shelter, all you need is some basic bedding, and a lowered tailgate.

 

[Zane C]

Go on a clear stary night and be happy you live in sunny california. Another option is park between 2 trees and just bring a 10x10 tarp, 50ft of rope, 6 stakes, and a hammer.

This is more or less the arrangement you are looking for. If you dont have 2 trees lined up over the exact spot you want, you just need more rope and more trees to pull the main line into the position you want. For rope I would highly consider paracord. It is more than strong enough for any tarp. It can be purchased online(0.06-0.07 cents per foot on amazon and such) very affordably. It also will last many years. The best tarps around here are the 10 mil thickness ones at Ace Hardware stores. you can buy pre made stakes, or make better ones out of short rebar sections from Home Depot or Lowes. They will cut them for you if they dont have pre cut ones. Just bend the top over with something sturdy. If you dont own anything sturdy like a vise or a trailer hitch. Look around for a guardrail or a parking bollard with a hole in it.

This picture was taken from a google image search. The website is:
https://survivalfreedom.com/how-to-hang-a-tarp-for-shade-the-4-best-ways/

I know nothing about the site beyond this page, but it seems to have practical information like the kind I learned from my folks camping and my years in scouts. Looks like the site is largely focused on hunting. I dont hunt, but hunters know more about outdoor living than marketing associates, data clerks, and such.

Once you have decent shelter, all you need is some basic bedding, and a lowered tailgate.

Haha I love it! Great setup.

I was actually referring to sleeping in the cab overnight.

I found a Mav Hybrid in Denver I’d love to get, but I’d have to spend a night in Utah near Fishlake National Forest to not push myself or the car too hard too fast. I’ll be meeting family in Big Bear so i figured I’d split the trip in half.

I’d be flying in with minimal baggage (if any) and I want to get away with a night off the highway with next to nothing but a full belly of some road snacks and my toiletries. I like being a cheapskate when I can be!

 

[Maverickman74]

Haha I love it! Great setup.

I was actually referring to sleeping in the cab overnight.

I found a Mav Hybrid in Denver I’d love to get, but I’d have to spend a night in Utah near Fishlake National Forest to not push myself or the car too hard too fast. I’ll be meeting family in Big Bear so i figured I’d split the trip in half.

I’d be flying in with minimal baggage (if any) and I want to get away with a night off the highway with next to nothing but a full belly of some road snacks and my toiletries. I like being a cheapskate when I can be!

Well I hope you are under 5'10" and under 200lbs, otherwise your nights sleep will be strained at best. Definitely better in the front seat than the rear unless you are quite short. Maybe stretch out in the bed and start to fall asleep under the stars, then take a whiz and crawl in the cab.

 

[MM Mav]

@Zane C This is an option for making sleeping in the back seat more comfortable: https://a.co/d/052pxXT2
I haven't purchased this, but learned about it from this MTC thread.

 

[Zane C]

Well I hope you are under 5'10" and under 200lbs, otherwise your nights sleep will be strained at best. Definitely better in the front seat than the rear unless you are quite short. Maybe stretch out in the bed and start to fall asleep under the stars, then take a whiz and crawl in the cab.

While I’m just under 200lbs and 6’, if the weather permits I might just do that.

 

[Timothyd]

Haha I love it! Great setup.

I was actually referring to sleeping in the cab overnight.

I found a Mav Hybrid in Denver I’d love to get, but I’d have to spend a night in Utah near Fishlake National Forest to not push myself or the car too hard too fast. I’ll be meeting family in Big Bear so i figured I’d split the trip in half.

I’d be flying in with minimal baggage (if any) and I want to get away with a night off the highway with next to nothing but a full belly of some road snacks and my toiletries. I like being a cheapskate when I can be!

I tried a new one man new bivy bag on a mattress in the back. Worked okay but I'd like a little nicer sometime. Would love it if there was a kit to remove the back window and I could make a nice bunk with a cap. Even better if Ford would make the back open up like a Chevy Avalanche.

 

[Bwicka]

Does anyone have experience camping overnight in a Mav Hybrid without a tent?

Any tips/recommendations appreciated!

Growing up off- roading we camped in the bed ( full size bronco’s)with tailgate down , if it rained you slept under the truck !
Don’t know about all the 4K tents that get worth $500 in 3 uses and absolutely kill the mpg during that 1 or 2 years!Or apparently now you call it overlanding like we live in Australia or something! They do have those little off road( overlanding hahaha) trailers with a whittle kitchen for like 30-40k with a tent on them !
I’d sleep in back and do the tarp thing as long as it’s not windy!

 

[Zane C]

Thank you all for your replies! I’m definitely going to take these tips in mind if and hopefully when we take the Maverick camping.

I was able to find the perfect truck in my area for a great deal. Got it just this week and I’m very excited.

 

[RockHoundTX]

Unless you are a "dead to the world" sleeper, your absolute biggest issue is going to be "truck wake up". Basically all the clicking and clacking as the truck gets ready to turn on when-ever someone moves. Then a minute or two later the same clicking and clacking as it turns itself back off. I had a thread about this a few months ago. Got a few suggestions but still have not found a way to totally stop the truck from waking up every time the truck shakes a little. It is even worse when you have multiple people (i.e., wife/kids). I tried all the suggestions of locking, double-locking, using key-fob, etc. The only thing I never got around to trying was putting the key in a lead bag (which is probably the root of the issue since the truck senses the key locally and thus thinks any movement is someone getting ready to start the truck within a short period of time).

 

[Jahman]

Talked to a dude 6'2 ish had slept with and without tonneau cover on with tail gate down. Follow up question which way head was placed. His answer was whatever was more level.

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