Just got back from an overnight ski trip,camping at Columbia Icefields Satruday night where it still manages to get to -17 overnight.
Three of us sleeping on one those 152 cm cheap air mattresses from Wal Mart. By the time it hit -17 we were touching the seats anyway and I had mostly slid down to the low spot on one corner, which is a great spot for being kicked on the head. (Sleeping in a Chamonix which has the jump seat beside the bench seats).
As soon as I got back I was looking at the more expensive alternatievs on the MEC site. There are two or three good candidates there, the most expensive being the down filled 9 cm loft pads that are what all the guides are carrying for winter ski trips these days, but probably overkill if you just want it for the Deli as it's too heavy for 3 season packpacking in my mind. They are 65 cm wide. As the Deli is about 152 cm wide, there is one that is exactly half that width at 76 cm that looks like an interesting candidate: the Therm-a-Rest Luxury Camp Sleeping Pad it has 6.5 cm loft and sells for $140.00 in the wider version.
Just wondering what others are doing for sleeping? Do some just sleep on the seats on a regular basis or are they too wavy? Is 6.5 cm not enough loft to take the waves out of the seats perhaps?
When on my own I sleep on the seats with a "therm-a-rest" under me, the therm-a-rest is 100% for insulation value, not for comfort as the seats are fine that way (face a captain's chair backwards and slide it all the way back, recline it all the way so the headrest is touching the engine compartment, then lie in it the way you would normally sit in it but with your feet up on the bench seat, it's surprisingly comfortable, even if you sleep on to your side)
When my GF is with me, we use a queen size air mattress on top of the seats, but again for insulation value we have been using 2 therm-a-rests with the "couple kit" to keep them from sliding apart. in a warmer climate this wouldn't be needed, however air mattresses do a good job of keeping you cool... something we don't want around here! (and I find the seats aren't much better)
in both cases I use a good sleeping bag (or when there are 2 of us we have 2 that zip together)
I don't think ThermaRest is the best alternative. It will follow the seat curves and will end up being just an extra layer of foam on top of your bench. They work good on campground where they insulate you from the cold ground and avoid you from feeling roots perking up...
You'd be better to go to Cdn Tire or the like and get a 10-12" air mattress of good quality. Some are battery powered while others have the regular house plug to pump them up, your choice. The good thing is that you can control the inflation level to make the seat contours go away quite decently. Just buy a good one so it doesn't deflate half way through the night. One mattress to fit the van will be much cheaper than 2 ThermaRests as long as you're not trying to kill 2 birds with one stone and wanting to carry your mattress in your backpack!
update, Green1 beats me on this one, fast typing machine this guy!
Thanks Guys. Two kind of opposing views it would seem. I didn't realize that the seats would not insulate very well.
The think I don't like about the fat 152 cm air mattress is in the case of the wide one, it is hard to get at the door handle to slide the door open, and you have to take your shoes off outside and crawl in on top of it. Even with the high roof Delica it certainly elevates you.
One of the reasons for looking at the fatter thermarest was the hope it would still be fat enough to take some of the waves out, but perhaps 6.5 cm is just not fat enough. The other logic I had was if you used two of the 76 cm wide pads you wouldn't need special attachments to keep them from separating as they would fit perfectly snug.
Green, with those captain's chairs, when everything is folded down is it basically the same configuration as having a bench seat, or is there a gap between them? Are the captains charis as 'wavy' when folded down as the bench seats are?
just a thought:
I had a nice nap on a ferry yesterday in the back of my Deli,(see the "transporting awkward things" thread) and thought that when I go camping, I'll just leave that rear seat out all together, and sleep on the floor with the middle seat pushed all the way to the front.
It should be most comfortable with most space.
With that rear seat out, it's a huge flat area in the back.
I'd still use a matterace of some kind though
I originally wondered about removing the back seat. Logically it would also mean you'd have more overall room for your stuff? I wonder if there are just two of you on the road if that would make more sense? If two of you are on an extended road trip and camping, do you really need that back seat, perhaps for watching a movie on the laptop or getting some work done on it, or would you be better off leaving the back bench seat at home?
What do you do about your gear? Last night I looked around and thought if we have an roll over or accident we'll probably die from head trauma from all the internal flying debris in spite of best efforts to store it securely. Has anyone used a cargo net or something similar? Again having the rear seat out, all your gear there, and a cargo net between that area and the passengers may be a good setup.
You also reminded me of something else. Ferry. SOmeone mentioned that in the high roof with 235 75/R15 tires you can scrape your roof in some ferrys when they put you on the car deck. Is there a list of Ferry's to be wary of? And also, I often wonered, when the agent says to you, 'proceed to Lane 5' and off you go, and you see a lane with campers and motorhomes in it, would it be best just to deek over to that lane? What are the chances you'd be caught: almost nil I'd think. What about what are the chances you may end up taking the wrong ferry though and maybe ending up at the Sunshine Coast instead of Nanaimo or whatever.
You coasties must have dozens of little 'Ferrry Tricks'. I remember my girldfriend once taught me that you got twice as much hot chocolcate on the Ferry by putting it in a teapot and paying for tea. Unfortunately for me I preferred tea to hot chocolate.
I don't think ThermaRest is the best alternative. It will follow the seat curves and will end up being just an extra layer of foam on top of your bench.
And that's exactly the point, they add insulation (which for some reason the seats don't seem to do) without affecting the curvature which is already correct on the seats, I also use them on top of the air mattress to add insulation value, keeps you nice and toasty warm (in really warm weather it's comfortable without the thermarest, but if it's not that warm the thermarest is essential)
As for gear, it pretty much goes under the seats, some luggage gets thrown in to the front seats overnight too.
Green1, I'm not going against what you're saying and as I said, they do very well to insulate you from the cold ground but I'm just answering JMK's question:
"Is 6.5 cm not enough loft to take the waves out of the seats perhaps?"
Why ThermaRest works better than a normal 10" air mattress is because the internal consist of a medium density foam that traps air inside which insulate you better, just like house insulation I guess.
The big fat air mattress will help reduce the waves out of the seats (like JMK was asking about) but since it's mostly hollow, the cold will reside in it. That being said, you're still a few feet off the ground plus have the foam from the seats so it all depends what type of comfort you're looking for!
thermarest has more than just foam in it, it also has reflective foil, my other comment was that I use a queen size air mattress which smooths out the seats, however I still put the thermarests on top of it for the temperature insulation. (air mattresses cool you as the air inside them circulates)
We already have an assortment of Thermarests, but all for backpacking so not that thick. My G'friend likes the ideas of pulling the back seat out, and putting our existing thermarests on top of an air matress instead of spending another $280.00 on new Thermarests that you can't backpack and would even take a lot of Kayak space. I never really thought about how cold the air matress would be but now that you mention it it makes perfect sense. ALso, I just remembered COSTCO sells these big thick cheap knock off thermarests every spring for a fraction of the price of the name brand ones in MEC, so if it is only for car camping, better to wait for those.
Anyway, Sharon is real keen to pull the back seat this afternoon and see how that works. Green, what is your opinion on pulling the rear seat out, any compelling downsides to doing that for camping?
regarding the gear, a roof rack might be a solution, however that would definitely make you an overhight vehicle.
As for storing inside, remember when you remove the rear seat, you get some kick ass points for installing anchors.
you could tie everything to those, or string a nice large bungee net on them.
To sleep in TardisDeli, We have tried various stuff, and finally happy with current set up.
Best tip for winter camping, get a set of polyester fleece sheets, so cozy. And never never have anything cotton in the bedding, it sucks moisture from the air, and off the windows.
We have the 2 captains chairs and rear bench exceed.
We camp a lot, weekends in winter quite often. Jay is 6'3, and complained of sore back using the folded seats flat with queen size Walmart air mattress. Do not get a high version mattress as you end up sleeping in the glass window area, very cold and damp with the condensation on the windows sucking into the bedding.
Removed the rear bench, built a cunning foldable bench / table / storage box from 3/4 ply. It sits wedged against the wheel wells, doesnt shift, isnt bolted in but I think we will add a strap from the rear wheel well bench seat holder as I am so paranoid. Height is 12.5 inches under the bench, milk crate height ... liife's organizers. Depth is 39 inches, notice the piano hinge (which is very strong) runs halfway through and full width. so half of it can be folded over to create "Picnic mode" where people / food are on the bench and 2 people in the captains chairs. The 39 inches is the exact size needed to lie the captains chairs flat, and have them touch the edge of the wood platform, yet not hit the .5 microwave above the inverter 1000 watt. Remove the headrests of chairs.
A mini-oil heater from Canadian tire lives between the chairs, except in "Sleep Mode" when it sits on the closed coffee-cup console. We plug in to house at night, so in the morning its toasty and no frost for my commute (I am such a wimp). This heater is lovely, only 500 watts, so we can run it while driving to keep bedding toasty, warming up after skiing or boating. They go on half price at times regular $40 ish.
Sorry, tried to attach photos, too big, need to finda compression programme.
Photo ! is "Weekend Mode", which is the usual mode. NOrmally I have nothing showing from outside the bench so not tempting break-ins. But havent tidied from our weekend Delica Convoy with the mud pit Delica wrestling team. Notice essential gear for girlfriends is the porta-potty, The water jug. Camp stove. Red 1st aid kit. towing tools on right. In the next row hidden is the tool bag, emergency clothing bag. Box of spare food bag. etc. Aft of the captains chairs is the folding chairs and you can just see the red handled shovel for off-roading.
The white / brown pile atop is the semi deflated air mattress, with a white fleece blanket to keep our backs warm, covered by an electric blanket mattress cover (100 watts, run it while yor're driving to keep all toasty). OUr winter weekend mode is to organize and make the bed before leaving, so we are all prepared if it rains or gets dark before we have found a quiet place off-road to sleep. Sometimes we go the luxury camping route and get electricity, but if not we are still very cozy.
We keep food in a 12 volt portable cooler which sits inside sliding doorway. It sits on the passenger seat at night camping. Never have anything in the driver seat, ready to drive away instantly if bears or bad people. We just microwave dinner in the plates, so no pots to wash, just put in a bag to wash at home. The backpack on the passenger chair is a "picnic backpack" which is always in there -- mugs, dishes, snacks, cutlery. The basket atop the microwave is also drinks / snacks / flashlights / paper towel / stuff ready for use apres ski.
Next pictures are closer up. Sorry they are a bit grainy and blurry, keep meaning to do a nice photo essay, but wanted to reply to you now.
Jay sleeps on the microwave side, as I am shorter so easier to just keep the mattress slighly under inflated and then just bend that corner down to get in and out at night.
Next project : install a c-track above the rain gutter over sliding door to slide a rope-edge of tarp into, with 2 poles holding up the outside edge of tarp, the poles are staked to ground. This is a water proof cover for sitting, cooking, and porta potty at night (females are so fussy).
Next Next project : why isnt there a yellow diesel spare fuel can that is 12 inches or less??
Cheers Christine of the tardisdeli.
PS: couldnt attach photos, too big. help? What free compression programme can I download?
Thanks, wow, what a project, I'll re-read it a few times.
I had just realized that you need to get above the wheel wells to get the room, and as well I had exactly that problem with sleeping touching the windows that you mention.
If you want you can email me the pic's and I can put them on our own server and post them here for you.
What is this mini Oil Heater? Sounds like a non-carbon monoxide solution?
I carry a 1000W Honda Generator that is great, but if you run a 1000W Cone heater off it, like we did Saturday night at the Icefields, the gas runs out about 3 AM.
ALso I've been looking at portable sinks, etc. Instead of a new portable sink that Reliance is bringing out this year that has a pump, I've told Sharon that I'm tempted to purchase one of those Coleman on demand water heaters, (saw one at WalMart) and a brand new porta potty that is only to be used as a portable sink. However, my family is rebelling at the idea of washing their face in a toilet in public view, new or not! In fact I want to mount the following pump on it:
I came across this awesome pump a few weeks ago. It was $27.00 at the wine/beer do it yourself store. It pumps water like crazy. Fits all 5 and 6 gallon water bottles plus many 2 and 3 gallon water bottles. Turns out the real reason is it makes an airtight seal on the bottle, and then forces the water out the spigot under pressure rather than sucking it. THe water really flows with this thing.
We already have an assortment of Thermarests, but all for backpacking so not that thick.
that's ok, the one I use is an "ultra-lite" thermarest, so it's definitely not thick, but for a couple camping we put them on top of a queen size air mattress from canadian tire (which is probably about 6 inches thick)
that 
(saw one at WalMart) and a brand new porta potty that is only to be used as a portable sink. However, my family is rebelling at the idea of washing their face in a toilet in public view, new or not! In fact I want to mount the following pump on it:
It was $27.00 at the wine/beer do it yourself store. It pumps water like crazy. Fits all 5 and 6 gallon water bottles plus many 2 and 3 gallon water bottles. Turns out the real reason is it makes an airtight seal on the bottle, and then forces the water out the spigot under pressure rather than sucking it. THe water really flows with this thing.