Spending a night in the car. Dos, Don'ts and Stories.

[B Ozanne]

Mike---I have an Outback too. The passenger seat folding down is pretty cool. I leave it in that configuration when I am chasing (assuming I am alone). It makes a great cradle for my laptop and paper maps and even with leather seats the sliding isn't a problem. Not to mention the Outback has a built in weather band radio and in my model an outdoor thermometer. BTW, I took off my factory rack last chase and was getting 28mpg's....well above advertised for the 3 liter. It wasn't just the rack that improved my mileage, I used a lot of other techniques.

Some of the replies in this thread say a lot about the climate of fear Americans seem to live in (Ever see Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine??')...

I'm not a big fan of Moore but I loved that movie. I'm not a fearful person in general. I know a lot about mathematics, statistics, and reality. For those people living in constant fear I think "Bowling For Columbine" is the right prescription. It points out how ridiculous the media is and how they just feed on people's fear. One last thing, Moore failed to mention that the USA has 14 times as many people than Canada, kind of an imprortant detail.

 

[Susan Strom]

Mike wrote -

climate of fear Americans seem to live in (Ever see Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine??'

Hmm. Interesting. I am not familiar - is it a worthwhile film?

Have to interject though that I don't agree that Americans live in a climate of "fear". Vigilance, perhaps, but not fear. Americans are pretty rational and discerning. Most know that TV and media hype is just that.

My feeling is that perceptions (to avoid crime, such as in rest areas) are influenced by where you live, where you grow up. Some of us have spent our whole lives in big cities (for me San Francisco, Sacramento, then Phoenix, now the 5th largest city in the country). With that comes an awareness of urban surroundings and things that go on. Personal experiences teach a person (like what it's like to be chased on a downtown street or locked in a Wells Fargo during a holdup, which I have). That doesn't cause "fear" though, just more of an urban acuity to the realities of life in a high population area.

"Fear", in the context of simple animal instinct, can be honed as a tool, which can help a person avoid becoming the victim of a crime. In other words, if you don't like what you "feel", you can obey your gut instinct and get out. If you don't like the vibes you might be sensing from a rest area at night, don't park there. If you don't like what you see on an elevator, don't get on. You may have just avoided a crime.

Something I enjoy, I'm a production volunteer in my local police department's crime prevention winter program. The classes we do are "Self-Awareness" (development of gut instinct 'street smart' skills) and "Night Detective" (crime assessment/witness ID and trial). The PD does a really good job teaching them (they're actually interactive classes). I enjoy helping, even if it's a small role and I can only do it after work.

I am not a fearful person either, but urban awareness from living in big cities always goes with me even if I'm spending the night in a town where people don't lock their doors.

 

[Mike Hardiman]

Originally posted by B Ozanne
Mike---I have an Outback too. The passenger seat folding down is pretty cool. I leave it in that configuration when I am chasing (assuming I am alone). It makes a great cradle for my laptop and paper maps and even with leather seats the sliding isn't a problem.

Ah, I think you're talking about something different, but it is a good idea. I was talking about how the rear seats fold forwards- it's not simply half and half, the right side of the rear seat fold-down is wider than the right side, so you don't need to fold the whole back seat down to have sleeping room.

Interesting thought about the front seat, though. Never thought of that. I constantly have maps on top of the laptop and all over the place, but that sounds like a good space-saving idea.

-Mike

 

[Mike Peregrine]

I've only camped out in the car a few times, but no problems so far. I like to be able to rearrange the gear so I can put down the back seat and have a space for a sleeping bag. Usually lock the vehicle, crack the windows and open the moon roof. Also - if the option is available and I know the frontal boundary, I try to go to the backside of any fronts to get into the cooler air (hoping they don't retreat much during the night) ... it's just more comfortable. Since I'm chasing anyway, chances are that the front has passed during the course of the day. Just can't sleep in a stuffy car ... also have a little battery-operated fan for camping that I bring with me.

 

[Richard Halter]

Most truck stops that have showers rent them out, no reason to deny them, tho if you fill up 500 gallons of fuel they might toss in a shower as a premium :lol:

 

[Pat Palmer]

I have slept in vehicles more times than I can count. In my younger days, it was camping and the Grateful Dead, these days it's still camping, and road trips (my chasing is usaully day chasing, can't get enough time off at work).
I've slpet in compact cars (bad for the back), the ubiquitous VW microbus, custom conversion vans, and pickups with caps (that one's my fave. I had an inflatable port to seal the gap between the cab and cap window, and ran vacccuum hose from the vents to bring A/C into the bed for comfy summer slumber)

Never had a problem in almost 20 years of trvelling. Although these days, I enjoy the company of Mr. Mossberg or Mr. Remington on the long road trips. Never had to even think about digging him out of his cubby, bit it's nice for piece of mind.

And, if it's a real bust day, grab a thrower and shoot some skeet, it beats riding around a cornfield singing "Oh what a beautiful morning" =)

 

[Carrie Halliday]

[

"Fear", in the context of simple animal instinct, can be honed as a tool, which can help a person avoid becoming the victim of a crime. In other words, if you don't like what you "feel", you can obey your gut instinct

I am not a fearful person either, but urban awareness from living in big cities always goes with me even if I'm spending the night in a town where people don't lock their doors.[/quote]



I had never lived in a metro area until moving here. Fear, big time. I have learned to rationalize it and turn it into more of a "watch your back" type of awareness. Even while living in Smallville, USA I did lock my doors everynight. Crime is everywhere, not just in the higher populated areas. And I agree about the gut instict, if it don't feel right...

 

[Stan Olson]

I can tell you the best spot ever to spend the night in the car where absolutely 100% no one will ever bug you or attack you. (or come to the rescue for that matter!) Rock Road just 1/2 mile west of Highway 81 in N. KS. (just south of Belleville, KS) During a chase there in May, I managed to get stuck in some mud on the bottom of the hill there. 9 hours later I finally got a tow truck in there to get me out. It was rather frustrating to be stuck there during all the excitement, but I did manage to get a little bit of sleep. But yeah, I didn't have any worries about the bad guys or people watching me sleep. So you might try that sometime if you're strapped for cash.

-Stan

 

[Kyle Masters]

Up here in South Dakota rest areas are generally a GOOD place to stop, since about 50% have Highway Patrol squad stations at them. Those seem to be the good ones to pick. Other than those, here in SD there really haven't been many crimes at rest areas. I think the only bad thing I can remember is about 6 years ago there were a series of thefts on I-90, but that dude was apprehended in WY somewhere.

 

[fplowman]

Ya know whats horrifying is being awoke by a police officer rapping on your window with his flashlight when your sawing logs.. lol..
i can imagine what hes thinking too with the wild hair and the drool .. lol

 

[Tony Laubach]

Ya know whats horrifying is being awoke by a police officer rapping on your window with his flashlight when your sawing logs.. lol..
i can imagine what hes thinking too with the wild hair and the drool .. lol

That's happened to me once.. not chasing, but was taking a trip and crashed out in a parking lot of a truck stop, or so I thought. Apparently I was in the space of the neighboring hotel. They asked me to vacate the lot.. I moved over 2 spaces. :roll: