If you spend any amount of time out at a popular crag, chances are you’ve seen it on at least one occasion: the off-white, rust-pocked VW from the ‘60s rambling-man heyday, the capped pickup with curtains in the window and bumper stickers plastered over the tailgate, or the box-like van that, while seemingly normal on the outside, is actually home to the kitchen sink – literally.

Whatever the case, they all serve a single, much sought-after purpose: the road trip. These days, road trips and the idyllic subculture therein have gotten so popular that I know several people who own a separate vehicle just for the occasion. For most of us, however, this is a little overkill. With a bit of engineering and sacrifice, I managed to spend over half of last year living out of my tiny (and wonderfully gas-efficient) Saturn Ion coupe. Try some of the following, and you too can dispense with the motorhome and put all that money back where it belongs: the cooler.

Sleeping
The first problem to tackle is creating a viable sleeping system. For most cars, the answer lies in removing the front passenger seat (if this is not possible, stop reading and contact the manufacturer for a refund) and replacing the area with a simple bed made of plywood or similar (think coffee table on steroids). I constructed mine from two layers of plywood with sturdy 2x4 legs, and cut it flush with the rear seat and the dashboard for maximum wiggle room. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy: supporting your weight while prone is the only task at hand here. And, if your vehicle is like mine, you can also flip the back seat down to access the trunk; with careful packing, this will create additional space at bedtime. No worries when it comes to carrying passengers; simply restore the back seat to its normal position and they can travel with their legs stretched out recliner-style on the sleeping surface!

For bed padding, a non-inflating foam pad works best because you can’t pop them under any circumstances, they can be cut to fit the space available, are reasonably comfortable and clean up well (handy after two weeks-worth of passenger traffic). Self-inflating open cell pads, such as those made by the well-known brand Therm-A-Rest, are undoubtedly more comfortable but tend to slide around more on some surfaces, can deflate at annoyingly bad times (like 2 a.m.), and are considerably more expensive. Thus, go with a foam pad in this case. I also added a long blanket over my bed (beneath the sleeping pad but on top of the plywood) as a finishing touch – and to help conceal the extra storage space created beneath the bed, perfect for storing valuables and/or items of convenience, such as a laptop, camera, spare maps or your toothbrush.

Making It Fit – What Do You Really Need?
Like backpacking, you may think you have tons of room at your disposal, only to suddenly find your pack full and half your stuff still on the pavement. A good rule of thumb is to spread out what you need and then take half. This will also leave room for a few things that you may acquire on your trip.

For soft goods such as clothing, use lightweight compression sacks. If you are only planning on using them for in-car storage, don’t bother with abrasion or water-resistant fabrics. I had great luck with the Sea To Summit brand – simple, lightweight and well-designed. Have one for each major type of item (pants, shirts, etc.), then throw them all into a larger bag that can be compressed as well (like a duffel bag). This is really handy in case you suddenly have to unpack everything (like in a “random” border search).

When it comes to larger and more valuable items that you can’t squirrel away beneath your bed (like climbing gear) the best place is in the trunk – out of sight, out of the sun, and out of the way. Large plastic bins are ideal as they don’t weigh much and are nearly indestructible. Size matters: you don’t want them to be too tall due to the issue of closing the trunk, but you don’t want them to be too long either, since stacking anything on them means taking it off to access whatever’s inside. I use two 66L bins for hardware, ropes, etc., and for the truly OCD, this size also accommodates shoe boxes for sub-organization. Everything should have its place, and don’t change it. This may seem painfully obvious … until you find yourself zipping along in the middle of Kansas, surrounded by crucifixes and searching for that one map you misplaced.

Finally, remember that road trips are just that. While living in a vehicle, especially a car, doesn’t have to be unpleasant by any means, it isn’t the Hilton. However, with some creativity and the above suggestions, you too can live in what you used to commute in … and do it for way cheaper than that sandy-haired dude in the ’68 VW guzzler.

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