Cautionary Tale about First-Time Car-Camping (AKA Cool Story Bro)

[omgwtfbbq]

This past weekend the wife and I decided to do a quick overnight at the White Cloud Campground in the Tahoe National Forest, near Nevada City. I had the bright idea to do a car camp because it was something I had done in my mom's Chevy Vega Wagon as a kid and loved it.

I have a Jeep Patriot and a Queen sized inflatable mattress.... This is where things went array. We didn't bother to check if the mattress would fit in the rear compartment of the vehicle with the seats folded forward. It fit lengthwise... But not widthwise. It was like a giant, gray, inflatable taco.

We had a great afternoon relaxing, reading books in the shade. I made dinner on the camp stove and besides a swarm of yellow-jackets that wanted our dinner, it was great. We made a fire at sun-set and made smores.

Well, when it came time to go to bed, there was no getting comfortable in the giant, plastic, chalupa of back-pain and sadness. After laying there for a few hours I threw in the towel and we quietly packed our things and made the hour drive home. I don't regret coming home, but I wish I had taken the time to test my gear plan before going so that I didn't have to.

Moral of the story: Check your gear and your plan before you go.

(Also cool story bro)

[Garv]

There are some expensive custom shaped air mattresses for next time.

Cool story bro.

Edit: Not the site I recall but you get the idea.

http://www.basspro.com/TruckBedz-Weekender-Air-Mattress/product/98788/

[farmerjoe]

Or a cheap tent that's queen size.

[Euphoria526]

Well, when it came time to go to bed, there was no getting comfortable in the giant, plastic, chalupa of back-pain and sadness.

Sit worthy

[bodger]

Sit worthy

Maybe, but he was trying to lie down.

[sd_shooter]

Why not just put the chalupa on the ground and sleep on it there?

[Garv]

^^^^

Bears/Yotes
Snakes
Bugs
Dust/Wind

and.....

Strange people walking through my campsite in the middle of the night.

[rubbman]

I have a temurpedic mattress topper in the back of my '03 Tundra, took the wife campng at Usal beach, slept like a baby!

[rubbman]

^^^^

Bears/Yotes
Snakes
Bugs
Dust/Wind

and.....

Strange people walking through my campsite in the middle of the night.

Those may have been squatches!

[The sarge]

Chalupa of sadness. This is the funniest thing I have heard in awhile.

[sealocan]

omgwtfbbgq, You should have really gotten this giant gray taco chalupa sleeping contraption thing on video.

because I'm already laughing hard and I can't even imagine it.
(where there Mexicans in there with you or had you eaten at Taco Bell?)

& go ahead and risk getting exposed to dust & wind.

bhaaahaaahaa !

[omgwtfbbq]

omgwtfbbgq, You should have really gotten this giant gray taco chalupa sleeping contraption thing on video.

because I'm already laughing hard and I can't even imagine it.
(where there Mexicans in there with you or had you eaten at Taco Bell?)

& go ahead and risk getting exposed to dust & wind.

bhaaahaaahaa !

1. My wife is 1/4 Filipino... Does that count?

2. No video but I have a picture. It doesn't do it justice. It was uncomfortable as hell.

[sealocan]

I guess
"The inflatable grey banana lumpia of sadness"
doesn't have the same ring to it.

[cannon]

I enjoyed the story.

Things always go sideways when camping.

[odysseus]

Yes. Always give a dry run of new stuff before you set out to rely on them. We all learn that one way or the other. Good fun.