# Sleep in back of Jeep XJ?



## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

Just curious as to whether any XJ owners think there's enough for two adults (5'7") to sleep in the back of an XJ with the rear seat removed. I'm kinda hoping to replace my F100 with a cheap SUV that we can camp in. 
Thanks.


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## CreeperSleeper (May 29, 2003)

*Re: Sleep in back of Jeep XJ? (Salty VW)*

You could if you removed the back seat... Or built a sleeping platform.


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

*Re: Sleep in back of Jeep XJ? (CreeperSleeper)*

Yeah, I was thinking I'd just remove the back seat and store it in the garage while camping. Any clue what the cargo space dimensions are? How flat is the rear cargo area with the seat removed?


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## kryptonik (Apr 26, 2003)

It's pretty flat, but I hope you both are horse jockeys. It aint that big


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## Ax1om (Mar 8, 2006)

Slept in the back of a WJ before. Seats folded down flat. Myself and my wife (6' - 5"8"). There wasnt enough room to stretch out and it was absolutely horrible.


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## norman (Mar 8, 2001)

*Re: (Ax1om)*

the floor with the seat out is not flat at all, there is a big dip where the rear seat bottom goes. with a sleeping platform that went basically all the way to the back of the front seats it might not be that bad, but you would need to be pretty friendly because xj's arent very wide between the fenderwells.


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

*Re: (norman)*

Any recommendations for an SUV that's particularly well suited for camping in? _Ideally_ something that still gets around 15-20mpg highway.








Would also consider a 4x4 or AWD van.


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## BHB (Oct 26, 2004)

*Re: (Ax1om)*

remove the back seats? 
store them? 
the rear seats in Jeep Cherkoees fold flat to begin with. With a sleeping pad, i slept in the rear of my old Cherokee several times. I'm 6', so i couldn't stretch all the way out, but its definitely do-able. 
this is a picture from VWvortex classifieds of the back of a cherokee with the seats down. 








more: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3680575



_Modified by BHB at 8:26 PM 1-12-2010_


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

*Re: (BHB)*

Ah I see. Any clue how long the "fold flat" section actually is?


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## iamnotemo (May 6, 2003)

*Re: (Salty VW)*

I'm 6'1 and it was not comfy but doable in an xj, same with a GC. That being said they make tents that attach to the rear.
other suggestions


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

*Re: (iamnotemo)*

I dig the AWD Astrovan. The issue with the vehicle tent thing is that it's still a tent... I'm trying to minimize setup / tear down as much as possible. 
We'll see. A 2000 Tacoma pre-runner may fall in my lap here in the next few months as well, and if it does I'll likely just try and work with that (i.e. camper shell, slide in, etc.


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## VeeDub_L_U (Feb 3, 2003)

*FV-QR*

Try looking at 3rd gen. 4runners. They have quite a bit of room with the fold flat seats.


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## Knock Sensor (Jan 29, 2009)

*Re: FV-QR (VeeDub_L_U)*

Suburban? Lil big for your purposes, but plenty of sleep room.


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

*Re: FV-QR (Knock Sensor)*

Yeah, I was thinkin' about that (Suburbans). Little less gas mileage than I'd like, but they can be had pretty cheap and definitely have room to spare. 
Was also thinking about the Range Rover Classic LWB, or are those complete crap?


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## SuperGroove (Aug 20, 2000)

*Re: FV-QR (Salty VW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Salty VW* »_Yeah, I was thinkin' about that (Suburbans). Little less gas mileage than I'd like, but they can be had pretty cheap and definitely have room to spare. 
Was also thinking about the Range Rover Classic LWB, or are those complete crap? 

They require deeper pockets than you'd expect.


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## Knock Sensor (Jan 29, 2009)

*Re: FV-QR (Salty VW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Salty VW* »_Yeah, I was thinkin' about that (Suburbans). Little less gas mileage than I'd like, but they can be had pretty cheap and definitely have room to spare. 
Was also thinking about the Range Rover Classic LWB, or are those complete crap? 

Maybe find a diesel suburban. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Stay away from Range Rovers.


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## [email protected] (Nov 30, 1999)

*Re: (BHB)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BHB* »_remove the back seats? 
store them? 
the rear seats in Jeep Cherkoees fold flat to begin with. With a sleeping pad, i slept in the rear of my old Cherokee several times. I'm 6', so i couldn't stretch all the way out, but its definitely do-able. 

But you would get more room if you removed the bottom cushion and then folded them flat. Then fold the front seats forward and move them as far forward as possible. At least, that's my theory. I have yet to sleep in my XJ though.


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## CreeperSleeper (May 29, 2003)

*Re: ([email protected])*

I would look at a Land Cruiser... 80-series would be the best. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## 42green (Aug 4, 2001)

*Re: (BHB)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BHB* »_
this is a picture from VWvortex classifieds of the back of a cherokee with the seats down. 


HA! That was one of my old XJ's


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## BHB (Oct 26, 2004)

*Re: (firebrat)*


_Quote, originally posted by *firebrat* »_HA! That was one of my old XJ's








Nice. 
I was searching my hard drive to try to find a picture of the back of my old Cherokee, but couldn't find anything, then turned to google. That picture was one of the first ones that came up, since VWvortex has such google coverage. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Markos (Feb 20, 1999)

*Re: (BHB)*

Sleeping in an XJ is 'do-able' if you have a compelling reason to stay in the Jeep for the night, such as weather. It's really cramped. You will also need to remove all of your gear from the XJ.
If it's one person, you can sleep on an angle to gain a bit more room. As someone else stated, removing the entire rear seat won't really help the situation unless you keep the floor level. A number of people have successfully removed their rear seat and built level platforms out of wood. If you can find seat bases from a 2dr XJ, you can use the fold forward feature (CJ style) to give you even more room. You would then need to have a fold out extension for yoru platform, or fill the void with blankets and what not.
Here is a link to a ridiculous amount of cargo-area pictures. Search through it for ideas.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=938281
Example of an empty cargo area:








Good Example of storage area & sleeping platform:









_Modified by Markos at 3:46 PM 1-21-2010_


_Modified by Markos at 3:46 PM 1-21-2010_


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## BltByKrmn (Apr 14, 2001)

*Re: FV-QR (Knock Sensor)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Knock Sensor* »_Stay away from Range Rovers.

Why? My P38 has been one of the most reliable cars I've owned.


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## Salty VW (Sep 2, 2004)

*Re: FV-QR (BltByKrmn)*

Nice post Markos! That last photo looks nice.


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## CreeperSleeper (May 29, 2003)

*Re: FV-QR (BltByKrmn)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BltByKrmn* »_
Why? My P38 has been one of the most reliable cars I've owned.

You've must owned some really crappy cars!!!


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## BltByKrmn (Apr 14, 2001)

*Re: FV-QR (CreeperSleeper)*


_Quote, originally posted by *CreeperSleeper* »_You've must owned some really crappy cars!!!









Not at all.


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## CreeperSleeper (May 29, 2003)

*Re: FV-QR (Salty VW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Salty VW* »_Nice post Markos! That last photo looks nice. 


x2 http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## robbyb413 (May 12, 2002)

*Re: Sleep in back of Jeep XJ? (Salty VW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Salty VW* »_Just curious as to whether any XJ owners think there's enough for two adults (5'7") to sleep in the back of an XJ with the rear seat removed. I'm kinda hoping to replace my F100 with a cheap SUV that we can camp in. 
Thanks. 

What about a RTT so you can get whatever truck/rig you want without worrying about where you're going to sleep? You're off the ground to stay a bit drier and feel more secure, but you don't need to remove all your junk from the car before you go to bed.
http://www.autohomeus.com/
http://www.cartopcamper.com/
http://www.racktents.com/
They have some pretty basic ones and then some pretty outlandish add ons that turn it into a compound <g>.
If you prowl the internet for threads about home-built expedition trailers you'll find an endless amount of sources for new/used RTTs.


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## typeSLone (Feb 8, 2002)

*Re: Sleep in back of Jeep XJ? (robbyb413)*

Ive slept in the back of my old xj many times, I am 5'7". Its not to bad, but make sure put some blankets down. the back of the seat and the hatch are rather hard and uncomfortable otherwise. I used to take naps in the back seat on my lunch break at one of my old jobs. There is also enough room to do other stuff, if you know what I mean....


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## MrPillowPants (Jul 24, 2006)

*Re: (kryptonik)*

im 6'5" and slept diagonal back from the purchase state. seat down and pass front all the way up. you should be ok... esp if its a girl


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## vision40 (Dec 17, 2002)

*Re: (MrPillowPants)*










hmmmmm


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## scion (Nov 11, 2005)

*FV-QR*

I've slept in the back of both my xj and in the back of my old 92 4runner, definitely gotta say the 4runner was a little more comfortable.


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## TIGGRR (Feb 12, 2010)

*Re: Sleep in back of Jeep XJ? (Salty VW)*

Hi Salty 
Caught this thread while looking for some info on another not totaly unrelated question. See seperate post in this section.
I have had XJ Ltd 2.5 TD and used it for camping. The Trail Boss is 5'6", she is fine, me 6', cramped. 
Remove base rear swob, then fold down back. Fill the gap up with car bits, topped of with a couple of cushions. Now get a air bed, no larger than 6X4 and inflate. When you move the front seats forward, you will find you have an area roughly 5'6" by 4', with an air bed which is sleepable but cramped. We used velcro tabs to hold up cloth window covers alround. You will need a little vent for air, rear windows down an inch ? Use normal bedding, cotton, etc. You will find that the sides will be a little up around the wheel arches, and when you close the boot/tailgate you will need to give the mattress a shove. We did try a smaller mattress but oddly it was not as comfortable. We use the canvas type, they are a lot harder waring.
I have take this a stage further using ply and taking the whole rear seat out. More storage space for the off road stuff, but it is still cramped. I tried a rear tire carrier but found it a pain, so ended up with a custom roof tyre carrier. If you have an XJ you like and only do the weekends away it is doable. I would not recommend for longer sojourns.
Personaly I found it a little clostraphobic, I prefer the Auto Haven a tent that goes on the back, and you leave the boot lid up. Take a dry toilet, or sealed camping unit and this can be put in the tent section. The 6X4 air bed comes into it's own as you can "slide" out the back so to speak. 
I found autumn and spring a little cool, and used a fleece blanket and space blanket under the air bed to form a barrier, then a further fleece on top it made all the difference.
There are plent of other vehicles, inlcuding the Range Rover which would work, of course I live in England so parts even OE are cheaper for the RR, however they are very capable even stock. A Classic or County is worth considering. However you will need to unbolt the rear seats and make a box again ply using seat bolt holes, for storage.
You could always consider a Defender. The 110 will provide a lot more room, I have run one, only conplaint is lack of creature comforts. 
Yota Crusiers and Nissan patrols are ok. Not familar with non Jeeps so can't comment. ZJ and WJ possible slightly larger ? 
You could get trailer, have a look at Expedition West's site. Also http://www.pahighlander.com/jeepers.htm, and Oz sites such as AusJeep.
and the excellent http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/Trailers.htm
Have fun


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## Sporin (Feb 17, 1999)

*FV-QR*

I wouldn't bother in an XJ unless you are 5"7" or so.
RRC LWB would be nice. A well-maintained Rover is NOT the instant-nightmare so many think it is. They go to crap if not taken care of, just like any vehicle. But if you take care of them they are great trucks. I see Jeeps of all shapes and sizes break on every trail ride I go on with them. Fact is, any 4x4, used roughly, will need upkeep, and none of them, even my beloved Land Cruisers, is immune to that.
When looking for pictures I found this one on ebay in my neck of the woods, great looking truck. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...4089f

I've slept comfortably in the back of both of my Land Cruisers, an FJ62 and an FJ80.


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## TIGGRR (Feb 12, 2010)

*Re: Sleep in back of Jeep XJ? (Salty VW)*









Autohaven type tent I mentioned earlier, in use last spring. Only down side of this type of solution is you need a pitch, somewhere you to bank your pegs in. 
The traier tent I was thinking about is called a Venturecraft :-
http://www.expeditionswest.com....html
Plenty of other though, and as post by Sorin you can obviously pick up a good looking RR for reasonable money, see rangerover.net for buying tips, apart from the usual things to look for on any car.


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## [email protected] (Dec 7, 2000)

*Re: Sleep in back of Jeep XJ? (TIGGRR)*

yeah why not..... i did


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## Bakounine (Jul 15, 2002)

*Re: (Salty VW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Salty VW* »_Ah I see. Any clue how long the "fold flat" section actually is? 

I measured it once. It was like 53-55''. Maybe ok for one adult in a diagonal position, otherwise, only good for sex.


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## GTI GEYE (Feb 18, 2010)

*Re: Sleep in back of Jeep XJ? (Salty VW)*

the back seats fold down and its flat and you should bee good


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## Spa_driver (Jul 31, 2005)

*Re: (Salty VW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Salty VW* »_Ah I see. Any clue how long the "fold flat" section actually is? 

It's the best way to go. I did it a lot and would still be doing it if it wasn't for a certain insurance company. Gas mileage was a meager 16 mpg highway at normal freeway speeds with 31" tires on my '99 4X4 auto 4.0 Cherokee thru 70,000 trouble free miles.


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