New user, new owner, 2015 LX CVT. Just wanted to say thanks to the community here for sharing so much info. My 1994 Civic DX hatchback is looking forward to taking a break from the daily grind after 355,000 miles. Honda Care family plan roadside bennies now cover her too, so everybody's happy.

Now that I've got the Fit, it's time to optimize my road trip setup. Two adults, one car, driving from the Pacific to the Atlantic to the Gulf Coast and back. I've done a trip like this before, but it was solo, and I was younger then.

I am asking for general suggestions on what to do to maximize fun and minimize spending on a transcontinental roadtrip with the Fit. We are recruiting friends with extra rooms along the way to reduce lodging costs, and planning to carry a basic tent camping setup, along with a national parks pass.

I'm especially curious about anyone with success stories about sleeping inside the Fit.

Happy trails!

-pdxfr3ak

 

If you're both on the shortish side, sleeping in the Fit should be relatively simple; just fold the rear seats down, toss all your stuff aside or forward into the front seats, and stretch out. Some have fit a mattress or foam pad in place if they do it much—the floor is rather hard and inflexible. I suggest leaving the windows open a crack to give a bit of ventilation and keep excess moisture at bay.

If you're taller than around 5' or so, you will probably want a little more length, and that generally means sliding the front seats forward and filling the gap up with luggage or something.

I've taken cat naps in my Fit on one or two occasions. It worked well enough for that, and better than previous cars I've owned, but isn't comfortable enough for me to consider camping in it without working out some better accommodations. I'm not sure I'd be all that fresh after a full night's sleep as it is.

One easy way to save on long road trips is to avoid restaurants in favor of cooking for yourself, or at least limit restaurant usage. A small camp stove, a frypan, a saucepan or two, a cutting board, and a few basic utensils can make a surprising array of meals with a bit of work. Even just having a cooler for cold cuts and mayo and milk and juice, along with a box of cereal and loaf of bread, can take care of breakfast and lunch pretty well. (I have a Coleman Personal 8 cooler that I use. It easily keeps ice for a full day, and often a couple of days with a little bit of care. Great little cooler.)

If you're a coffee or tea drinker, I suggest buying a (you can often find them at kitchen supply stores). These cost a few dollars, and clip/hang on the side of a mug or cup. You can get boiling water in a few minutes anywhere you can find an outlet, such as most rest areas, or even run one from the car battery via an inverter with a sufficient power rating. Be sure to have the heater coil under water before plugging in the gizmo (and unplug before removing it from the water) lest it burn out. I have one that I keep in my glove box.

 

Welcome aboard pdxfr3ak!

Great suggestions Drew, gonna try that adjustment to see how much space I could have.

 

There is plenty of space to sleep, but I think it'll get tedious the more you do it, since it is not long enough to fully strech out. Make sure it's cushiony enough of course. Also, try to have your windows tinted, sleeping in your car can be illegal in some states. Best of luck and have fun on your road trip!

 

I went camping with some families this past weekend at a local campground. Long story short, my tent experienced some technical difficulties so my 6-year old son and I decided to be adventurous and sleep in the Fit. It worked very well for him. I'm 6'2" so I will give the experience an "adequate" rating. I slept half the night in the back seat in chillaxin' mode while my son slept horizontal on the 60% side. At about 3AM I transitioned to full horizontal mode next to the little guy. If I had planned a little better, I may have been able to create a comfy nest for myself with a bit more padding and placing my son more strategically. I did not see any way to leave the rear hatch open without the light staying on. A little switch would have been handy.
I like the idea of a rooftop tent but I have concerns about the correct mounting and load distribution to avoid damage. I'll follow the discussion with interest and I appreciate this being brought up!

 

We aren't lucky enough to be vertically challenged (me 6', she 5'9"). Here's the proposed setup so far:

Front seats full forward, rear seats down.

Three 40"x20.5"x7" Storage boxes arranged so that two are lengthwise straddling the armrest, and one is in the trunk perpendicular, creating a raised, more level platform, and providing storage for extended travel. Each storage box is reinforced with plastic tubs inside to provide support.

On top of the storage boxes, a twin size airbed (but not just any airbed. We're using the "couch" portion of a Coleman 5-in-1 with two separate chambers, to provide better support and handle more weight, and also allowing for independent firmness adjustment). We might add a memory foam topper on top of this.

Sleeping bags rated for at 12şF or lower, and camping pillows. This should keep us warm no matter the weather. We have a tent, too, for a change of scene when time and weather permit.

We plan to try this setup out in the next week or two. I hope to report back with progress. Thanks for chiming in!

 

Hey Drew,

They make that immersion heater with a DC cigarette lighter plug you just plug into the cigarette lighter same as the AC one, no inverter. I have both. I take instant coffee, splenda, and creamer and have hot coffee while I drive.

 

I've tried to sleep in the seat (I'm 6') with little success. I found myself waking up every hour or so, and eventually decided to just set-up my tent. The back is wayyyy to short for me, maybe if you were around 5'4" it would be ok.

 

Well, we made it safely from Oregon to West Virginia, and returned via NOLA, Grand Canyon, Vegas and LA. The Fit was a total champ, and we added about 8,500 miles to the odometer.

The sleeping in the car setup never was tested in the field, but it was nice to know we had the option. Tent did get used a few times, and staying with friends was the best. We opted to go whole hog in the coffee department and purchased a propane drip coffee maker for camp - which was awesome, even though we only used it a few times.

This was one of those epic, once a decade, trips that will be remembered for a long time. Thanks again for the comments. Have fun with your Fit!