[zestyorange]

Hey guys, I have an idea on traveling on the weekend and enjoying the autumn colors.
I have not done any overnight stays in the car so I don't know what to expect and what should I do.
I have a mat and a sleeping bag.
I have a power bank for lights and radio. Also some gas heater to boil the water.

My major questions are:
1. How to find secluded location? Is there some reliable apps? I don't want to park on those RV lots.
2. Animals? I mean large ones. Is it safe enough to stay inside the car.
3. Car battery, locking, alarms. All this business. I want to sleep in a locked car but I don't want to drain car battery.
4. Temperature gradient. Will it be much warmer inside car compared to the outside? I presume a few degrees C.

Also, I would appreciate any advice from people doing this at least once in a while.

[U11sirgawain]

[zestyorange]

For those who are still interested in the sleeping inside your BMW X1 there things called "Truck Bed Mattress" or "Car Mattress".
An example of one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[SLCbluebaylagoon]

1. Yeah there’s plenty of apps now that will show you lots of good campsites. Don’t forget recreation dot gov for anything managed by the Forest Service etc. Official campgrounds fill up fast so you need to think about reserving a spot early.
2. This is going to depend largely on where you are but as a general rule of thumb, people and food NEVER stay in the same place overnight. You’ll need a secure place (bear box) to store food. This would also include anything scented (deodorant, chap stick etc.). I’ve camped in some pretty heavy bear territory in the past and I had to have separate clothing for cooking/eating but that’s an extreme scenario. A bear won’t smash through your window if there’s nothing that smells good inside.
3. I think you can sleep in a locked car? Just make sure you unlock it before you open the door or you’ll have some angry camping neighbors lol.
4. With a sleeping bag or blankets you should be fine. Your own body heat should keep the inside a couple degrees warmer.

There’s lots of online resources for making car camping enjoyable. I’ve definitely thought about heading down to southern Utah to enjoy the dark sky areas at night with the panoramic sunroof!
But above all, respect the outdoors. If you pack it in, you pack it out.

[SLCbluebaylagoon]

Oh one more thing. If you are trying to get as far away from people as possible, the areas you’re looking for are called “dispersed camping”

[spmcewen]

After locking my dog in the car for the first time and having the motion alarm triggered I looked up how to disable it. You need to press the lock button on the key fob twice within 10 seconds when locking. The red light on the mirror will flash a few times to indicate that the alarm is disabled. You would want to do that if you are sleeping inside with it lock or else you will set it off.

[DestinationMoon!]

Don't forget to crack a window or you'll wake up in a puddle

If you do this regularly think about getting rain deflectors for the rear windows, so you can keep them cracked in inclement weather.

[SeaSkiAndMe]

I'd also look into getting some REFLECTIX to cut into the shapes of your windows to both insulate and provide privacy. If you watch Van-lifer or car camping videos on YouTube, many of them describe how to do this.