GX460 & GXOR B.S. thread (9 Viewers)

[Rednexus]

I've slept in the back of mine also and as you mentioned, head room is one issue, the other is length. I have to have the passenger seat moved forward to be able to stretch out, but since I didn't have a platform, I had a gap between the front seatback and the end of the folded down middle seat which I had to back fill with "stuff" to bring up to the folded seat height for my head. I image you have way less head room with your platform but at least you don't have uneven transition between the rear seats and the folded down middle.

Length is actually NBD for me. I'm 5'-11". With my DS seat forward I have plenty of room. The transition is pretty good, but needs to be improved a bit as the platform likes to slip off of the rear drawers if I don't set it up just right. I'll work on that next year.

When I'm out wheeling/camping alone I sleep in it all the time, but it's a little harder with two people. My normal platform is actually more like yours and is only the 60% side since it doesn't need to account for the fridge. But the fridge is tall and it needed to be flat for this time. We're backpackers so tenting isn't bad for us, but it's gonna be cold and we don't have a 4 season tent.

Didn't see the lower platform in there at first, but yeah, that would provide you with 8" plus more headroom than I have when sleeping on my drawers.

TBH, I've gotten every bit as cold sleeping in my GX (in the low teens) as I have in my backpacking tent. The rig does break the wind and gets you off the ground - but low static temps are static temps, and the rig cools down fast.

I finally broke down and got a NeoAir Xtherm air mattress after one very, cold, uncomfortable, and near-sleepless night in my rig. Amazing how much warmer it is than my normal NeoAir pad. You wouldn't think sleeping on carpeted drawers would suck the heat out of you like sleeping on the ground in a tent, but it definitely can.

 

[r2m]

When I'm out wheeling/camping alone I sleep in it all the time, but it's a little harder with two people. My normal platform is actually more like yours and is only the 60% side since it doesn't need to account for the fridge. But the fridge is tall and it needed to be flat for this time. We're backpackers so tenting isn't bad for us, but it's gonna be cold and we don't have a 4 season tent.

Have you considered a roof top tent?
My wife and I love our iKamper! Sets up in: 1 minute, tear down: 3 minutes. We've timed it.
Benefits aside from easy setup and tear down.
Off the ground, so no thermal transfer from ground to air mattress to you.
Thick canvas type material for sides help keep heat in, not like ground tents with ultra light rip-stop.
An actual foam mattress. not an air mattress that as it gets colder, air condenses, hence the mattress softens/sags.
One less thing to pack "inside" your vehicle since it sits on top.
Some RTT's let you close them with your betting kept inside, leaving even more room inside your rig for extra gear.
With a "hard shell" RTT, as opposed to the "soft top" types, if there are heavy winds you can position your vehicle so the "hard" side of the RTT will face the wind, to keep the flapping of soft panels to a minimum.

Down side is the extra weight on top, which I'm always conscious of when off camber on a trail. Doesn't really effect me in high winds.
And yeah they can be a little pricey, but worth it.

 

[MeefZah]

I strongly recommend the ExPed Mega mat... it is the best setup I've used and I've tried several; including stacking camping pads on top of each other, mattress topper, air mattress.... It fits perfectly in the back. It is really comfortable for one person. It still fits two people in relative comfort. It's great for side sleepers as it's firm enough to keep you off the floor. It can be a bit finnicky getting the air pressure just right especially if you have two people on it - what is dialed in for one person gets too firm with a second person, and vice versa - but it's not a big deal. Ours has been really durable and I / we have probably 100 nights+ on it in this GX, my old 4Runner, my old Jeep JLU, and her Subaru Outback.

Also you can get up to 80" of length to sleep on by pulling the front seats all the way forward. Unless you are in the NBA that's plenty of room (it's 6.5' if you don't do math).

Yarding out the 2nd and 3rd row seats gets you super low and there is plenty of room to sit up even on top of the ExPed. There is of course no storage under that like if you had a drawer system or an elevated platform.

 

[Rednexus]

That looks pretty awesome, for sure. Probably a bit overkill as I'm solo 90% of the time in my rig, but I'll see if they have a single option that is a bit less thick.

Don't get me wrong I love my NeoAir mattresses (the summer and winter one), but would like something a bit more plus when I'm car camping anyway.

 

[jdam]

Have you considered a roof top tent?

We have, but this is more just for a cold weather solution than anything. I'm perfectly happy on the ground when it's not snowing. We're also planning bringing a heated blanket haha.

 

[BobTheBrogrammer]

This setup looks awesome! Love the fact that you dont lose the second row.

Im not entirely sure why, but Im having a hard time justifying the removal of my third row in favor of building a platform. Heck Im not sure Ill ever even use the third row (Bachelor, no wife or kiddos to worry about) but it just feels weird to take away that functionality even though I pretty much only do solo travel. Im 5'11" and fit OK in the back with the passenger seat pushed forward. Definitely need a better sleeping pad though as the one i'm currently using doesn't even hold air. Been looking at getting a Luno since its supposed to fit around the wheel well.

Did a mild platform for an upcoming snow trip where we don't want to sleep outside. Three panels, collapsible behind the seats, and space/ a panel for the fridge. The upholstered box already existed so I just stuck stuff on top of it. I don't know if it'll be permanent yet so I haven't added upholstery but yeah. Wood is heavy.

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[snowGX460]

heh it's funny, i've already put 7(+) people in the truck 5-10 times owning it less than a year. Since i have the space, i've volunteered a handful times to DD a group of friends

 

[jdam]

heh it's funny, i've already put 7(+) people in the truck 5-10 times owning it less than a year. Since i have the space, i've volunteered a handful times to DD a group of friends

I have done it exactly three times, and have only "needed" it once since buying it almost 4 years ago. I kept the back seats and they just take up space in my garage for now. I'll throw them back on if I really need them.

 

[Rednexus]

I have 2 kids and multiple other nieces close by that I routinely haul around. Including taking them wheeling. Removed my 3rd row over 2 years ago and haven't looked back. A few weeks ago I had 3 kids under 10 in the 2nd row of my GX. Not ideal, but totally works. We also have a Highlander that takes over most family hauling duties.

 

[BobTheBrogrammer]

Ive owned mine for a year now and can count on one hand the number of times Ive had more than just one other person with me

 

[r2m]

We have, but this is more just for a cold weather solution than anything. I'm perfectly happy on the ground when it's not snowing. We're also planning bringing a heated blanket haha.

Seems lately I've been seeing more and more of those little tent size fuel heaters that you can even cook on top of. They come with a smoke stack and designed for tents. Just be aware of the carbon dioxide.
If you go e-blanket, how would you do it? Run it off your GX's cig lighter socket? Or??
Also, If I were to use an e-blanket in a tent, I'd use it to sleep on, not as a covering. Help mitigate the cold from the ground from transferring through the mattress. If you're using an air mattress, the e-blanket would also keep the air warmer in the mattress and from condensing as much, so your mattress should stay firmer throughout the night.

 

[r2m]

heh it's funny, i've already put 7(+) people in the truck 5-10 times owning it less than a year. Since i have the space, i've volunteered a handful times to DD a group of friends

Guess you're not going to jettison the rear seats...
I think I've used the third row.... let me think....
Hummm..... maybe 2 times in the past 7 years?
The only reason I haven't removed them is if I do take them out I'll want to keep them and I have no place to store them. So they stay stored in the back of the GX.

 

[BobTheBrogrammer]

Seems lately I've been seeing more and more of those little tent size fuel heaters that you can even cook on top of. They come with a smoke stack and designed for tents. Just be aware of the carbon dioxide.
If you go e-blanket, how would you do it? Run it off your GX's cig lighter socket? Or??
Also, If I were to use an e-blanket in a tent, I'd use it to sleep on, not as a covering. Help mitigate the cold from the ground from transferring through the mattress. If you're using an air mattress, the e-blanket would also keep the air warmer in the mattress and from condensing as much, so your mattress should stay firmer throughout the night.

Looks like he has a Delta power unit stored in the third image. I presume thats how he plans to run the E-Blanket. Almost did the same thing on my last trip to the Ozarks a few weeks ago but the old army sleeping bag I was using was plenty toasty. Especially after using the hvac system to pre-heat everything before I crawled in.

 

[Hiluxforever]

This setup looks awesome! Love the fact that you dont lose the second row.

Im not entirely sure why, but Im having a hard time justifying the removal of my third row in favor of building a platform. Heck Im not sure Ill ever even use the third row (Bachelor, no wife or kiddos to worry about) but it just feels weird to take away that functionality even though I pretty much only do solo travel. Im 5'11" and fit OK in the back with the passenger seat pushed forward. Definitely need a better sleeping pad though as the one i'm currently using doesn't even hold air. Been looking at getting a Luno since its supposed to fit around the wheel well.


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I have a cubby for a spare tire and a shelf above it to support camping gear and such.

I really like being able to fully load a rig and still have access to all of the recovery gear as well as the spare. That's one thing to gain by removing the vestigal 3rd row.

 

[Rednexus]

Looks like he has a Delta power unit stored in the third image. I presume thats how he plans to run the E-Blanket. Almost did the same thing on my last trip to the Ozarks a few weeks ago but the old army sleeping bag I was using was plenty toasty. Especially after using the hvac system to pre-heat everything before I crawled in.

Lol, I definitely do that too when it's cold. It makes a difference vs. getting in a bag/rig where everything is at ambient, below-freezing temps.

I splurged on a good Mountain Hardwear 15F Gore-Tex, down bag last spring. Worth every penny. But, I also backpack/bikepack.

 

[BobTheBrogrammer]

Lol, I definitely do that too when it's cold. It makes a difference vs. getting in a bag/rig where everything is at ambient, below-freezing temps.

I splurged on a good Mountain Hardwear 15F Gore-Tex, down bag last spring. Worth every penny. But, I also backpack/bikepack.

Ooh. Bikepacking is something I've had my eye on for a little bit. Ive just never gone out and done it yet.

 

[BobTheBrogrammer]

I have a cubby for a spare tire and a shelf above it to support camping gear and such.

I really like being able to fully load a rig and still have access to all of the recovery gear as well as the spare. That's one thing to gain by removing the vestigal 3rd row.

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Looks super functional, everything right where you need it!
Is your rear bumper cut?

 

[MeefZah]

Technically you can fit more people in the truck without the third row than with it....

 

[r2m]

Technically you can fit more people in the truck without the third row than with it....

Live bodies or cadavers, you can fold up and stuff in there?

 

[BobTheBrogrammer]

Live bodies or cadavers, you can fold up and stuff in there?

Best part of the pop out window is to fit the really long ones.