Camping in-car sleeping

I posted about a trip to the Eastern Wheatbelt, and fuel consumption of the new Kia Picanto:

• Tin Horse Highway — February 26, 2026

...5.3 litres/100km. Yeah, but I have just got back from a 1,300 km trip, and look at this:

...the trip was east from Perth, to Coolgardie in the Goldfields, return via Kulin in the Eastern Wheatbelt. Drove between 90 - 110 km/h, with air conditioning on most of the way. 4.8 litres/100km (49 mpg), is that true?

A new car has a "run in" period, in which fuel consumption improves slightly; I saw a figure of 0.1 litres/100km. Maybe that's the reason for the improvement, else the readout is wrong.

On the first trip, sleeping in the car was uncomfortable, so made significant changes. Firstly, there is a need for ventilation, but it must be secure, keep out the mosquitoes and rain. I bought a pair of window vents, for a GWM Tank 300 as that looked like the closest fit:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009427272351.html

Had to rivet some aluminium on the ends, glued insect mesh on the inside, and it works OK:

...not perfect, but OK. Could make them from scratch, to be an exact fit, but this will do for now.

To achieve sufficient length for a bed, I thought it would be necessary to take out the entire back seat; however, then realised that the back-rests can be removed independently, leaving the rest of the seat installed. So took out the back-rest of the back seat, passenger-side -- quite easy to do, just remove two bolts and disconnect the middle seat-belt.

Bought chipboard from Bunnings, 1800x600x12 mm, cut it to fit, painted black. Fits real nice:

...the chipboard is supported at the tail-end by a storage box underneath, and folding camping-bed and chair on the front seat. Very stable, and easy to enter and exit the bed via the driver's seat.

Note that the front passenger seat has not been removed; it is still there, just fully reclined.

Already have a foam mattress that have used with the camping-bed on previous camping trips, in a tent. It is 1900x600x75 mm:

The mattress folds up, and the down-quilt and pillow stow neatly in front:

This bedding arrangement completely transforms the sleeping-in-the-car experience. Very comfy, just like a regular bed. A slight criticism is that the 3-inch thick mattress could do with a bit more padding, either higher-density foam, or maybe a yoga-mat underneath. A minor criticism, it was OK. A positive comment: a foam mattress is a much better experience than an air mattress.

As mentioned above, getting in and out of the bed is very easy, via the driver's seat. Just a matter of lifting the bum up and across, no crawling in or out.

The above photos were taken at the Boorabbin campsite, on the Great Eastern Highway, east of Southern Cross:

Also bought a tray that clips onto the steering wheel, so can use the laptop while sitting in the driver's seat. Haven't tested that yet. The Bluetti power box sits on the floor in front of the front-passenger seat.

Envisage two different modes of car camping. One, is to camp somewhere with a tent setup, and stay there for sometime. Likely, that will be a trip to a coastal campsite. Second, on-the-go, driving a long distance and just needing to park overnight. The latter example, planning to drive across the Nullarbor Plain to South Australia later this year, and will just pull into a roadhouse in the evening, have a meal, sleep in the car, take off the next morning -- that is a journey of about 2,500km each way.

It should be noted also, I packed everything for the alternative of tent-based camping. Folding camp-bed, folding chair, tent, all packed in the car. The only extras still to be added are a folding solar panel and folding table; the latter is a design that rolls up very small, so easy to pack into the car -- that is still stuck at an airport in China awaiting a flight -- the delay is due to the Chinese annual 2-week holiday, in which almost everything stops.

Amazing, all of this stuff fits in; who needs an RV?!

A comment about using a "city car" for country driving. I once owned a Holden Camira, with 2.0 litre engine, and it was a delight on country roads. A little car does have much better fuel economy, but steering is a bit "twitchy" and the ride not so smooth. The small engine is not so good on hills; have to change down to a lower gear and speed sometimes. But overall OK; mostly I have owned small cars, and prefer them.   

Tags: nomad

Tin Horse Highway

Posted a few days ago about the new Kia Picanto:

https://bkhome.org/news/202602/bought-a-2025-kia-picanto-sport.html

...Kia claims as low as 5.0 litres/100km; I wonder if that is realistic? So, went on a country trip to find out.

When left Perth, the car had done only 114km, reading 7.6 l/100km (31 mpg), mostly in fairly heavy stop-start traffic. It was a relief to get out of Perth, heading east through mild rolling hills, becoming flatter the further east.

Visited towns in the Eastern Wheatbelt, pretty much directly east from Perth. A highlight of the trip was the Tin Horse Highway:

https://www.westernaustralia.com/au/attraction/tin-horse-highway/56b2679cd5f1565045daacb5

https://trailswa.com.au/trails/trail/tin-horse-highway-kulin

The story behind this is fascinating... Kulin, and surrounding towns, were in decline, so the locals dreamed up this idea to bring in tourists. The background story, a video made 13 years ago:

"Kulin Tin Horse Highway Documentary"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG6RyLQnJCM

I stayed there one night, in the free RV parking. I was the only one with just a car; the others were motorhomes. Well patronised, as was the pub over the road. Reports are that the meals are excellent. So impression was, yes, the initiative has worked.

Now, about my car...

As I drove, the litres/100km kept on dropping. After 800km, just about back at Perth, it had dropped to only 5.3 litres/100km (44.4 mpg). Midday temperatures were about 36 degrees Celsius, so I had the air conditioning on for most of the time.

Searching online, saw figures that AC adds about 5 to 10% to fuel consumption. Taking the lower figure, 5%, that would have added about 0.25 litres/100km; so yeah, Kia's claim of 5.0 litres/100km is not fantasy.

Do need to clarify, that I drove gently, mostly over flat terrain, with some slightly rolling hills, at between 90 to 105 km/h (56 - 65 miles/h). The roads mostly had speed limit of 110 km/h, but traffic was very light and no problem driving at a leisurely pace.

Interesting to, to compare with my previous car, a Hyundai Getz, with 1.4 litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine; long distance highway driving, fairly flat roads, about 100 to 110 km/h, got 6.8 litres/100km.

So, very pleased with the Picanto.

As for the camping experience, this was a driving test, and there were two overnights, sleeping in the car; no actual camping with a tent. Before the trip, the passenger front seat was reclined as much as possible, and a length of chipboard inserted, 170cm long. Due to the passenger-side glove compartment, the effective length was less, about 160cm. On the chipboard was placed an inflatable Sea-to-Summit hiking mattress.

The inability to fully stretch out proved to be the undoing of the sleeping experience. Uncomfortable nights. The air mattress didn't help either. Stay tuned, now building a 180cm long bed, chipboard, with foam mattress. The extra length is achieved by taking out one side of the rear seat backrest. Field test soon!     

Tags: nomad

Bought a 2025 Kia Picanto Sport

I posted recently that my car was written off about 3 years ago, and I have got around by public transport, sometimes Uber, since then. It has been OK, but the itch to go camping is still there, so decided need to scratch the itch...

The thinking at date of the write-off was, hey I'm in my 70's, the camping days are over. Now 76 and still quite healthy, so going for it again. Besides, best to be out there doing stuff, instead of just pottering around the house.

A couple of weeks ago, bought a 2025 Kia Picanto Sport 1.2 litre petrol manual. One of these:

https://www.kia.com/au/cars/picanto/features.html

I bought a 2025 demo car, so got it at a reasonable price. New car warranty of course. But it was a saga to find a car with manual transmission. Maybe I'm a bit of a Luddite, but all the new cars are automatic.

Here in Australia, we are flooded with Chinese cars, for example the Chery Tiggo4, that is only about AU$1,500 above the Kia Picanto:

https://cherymotor.com.au/models/tiggo-4

...I mention that one, because the specs are amazing compared to the Picanto.

There is another one, a MG car, that is about AU$1,000 cheaper than the Picanto. Recently advertised for AU$20,990 drive-away.

So, yeah, the Chinese cars are squeezing the Japanese, Korean and European cars, perhaps ending up putting them out of the market.

My previous car was a Hyundai Getz, very basic, mechanical speed and rpm dials, no touch screen. So, an experience with the electronics in the new car. As I drove it home, got annoyed when it beeped at me and tugged on the steering wheel when I ventured over a lane marker -- that's Lane Departure Warning (LDW), gotta figure out how to turn that off!

Comparing specs Picanto and Tiggo4, I notice the Picanto claims as low as 5.0 litres/100km, whereas the Tiggo4 7.3 litres/100km. There is something to be said for a simple small naturally-aspirated engine with manual transmission. The Picanto is happy with standard unleaded (91 RON), whereas some of the others want premium unleaded (95 RON).

The very cheap MG that I mentioned, is the  MG3 Vibe:

https://mgmotor.com.au/pages/mg3-petrol/#mg-hit-the-road

...ok with 91 RON. Fuel consumption as low as 6.0 - 6.7 litres/100km.

As a final note, why haven't I gone for an EV? A little bit more expensive, though prices are coming down, and with sodium-ion batteries likely late 2026 price should be attractive (as well as very safe and suitable for high Outback temperatures). But, the infrastructure for charging in rural Australia is not yet adequate.       

Tags: nomad

Bluetti AC70 power box

About three years ago, my car got written off. A lady accelerated out of a car park, straight into the side off my car. She was looking the other way, seeing if the road was clear so she could turn onto the road. Her fault, but my car was assessed as unrepairable and I got cash from the insurance company. A bit of a disappointment how low they assessed it; anyway, water under the bridge.

Thinking that I am unlikely to ever go camping again, I gave away most of the camping gear. Also gave away the power-box that I had built back in 2020:

https://bkhome.org/nomad/barrys-lithium-powerbox.html

It has an MPPT charge controller, so could charge from solar panels. Also gave away a 300W 12V to 240V sine-wave inverter, and a lithium battery mains charger.

The desire to go camping in rural regions is still there. I'm living in an outer-suburban area, and do go for walks in bushland areas, but still long for the wilderness. So recently made the decision to buy another car, and once again take up camping.

So, have looked around for a power-box, and today ordered the Bluetti AC70:

https://www.bluettipower.com.au/products/ac70-portable-power-station?variant=44212445675768

I read reviews, looked through the specifications, and it ticks every box I can think of.

There is an AC70P with a slightly bigger battery and wireless phone charging. Nah, the AC70 is fine, also quite cheap at AU$649 including delivery. I paid an extra AU$13 for postage insurance.

It includes three cables, for mains charging, charging from cigarette-lighter socket, and charging from a solar panel. Everything; mains-charger, MPPT solar charge controller, 240V sine-wave inverter, all builtin.

There are lots of videos on YouTube, such as this one:

"Off-Grid test of the Bluetti AC70, How does it perform?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUGcd4JryVE

Looking forward to acquiring more items, then buy a car and plan the next Outback adventure!    

Tags: nomad

Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail

Wow, I never knew that private vehicles are allowed to use this track!

There is a water pipeline running from Mundaring Weir near the coast of Western Australia, 560km to Kalgoorlie in the Goldfields. It has an access track running along it, but I assumed that was restricted, for pipe maintenance only.

Here is an overview webpage:

https://trailswa.com.au/trails/trail/golden-pipeline-heritage-trail

The official site:

https://www.goldenpipeline.com.au/

Another info site, showing towns along the way:

https://www.wheatbelttourism.com/how-to-get-here/self-drive-trails/golden-pipeline-heritage-trail/

Most of it is traversible by 2WD vehicles, even with caravans, but some sections require 4WD vehicles, I presume because they are a soft surface. It looks like long stretches of paved road run nearby, even alongside, the pipe.

It would be a great ride on a trike. Mostly flat, so likely to be easy riding, except for the soft sections. Also, there are towns along the way, so campsites, caravan parks and motels available. Also food.

What time of the year though? Mid-summer would be a challenge, as temperatures can get up over 40 degrees C, sometimes much higher.   

Tags: nomad

The Mawson Trail

A week ago, I reported about Mark, who rode his velomobile from Perth to Sydney, via Melbourne, about 5,000km, in autumn 2023:

https://bkhome.org/news/202312/velomobile-across-the-continent-twice.html

A velomobile is a recumbent bicycle, trike or quad, inside a shell.

Today I watched a YouTube video from a guy who is riding a mountain bike on the Mawson Trail in South Australia, heading south toward Adelaide. To show where the Mawson Trail is, if I had to get there from Perth, would first have to go to Port Augusta:

...25 hours, driving non-stop at the speed limit! The highway from Perth is the Great Eastern Highway, and following along the south coast it is the Eyre Highway.

The Mawson Trail runs roughly north from Adelaide, ending at Blinman, a distance of 900km:

This video I watched today, his name is Steve, is episode 3 of his journey south on the Mawson Trail. The video ends at Hallett, and he posted the video only 2 days ago:

"E Bike Touring the Mawson Trail – South Australia - Will The Torture Never End? Eps 3"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNkl4lc9quE

About 17 minutes into the video, he met a couple of recumbent trike riders:

...interesting, they have electric motors, as does Steve's mountain bike. Full suspension is recommended on the Mawson Trail, but those trikes don't look like they have front suspension; can't tell about the rear wheel. They will be feeling the bumps! Note, their faces look dark, as they are wearing insect screens.

Here is a page introducing the Mawson Trail:

https://cycletrailsaustralia.com/2_trails/mawson-trail-sa

That would be a very interesting ride; Perth to Port Augusta, cut across to Quorn, follow the Mawson Trail up to Blinman, then go north-north-west to Alice Springs, right in the centre of Australia. Then take the inland highway west, the Great Central Road, back to Perth:

...now that would be an adventure! Mostly unpaved, and permits are required to travel through Aboriginal land. The only other way to return to Perth on entirely paved road, apart from going back along the south coast, is to go north from Alice Springs, then follow the coast westward then down the Great Northern Highway.   

Tags: nomad

Velomobile across the continent, twice

I stumbled upon this in a YouTube video; a guy named Mark, who rode his velomobile from Perth to Sydney, across the Australian continent, a distance over 5,000km. The video is an episode of the Laid Back Bike Report:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ8q5pvUEU

He did it the first time about 9 years ago. He rode a green velomobile, made in Australia by a company called Trisled. He gave it a name; "Jelly Bean". He has also referred to it as his "mk1".

His velomobile is a tadpole recumbent trike, with a plastic shell to make it very streamlined.

I posted about a guy who was riding a tadpole trike around the world, including down the Munda Biddi Trail and across Australia:

https://bkhome.org/news/202311/recumbent-trike-on-the-munda-biddi-trail.html

And there was a young couple who rode tadpole recumbent trikes, one of them full-suspension electric solar-powered, 11,000km around Australia, finishing early in 2023:

https://bkhome.org/news/202305/outback-adventure-solar-powered-recumbent-trike.html

When Mark started riding his green velomobile, he became addicted, rode it regularly, then got interested in crossing the continent. He had it shipped to Perth, then rode it to Sydney, about 45 days. He bought it secondhand, and after owning it for 9 years it was getting worn out, mostly the frame was rusting. So he bought another from Trisled, his orange "Jaffa", and then had to do the entire continent crossing again. Same thing, Perth to Sydney. Here is a photo:

...he said it took 20 minutes in the morning to pack everything into the Jaffa and be ready to go.

The second trip was early in 2023 and Mark has posted about it here:

http://rvvelonaut.blogspot.com/

He also has a YouTube channel; most videos are of the first trip:

https://www.youtube.com/@rotovelo_naut/videos

These velomobiles are legal on Australian roads. However, on these cross-continent trips he got stopped by the police about 20 times. In some cases, people had phoned the police, reporting that there is an "illegal unregistered vehicle" on the road.

He didn't bother with visibility flags, which maybe would have been a good idea. His attitude was that his bright-orange velomobile is highly visible, in spite of being very low. But I think that it would allay people's fears if they see it has high flags waving. This question about flags is discussed here:

https://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=46056&start=1700

...as someone commented, flags are good for "Keeping away people who insist on telling you that you need a flag".

What would be the downsides of being encased in a plastic shell? First thing that comes to mind, is the temperature in the Australian Outback in summer can reach 45 degrees Celsius, even higher. Maybe if the shell had a flap in the front, that could be opened to allow air to flow through.

Regarding legality, Mark's Jaffa is about a metre wide, which is illegal in Western Australia. In theory, anyway, as the police have ignored that rule, given that all recumbent trikes and many mobility vehicles are wider than the 660mm limit. But, in mid-2022, the limit in WA was increased to 800mm, and it is now more likely that the police will pay attention to this limit. Most trikes are over 800mm, so still technically illegal.   

Tags: nomad