by JonLee on Wed Jan 15, 2020 7:43 pm
1-Have you slept overnight in the cabin of your Pocketship?
Yep. I only wish I could/would do it more.
2-One or two people?
I have only ever done it with one. Two would be comfortable, if cozy. As others have mentioned, the trade off for accommodating two is that you'd have to be judicious in how much gear you pack. You would not have any trouble finding room for two sleeping bags & pillows, some clothes, a stove, some water and some food.
3-Were you comfortable? (backpacking tent standards)
Super comfortable. I spent the better part of two days below at the Wooden Boat Festival a few years ago on account of pelting, constant, dreary rain, and was totally comfortable.
For sleeping, I keep a foam "camper mattress" on board. For cruising, I've packed a laptop, a violin, a guitar, a Weber grill. I've spent a lot of nights backpacking, and staying on board is more like staying in your bed at home than backpacking.
4-Did you have a problem with width or length? I'm mostly concerned about width.
Length is no issue...I think there's something like 8 ft between the forward and aft cabin bulkheads. Width is ok. The cabin sole narrows at you feet and your shoulders -- The half-breadth of the sole is narrower than my twin-ish sized camper mattress everywhere but mid-cabin; the mattress just runs off the sole and onto the bottom of the hull, which is pretty flat there. I've never needed to expand out across more than "my half" of the cabin to sleep.
5-Did you have a condensation problem? (water dripping onto you from the woodwork above)
Not in the conditions I've been in with the dorade vents open. It is probably conceivable, but the cabin is well ventilated and dry.
6-Is it something you would do 3-8 nights a year? Doable?
Easily. I only wish I could find the time to do more.