Wondering if you should build or buy your next car camping platform?
At Hele outdoors we’ve assembled/shipped thousands of our award winning sleeping platforms, seen countless DIY platforms and a wide range of creative takes to transform daily drivers into car camping rigs.
DIY car camping platforms can be a great solution and in this article we’ll explore the heavily debated build vs buy topic so you can make the best decision for your needs.
1. Time
Time is valuable! When it comes to road trips, overlanding, or just hitting your favorite national park for the day - getting out the door as soon as possible is a requirement.
Hele Box (Buy)
With the Hele Box sleeping platform you can transform your daily driver into a cozy cabin on wheels in 5 minutes - right out of the box.
No trips to the hardware store, no waiting for someone to help you lift a platform into your vehicle, no need to buy or borrow power tools or clean up a mess of wood shavings in the garage.
You do however - need to wait for the system to show up in the mail!
DIY (Build)
It can take hours to build and design a car camping platform - not to mention the trips to the hardware store.
Depending on the platform's complexity, components, and size - you might need help lifting the system into your vehicle, requiring you to wait on someone else.
When you need your car back - whether that be to take your kids to school, drive around clients, etc. that thang needs to come out!
Breaking it down and removing it from the vehicle can put you in a real pinch if you are in a rush.
2. Weight/size
A big decision factor could be based on your strength or access to borrowed muscle.
Hele Box (Buy)
The Hele box is a light weight sleeping platform! So light that it takes one person to put it in a car and one person to take it out.
It weighs in at a total of 28lbs (solo version) and compacts into a 34x13x8” carrying case.
This makes it easy to handle and extremely convenient for packing away when the trip is over.
Don’t own a garage or have the space for a custom build out?
The Hele Box fits on a shelf, in your gear closet, and can even be slid under your bed - out of sight, out of mind!
DIY (Build)
If you have extra storage space on your property, that’s great! Skip the next few lines.
Didn't think so!
If you are anything like me - in a constant battle trying to organize adventure gear so it doesn’t overflow into living space - the size/weight of a custom DIY build might be something to consider.
Custom built sleeping platforms can weigh upwards of 100+ pounds depending on the materials, build style, and size.
If lifting this in and out of your vehicle wasn’t hard enough - good luck explaining to your partner where all the storage space in the garage/house/apartment went once the system is out of your vehicle!
3. Cost
Ahh - now it's heating up!
Hele Box (Buy)
The current price of a Hele Box is $399 - we understand that this isn’t cheap (especially in today’s economy).
Why the price tag?
The Hele Box is a premium product that doesn’t cut any corners:
- Frame is made of aero space grade aluminum (6061)
- Adjustable legs allow the system to fit in a wide range of vehicles
- Dual-locking technology removes any wobble/play ensuring a rock solid sleep
-
Hand assembled, tested, packed and shipped in Colorado, USA
At 3 products in 1 (sleeping platform, storage system, camping table) the Hele Box packs a punch of value.
We build our car camping platforms to last, and the modularity means we’ll be able to fit in your current and future vehicles.
It's a upfront investment that will pay for itself sooner than you think.
"Buy once, buy well" - Patagonia
DIY (Build)
If you have the tools/experience - a basic DIY wooden sleeping platform will run you $100-$200 in materials.
Saving you a decent chunk of change to spend on additional gear (yay!)
Without the right equipment/tools/experience you are looking at a much larger figure. A drill $50, Screws $10, tape measure $10, SAW $50, drill bits $10.
If you are new to wood work you may have to add another $100 because there will be mistakes (speaking from experience!)
The biggest drawback in this category is that a DIY platform is vehicle specific.
Own two vehicles you like to camp in? Bought another vehicle?
You’ll need to build another platform.. these costs will quickly add up.
In summary:
DIY platform (Build) is a great choice if you have the time, tools, experience, space, and expect to keep your current vehicle for years to come.
Hele Box (Buy) is the right choice if you don’t have time, tools, experience, space, and need a system for multiple vehicles.
We hope this helped inform your decision!
Let us know what you think we missed in the comment section below.
If you have any questions about the Hele Box or how it compares to other car camping platform options - send us a message on our contact us page.
Looking for more car camping content? Check out our car camping guide!
See ya out there!