Car camping is an awesome way to explore the outdoors or take an epic road trip while enjoying the subtle comforts of home.
However - things can go from awesome to annoying really fast depending on your car camping system.
The biggest constraint when camping in your car is SPACE. Some vehicles have more of it, some have less.
Regardless of the vehicle you use to car camp - sleeping in your vehicle without an elevated sleeping platform puts you at a disadvantage.
Why?
1) Reduced Storage Capacity
The sleeping pad/bag you lay directly in the trunk/cargo area of your vehicle steals valuable space where you could store your gear and goodies.
We often see people shuffling gear from their trunk to the front seats every time they need to set up their bed.
This process of moving your gear is annoying, time consuming, and makes it obvious that you are sleeping in your car.
Not the ideal scenario if you are looking to relax or keep a low profile when car camping in urban areas.
If your sleeping surface was elevated, you could store camping supplies underneath your platform.
We recommend pairing your sleeping platform with organizers or a drawer system to provide further organizational capacity to your set up.
An elevated sleeping platform is ready to use at any time!
2) Uneven Sleeping Surface
Most SUVs aren't completely level in its rear/cargo area. There’s often a slant or obstacles that come from folded seats.
This makes it almost impossible to get a completely level sleeping platform in your vehicle.
If you are a fussy sleeper like me, even the slightest slope or kink in your back from the hump of a folded seat would risk a poor/uncomfortable night’s sleep.
Elevated sleeping platforms take into account these obstacles and provide a flat/level sleeping surface, no matter what you’ve got going on in those back seats!
3) Not enough sleeping length
Midsize SUVs don’t provide a full 6ft of cargo space before the footwells of the rear seats.
This means you’ll likely be left with a sleeping surface that ranges from 5’4-5’8, and will likely have your head or feet falling off into the rear footwells of your vehicle.
An elevated sleeping platform on the other hand, can extend into this footwell area, providing additional sleeping length.
When it comes to choosing the right sleeping platform, you have a couple options.
DIY Sleeping Platform
You can build your own DIY wooden platform with tools and materials from your local hardware store. This option can be cost effective if you own all the tools for the job.
However, it limits the platform to a single vehicle for use, is heavy/bulky/difficult to remove, and hard to store when not in the vehicle.
Hele Box
If you are in the market for a system that’s lightweight, compact, and fits in a wide variety of SUVs/ Trucks - check out the Hele Box.
The Hele Box is a vehicle sleeping platform that doubles as a storage system and can even be used as a camping table.
The Hele Box sleeping platform is height adjustable so can always dial in a level sleeping surface and ample room for organization.
It comes in two sizes: solo & duo
Looking for more helpful information around car camping?
Check out our car camping guide and explore a wide range of topics from finding dispersed campsites to the ultimate car camping checklist.