Why Customers Love the Hele Box
If you are still on the fence about purchasing a Hele Box car sleeping platform, this is the perfect read for you!
We’ve analyzed hundreds of customer conversions and our 50+ 5 star reviews to curate the top 3 reasons why customers purchased their Hele Box vehicle sleeping platform and storage system.
1 - Barrier to entry
If you’ve investigated the scene of car camping, overlanding, and vanlife - you know how “over the top" some of these builds can be.
Don’t get me wrong - a fully built out sprinter conversion or cut to spec decking system with a roll out kitchenette is awesome. However, they come with quite the commitment.
A properly built out camper conversion can cost you anywhere from $5-50k depending on the vehicle and materials used. Vehicle drawer systems that have a sleeping platform attachment start around $1600.
This is a huge investment for most of us and creates quite the barrier for entry.
Even a DIY custom car sleeping platform made from wood can be a tall task for someone who lives in an apartment with no access to a shop or power tools.
Our customers love the Hele Box because you don’t need carpentry skills, tools, or thousands of dollars to enjoy your car camping experience.
With the Hele Box, you can have a comfortable car sleeping platform and ample storage space for just under $500.
The modularity of the Hele Box also means that your sleeping platform isn’t committed to a single vehicle. Trade in your Rav4 for a 4Runner? Great! The Hele Box will fit in both.
It’s the ultimate car sleeping platform and storage system for someone who wants the freedom of epic car camping adventures without sacrificing their daily-driver (or wallet!)
2 - Compact
Most car sleeping platforms and storage systems (both custom and bought) are not designed to be compact once they leave your vehicle.
If you have a garage I’d wager it’s running low on space, and if you live in an apartment I know from first hand experience that your gear closet/room is already overflowing.
When I first moved to Colorado I was living in a small apartment with a tiny office space dedicated to gear. This was quickly filled with my snowboard and camping gear.
I didn’t have the tools, place to build, or room to store a custom wooden build out for my 3rd gen Toyota 4Runner.
I couldn’t believe that there wasn’t a lightweight car sleeping platform that could break down into a convenient size for compact storage when not in use.
This was the lightbulb moment that sparked my original concept for Hele Box! Many iterations and prototypes later the Hele Box came to life.
When designing the Hele Box I wanted to make sure it could compact down into a sleek carrying case. Then I thought, why not reinforce the capacity of the case so it can also double as a storage system!
The compact design of the Hele Box quickly became one of the biggest wins for our customers.
Packed Dimensions:
Solo - 34 x 13 x 8
Duo - 41 x 13 x 8
The Hele Box allows our customers to easily stow away their car sleeping platform for the seasons/weekends when it’s not in use without the guilt of stealing excess storage space in their homes.
3 - Lightweight
Rooftop tents and custom wooden platforms are heavy. They often require 2 or even 3 people to hoist them on top of/into vehicles.
This can become quite cumbersome when you need to swap out your system at the end of every weekend to get your daily driver back.
The lightweight design of the Hele Box has become a huge benefit for our customers who don’t want to depend on others to set up their car for the next adventure.
Not only is it lightweight, but it’s also extremely fast to set up.
Once you get used to configuration, you can easily get your Hele Box car sleeping platform and storage system set up in 5 minutes or less.
The frame’s aerospace grade aluminum profile (6061) keeps it light as a feather while staying strong as an ox.
It’s so light and easy to set up, my grandma can do it!
When we launched the Hele Box car sleeping platform and storage system back in April 2024 we envisioned a product that would remove barriers and make adventures accessible for everyone.
Now, the Hele Box is changing the game and it’s all thanks to the trust from our loyal customers, community of car campers, van-lifers, weekend warriors, and adventures alike.
Thank you for your support as we continue to dish out awesome products for you and the planet! 3% of our profits go to nature conservation efforts
Can’t wait to see you out there!
2 comments
My second (Duo) Hele Box arrived last month. Why do I now have a Solo and a Duo? Read on, especially if you like a dog story.
As a Christmas 2025 present, my Mom bought me a Solo Box. I thought that was the size I needed to “dog car camp” in my fairly new Kia Sportage. In February, I was able to give it a try on 2 back-to-back nights at different state parks, so I had to build and break down twice! All of that was good and no problem. There was room enough off the cot for both (or at least one dog) to sleep, or so I thought/hoped.
The “problem” was the dogs. When it got dark, and I was wanting to sit around a fire pit and enjoy the outdoors, the dogs were ready for bed. So they got into the car, both onto “my” bed on the Hele. When it came time for me to get in, they were very comfy on the Hele and not really wanting to move. I was successful in persuading the smaller dog (Terrier) to move off the cot, but the Goldendoodle (@70 lbs) wasn’t moving. So I tried to lay down and lift my legs and/or contort around him. Well, that night I didn’t get very good sleep bc I just couldn’t get comfortable until early in the am when he finally scooched down to the very end of the cot and I could mostly stretch my legs out (I’m 5"5’ so I don’t need the whole cot!).
OK, so night #2 I hoped would be better. Same setup, same drill; dogs in car before me, curled up, comfy. But big dog was almost completely on my pillow (front of car), so no way for me to try to contort around him, so I shoved him (in a nice way!) over, off the cot, and he curled up and seemed OK. Little dog stayed on cot all night, and since she’s smaller, I was able to sleep better.
So now you can probably guess why I had to break down and buy the Duo. The extra 16 inches should provide a big enough platform for me to possibly stretch out and for both dogs to sleep up there with me. There won’t be any room off the cot for dogs (or me!), so we will all be snuggled up together on the Duo.
I did buy the Stubbies for the Solo and used them on the campout, but it rained one night and the lack of storage in the vehicle was, well, muddy! So I’ve tried out the normal legs and I plan to use those next time and then be able to put both storage bags underneath. While I’d prefer more head room (using the Stubbies), under-cot storage likely will be more important. But I’ve got both sets of legs just in case.
So here are my current takeaways: 1) The Hele products are very high quality and easy to use; and 2) if you are planning to camp with your dogs, and your dogs normally sleep with you (ie., on your bed in house), get the Duo so maybe you can have enough room to sleep without fighting w the pups!!! Also, there are lots of videos of YouTube where Murray goes through lots of tips on how to use/pack the Heles, and I learned several tricks watching them.
Seriously, as a lifelong camper and someone who likes and knows camping gear, Hele is a seriously awesome product. It is sturdy, easy to set up, and packs up in a fairly small case. Yes, the price tag might seem high, but when I find a truly awesome product that should last me forever, I’m happy to pay for it and especially to a company that I really like.
Bought the Hele box & shortening kit for my Nissan nv200. Fits great!