Camp in subaru forester

With a little creativity and some elbow grease, you can convert your little daily driver into an off-road adventure vehicle. The large cargo area can fit all the amenities, and with the rear seats folded down, have plenty of space inside for sleeping.

Log in. Sign up. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I'm looking to use the car for solo - hopefully with some new equipment and potentially mods - and couples camping. I'm looking to take a tent and things to camp, but also to sleep inside the car itself.

Camp in subaru forester

For an entire year I worked as the in-house photographer for a custom camper van company and wow did the vanlife bug hit me hard — but I had absolutely no way of affording a van. I had even got a chance to try out vanlife, and I loved the idea of being able to road trip for longer, sleep WAY comfier than camping, and having all my things with me. I decided to embark on a Subaru Forester camper conversion — making my car into the ultimate cozy camper. It was a WHOLE lot cheaper than diving into vanlife and it has easily become my preferred method of camping. Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and make a purchase — at no extra cost to you! I only share things I genuinely love and think my audience would love too! Thank you so much for your continued support! Learn more about my affiliate policy here. If you have an SUV and you can just lie the seats down flat, why bother with a car camper conversion? For me, it came down to a few key points:. I wanted extra storage under the sleeping space so I could fit my camping gear. Bonus, my camp gear basically just lives in my car now so it saves me time packing on my next trip! I was constantly putting the front seats forward, but then having this awkward gap under my head, so I needed an extending platform that would ensure I had a full-size bed I could fully spread out on. I personally had limited tools, woodworking skills, and budget, so keeping the build SIMPLE, effective, and cheap was the way to go. I wanted the build to not take a lot of time so I could get out on the road sooner, and I wanted it to be as cost-effective as possible so that it made sense to build it out.

The tent has windows and screens to let in the fresh air.

The idea was planted several years ago when we met a couple road tripping through East Africa with a rooftop tent perched atop their Land Rover. We never stopped talking about it — the possibility of exploring off the beaten path and setting up camp wherever we wanted was too enticing. So while it seemed like everyone we knew was converting a camper van and loving that vanlife, we went another route: We turned our daily driver into an awesome overland vehicle! We went with a Subaru Forester Limited Edition. The key to getting a good deal?

While swank resorts and roadside motels have their place, a lot of adventurers are choosing to go to sleep and wake up in the wilderness they planned so thoughtfully to get to. And the numbers of campers are growing, year over year. In , Kampgrounds of America Inc. KOA released its fifth annual camping survey with findings that camping has exploded in popularity over the last half decade. An estimated 7 million new households have started camping since , with about a million new households packing a tent in alone. New campers are more diverse than ever: For the first time in five years, campers from multicultural groups represented the majority of newcomers to the camping scene.

Camp in subaru forester

This article is written by Benjamin Perri. Dusting myself off and fedora firmly planted on my head, my plan became crystal clear. A strategy was formulated, gear lists created, and a route planned.

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North America , Road Trips , Hiking. The Dodge Caravan is a great option for van life. She chose not to build a platform for her bed, prioritizing the need for stealth. More Dope Sh Any reputable auto shop should be able to lift your car for you, but if you have the skills you can definitely save some money by doing it yourself! She utilizes a rooftop tent for her sleeping solution, accommodating her and her dog. You just need a sense of adventure and a willingness to go for it. The central component of her build is a sleeping platform with storage underneath. But can the Jackery Explorer stand up to life on the road? I wanted extra storage under the sleeping space so I could fit my camping gear. I know roof tents are a thing, but they're still prohibitively expensive from what I've researched. They also used a amp-hour battery. Hey, where do you put the cooler? We cover just about everything you need to know — from planning, to insulation, to solar and electrical, to picking appliances, to essential tools. They created a wooden platform suspended by rope from the driver and passenger seat headrests.

With a little creativity and some elbow grease, you can convert your little daily driver into an off-road adventure vehicle. The large cargo area can fit all the amenities, and with the rear seats folded down, have plenty of space inside for sleeping. All in all, the Forester can be an excellent choice if you are considering converting an SUV into a camper.

The platform supports a twin mattress and is positioned lengthwise in the living space. I ended up putting in a layer of foam on top of my back seats to protect them from damage from the weight of the platform, so I had to adjust the height of the two horizontal columns. Follow on Instagram. Two foldable solar panels charge the power station when camping, or Allison can also charge it from her vehicle while driving or plug it into a wall outlet. I have a friend that made a storage drawer set up for the back of his Crosstrek and - while it was removeable as needed - it was secured in place with straps and hooking up to other cargo tie-downs in the rear space. He installed a light bar and exterior lighting to assist him when driving down unlit paths at night. Search for:. Submit a Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. In this article, we have gathered some fantastic DIY builds to inspire your next camper conversion. Stow everything in the cab when driving and setup your campsite and have a good time. Click here for updates on what we've done to the Subaru since this original project! Jun 19, We use ours to power our campsite lights, heated mattress pad during the winter, and a cooler for food during the summer. We stopped by their warehouse in Bend, Oregon and the awesome guys there helped us install our new tent, walked us through all its special features, and gave us some insider tips plus our pup had a blast running around the warehouse! When parked, the device charged his phone and Bluetooth speaker.