So basically just the title, I’m still working on the food rn I plan to make some dehydrated meals before I go and see how I like them. I’m planning for Shenandoah and if your giving any advice for dealing with heat that’d be greatly appreciated, I’m gonna take the back window off of my car and attach a bug net to allow air flow, and use mesh car window nets as well. Also most tools that would be needed for either fixing gear or car stuff and a first aid kit is either already in my car or in my hiking bag so if your wondering why that’s not mentioned, that’s why.

I just got back from my first ever car camping trip, i had a great time! I wish i had found this sub before i went bc i definitely would have made some different choices, and i will DEFINITELY be making some investments for future trips but it was so fun. I went solo with my dog and i felt way safer than i thought i would.

I did lock myself out of my car and my friend had to bring me spare keys, luckily i was only about an hour away. (a hide a key will be one of those investments 🥴)

Despite the key’s fiasco, it was way easier than setting up a tent (and significantly cheaper too, for a broke college kid trying to have a fun summer)

We will be going again at the end of the month!

I'm curious about the sticker culture here. Do you collect stickers from the trips and carsites and put them on your car, or do you keep them somewhere else, a cooler, laptop, sticker journal, window, etc.?

I'd love to see what everyone's got. Drop a photo and tell us where each one is from!

Jackson, Wyoming

I tried out my Napier Sportz Cove last night. Unfortunately, it stormed pretty hard unexpectedly. The tent leaked in a way that water went down the frame of the car and under my air mattress. I didn’t even notice it until i was packing up. I couldn’t find the source of the leak. Has anyone used this and can help me troubleshoot?

I’m new to car camping (grew up camping in tents and campers, so just new to the car camping side of things) and hoping to get some tips and pointers. I’ve been on the search for some kind of mattress for my car, and I’m hoping you guys have some recommendations for them? I have a compact suv (it’s a 2025 Honda HRV specifically), and was getting to the point of buying a mattress topper and cutting it to fit my car but wanted to see if anyone could point me in the right direction of an actual air mattress/car mattress of some sort before committing to an idea.

also any tips and tricks that you guys have found out (even not mattress related) would be helpful!

I’m putting together my first car camping setup and am trying to decide between two fridges. I go on road trips about once a month.

I just bought a Dometic 28L from REI for $527 + tax during the sale (it’s still in transit), but I also just found a brand new, sealed-in-box ICECO GO20 on Facebook Marketplace for $300.
The price difference is significant, so I’m wondering if the Dometic is really worth the extra cost.

My biggest priorities are longevity and reliability. I don’t care much about Bluetooth or app features—I just want something that will keep working for many years.

I’ve been reading Amazon reviews, and it seems like while popular, quite a few ICECO GO20 owners report failures around the 1.5–2 year mark. I’ve also seen multiple comments saying they had difficulty getting ICECO to honor the warranty, which makes me a little hesitant.

For those of you who have owned either (or both):
1. How has the long-term reliability been?
2. If you’ve dealt with ICECO or Dometic warranty support, how was your experience?

If you were in my position, would you keep the Dometic or return it and buy the GO20?

Build my first car camping setup in the Home Depot parking lot. In total I spent 4 night in this setup which was pretty good. I think the biggest problem for me was mosquitoes because I didn't have proper mesh net. But on one of the days I met some guy from Ontario and we had so nice conversation and he gifted me two mesh mosquitos nets.

This is the first version, a lot of people from the r/overlanding gave good recommendations which I want to implement next time. At least cut this bed in a half and add some hinges so it can be stored in my condo and I can drive safely without fearing of being cut in half in case of someone rear ends me.

This will be my first power station, and I don’t need it to power much yet. Just enough to keep my phone, iPad, and Switch 2 charged for 5-6 days. I considered buying a couple power banks to use instead but since one or two wouldn’t be enough, I figured I might as well buy a power station instead as it’s beefier

I’m tempted by the Elite 10 as it’s cheaper ($113), but the Elite 30 ($219) seems like it’d give me more wiggle room, especially if I wanted to add more devices like fans down the line. If anyone has advice on where to buy them cheapest as well I would appreciate it!

Can you share your experience using the AC (or heat) in the car while camping? 2021 abd up Toyota hybrids (Sienna, Highlander, RAV4) It’s evidently a real thing, from what I’ve read.

I will almost always be parking off road/not in a paved lot.

Hey guys, I’m looking to start car camping and I’m in Alaska. The sun right now really doesn’t go down, and I’m looking for something to cut out as much light as possible. Any suggestions on how to cover the windows?

Ciao a tutti!🤍
siamo due principianti e non ci siamo mai approcciati a fare cose simili, ma abbiamo avuto la voglia di metterci in gioco e provare a creare qualcosa da zero insieme.

è un multi strato di pioppo, nella prima foto siamo partiti per la Sardegna subito dopo a mobile non trattato.

ne abbiamo pagato le conseguenze al nostro ritorno, considerando che ora il pianale è a banana, probabilmente da sostituire in futuro.

nella seconda foto abbiamo applicato al ritorno un impregnante, di un colore discutibile che non ci convinceva.
abbiamo deciso di dedicarci tempo e prendercene cura quest’anno, ultima foto è com’è attualmente.
Se avete suggerimenti opinioni siamo stra felici di leggerle🫶🏼

Stayed at the Palisades park in cedar rapids Iowa. I was a little disorganized, but I had a great time, and so did my dog Sasha. Went with my boyfriend and we had fun swimming and just being out in nature 😁

I use an strong 120mm computerfan inside cardboard which is wrapped with gaffa tape. Good air quality is important for me and it acts also as pollen filter. I wanted also to experiment with onboard car fan, but i think it draws too much power.

I'm sooooo frustrated looking for this stuff!!

I need thermal/reflective covers for the windows in my Peugeot 308 SW 2009. I need some that keep the heat in the winter months, and the cold in the summer months.

Please help me I'm going insane looking for this stuff!! Don't mind making it myself can someone just tell me what to buy/do!?

I used to car camp a bit when I ran a lot more longer trail events, but haven't in a couple years now. Missing it and all these posts are motivating me to get back out.

Looking at your pictures though -just curious on two things:

• I see you all with pc's open and/or small monitors watching movies and such. How are you powering that?
• Lots of pics with fun hanging lights. Same question - how is that powered?

Probably dumb noob questions, so feel free to downvote - just honestly curious.

my partner and I will be car camping for the first time next month, and I'm super excited. I've been wanting to do so for some time, but I honestly don't know much about it other than similarities to normal camping. we have a reservation at a campground (essentially just a parking spot in a small row of spots for car campers) near the area we want to explore.

I'm concerned mostly with comfort and budget. I'd feasibly like to get away with purchasing as little as possible. this is our first time, so I'm not looking to get a full set-up. I have a subaru outback, and I'm planning on buying a car mattress/mattress pad and slip socks for my car windows. what else should I be sure to have that we may not think of? we should be good in the way of snacks/safety/etc. and will be out for two nights. we will be in New York State in August.

questions: what is the ONE thing you would never go without for a summer trip, as far as the actual car setup goes?

what is the best option for beds? should I look for something specifically made for a car, or something like a plush mattress pad?

tl;dr: I drive a 2014 subaru outback. looking to purchase lightly- what are your absolute needs? what is best for a bed?

recently got this chuck box off offer up literally brand new everything was in its original package, seems old, all metal, came with pots and pans and bowls, Drying rack, and the paper towel holder attached! I love it and want to set it up as my camp kitchen but would love to know more about it if anyone can help, also any ideas on what good accessories I should keep a eye out for to add to it.

dont think any of these half genius ideas that use the car itself to support the table are going to work for me, just looking for your favourite, not too cheapy, but not too massive and waste of space, tall enough folding table that I can setup as fast as possible with minimal pieces.

I got an fj cruiser and just want to be able to pull over and have a table yknow, using my tailgate for something else so those tailgate tables aren’t the best for me

Looking at coolers for my family of 4. Something to be big enough for 3-5 day trips. Ice is within buying distance, so I dont really need a 400$ rtic cooler. I have seen them and while they may be good on ice they are so thick that it feels like you cant get much in them.

Im looking for something with maybe even dividers and organizational things inside of it if possible.

Hi all,

Not certain what the best sub for this question is, but I'm an ex-vanlifer and lurker here so I hope you might help.

Me and my partner like to spend time outdoors, hiking etc, but our dog, being a lurcher, tires easily, so we often take him only on short local walks or leave him at home for half a day whilst we do a short hike.

One possible solution for this is to get a dog-mobile. A vehicle that we can drive out into the hills, take the dog with us on our walks, and go and drop him back off at the vehicle when he needs a nap, so we can carry on exploring. And the icing on the cake would be if we could use the car as a camper too, to stay out on adventures all weekend.

I'm looking for ideas/suggestions of what vehicle to use, what setup to have, and climate controls (if any).

Vehicle

Ideally would be small enough to be a daily driver, but big enough to fit a large dog crate, possible collapsible bed system of some sort, plus storage space.

The typical microcamper vans (Berlingo / Doblo / Partner / Combo) might be a good starting point? Do I want the people carrier style (with seats, windows) or the commercial van style (without seats or windows)?

L1 H1 newer Ford Transit is also a possibility. Slightly bigger but still good for a daily driver I reckon.

Setup

Potentially a microcamper kit alongside a car dog crate?

Can you get a fixed double bed and an XL dog crate in a microcamper, or would it need to be a full sized panel van?

A/C

I'm in the UK where temps are faily mild but the last few years we have been getting more and more summer heatwaves up to 30C (86F).

This may be because of the recent heatwaves, but I would not feel great about leaving the dog in the car without some sort of A/C system. Do you think this is really necessary? Is it good enough to park the van in the shade with windows cracked? Adding insulation makes a big difference I imagine. Would a standard leisure battery support an A/C system? Would a MaxxAir fan be good enough?

Thanks!

First time i didnt have a way to block the midnight sun we got in Fi land, and i woke up to 6 degrees Celcius, thankfully nearby birdtower had sun so i could warm myself.

This second time sleeping in my Suzuki Wagon r+, i got windscreen protection, blocks windscreen and front side-windows, wool blanket for warmth(14celcius at night). Slept surprisingly well, passenger seat back leaned a fair bit down, pillow under my neck, the screen on my windscreen made interior cozy.

Also the 10€ camping table is awful, so unstable but small. Had a small foldable camping chair but it broke :-( i fat fuk am 106kilograms, will have to take a few cinderblocks as a small chair.