DIY Micro-Camper – Living in my RAV4

To be able to live in my RAV4 means that I needed to sleep comfortably. This was my number one requirement. To accomplish this, I decided to build a sleeping platform for my RAV.  In the design phase, I was very ambitious and had grand ideas of all the features that I wanted it to have (slide-out table, flip-up storage compartments, shelves). When I got to the building phase, I realized that many of these features were not very practical, and simply not worth the effort.  I decided to focus on just the essentials, and that resulted in a much simpler, more versatile end product.

• Finding a place to sleep is not always straightforward – Good planning and prior research are recommended. I did not do any planning during my trip, I’ve slept behind a Sam’s Club, a parking lot next to a lake, a bunch of dispersed campgrounds (some better than others), and at various trailheads. Waking up to a semi-truck unloading or a park ranger knocking on your window is not fun, take the time to do some research, book actual campgrounds, and be prepared to have a ‘plan B’ if all the campgrounds are full. My recommendation is to look for dispersed campgrounds, and if you are really desperate, drive down a small side road until you see a decent spot to sleep. You do not want cars driving past you while you are trying to sleep. If all else fails, head to a Cabelas, Walmart, or Sam’s Club. https://freecampsites.net/ is a decent site for finding places to park your car and catch some sleep.

• The temperature of your car will fluctuate wildly – I’ve gone to sleep at 10:00 PM when it was 75 F in my car and woke up shivering and seeing ice on the windshield. Be prepared for wild fluctuations in the temperature of your car. A lot of heat escapes through car windows, so one way to try and trap heat is to make insulated window covers for your vehicle.

• Being able to sit up straight in your car is important – Not being able to sit up straight makes it difficult to do basic things like changing or taking a drink of water from my Nalgene bottle. It’s a trade-off with storage, consider this when you are designing your sleeping platform. 

• A hotel ‘break’ is a good idea every now and then – You can fill up your cooler with ice from the ice machine, re-freeze ice packs, shower, wash your clothes, and catch up on some high quality sleep. 

• Overhead storage – I’m going to make some nets that attach to the roof, this allows me to put stuff in like my chapstick, phone, keys, a knife so that it doesn’t roll off the side of my sleeping platform. 

• Eye mask – Bring one. Your car has a lot of windows, you’ll want a nice eye mask to block out all the light so that you can nap peacefully.

• Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoodies are great – I hate sunscreen, this hoody is rated for 50+ UPF sun protection, it feels good on the skin, light-weight, drys quickly, feels cool, even when it’s super hot out. I also like to wear the hoody under my hat to prevent sunburn on my neck and ears. Well worth the 55$ price tag.

• Fitted blackout window shades – This provides privacy and keeps the light out. I didn’t have these so  I resorted to hanging my shirts on the windows, not a good look.

• Bug net for windows – If you want a well-ventilated sleeping space (you do, trust me), then you’ll want some bug nets. In most of the places I camped, mosquitos were out in force. You do not want mosquitos in your car while you are sleeping.

• Thick car sleeping bag – I only brought my backpacking mummy bag, which was light and thin. It’s pretty cramped and cold. I recommend getting a thicker sleeping bag designed for car camping.

• Pump shower – I found out about this after I got back from my trip. This would have been great, it weighs 2 gallons so it is not too heavy, and it comes with a showerhead. I’ll be getting this for my next trip.