With the right gear and some ingenuity, your SUV is a great camping accessory.
Just because you’re going to be spending the night outside doesn’t mean you have to suffer. To the contrary, SUV camping can be a comfortable and convenient way to enjoy the great outdoors.
With a little preparation, you can make your SUV the ultimate camping machine. It’s a great idea to save some money on a road trip or just for a long weekend. A lot of these tips can apply to trucks or SUVs.
Attachable Tent
You can get SUV tents, or tents that attach to SUVs, all over the place. They are ideal for SUV camping. Most hook onto the open tailgate, while others connect to an open door. Just remember to switch off the dome lights, or you might find starting your vehicle to be impossible in the morning.
These are great options if you want to access stuff in your SUV, without walking outside. They also make use of the SUV’s interior, so you combine it with the tent area. Of course, you can buy SUV tents in all kinds of sizes. Some even stand up on their own, so during the day you can go somewhere in your SUV and keep the tent in your spot to keep it reserved.
Air Bed
I’ve slept in SUVs many, many times. Let me tell you, sleeping in the cargo area, with the rear seats folded flat, is never comfortable. That’s why I highly suggest getting an air bed for SUV camping if you’re going to sleep in the back. If you’ve got a big SUV, this won’t be any issue.
An air bed will be the difference between being groggy the next day and having energy for a long hike. You also won’t have horrible back pains, which can make riding on a trail, rowing in a boat, or doing basically anything else unbearable.
Some people say sleeping in your SUV isn’t really camping. Considering that you’re in a locked, secure area, it’s not a bad idea. If it rains hard, you don’t need to worry about the rain fly on your tent failing, or the stakes in the ground coming loose.
