How To Car Camp Comfortably

When you hear the words “car camping,” I bet the first thing you think is that it is deeply uncomfortable. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Car camping can be much cozier than sleeping in a tent. Matthew and I have been comfortably camping in our SUV for about two years now and we have learned plenty of car camping travel hacks along the way.

This blog post is geared towards people who are camping in SUVs like us, but you can comfortably camp in your small car if you have a back seat or the back of a van or even the bed of a truck with a trunk tent cover. However, this blog post is geared towards SUV car campers.

We have made a few mistakes along the way. The first time we slept in the back was unplanned and out of necessity. We didn’t have any padding and it was not a comfy rest, that is for sure. The second time we didn’t pack enough blankets and we didn’t have a way to get cool air into the car on a hot night. The very next morning we drove ourselves to the nearest store and bought a full sized mattress pad (about two inches thick). The second night was a much better night’s rest. Now that we have been at this for about two years, I have compiled my best car camping advice for you, starting with how to get cozy.

Set up your car for comfort

We used to build our bedding area when we found our location for the night, but it was not easy in the dark and a lot of bugs would get in the car. We’ve gotten smarter over time and now we set up our sleeping area before we leave for our trips. We lay down the back seats, layer down our mattress pad, our queen sized sleeping bag, comfy pillows, and an extra blanket just in case. You can add extra blanket layers underneath for additional cushion and to keep warm.

We then put our gear on top (or on the floor between the seats) and when it is time to park for the night we quickly move our gear to the front seats and lay down in the back.

And you don’t have to do it our way. There are plenty of other options such as pop up tents that fit onto trunks and blow up mattresses designed for SUVs. I like to keep it simple, but you can camp any way that is comfortable to you.

You will want to be prepared for very hot or very cold nights. We have rechargeable hanging fans that hang form both sides and have three fan speeds and three light brightness levels on them. The fans keep the air moving and they are adjustable so we can point them where we need them. I will be sharing another blog post soon with all of our car camping essentials.

For air flow, especially important on hot nights, we have screens that wrap around our doors so we can roll down the windows without bugs. These are absolutely essential if you are camping on a hot night. You do not want to suffocate in your vehicle. Matthew said it is not possible and I just worry too much, but I do worry about that on very hot summer trips.

For cold evenings, making sure you have extra padding underneath to keep the surface under you from zapping away your body heat and winter sleeping bags will insulate you well. Come prepared with thermal long underwear and wool socks if needed. It does warm up pretty well (sometimes too well) in your car. You cam always turn on the heat for a short while, but you do not want to poison yourself with the exhaust and waste your gasoline.

Many places where you park may have bright lights or a bright moon. I like to pack sleeping makes to sleep well without bright lights or car headlights disturbing me.

Where to park for the night

There are many free places you can camp. Call state parks ahead of time and ask them about “dispersed camping” and they will point you in the right direction. BLM (Bureau of Land Management) always has dispersed camping available. It is free to camp on BLM land and perfectly legal so you will have nothing to worry about. This land is much harder to find in the North East because it is more populated and there are more state parks, but this is a great option for out West. You can car camp up to 14 days (sometimes longer) for free. You can also look up free camping locations, welcome centers, rest stops, and even campgrounds. However, campgrounds you may have to pay for staying overnight.

I prefer staying at welcome centers and rest stops (with bathrooms) because they are well lit and safe, there is usually running water outside to refill water bottles and water bowls for dogs, and there are bathrooms. If they are not open 24/7 they will usually have porta-potties outside.

Walmarts used to let people sleep in their parking lots and many still do, however, most only allow RVs and not all Walmarts are 24/7. Every location I mentioned on this list is legal for overnight sleeping in your vehicle, but beware that it is not legal to sleep in your car for street parking or store parking lots.

Hygiene for long trips

For weekend trips finding a shower usually isn’t essential. A bottle of dry shampoo, a good deodorant, or a washcloth and soap for a sponge bath is good enough. You can also pick up cleansing wipes and always have some hand sanitizer for cleaning up. But if you do need a shower, many campgrounds do have them. You can also find showers at gyms if you have a membership for a YMCA, 24 Hour Fitness, or Planet Fitness. On hot summers days I take a nice swim in a lake and use an all natural shampoo on my hair. Some rest stops for truckers are equipped with showers and you can pay for a private shower room like at Pilot gas stations.

If you don’t have a gym membership, during the warm months you can spend some time at a public pool or a beach that has showers. You can also buy a portable shower system (they’re usually small and come with a step-on button and a hose with a shower head to wash. You will have to wear your bathing suit, but at least you can rinse off and wash your hair. You can also buy a portable stand up tent for the shower.

For long duration trips, stopping by a campground or paying a camp ground fee for one day or even taking a break and getting a hotel one night are good ways to use the facilities and take care of yourself.

And if you have long hair like myself, use the “pineapple method” at night to keep your hair from getting too messy. The pineapple method is simply a very high pony tale or bun atop your head made with a soft scrunchie that will not break your hair.

What car camping questions do you have that I did not answer?

I will be making another blog post soon to answer all of your car camping questions. You can leave a comment below and I will answer your questions in that blog post.