How to turn your car into a tiny camper | Hacker News Reader

How to turn your car into a tiny camper

gizmodo.com

50 pointsisolli55 comments

Having owned 4 campers both tiny and large, I'd emphasize thinking hard about what sort of trip you want to have. Tiny campers are handy for quick, fuel efficient journeys in good weather, but horrible to hang out in if it gets wet/midgy etc and you have no alternative (hello Scotland!). Large campers are obviously more expensive and drink more fuel. For me I think the sweet spot for 2 adults is a vw transporter (or equivalent sized vehicle); with either high or pop top (get something you can stand up in!). Now I have a young family we've upgraded to a self converted peugeot boxer L3H2. (This is for holidays, not full time living... full timers will want larger).

Don't try to make your camper like a house, it will never be one. Use a reliable foot (not electric) pump to conserve your cold water supply and I wouldn't bother with running hot water.

Do carry at least a very small toilet. It needn't have its own room (though you certainly get extra points for dignity if it does). Little chemical toilets which are little more than a bucket with a lid can be bought very cheaply, though one friend recently impressed me with his much nicer smelling van based compost toilet! #vanlife has exploded in popularity in recent years and if everyone snuck off to poo in a hedge like in the old days, the beauty spots would all become disgusting.

Pick up litter that isn't yours, try to leave places in a better state than you found them, give the community a good name!

Finally, take all affiliate linked "how to" articles with a very large pinch of salt :)

Just coming back from two weeks in the Highlands and was very covetous of well fitted and kitted vans. Saw a lot of variety: young people with boards and bikes, families with full kitchens, etc. I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and wake on some of those pullover spots. The most gorgeous landscapes anywhere. I give you all the credit for driving up there in a van - single track and people drive fast! I was told that the number of campers went up with COVID, and your priorities of handling waste and trash are very good reminders.

I was told that the number of campers went up with COVID

I can anecdotally report that I have never seen so many campers driving around in the 'middle-of-nowhere' Sweden as I have this summer.

I also have a friend who's a forest ranger in a nature reserve and he's been fucking furious all summer about all the campers just driving wherever they felt like it, blocking roads when they stopped for the evening and all the trash they left behind.

I was told that the number of campers went up with COVID

Interestingly I noticed no difference in busyness between this summer and my last trip there which was in 2019. Maybe I missed the busiest waves (Scottish kids are already back at school in August) but honestly the NW500 route and Skye were already victims of the success of their own promotion since before COVID.

Here in Sardinia I've never seen so many vans, camper and motorhomes like this summer. People are scared of covid and that's the best way to practice social distancing without renouncing to a long awaited holiday. I think it's a great way to explore less mainstream places. The RV market (even for vintage caravans from the 80s) is going crazy.

I think the Goldilocks in terms of cost, mobility, reliability and convenient for camper would be based on conventional ute or pickup truck. This go (mostly) anywhere 4x4 vehicles can become converted camper without permanent modification to the vehicle that can be forbidden in certain countries, using the off-the-shelf camping kits supplied by company like ALU-Cab [1][2]. It can sleep maximum four persons and you can have your privacy inside the back of the pickup truck and inside the 'changing room' portable attachment for toilet, etc. There is also a tucked away place for containers at the top front of the truck that can be utilized as a huge litter bin. One of the linked videos is presented by the founder and the CEO of the company himself, which is kind of cool!

And if you not using the truck for occasional camping activities, it can be easily return to normal pickup truck.

[1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxZ8SupkqfE

[2]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE7QDRyG2BA

They do look cool - I guess I've never considered it because our side of the pond pickup trucks aren't very normal in the first place!

> Now I have a young family we've upgraded to a self converted peugeot boxer L3H2

This van is sold in the US as the RAM ProMaster. So basically about the same size as the Mercedes Sprinter or Ford Transit.

If you actually want to camp comfortably out of a car, you want a Prius all day, every day.

Number 1 Killer feature: Climate control! You can run the AC all night with the car in "Ready" mode ("on and in park" in most other vehicles) and the car will only kick the gas engine on for 30-60 seconds every 5-10 mins (depending on how hot it is outside). You'll probably go through less than a gallon of gas overnight.

The next bonus is how easy it is to run an inverter off the 12v battery, which the hybrid battery and engine will also recharge as needed. You can even run a microwave in the car! Plus, having a 2000W pure sine wave inverter is a great way to provide back-up power to some of your household appliances in a power outage if you need to. The Prius is a more efficient generator than most made for that purpose!

If you want to go further down the rabbit hole, look for "Prius camping" or "hotel Prius" keywords. You'll even find clever solutions for bathing and eliminating waste if it's imperative to you to do that within the vehicle itself!

Just remember it's "living out of a Prius" not "living in a Prius." It's a base of operations and a safe place to sleep, not something you want to stay inside for days on end.

Given that a Prius is so efficient in this regard, how feasible is it to adopt its energy system for a camper? (ie an actual RV?) Would there be advantages? Is anyone working on this?

"Actual RVs" have room for a big-ass house battery and solar panels. Depending on the rig, a lot of RVs already have a generator that is more efficient than a Prius' engine. But, since the roof has room for 400W of solar panels, combined with said big-ass battery we rarely use our generator. So I doubt there's much reason for pursuing such an option.

Since the article is actually about an SUV, not a sedan:

After seeing a post on Reddit years ago, my partner and I built a sleeping platform for her Camry out of plywood that she used for a months-long cross-country trip.

On some cars there is a pass-through hole to the trunk. We removed the rear seats and used the plywood to make a level surface from the trunk up to the back of the front seats. Two hatches gave her access to the space underneath and was good for hiding things from view. We used indoor/outdoor carpet in the same color as the interior and it almost looked like it came with the platform from the factory.

You sleep with your torso in the rear seat location and legs in the trunk. It was a very stealth setup and cheap to build. It eliminated several minutes of tent/bedding setup and takedown.

She brought her tent so that she wasn't always in the car and occasionally supplemented with a hotel. I joined her for part of the adventure. It was pretty comfortable for her, but a little cramped for the two of us.

Condensation in the morning was usually pretty bad, which is pretty normal sleeping in a vehicle. She'd dry it with heat/AC and windows down, if possible.

* Partner sewed cheap bug netting to make window covers.

* For privacy (not mentioned in the article), she cut Reflectix that she pushed into the windows and sewed a couple of curtains.

* Jetboil stove (and we often use a sub-$25 canister stove for camping).

* Inexpensive air mattress and her sleeping bag.

* Inverter plugged into the lighter port for 120V. Coffee shops, Dunkin, McDonald's, lots of other places have fast, free WiFi and 120V.

Article has crazy suggestions, but affiliate, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I get the impression that this person hasn't really car-camped that much since there isn't much practical advice.

Curiously the author claims to have lived IN a van for five (5) straight years! That certainly supplants 99.999% of people's experience with car camping.

That said I can't imagine he had this level of gear during that period.

Perhaps after so long living in a van one expands what gear feels allowable/necessary to the point of long leaving basic setup territory.

The title should be "How to waste money on stuff you don't need so we can get an affiliate kickback".

I came here to say this. You can set up a vehicle for car camping for pennies on the dollar according to their buying guide. And that's all it is: How to buy your way into sleeping in the back of your car and calling it a "Tiny Camper".

You're not wrong. I jump scrolled to a random location and landed on the $180 mug recommendation. Oh my word ...

Try looking at the site with uBlock Origin turned on and the article is missing important details, since the affiliate links aren't being inserted. Makes for a hilarious read.

"This is why the first thing I got for my CR-V was a . They are, as far as I know, the first and only all-terrain tire built specifically for crossovers."

The whole article is like that.

I was wondering what was happening. I figured uBlock was blocking some shenanigans

This person has no idea what he's talking about with regard to tires and wheels. Feel free to rock LT tires on your car (if you can get them in a suitable size, which you can't for most modern stuff), the weight difference is well within the range of normal variation for tires and rim packages. There's no point in spending big bucks on A/T tires if you're going to carry chains and are not going to be four wheeling for the sake of four wheeling, the chains will do anything the A/Ts could and more.

The tires are the most flagrant waste of money but this whole article is riddled with bad advice. Living out of a car sucks far, far more than the author is letting on. You don't need these particular products to go "car camping". Damn near anything from the various consumer outdoor gear outlets or Amazon will do just fine. And you really should try car camping for a weekend and then a week to shake out the little details before you do it for weeks or more.

Though I will give him credit for a) stopping short of telling people to buy those stupid roof top tents and b) not telling people they need to buy a large SUV.

depending on where you are roof top tents are actually quite nice... had them on a trip in namibia: not having to sleep on the floor and not having to put up/down the tent every evening/morning was quite nice.

had it also on a trip in new zealand, there the roof top tent was okayish, but a bit of bad luck with the weather made it sub-optimal... and a full campervan was still out of reach money-wise ;-)

We’re you mostly able to level the vehicle? I’ve seen well prepared people with blocks etc, and I guess there’s always a campground for level surface.

The other question is that I imagine you have to break it down every day even if you are based at a site, if the trailhead or store is a ways off. How did you cope with that?

Condensation is a show stopper in a car. In a van you can install screened vents.

Your first car/rv camping trip should be to a 24 hour wal-mart. Most will let you sleep in the parking lot overnight at no cost (if they won't it is local laws won't allow it: vote out your corrupt mayor). Bring just the most obvious requirements (medication) and a credit card - every time you realize you need something go inside and buy it. What you needs are, are just slightly different from everyone else's, but you can always find something that will get you through the night at walmart.

Once you get home examine all the gear you bought. Some of it will be good enough for more trips, others are junk that got you through the night, but you want to replace with something higher quality.

For things like coffee you know if you drink it or not. However few people know if they will actually play board games while camping - I know a lot of campers that play them all the time, and a lot others who bring them with but have never opened the box. Likewise, some need measuring cups to cook, others are just going to eat out when camping: until you are doing you don't know which way you really are.

No bathroom, no sink, no shower, no water, no stand-up space like it never rains, lots of foggy windows...

How to live like a rich homeless for just $6k.

There are used trailers built in late '90s early '00s in great conditions for less than that.

Also a $270 stove or a $180 mug are not what I'd call "rock solid recommendations".

smh

You can also rent nice, nearly new RVs for a $200/day. For most people this is a lot cheaper than buying anything, and you can get a different sized RV for every trip (important, sometimes a small RV is all you can get where you going, other times you want a big RV once you get there)

That's what every person living in a caravan/trailer/van I know has done before committing to the life on the road full-time. But what's proposed in the article is just sleeping in a car, no comforts whatsoever other than shitty expensive gadgets.

I´m really confused by some of the items on the list, but I only live out of the car for short periods of time (one week max) and not as a long term solution, but as a short term adventure. That said:

The mattress is nice, but if you make your car your living room, why not go all the way and buy a real foam mattress? The price is not much higher than this luxurious air mattress. Plus, you can get a larger foam mattress and cut it to fit precisely. I usually just use an extra thick self inflating camping mat. Good enough for a week.

The fridge: they´re a pain. Most car fridges use a Peltier cell instead of a compressor, so their efficiency and performance is bad (they can only generate so much difference in temperature).

The stove is ridiculously overpriced. I got mine for like one tenth of that and it boils water fast enough, even in windy condition. The biggest price hike here is a (copper?) heat exchanger. Which is nice if you are tight on gas and need to make the most out of it, but in a car you can carry a larger supply of gas. A bigger gas cartridge would be a huge improvement here: the larger the surface of the liquid gas, the faster it evaporates, which is super important in the winter. I had mine almost go out in very cold conditions. Plus, it adds stability, that big pot on small cartridge on a rock looks like a spilled soup waiting to happen.

The shades: I went another way, buying the deepest, darkest tint for my windows I legally could. As long as I have no light inside, I can use the car as an observation station, I see everything outside of it while staying hidden.

Sporks: they´re ridiculous. You´ve got a full car worth of space and cannot pack a cutlery set? Please.

The roof rack is indispensable. A lockable and sturdy storage for your roof is genius for camping like this.

What I would add:

Light. A headlamp won´t cut it, buy a small battery powered camping lamp. Adds a nice soft lightning and you won´t have to worry about shining into someones eyes.

Pillows. Yes, you can spend a few nights with a hoodie crumpled under your head, but a pillow adds a lot of comfort.

Shoe storage: you don´t want to sleep with your shoes in the same room, especially when also hiking. A lockable ventilated box that goes under the car is the way to go.

>> So, look, if you’re filling your car with some fancy, expensive gear, you want to protect it.

That seems to be the problem of this article. Fanciness and wow effect over function. Keep it simple, sweetie.

I love the camping experience and the freedom of being on the road with all its flexibility. However, the sense I get is that some of the reasons for much of the camping-in-your-van, sleeping in a car, tiny home interest is because of the insane cost of housing, especially near work, and as a result much of this interest has a somewhat homeless-chic vibe. Not too long ago, sleeping long-term in a car, SUV, or van didn't imply the same sort of free wanderlust that it seems to imply in these articles.

Just yesterday there was an article about living in a quasi-legal shed on a garden patch that didn't have running water or toilet with a hand-dug trench for power. I love the craftsmanship and ingenuity, but its not-so-legal status makes you feel like it's high-craft squatting and not high-brow camping.

With all the nostalgia of suburban nomadic living, I think we're bound to see a resurgence of the hobo lifestyle, squatter camps, and shantytowns.

That's a pretty expensive list of gear to turn your cross-over or SUV into a camper. Wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy a used Class-C RV? Possibly. You could also do this for 1/3rd the costs if you weren't so hell bent on recreating comforts of home. The main issue is power, shower, and cooking. For power, solar panels etc are a good option. Many SUV/X-overs now have outlets you could use in exchange for gas costs. Shower, well there's nature and then there's trucker stops here in the US that have public showers you can use. Cooking, a small 2 burner electrical stovetop will run you about $300. You'll need a battery bank to run it though. You can also use sterno-based camping cookery for 1/10th that but you need to keep buying fuel.

You can also cook your meals while driving between destinations. https://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Food-on-Your-Car%27s-Engine

Nice !

I drive electric you insensitive clod!

Does the heat sink for the battery cooling system do the trick?

then you have plenty of battery for an electric stovetop!

Yes, google "manifold burritos". 4x4 guys have been doing this for a long time.

Yeah but you can't get that sweet sweet yuppie street cred and insta-likes by driving around in purpose built camper.

This is like those people that have an elaborate 12-step process to care for cast iron that their grandmother would have just scrubbed like any other dish. It's not about the end result. It's about the process and the consumerism you indulge in along the way.

Or the sweet sweet affiliate revenue :-)

Showers use way too much water even in a big camper. Just go for a wild swim :)

I mentioned nature

I think the article is mislabeled.

It should read: his to spend $4000 on stuff you will only use once for two weeks in your whole life.

Seriously, a headlight for $40 where I'm sure I bought line just some weeks ago for $3,50. Who makes this stuff up?

I had a converted utility 4wd vehicle, spacious with a full bed and plenty of space underneath (custom-built platform). The one concern that I never figured out: how to keep our expensive stuff - laptops, passport etc - safe while we went out hiking. I looked at welding a safe under the car but never got that far, we since sold the vehicle. We're looking at getting a new camper and it's really for me the missing feature we'd want to invest in: a hidden safe. Has anyone done anything like that?

>how to keep our expensive stuff - laptops, passport etc - safe while we went out hiking

Is that really a big problem most places? I'll probably take key documents like a passport with me when I hike; it's not like it weighs much. But, while I might make a small effort to make something like a laptop non-obvious (like sticking it under a seat, I probably wouldn't even consider welding a safe somewhere.

When I was eighteen I took the passenger seat out of my corolla and cut a hole in the trunk for my feet to slide through. Had a bed and could travel! Good times.

That’s epic, even if you don’t need a full time bed Toyota JDM minivans and 5 door Corollas (to name two) usually have a “bed” arrangement for the seats.

Woah I didn’t know this! Is there somewhere you read or learned about this specifically?

This article is about the first Corolla with fold flat seats: https://clicccar.com/2016/10/03/403881/

Yeah mine was sedan until I had my way with it.

Two things stood out to me that would cause me to question the advice doled out here:

1. "Truck tires are too heavy for a cross-over." Man, as one who used to turn wrenches for a living, I'm going to have to call [citation needed] on that one.

2. A $180 coffee mug? Get the fuck outta here.

At a glance, I'm seeing four thousand 'merican dollars of affiliate links one has to click on to be fully outfitted, and you're still sleeping in your car. Not for those low on disposable income.

OR mav style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muddVllnGlU&t=665s

Step 1: make sure your car is a CRV...Later: feels like the $1600 power supply and $400 sleeping bag should be an either/or proposition, but I guess it depends on the climate.

  Alternate step 1. Put all your hiking gear in your boot. Drive somewhere, walk 50 meters and setup a tent.

Or a hammock you can tie between trees.

If you're going to go through all that effort it seems like starting off with a tiny pop-up camper might be more enjoyable.

total: 5.651 (4 tires, 2 snow chains)

I wonder how much of this would work for a rental. Quite a lot.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com