SUV to camper: Toyota RAV4 camping conversion for only $60
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Are you looking for a quick and easy RAV4 camping conversion to start your camping adventure with? Felicia Fullwood has got you covered. She has created (with grandpa’s help!) a very simple platform that goes over your RAV4 rear seats and boot, giving you a sturdy bed to sleep on with storage underneath – all for just $60! And best of all – she has created an excellent tutorial + a video on how to do it:
What I like about this camping conversion
- it’s built to fit a Toyota RAV4, but with small adjustments, it will work for any SUV
- it’s very simple – two plywood boards on legs
- the drop-pins fixing idea – use any threadless bolts to fix the platform in place temporarily
- very cheap – only $60
Materials needed:
- $27.25 – 1 4×8 3/4 inch plywood sheet
- $5.57 – 2 2x4x8’s
- $9.04 – Drop pins / Threadless bolt
- $12.00 – Indoor-outdoor carpet
- $5.48 – Carpet tape
- Screws: used to secure piece 1 legs – you probably have some at home already, don’t have to be drywall ones, any wood screws are fine
Total: $59.34
Tools needed:
- Power Drill: used to screw in the legs to piece 1
- Circular Saw: this is not necessary as most hardware stores will cut the plywood for you if you know the measurements you need!
- An extra piece of 4×4 scrap wood: (optional)
- The entire platform is 64” by 43” (162x109cm), which should fit inside any SUV, perhaps with some width adjustment needed for smaller SUVs – make sure you measure your actual boot size first. The RAV4 in this case is a 2016 model.
2. This is then cut in half to create two platforms (to be able to lift the rear seats up when not used for sleeping).
3. Continue with the legs – you need to decide how tall you want the storage underneath + how much headroom you’d like on the bed. I’d recommend more headroom – you want to be able to move around freely and not feel like in a coffin…
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The best budget car tent you can find:
ARPENAZ BASE M tent
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Pressure solar camping shower (pumped) – 10l
£49.99
This camping shower is easy to transfer and doesn’t need to hang in the air – it has a built-in pump that lets you pressurise the chamber and shower or use it in the sink anywhere. It’s black, so the longer you leave it in the sun, the warmer the water will be (or just leave it in a hot closed car in the summer).
- Lightweight: 870 g including the bag
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IMPORTANT – each car has a different boot, some are completely flat, and some are not – make sure you know where the legs will go and adjust their length if needed.
🏆Best cars for camping 🏆
- Fiat Doblò camper XL, High Roof 🇪🇺 4.0/5
- Honda Odyssey 🇺🇸 4.0/5
- Volkswagen Sharan 🇪🇺 3.9/5
- Caddy Maxi Camper (Life) 🇪🇺 3.8/5
See all cars in our database, their boot dimensions and more ➡️
4. For the platform above the folded rear seats, two things are important:
- the front (above the seats) platform needs to sit on something where it meets the rear platform. Felicia has solved this by screwing additional 2×4” planks of wood onto the rear platform legs, so that the new platform sits on top of them
- the platform needs some support on the end closest to the front seats – you can either put long legs between the seats, all the way to the floor – like Felicia did – or you can put shorter legs between the platform and the folded seats.
Drop pins – fix the platform in place temporarily
These are a very clever idea, that makes any conversion simpler – I will use that in my Sharan conversion v3 too. Once you have the two platforms in place, drill holes through them into the legs underneath, perpendicular to the platforms, aiming for the middle of each leg. Make the holes big enough to fit the threadless bolts (giving them a little wiggle room, so they are easy to put in and out, but not too loose).
That’s it – you’re ready to sleep in your SUV + store a lot of camping gear underneath this platform. Watch how it works in Felicia’s video walkthrough below:
6-person inflatable camping shelter – air seconds base connect – £299.99
Don’t like fiddling around with poles? This inflatable car tent might be the right choice for you. The sheet + poles make joining it to your car even more flexible. It has two large openings on opposite ends, giving you a choice of which side you’ll attach to the vehicle. It fits most MPVs – tailgate or side-door, you can connect it from two ends
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SUP? Paddle for the entire family (max load 320kg)
Inflatable paddle board for any weight: less than 60 kg: ultra-stable board - 60 to 80 kg : very stable board - over 80 kg: ideal board for easily starting out
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What SUVs and other everyday cars are good for camping?
Browse our database of 50+ everyday cars that are good for camping, and find out their boot dimensions and camping conversion ideas.
