I'd double that foam. For lights, I have a couple strings of usb fairy lights and a decent little power bank that has an on-off switch. I've put one string into a plastic jar. Makes a great lamp! Also, a usb "light bulb" with a bug zapper in it, and 2 usb fans. All can run off my Jackery.
Love the set up I’m fixing my Chevy HHR 2011,love your ideas ,got my 3 inch foam mattress need a 30 quart ice chest🙏got 2 mesh screens for side windows,got sleeping bad under my mattress plus a nice piece of carpet👏👏
I have a 2019 CRV EX and I'm like 72 years old. So how do you get in and out of the bed? And once the rear lid is closed how do you open it from the inside? I ordered 6" foam and I spent the weekend trying to navigate this task as people stood and chuckled. Hope you can help. TYI JB
Most people on their own find that seat beside the mattress an easier place to get dressed and swivel over to that sitting position before getting out passenger side door.
I have a similar setup for my CRV that I started driving when both my parents passed away in the last 7 weeks. I was driving a 4 Runner which I loved, but the CRV is way cheaper and I made money on my 4R. Not gonna lie the 35mpg is pretty nice compared to the 15 my 4 Runner got. The CRV is growing on me. I can't wait for my trip to Colorado and Utah over Christmas.
Nice simple, effective build in a reliable rig. 👏 I have the same bed set up in my Toyota Highlander. However, since the 2 backseats didn't lay flat, I decided to completely remove them. This totally transformed the vehicle & gave me a huge open space to live in behind the 2 front seats. I smoothed out the irregular floor with a rubber horse stahl mat & then laid in a softer mat on top. My 24" wide mattress lays directly on the floor, for plenty of privacy & head room when I sit up. A small 10x12" chuck box kitchen sits next to my mattress & doubles as a night stand. I cook 99% of the time in the car with this box & it's 1lb propane tank & backpacker's stove. Titanium pot, cup, fork & spoon. ( Backpacker's gear is perfect for car/suv camping.) Solar lights like "Luci" are wonderful. During the day I throw them up on my dash to charge up. Solar outdoor motion activated lights are also good to have if you're camped out in the boonies. I usually hang one on my grill & the other on the driver's side of my rig. An led high output light is good to have too. This strong light can blind potential weirdos lurking around your vehicle, plus they're handy for car repair work at night. If you're not a big power user, I'd avoid the costly & heavy space hog power banks like the Jackery. I get by fine with an Anker battery pack; it's the size of a deck of cards. So yeah, car & suv camping, especially stealth camping, is the way to go if you ask me. The general public is getting too savy about the boring white van rigs, say nothing about an actual RV! ( The nasty judgemental looks & No Parking signs are everywhere now, unfortunately.) **Be smart & know your rights people! Hope this helps 🙏
I have a 2014 Honda CRV. I've tried the bed idea. There is no way I can get 72 inches of length. My back seats go down 60-40. The middle section does not go down. Yes, I put the front seat all the way forward. I marvel at folks who accomplish this seemingly (for me) impossible feat.
I had actually ordered one of those screens from Amazon about a day before you posted your comment. I've used it now and it fits and works great! Thanks for watching and for commenting!
This is great! Just inherited a 2018 Honda CR-V Touring from family and thinkin of getting the HE double hockey sticks outta Seattle and car camp on the Oregon Coast til I think about my next move. This video was super helpful, I was at Costco today looking at air mattresses but I like your ideas. What cargo net do you reccommend? Thanks again! Safe travels!
You are fortunate to have a 2017 because the seats fold pretty flat. The seats in my 2016 CR-V do not and I had to build a platform that I'm still tinkering with..
I do a similar set up in my 2011 scion xb, the only difference I have is my window treatments. I found these window covers by "Roadie overnight window tents" I also have a pair of "Skeeter beaters" but they do not keep out rain or anything other than bugs. Otherwise my set up is pretty much the same
I have the roadies too.. nice b/c you have options, you can have a screen window or close the panel and have complete privacy, if wind or air not needed... if it's raining it has a canopy built in to keep the rain out...
Does yours work without a platform? My 21 CRV doesn’t fold back flat and I ended up filling the gaps to flatten it. Wish I had a platform but it’s not exactly worth it since I just sleep in it for car camping. I have a trifold mattress I got on Amazon and keep my containers on the other side like you are. Works out well. I do have a tent light and severe lanterns and a head light. How do you cook?
You don't need a platform with the 2017-Present CR-V. The cargo floor in the back that covers the spare tire has two positions: a lower position, and an upper position. When it's in the upper position it creates a smooth floor with the folded down rear seats. Watch the ending of this video starting at about 0:45: www.hondainfocenter.com/2022/CR-V/How-To-Videos/Touring/Comfort-and-Convenience/How-to-Use-the-CR-V-Cargo-Compartment/ The smooth floor is not quite level and does have a small slope/inline. I sleep with my head towards the front, which is the slightly higher end, and I also try to park where the back of the car will be slightly higher than the front of the car, which levels out the floor. I've also recently been using a couple extra layers of the carpet pad toward the back to raise that part of the floor. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
Really like the set up. Simple and effective. I use to sleep on top of the cooler like you but found through the night I wanted access so have a storage bin to prop my head now and have the cooler the opposite side. I need to invest in some fans.
@@RichsAmazingSUVChannel Nice one, since writing my last comment. I ordered portable battery ones I can tie as have USB power station in full use with other things. I haven't gone all out with an inverter as prefer my current option of Power. I have a Jackery. Look forward to seeing your fans on a future RU-vid video.
@@RichsAmazingSUVChannel reach out to them, they might give you one to test and keep free. Most YouTubing community channels in UK received them free. So don't see why you need to pay. Bluetti also recently gave one to another person in UK that car camps and hasn't had his channel very long. Jackery power stations are pricey, I got a compatible solo panel for mine as theirs isn't waterproof. I got the 240 but wish it was the 500, learning curve for me, as would like to plug a few luxury things in. Bluetti are good better features but pricey, make sure UK plug on it.
Great set up! Just curious, what is the width measurement between the wheel wells in the cargo area? I’m planning to get an Exped Megamat Duo which is 41 inches in width. Thank you.
I'm gonna test a car camping setup in two weeks at a farm in WVa. I will fine tune it for my road trip in April, 2024 to go to the MidWest to check out the solar eclipse. Driving a 2016 Audi A7. Back seats down, it has 6' for my Nemo air mattress and sleeping bag and room for all my gear. Have not quite as dark as limo tint on the back windows so should be stealthy.
Mine is a 2011. I don’t have any tabs on the side of the seats but there is one on the bottom at the back. I’ve pulled that tab but nothing happens, seems like it needs a release button or something. 🤷🏻♀️ Do you know?
If you know someone who is decent with a little wiring and actually it's quite simple you might consider adding or what they call isolating one more battery a deep cycle battery that will give you maybe 100 amp hours of power which would save you on all your telephone laptop lighting I mean every time you shut your car off this isolated battery would just draw from that battery and would never discharge your starting battery they use these on your average motorhome it's a simple device but you buy called a battery isolator that can either be done by yourself or at an RV place but at night you could use all the power that you would want for any kind of DVD player laptop you name it and these can recycle over and over again you can charge and discharge them for years oh and by the way all you have to do is find a spot to put this battery in be it under a seat or somewhere where it's out of the way but you can get a small one or even a really big one but you probably don't need something
RU-vid Algorithm dropped your Vid in my Queue for Viewing. I know 2-different people who have the same vehicles similar years who Car Life and are quite comfortable. Not sure if you resolved the bungee ceiling but I know myself I use Harbor Freight Motircycle Cargo Nets works perfect and keep bungee cords coming in handy in a pinch. Thanks for Sharing. Great Job‼️👍👍⬆️😎‼️
HI. thanks for the video. I have a 2016 and when I close the backseat, I get a angle with that area; In other words, the platform isn't flat and my stomach/shoulder/heat area would be up a bit. what do you do for this ? or do you sleep with your stomach up a bit ? thank you
That has been a common question, so I made a video responding to it. It's currently my second newest video, called "My Flat Floor EXPLAINED"; "Sleeping in an SUV: How to Make the Floor FLAT & LEVEL for a Mattress...". That video should explain it. Thank you for watching and for commenting!
Nice walk-through of "how" you sleep, i.e., your sleeping setup, but I thought the video would explain how you "get to sleep" and "stay asleep" when sleeping in your car. I have a no-build setup in my 2000 Toyota Sienna where I removed all the rear seats and stuck in a regular twin bed without the box spring to make the sleeping setup as comfy as possible. Yet during the dozen or so times when I traveled across the US and tried to sleep in the van, when I closed my eyes I could never quite get over the mental hurdle of knowing that I'm not in my own bed at home, but rather in the back of a car in some parking lot in another state. I have tinted windows and black-out curtains all around, plus a couple of mini-fans for background white noise and air circulation, so it's as cozy as possible, but still the anxiety creeps in when I try to sleep. I know there are drugs, but I'm reluctant to go that route in case I need to get up and drive away in the middle of the night. Where I park has usually been chain motel parking lots, with the occasional truck stop or campground.
Hey John, truth !! Ear plugs, eye mask, and a Benadryl , to kick down the edge and make me a bit sleepy, it’s not hard core . Also, rituals of sleep preparation help - in the long run, it gets you in a routine which is another thing missing with van travel. I found that if I’m messing around to get my bedding & me set up comfortable , I’m just ratcheting up the brain . Have all that done , even the black out curtains, before the final pull over. Just park, jump in back and lights out! Ear buds and I use my phone or whatever to listen to a relaxation-to-sleep meditation guide, or sleepy music. Helps move the focus into resting. 😃 just my 2 cents !
ear plugs, once you get used to them you'll like the peace and quiet in your head and in your car.. .I've even gotten to where I use them at home as I like to sleep with my windows open and sometimes if the unnatural traffic noise or sirens are just too much, I put them in and I'm gone.....agree with no meds as I like to be alert at all times if need be
Thanks for the comment! Glad the video was helpful. I know a guy that sleeps in a Kia Soul (pretty sure it's a Kia Soul), so it can be done. Thanks for watching!
Glad the video was helpful! Thanks for watching! For the sunroof I bought a screen that's held in place on the roof with magnets. I found it on Amazon. BTW, I just posted a new video showing my new setup for sleeping in my CRV. It's sort of an update to this video you watched.
@@RichsAmazingSUVChannel yeah I saw the screen with magnets somewhere. Is it safe? I mean, none can come a get inside? Thanks for the new video. I’ll watch it now. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽💕
@@yazyo07 No it doesn't provide any security, it's just a screen with magnets, so people can easily pull it off. Need to park somewhere safe. Be careful!
Do you mean the back seat center shoulder strap? I think it is removable from the lap belt and recoils into the ceiling. I never used it since I've had the car and it has always been recoiled into the ceiling. Thanks for watching!
do you lie with your head at the front or toward the back? how do you crawl in - from the side door or from the hatch? If your head is to the front and you go in the door you have to swing your legs in while pivot on your bum - that is uncomfortable for me in my Mazda 5. can you open and close the hatch from inside your SUV even?
I crawl in through the side door and sleep with my head toward the front. I have to swing my legs and pivot like you mention, but I'm not very tall so it's not difficult for me. The hatch does not open from the inside, I wish it did. Hope that helps. If you have any more questions just ask. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
I never used to like camping, but then I realized one reason was because I don't like sleeping bags. It's much better with a more normal bed! Thanks for watching!
Starting in 2017 the CR-V cargo area is flat with no bump when the seats are folded down (and when the back part of the floor is on the upper adjustment). There is a slight slope but it's not too bad. If possible, I try to park with the back of the car slightly higher than the front to compensate. Thanks for watching!
