I’ve slept in a lot of cars over the years. Subaru Outbacks, Volkswagen buses, 4Runners, mini-vans…I drove a VW Jetta for more than a decade and lost track of the number of nights I slept in that sedan’s trunk (the back seats folded flat and opened to the trunk to create a seamless platform big enough for two). I have nothing against tent camping, but I believe sleeping in your vehicle is a true art form.
Now, I’m 48 years old and like to be comfortable, so I’ve spent the last several months kitting out my latest vehicle—an F-150 Supercrew—with gear that has turned it into a weekend camper that might be more comfortable than my bedroom at home. I don’t live in my truck, so I can’t build out the bed with oak floors like you see van lifers doing on the Socials. Most of the time, I need my truck to be a truck that can haul bikes, rocks, boats, dirt, and children.
All of the gear I recommend here is great for sleeping in your car or truck, easy to remove, doesn’t take up too much space in my garage, and still allows me to use my vehicle as a truck during the week.
At a Glance
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Flated Air-Deck Inflatable Platform
This platform might be the lynchpin piece of gear for my system. It inflates like a standup paddleboard, giving me a firm platform for sleeping, supported by inflatable pillars, creating enough room beneath to store the majority of my gear. A lot of people build wooden platforms that offer the same convenience, but the Air-Deck is light (17 pounds), so it doesn’t add unnecessary weight to my truck. It also deflates into a backpack when I’m not using it, so I can take it out when I’m not camping and store it in the garage. Flated makes multiple sizes to fit a variety of trucks.
Klymit Klymaloft Sleeping Pad (Double)
If you’re going to splurge on one product, splurge on your mattress. I went with the double Klymaloft, which features a foam topper in addition to the traditional inflatable mattress for five inches of plush comfort to rest my weary bones. It also incorporates I-beam air chambers that make it more stable, so I don’t double-bounce my wife when I get up in the middle of the night. I’m not kidding when I say this sleeping pad is more comfortable than my mattress at home. The double is 78 by 53 inches, giving both my wife and me plenty of room to stretch out in the back of the truck.
Trelino Evo S Portable Toilet
$400 at Trelino $420 at Amazon
Bathrooms are a deal breaker for my wife. I have no problem digging a hole in the woods, but she wants a throne. Enter Trelino, a composting toilet that separates liquids from solids, which greatly reduces the stink while making disposal neat and tidy. Line the main compartment wth a compostable plastic bag, add some cat litter, and it’s good to go. No chemicals or running water needed. It’s lightweight and small enough to store in the back of the truck, and fits perfectly in the changing tent (see below) to create a private bathroom when you’re camping away from established campgrounds. It sounds weird, but having a toilet makes the whole weekend more civilized.
Kelty Discovery H2Go Tent
I have a soft top on the back of my truck, so you can’t stand up in the truck bed, making changing inside tough. I can do it, but it’s not fun. If I’m camping for more than one night, I’ll set up the H2Go, which looks a little like a phone booth, and gives me or my wife and kids an easy, clean place to change clothes. It’s also a convenient place to put the Trelino toilet, and you can even remove the floor and set up a shower if you really want to get fancy. Is having a dedicated changing tent silly? Maybe. But now that I’ve experienced it, I don’t want to camp without it.
Goal Zero Yeti 1000X Portable Power Station
$900 at Goal Zero $900 at Home Depot
I’ve had the Yeti 500X for a few years now, and it never disappoints. It delivers 497 watt hours of power in a compact box that’s easy to store when I’m driving and basically lives on my tailgate when we’re at camp. Four different types of ports can charge anything you could possibly bring to camp (AC, 12V, USB-C) so I can keep my phone, speaker, heating pad, and laptop juiced all weekend. Oh, and everyone else’s phone, too; all of my camping buddies rely on my Goal Zero to keep their phones humming. I like the 500x, but it’s currently sold out, so consider upgrading to the 1000x, which delivers a whopping 983 watt hours.
Ignik Backside Heated Pad
I love camping in the fall and my wife loves being warm. This battery-powered heated pad lets both happen at the same time. On chilly autumn nights, she can slip the Ignik Backside into her sleeping bag and enjoy 20 watts of heat all night long when it’s plugged into the Goal Zero Yeti 500. We could get a larger heated blanket, but I typically run hot, so this pad gives her the personalized warmth she needs without burning me out of the bed.
Black Diamond Volt Lantern
$25 at Black Diamond $29 at REI
I have been tempted to string café lights throughout the truck bed and pose thoughtfully beneath them while reading a self-help book for social media, but I decided a single lantern with a dimmable light was all I really needed. I’m not hanging out in here, I’m sleeping and just need a light I can turn on easily when I have to go to the bathroom. The Volt is the easy answer, with 250 lumens that can be dimmed, and a 24-hour burn time at full power. You can run it on regular AA batteries, or rechargeable 2600 mAh Li-ion batteries (it has a USB charging port), and it has a built-in hook so I can hang it from the topper.
FrontRunner Cub Pack
$63 at FrontRunner $63 at Amazon
The key to gear storage is keeping your containers small. You don’t want to put all your camping gear in one big plastic tub because it will be heavy, hard to store, and you’ll spend a lot of time rifling through it looking for your multi-tool. The Wolf Pack is the best gear storage solution I’ve found because it’s the right size: 17x12x8 inches—big enough to hold plenty of gear like plates, coffee cups, a small stove, and a gas tank, but small enough to store under the Flated Air-Deck. I use two of these plastic boxes; one for my cooking gear and another for miscellaneous pieces of gear like mountain bike or climbing items. Bonus: They stack on top of one another and are strong enough to use as a seat in a pinch.
Yeti LoadOut GoBox 15 Gear Case
$125 at Yeti $125 at Backcountry
Speaking of storage—I thought the Loadout was overkill, until I used the 10×15-inch cube to keep all of my precious electronics safe while camping. I load the main compartment with large items—like my air pump, headlamps, lantern, rechargeable batteries, GPS devices—and use the removable top tray for items I want to keep safe but also have quick access to, like my keys and wallet. The waterproof, dustproof, bombproof build adds peace of mind for more delicate items, regardless of the weather or situation. I’ve had this thing on my tailgate in light rain and snow with no issues.
Dometic Go 11L Hydration Water Jug and Faucet
I’m done with single-use plastic water bottles and jugs. Dometic’s new water system, which includes an 11-liter water jug and rechargeable faucet, is a much more elegant and practical way to store and access water while camping. The jug itself is worthy of note; it’s rotomolded for durability, and is built with vertical walls to maximize space and ease the packing process.
You can get water out of the jug with a spigot, or you can add the rechargeable GO Faucet, which adds touch-activated running water. Getting water out of the spigot is fine, but there’s something really civilized about having running water on demand at your campsite.