Although I like sleeping in a tent, schlepping sleeping gear back and forth and waiting for the tent and ground cloths to dry off on wet mornings gets old, so I’ve been thinking about getting a camper van. But I love my 1999 CR-V, and after watching some videos of people who had managed to live out of their Toyota Prius’ (or Subaru Outbacks) for months at a time, I decided to try to see what I could do with the CR-V. The car is AWD, will go almost anywhere, and still averages 30 mpg. It runs great and still has a lot of life left, so modifying it seemed worth the effort.
I often camp in dispersed sites (aka boon docking), and I’m a photographer and sound recordist, so I carry a bit of gear with me. My 60-lb. dog also takes up quite a bit of room. The seats on the CR-V do not fold down flat, and only leave about 5 feet of not-quite level sleeping room. I’ve slept in the back before, with the seats folded down, and could barely fit my 5’6” on the diagonal, and it wasn’t very comfortable. Scouring the internet, I learned that others had made their CR-Vs more livable either by building a platform over the top of the folded up back seats, or by removing the seats and building a platform. I wanted to maximize storage space for my gear, so I pulled the seats out (not easy in this version of the CR-V). I use the table that comes with the car on occasion, so I left the carpeting that covers the back cargo area.
I also wanted to maximize headroom, as I know from having had a variety of small pickups with toppers, that it is much easier to change clothes if you can sit up straight. The cargo area has just enough headroom for me to sit up straight and barely brush the headliner with the top of my head. So I opted for a platform of the same height as the back of the car, in other words, I only built a frame for the area where the seats were. The frame is built from 2x3s and 2x2s.
I then attached 5/8 plywood to the frame, in 4 pieces. One piece covered the backend of the car – over the table in back so that I could remove the table and still have a flat, solid surface. The board is hinged to the front panel, so I can lift it up to access the table and the storage area under the table. The other pieces went over the framework, and included two hinged doors for access to the where the seats and foot wells were.
I then added carpet padding and a carpet remnant to the top of the platform.
One big disadvantage of this setup is that to remove it, you have to remove the carpeting and padding, unscrew the platform from the frame, possibly unscrew the piano hinge for the board covering the table, and remove it all in pieces. To remove it and reinstall the seats is probably several hours of work.
My dog used to ride in a hammock which covered the back seat. With no seat now, I learned quickly that stuff slides around a lot, and a quick stop means all the gear slides forward. So I put together a cargo net to keep the gear in the very back, and keep the dog closer to the front. It anchors to gear ties on the bottom (built in to the car) and to the top of the seat belt anchors. I also sewed up some curtains and attached them to the windows with Velcro (we’ll see if it holds). I made screen sleeves to cover the windows, and made a small tent to cover the back window, which allows me to leave it open in a light rain and have good ventilation. The tent is nylon, with mosquito netting to cover the window opening. It attaches by bungees and magnets. I use the dog hammock to cover my bedding when we are traveling, in case the dog wants to go swimming or play in the mud. At night I can stretch it over the front seats for additional privacy.
I’ve spent a few nights in the new camper, and it is very comfortable. It is much easier to get in and out of than a truck topper, and the back of the front passenger seat forms a nice backrest. The cost for the framework, plywood, and carpet materials was about $50; material for the tent, screens, cargo net, and other add-ons brought the cost to about $150.
The conversion did require me to cut back on some of my gear. I often camp in bear country, so I want to make sure any gear with food smells (stove, cooking gear, cooler, food containers) can fit in the car when it’s in camper mode. Here’s what fits in the camper:
Water: 1 gallon container for the dog plus 1-5 gallons depending on how long I plan be out. I use a no-tip bowl for the dog to make sure he always has water.
Food: a cooler for fresh stuff, and a reusable grocery bag for dried stuff. The dogs food fits under the platform.
Bedroom: I use an air mattress, plus layers of sleeping bags and blankets to adjust for different temperatures. The car is much warmer than a tent, so even on cold nights, I seldom need to zip up the sleeping bags.
Kitchen: I used to carry enough for two people, but I’ve cut that back to one: 1 bowl, 1 plate, 2 each of knives, forks and spoons. 1 non-stick skillet, a collapsible kettle and collapsible pot. The collapsible pot often doubles as a bowl, as it seems to keep food hotter than a plastic bowl. Also in my cook kit: 1 cloth pot holder, 1 pot scraper, 1 butane lighter, 1 SteriPEN water purifier, 1 cup, 1 tin for tea bags and coffee packets, 1 spatula, 1 small clothesline with clothes pins. All of this fits in a plastic hinged-lid box. For a table (if not at a campground), I use a roll-a-table, which fits easily under the platform. If I’m staying more than 2 nights, I’ll pull out the CR-V’s table. For a chair, I prefer a folding chair to the roll-up chairs which hurt my hips.
Lighting: 1 solar lamp/phone charger, 2 headlamps. Plus there are the overhead lights in the car.
First Aid: I use a small plastic box to carry bandages, antibiotics, chigger meds, etc for the dog and myself. Fits under the platform.
Sunscreen/bug repellant/field guides: go either in the map pocket of the passenger side front seat, or in a tote that includes all my maps for the trip.
Clothing: I keep most of my clothes in a duffel. Because I often cover a range of elevations, I always pack extra jackets, which I use to cover the cooler. A down coat goes in a small stuff sack under the platform. Shoes go under the platform or in the passenger foot well.
Camera bags (I usually carry 2 cameras): one within reach in the front seat, the other tucked in the back near the cooler. Tripods go under the platform.
Recording equipment: in a duffel in the passenger foot well.
It all fits, but it’s tight. Packing and unpacking takes a bit of time, although set up and breakdown in camp is very quick.
Update September 28, 2016:
I spent 24 days sleeping in the car over the summer, including a 2 week trip from Carson City to Glacier National Park and back to Tucson. The camper performed very well, and kept me warm and dry in spite of some very wet weather in Montana. It was a bit cramped at times, but I think this set up would work very well in a larger SUV.
Update July 2018:
I’ve lost count of camping days in the CR-V, but it must be more than 60. I still love it. The car has 250,000 miles on it, and though it still runs great, I’m starting to eye replacements. I did add a couple more toys to the camping gear this spring, a power bank/external car battery charger, which allows me to recharge my phone several times and can start the car if its battery fails, and a 12v cooler. The cooler is smaller than the ice chests I was using, and removes the need to buy ice and drain the cooler. It works great if I don’t stay too long in any one place and can recharge it while driving (the extra load on the battery is why I got the car battery charger).
Update May 2021:
I’m still using the CR-V as a camper and my regular car. It now has 280,000 miles on it, and still runs great. I did have some major repairs over the last few years, replacing the drive shaft (luckily found one used) and steering belts and pump.
I just finished a 7-week trip in the CR-V, from Carson City to southern California, to southern Texas, and back. Almost 7,500 miles. The CR-V performed great, not only on the road, but crawling over rocks (on 3 wheels sometimes), and going through 2-foot-deep streams. Each year, I try to shrink my gear down a little, not so much carrying fewer things, but carrying smaller things. It still amazes me how well the dog and I can camp in this car, with no cargo box, and camp quite comfortably. In addition, the cooking gear and camp chair all fit in the front seat if it’s raining or there are bears around, and I have good visibility through the windows while driving.
The only things I added for this trip was a larger propane tank, rather than the little tanks (I’m now using refillable propane 1 lb tanks), and a Jackery 160, to recharge the batteries for my phone and audio recorders. I also switched to Yokohama Geolandar tires, which have held up great.
The small Jackery is good for a day or two of charging batteries and cellphone. I’m usually driving enough that I can recharge it while I’m driving or at the occasional motel. I have considered a solar panel to charge it while on longer stays in the boonies, but haven’t decided on one yet. Ecowatch has put together some information on solar panels for camping and RVing:
Solar panels for camping (Ecowatch)
Solar panels for RVs (Ecowatch)
(note that the affiliate links support Ecowatch, not Wild Mountain Echoes).
Update May 2022:
I added a Rockpals 60w solar panel to my kit.
If/when I replace the CR-V, I plan to buy a similar model (probably a Subaru Forester) and pull the seats out. I would make a similar platform, but would use 1/2″ plywood instead of 5/8″, and probably not use any carpet padding, or maybe a very thin padding. The thick padding I used makes it difficult for the staples to keep the carpet attached to the board.