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How to camper a car – Tutorial, Materials and Budget
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Welcome to a super tutorial on how to camper a car!
The same thing happens to you like us, sometimes we wanted to go somewhere and we ended up postponing it because it was too far to go and come back in the same day and we didn't feel like paying for a hotel, That's why one day it crossed our minds to camper a car. At first it seemed a little crazy to us, but now it is a reality, which we also love.
We are not going to fool ourselves, it is not the most comfortable thing in the world, especially if your car is small like ours. But sometimes feel comfortable in discomfort It is the best, and that happens to us with our little KIA, it has allowed us to escape a lot of weekends. wonderful mountain routes like the Requesens crashed plane and visit small towns like Rupee.
We tell you how to camper a car step by step!
Before starting
The first will be find out how to fold the front and rear seats of your car to get the most interior space possible, every centimeter counts! If you see that the interior length is much less than your height, it might be best not to cram it in.carDon't do this because you'll look like a canned sardine.
Before starting I also invite you to ask yourself; How many times am I going to use it? How good am I at DIY?
If the intention is only to try the experience We recommend saving you the time of designing a structure, at least for now. Better to just put one mattress and try, below we will help you choose it.
If instead you know this is for you and you will use it often it is best to set up a bed frame. Especially because it will help you keep everything organized and ensure you sleep straight. In some cars there is a slight difference in level between the trunk and the rear seats that must be taken into account.
This tutorial is to make a very simple structure. We're not exactly handy, so we looked for an easy way to do it. But you can also go to some carTell the local painter what you need, or even companies that specialize in making these structures (although they are not cheap).
How to take measures to camper a car
Unless you have a 7-seater minivan, keep in mind that you are going to have to try to take very precise measurements so that the furniture fits in the cabin and is as large as possible to be comfortable.
The main measures that will govern the project are:
- “Usable” length: Once we have folded the rear seats, put the front seats forward and recline their backrests to the maximum.
- Trunk interior width: This is usually smaller than the width of the rest of the car, so it is super important to take it as a reference.
Also be sure to consider the trunk door width, that's where the furniture has to fit. If you don't, you could also put it through the back door, that's how we do it, our trunk space is very small and has many ledges.
We measure everything between two people with a normal meter and half a centimeter above, half a centimeter below is nailed.
Design the structure of your camper car
The structure needed to convert a car into a camper can take many forms depending on the space you have available (and, well, your skill in...). carPaint shop, hahaha). As we already told you, ours is very simple. It consists of 3 parts:
1. Trunk or base drawer for storage, the base for camping a car
The most convenient thing would be a drawer, because in the case of the trunk, every time you want to open it you will have to remove all the junk you have on you. The design will depend on what your trunk is like;
- Trunk with floor aligned to the tailgate
You're in luck, a drawer will be perfect and you can even set up a kitchenette on top. - Trunk with step
Friend, you're going to...car A trunk like ours is one of the flaws of a compact car.
2. Bed base for your camper car
The next step to camp the car is to decide what the base will be that will act as a bed base for the mattress.
It is best to divide it into 3 parts to facilitate assembly. These 3 planks can be joined together with hinges or loose. To reduce weight Small circular holes can be made in the wood. But don't make them too close together or it will lose resistance and could break.
If you choose the option of making a structure joined with hinges, you must take into account the height between the top of the furniture and the roof of the car. This height must be greater than the length of the pieces. Otherwise you will not be able to deploy the pieces inside the car (this is our case).
3. Legs or support
The next step is to design the legs that will support the bed base. Here the options are endless. We opt for the simplest way in our opinion, Our legs are made up of two slats that run horizontally across the car and have 3 support points. One end of the slat fits into a slot in our trunk and serves as a first support point and then two legs screwed to the slat. Another thing that was on our mind was putting hinged legs directly on the bed base boards, but it ended up seeming more complicated and less stable.
Buy materials for camperization
WOOD
The easiest material to camp a car in an amateur way is wood. We use natural pine wood planks because it is cheap, resistant and quite easy to cut. After working on it we varnish it for a better finish.
In any specialized DIY store you can find a multitude of boards and slats of different sizes and types of wood. We recommend you take the measurements written down beforehand since In many of these stores they can cut the wood to size, for example in the AKI DIY stores. o Leroy Merlin. Please note that they only cut planks, not slats. Believe me when I tell you that any cut they make there will save you a lot of work at home.
HARDWARE STORE
You will have to buy all the items you don't have, you can take advantage of a visit to the DIY store and buy everything on the same day. Maybe you need one thing or another depending on your design but here I leave you one list of essentials:
And remember that possibly a friend or family member already has these materials and can lend them to you.
Choosing a mattress for your camper
Probably The mattress will be the biggest investment you will make in the camperization of your car and it will be what Marcarto the difference between resting wellCustom-made mattresses are generally not cheap, and you'll have to search for them.car the option that best suits your design and budget.
What should be taken into account when buying a mattress? Foam density is a determining factor. For example, the higher the density of the foam, the greater its durability, comfort and adaptability.
If the mattress has a density that is too low, the foam will be very soft and you may feel the wooden planks when sleeping.
Generally if the density is 20kg/m3 or lower foam is considered soft and would not be recommended for sleeping, if it is 20 to 30kg/m3 It would be considered medium, and if the density is higher, it would be considered firm. These firmness ranges can depend on the type of foam, but they serve as a general guide. We recommend you look forcar a mattress with a medium or firm density.
There are many types of mattresses that could be used to camp a car. There are people who choose to use several baby crib mattresses or even large dog beds. In our case we bought a 3-part folding mattress like the one in the photo for €82, it was the cheapest we could find. If you are looking for mattresses for camper vans or for garden sofas you will find a wide range of options, eg this one with good density.
The one we bought was slightly larger than the measurements of our bed so we had to remove the cover and cut the excess foam. Adapting the measurements of the mattress at home is much cheaper than ordering it custom-made. To do this you only need a cutter or a knife to cut the bread (and patience!)
Then we adapt the cover by adjusting it with large and resistant safety pins.
If you don't have anywhere to store such a mattress, another good option is to buy an inflatable one or even some inflatable camping mats.
Camperizing a car: How to insulate the windows
For both privacy and thermal insulation, we recommend covering the vehicle windows while you sleep.
The windshield is the easiest window to cover since almost everyone has a parasol or can get one very quickly. For the rest of the windows you have different options. on amazon you can find packs of sunshades for all the windows of your car. To get privacy while you sleep it is perfect but it is not so good to insulate you from the cold. However, if you don't plan to sleep anywhere cold it will be enough.
The method we use to achieve privacy and isolation at a low price it was using insulating camping mats , the these from Decathlon. These mats are cheap, very flexible and very insulating. You'll just need to cut them to the exact size of your windows so you can fit them into the frames when you need to install them.carWith each mat you should be able to...car You'll need insulation for two side windows and a whole one for the rear windshield. In total, you'll need three mats.
Depending on where you go with your camper car in summer, you can get hot, so if you have a sunroof, don't forget to put some kind of sunroof. mosquito netAnd if not, well, tough luck, you'll see.carto go down the windows to let some air flow.
How much money does it cost to camp a car?
These are the expenses we had campervanizing the car, we detail them so that it serves as a guide and you know approximately how much it will cost you. This price will above all vary depending on the mattress you choose.
- Mattress 82€
- Wood – €35
- Windows insulation 15€
- Hardware – €14
In total Camperizing a small car cost us €146. With the price of hotels in any rural area, in just a weekend getaway you will have already amortized it.
Where to sleep with your camper car?
Technically speaking, anywhere it's legal to parkcar It's also legal to sleep in a car. Buuuut… just like with a van It will only be while everything is inside the car, otherwise it is considered camping., don't put a table outside, or chairs, or cook, or a thousand "neither nor nor nor" because that's how the law is made in Spain.
So you'll have to searchcar We prefer quiet places, away from heavy traffic, so we can enjoy a peaceful campervan life. We always opt for nature, but if that's not possible, we'll do a car park.carAvanas is also a good option.
If you don't want to improvise and searchcar That same night, if you need a place to sleep (which can sometimes be difficult), you can use the app or website. Park4night.
In this application you will see a map with different points marked by people who have previously stayed there. Photographs of the place and opinions of other users who have visited it usually appear.
I recommend youcarDownload the Park4night app, because at least for us, whenever we try to use the website, it doesn't work properly.
