Everything seems so expensive right now, especially in the RV world. $13,000 buys you a travel trailer that might last five years and $15,000 buys you a teardrop with nothing in it. What if you want to spend way less money? Like knocking a whole zero off of those prices? Camp N Car thinks it’s possible with its modular kits that turn your minivan, commercial van, and soon crossover into a cozy camper for a fraction of the cost.

There’s a lot of fascination with car camping right now. A lot of folks have no interest in sleeping in a tent but don’t have the money or the storage space for a trailer. It’s especially sad when you realize most of the cheapest campers on the market give you walls, but nothing else. Unless you’re David Tracy and you’re obsessed with the Pontiac Aztek and its sweet tent, most vehicles out there aren’t exactly easy campers, either. Some of my worst nights of sleeping were in the back of a Volkswagen Touareg.

It doesn’t have to be that way. See that old van in your driveway? Camp N Car says you can turn that into an adventure machine for as little as $495, or $1,145 if you want it to feel a bit more like home. And for the countless people rolling around in Toyota RAV4s and similar crossovers, there’s good news for them, too.

Before I continue, yes, this is just another variation on the camping box that has been around forever. What you see here is somewhat similar to the $1,950 VanLab SUV Kit that we’ve written about. It’s also somewhat in the same realm as the $1,315 123camp miniB portable camping box as well as products from Ququq. Really, there’s enough variation out there that you can choose the best one that fits you and hit the road.

Camp In Your Car

So, if you think you’re that kind of person, forget about buying the latest and greatest camper van when you can make your existing car into a camper.

This story takes us back to the late 2010s. Steve Moore was like many Americans, toiling away behind a desk in an office in a city. But there was more out there for Moore than just office work. He wanted to live on the road to see everything this nation had to offer.

Unable to resist the call of the open road, Moore quit his job and planned to take his Honda Element on a trip to Alaska. Moore planned to live in the element and utilize his musical talents to pay for the grand trip. This meant the Element had to be converted into living space. With a plan set, Moore called up his childhood friend Martin Nerbovig to help him build out the Honda into a camper.

The pair used 3D modeling and a CNC machine to draft a modular kit that turned Moore’s crossover from a funky Element into a car camper. The simple kit included a basic bed platform with storage, cabinets, and an extendable bed. That’s not much, but it was enough to craft a home on the road.

Then, Moore took off for Alaska, spending 6 months exploring the great North. Along the way, people were impressed enough with Moore’s camper that they started telling Moore and Nerbovig to make kits so others could enjoy them. In 2019, Camp N Car was started in Port Townsend in Washington state, and its mission was to get campers on the road without destroying their bank accounts.

Camp N Car sells kits for a wide variety of vehicles from beds and drawers that could fit in many cars and crossovers to bits of furniture you may want to buy to convert your van into a rolling home. If you cannot find a kit that works for you, Camp N Car can also convert your car into a camper, whether it’s a Chevrolet Express or a Toyota Highlander.

Forget That Camper Van

Camp N Car’s most basic kit is the $495.00 Basic Bunk.

As you can tell from the photo, this is literally just a bed. The company says the Basic Bunk is made out of maple plywood and you can assemble it using a screwdriver. The bed comes apart in two main sections that weigh around 15 pounds each. Camp N Car says this bed is perfect for someone just looking for a place to crash on a trip without having to pitch money for a hotel room.

Just plant the bed down in the back of your vehicle and start sawing logs. The Basic Bunk can be ordered in different heights, different sizes, and with leveling pieces so the bed can sit flat in vehicles without flat loading areas.

For $295, you can add under-bed storage and for another $295 you can add a standalone shelf, if it’ll fit in your vehicle. I can see the Basic Bunk being a good choice for hotshot drivers or perhaps someone who wants to convert their Mitsubishi Mirage into a tiny camper.

The next kit up is the $795 Trunk Bunk. At its core, the Trunk Bunk is just like the Basic Bunk in that it starts off as a bed for a solo traveler. However, this one has a trick in that there’s a second bed platform that flips out, either giving the solo camper a lot of space to spread out or space for a significant other to join in. Once again, the Trunk Bunk can be ordered in a variety of sizes and leveling legs can be added to make that perfect fit.

Promotional images show the Trunk Bunk shoved in the back of a Toyota Tacoma, Volkswagen Tiguan, and a Honda Element, but I can see this working for so many cars. The Trunk Bunk would be great for that old Chevy HHR in that yard.

The Camp N Car flagship product right now is the Home On Wheels Kit. This kit includes the Basic Bunk plus two shelving units. This kit was designed so that you could buy an old minivan and just toss the parts in to make a small camper. Then, just add some cooking gear, some form of heating or cooling, and running water and you’ll have yourself a pretty sweet budget camper. If you want this camping kit to be for you and someone else, you can order it with the Trunk Bunk instead of the Basic Bunk.

As with the other kits, the Home On Wheels Kit is assembled using sheets of instructions and a screwdriver. All of the kits are designed so that you can convert your car into a camper without modifying the car itself. When you’re done camping, just remove the Camp N Car kit to turn your car back into a car again.

If you like the Home On Wheels Kit, but can’t seem to get it to fit into your crossover, Camp N Car says it has good news on the way. Soon, it will offer a kit to add shelving, beds, and slide-out drawers to common crossovers. The company says this kit is being made in response to people asking for kits to convert vehicles like the Toyota RAV4.

There’s one more product I didn’t mention yet, and it’s what Camp N Car calls the Frontier Futon.

It’s a hefty $1,995 plywood futon that converts into a bed and has spaces for drawers. This one isn’t really a piece of furniture you’re putting in the back of your Dodge Grand Caravan, but perhaps it can help you build out your Ford Transit. The same goes for the aforementioned bed kits and the shelf kit.

Finally, if you just don’t want to build out your camper van at all, Camp N Car offers a full custom camper van conversion service. These are more than just sleeping platforms but full-blown campers like the van below:

Basic, But Affordable

Something I’ve noticed about kits like these is that none of them are what you’d say is aesthetically pleasing. However, pretty much all car camping kits are like that. Likewise, many car camping kits require no tools at all for construction. So, I do think requiring a screwdriver is a step back.

That said, Camp N Car is pricing itself more aggressively than the competition. Even the full Home On Wheels Kit is cheaper than many other kits on the market. So, it may not fold up neatly into a box, but I can forgive it for that price. If you want to build a van camper but have no idea what you’re doing, Camp N Car can take care of the bed, futon, and shelving. For some, that’ll be all they need before adding creature comforts.

So, if you’re feeling a bit like David Tracy and want to camp in a car rather than an RV, Camp N Car is another option. As always, I love that there are even more options for people who want to go camping without mortgaging the house.

(Images: Camp N Car)

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