Great video! I have a 2004 Suburban 1500 and I have come to the exact same conclusions you have in this video. I think this is quality rational decision making to get the most out of what you have. And I do not want to modify and clutter up my vehicle, it will only get in the way if i need to access and fix something in the future. The “platform people” are sheep, they see something that is cool, and want to do that too, but that don’t realize that what is “cool” is not always practical, economical, or efficient. It is nice to know Im not alone in thinking this way😅

My 2002 model just had the fuel pump died at 210,000 miles. I should have got it fixed immediately when my car started taking two tries to start, because it only lasted two weeks after that. I also have some kind of oil leak I need to get fixed. Somehow it keeps running low on oil every 2 months, but there's no drips🧐

My fuel pump just crapped out.😅

Have you had any issues with break in with the roof top cargo box? I have two Thule XT Sport boxes on my Outback roof .

Just catching this now, and it's provoking serious Home Alone ideas. LOL

These are all great ideas that I have to all the money you have spent on locks why not despite a camper or a trailer where you could lock everything inside

I agree with you, in theory, about not having a raised platform, especially for the newer SUV's. But some of the older ones, like your Suburban, and even my 2003 Rendezvous have more than room to utilize a raised platform, and STILL have room to sit up comfortably without your head hitting the ceiling. I had a 9" high raised platform that was the width of my cot air mattress (23" wide), constructed with 2x2s to give it an open frame to access all my tools underneath, and also had hinges on the 3/4" plywood on top that could be lifted easily, even with the cot air mattress, a 4" memory foam topper and my bedding on it, to remove our put back items that wouldn't fit through the framing. It was the perfect solution for me. My Rendezvous had a little over 100 cu. ft. of cargo space with the 2nd row seats out (48"W x 78"L x 48" H). And I'm not short, 5' 8" tall.

Misleading title implies Suburbans are unreliable. Nothing coukd he further from the truth. Most of the issues mentioned happen to all of the few vehicles that last hundreds of thousands of miles, not just Suburbans. I have owned two Suburbans that I have driven well beyond 300,000 miles with none of the listed issues except adding a little oil in between oil changes. Lucas makes an excellent additive that will unstick your lifters.

I have one them alarms on my electric bike. They are loud and very affordable. I took one apart and it has kind of a odd battery you never see in the stores. But they are so cheap just buy another. One of my ebikes got stolen it had two bike locks news flash a lot of thief's carry bolt cutters.

Those are not whitefish. Those are Squawfish otherwise known as Northern Pikeminows

What happened? Are you doing ok bud?

Hello, I'm new to your channel. You're the only one here on YT that uses good common sense. I've been truck camping off & on since the 80's. Were you in the military? In the military we used to label storage units & secure them the same way as you did. I found out that if you use splash guards this will help keep your rig clean, also if use wasp & hornet spray on & around your tires & all points of contact on the ground to keep unwanted critters out. Thanks for the useful tips, drive safe. 🤠🤠

Don't leave anything outside at night unless you are willing to leave it behind. There are some emergencies that require a quick exit from the camping spot or you're f'cked.

Raised bed platform can be great & very efficient. It's not 'bad', it's an option. Not all SUVs have the same dimensions & not all ppl have the same body size/height. You built what works for you - great! No need to knock what others may use. PS: thx for the PSA on securing your cargo! It's so often overlooked. Flying objects in an accident not only can harm or kill you/passengeers, but they also smash up your build.

You also have a much larger SUV than most 'suv's', makes a difference. How do you accommodate leveling for the part of the back seat that does not lay flat. Maybe they do in a Suburban. I have a Lexus and it does not lay flat. How would you address that? TX.

That was such a sweet ending. Good girl. 💞

well you kinda have to build a raised plattform if the bottom is super uneven after taking the seats out.

Solid. Props.

I am all for keep it simple. Many of these van conversions seem to be competitions. Alot depends on whether you have a home base or whether this will be a home base.... But yeah, as a senior female, not techy, I will be giving this a shot in the simplest manner.....beginning with what I have .... My Murano. ♥️🇨🇦

Just yesterday 6/6/24 I purchased a 2002 suburban z71 for 1300 240000 miles engine starts and drives great 4x4 works no ticks no rust paint is good 15 minute drive Horn did not work until i cleaned the contacts where the airbag is Only thing i know that it has issues on Is the side mirrors, rear main seal Was it a good purchase?

The center console in the backseat area of a 2024 4Runner REQUIRES a platform because the rear console is about five inches high and CANNOT be removed.

Amazing

there's already someone camping at that location. and he's clearly lost.

Chevy Suburban Chevy Tahoe Chevy Trailblazer GMC Yukon GMC Envoy XL and slt all great trucks for everything camping road trips work you name it

This makes so much sense. Good video.

DO build a raised platform!!! DO create raised under storage space!!!

Preach!!!!!

Good advice

There are great points made in this video, but there is another side to the story. After a lot of research i bought a 2022 VW Atlas. it has the largest interior volume of any mid-sized SUV--- around 97cu ft with seats down. i removed the mid row and back row seats gaining another 10-15 cubic ft of space. i built a raised platform for the bed. I have a 4 inch matteress. i am 6 ft tall and can sit bolt upright on the bed with inches of space above my head. The raised bed allows me to use the mid row foot well to lower my feet when i am sitting up in bed making the whole sitting up experiecne more comfortable and making it much easier to get in and out of bed. heavy short items like my stove and canned goods go under the bed along with long thin items like a shovel and walking poles. it is simple, comfortable and works. do some research before you buy and determine the space you will need to comfortab;ly camp in your SUV.

Crow bar will break that lock

What in the hell are you going to use all that "stuff" for when your camping?

Lots of great ideas! Thank you!

So sensible! This canopy idea is one I had... great to see this IRL. Also the protective net for the front and securing the load. Interlocking bins sensible.

Well I've seen the writing on the wall and had time to prepare to sleep in my car full-time for the immediate future, and your video here has been helpful in getting my setup ready. Unfortunately my SUV is too small to just lay in the back, so a platform is necessary to get enough flat space. However, I'll just need to get it high enough to only go over the front passenger seat, and only the right half of the car. Thanks for making this video, it really helped.

I’ve been looking at all these build outs and I see more headaches than it’s worth. Loss of flexibility seems to be another thing with rigid builds. External storage is a great idea. Thanks for all the good info.

Your approach is different -you are living out of your vehicle rather than living in your vehicle.These are two very diffrent scenarios. But why do you cart around so much gear ? You dont need half of the stuff and what a lot of work you give yourself packing and unpacking And this type of camping is suitable only during the warmer months and not suitable for living in your vehicle all the year around.

But now they just show up with a roll back and took suburban and all the gear leaving you with only the clothes you are wearing and your phone was flashing meaning it was about to die and leaving you by yourself in the dark cold night

Thanks. Less than $8000 for that, 1 owner garaged? Great deal.

How do you travel with your generator?

I have a Toyota sienna and camp across the us.

🔴😂 You don't need a heater. Get a *Sherpa* blanket** it better be freezing or you will sweat in it. I think it makes down/goose a joke. It's very cozy. Sew the three sides like a giant pillow case, leave one side slightly more open so when you get too warm. You can easily sleep in the buff inside this but wear a stocking cap or drawstring hoodie. ➡️ Highly recommend a SHERPA coat 🔴with a Hood (drawstring even better). Again This makes a wool/down coat a joke. My cat stole my sherpa hoodie first night. I had to buy another one. Walmart has clearance sherpa blankets n jackets end of season.. I scored two king size sherpa blankets $15 each. I'm equipped for Antarctica

I THINK I LOVE YOU!

I have a Rav4. I prefer not to remove back seat as I still need to function around town. A raised bed (the seats do not fold flat) with storage underneath is best setup for me. To be frank, I don’t need all the stuff you travel with. I don’t want to be loading/unloading all of that and as you mentioned all that becomes projectile in the event of an accident. Looking at your bin breakdown it would seem to me that you could have some smaller bins since you want everything separated. All of that said, I’m not being critical. Your setup is not for me, mine is not for you.

I bought some 20$ solar motion lights at walmarr for my dads cabin and those things have worked flawless for over 3 years now. Even racoons and hogs will set them off and tgey work tgrough the entire night. Even after a week of bad weather and they still work. Gotta say they were the best investment ive made towards security

I use to use line with bells or other trip alarms that are harmless. Of course after we got 2 german shepherds, 🙄 well, no one comes around lol😂

The throttle body is often very dirty on its backside that is not directly visible. And that can lead to idle problems even if the front plate is spotless

Regarding the reason many people head toward building a raised platform, much of the enjoyment a lot of people get from hobbies these days has little to do with the time spent actually DOING that hobby...it comes from time spent building stuff related to the hobby. In the long distance motorcycling world, we refer to it as "farkling". Some people spend way more time screwing around in their garage designing and building stuff than they ever do actually using it, because that's actually the part they enjoy most.

Nice. I've watched at least half a dozen of these videos this morning and yours is the first to actually address what I consider to be one of the most troubling issues with sleeping in your vehicle: temperature control and ventilation. Anyone can sleep in their car. It takes significant thought not to wake up with yourself and the interior of the vehicle dripping in condensation or covered in mosquito bites. And summer temperatures are much more difficult to handle than winter, as you can always add insulation when you're cold. Unfortunately, the vast majority of camping is done outside of the winter months.

The most important way to avoid being targeted by thieves is to travel light. Whether car or van camping or travelling with a backpack/carry on bag - only bring what you absolutely need and never travel with anything valuable or sentimental. Worked well for me during a total of 4 years travelling around the world. Not only are you more safe this way - but you can move fast and freely if things get dicey. My only security measure was a pair of men's size 11, old construction work boots from a friend, which I placed on the step up runner of my van's side door in the sketchy neighbourhoods. Never had a problem in 2.5 years of full time vanlife as a solo woman. Oh, and a Teamster's Union bumper sticker on the back :D

Why do you put the small basket on bottom? I got one and it says put large basket on bottom.