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.

Terrible pad locks KZbin shows you how to break them

Two pit bulls work great.

That method of window screen with round magnets every few inches has a fatal flaw. Spiders will squeeze between the magnets and go right under your screen. So imagine opening up your Tahoe and about to crawl into bed when you find half a dozen giant spiders in your bedroom (and only manage to catch 5 of them... ). Ask me how I know. Instead find or make screens that utilize continuous flat magnets. I cut screen to the correct size and then laid out a long magnet strip roll. I then ran hot glue down the screen and sandwiched another magnet strip back on top of the screen and the first magnet. That secures the screen and gives the magnet more holding power. I can take them off and roll them up and store them in each door's cubby. Easy on, easy off, no effing spiders inside. 2000 Tahoe Z71 obs that made a 17,000 mile trip around the US finding every fishing hole I could.

Do you have anything for self-protection? I'm thinking a potential Deliverance situation.

Great advice,May I ask where you live?

Great video , I bought one a year ago and I love mine ❤ z71 version

Tip #1 - never ever camp in a campsite. The further you are from the campsite the further you are from thieves + every other bad thing about campsites - noise, drunks, stanky toilets, etc. Camp in the middle of nowhere and no one is there to steal your stuff. - AB @ Sea Dragon Adventures

You are right not to build raised platform... becouse you use big american car :) In Europe we tend to have smaller cars. And ppl transform their little hatchbacks into tiny campers. You NEED to build raised platform to get flat surface there. Most of these cars doesnt have enough flat trunk surface and rear seats cannot be put horizontally.

I think the platform is totally a personal choice. For me personally I would prefer under the bed storage.

Thanks much, really informative and helpful. I've got a smaller suv than yours, but only an 8 pd dog...

I would never go into the woods alone. I lock my doors and say my prayers at night if I have to go outside during the day, I wear a whistle around my neck and look under cars to make sure no one is hiding there. I live in New Jersey so we’re not allowed to carry firearms, we can only carry half an ounce of pepper spray!

What size are the boards you use on rack for hitch kitchen? Great idea