Minimal Subaru Outback Wilderness Car Camping Setup

[@danielwnorowski2553]

Great tip reversing rear seat headrests.

[@broinsocali]

Great video. Nice setup. Thanks for not having any music and letting the natural sound of the water flowing.

[@yardiebarbie5106]

She's so shy, she made me smile 😊

[@cormacsage7126]

Perfect wagon for 2

[@freedombuy4672]

thx buddy your review is so helpful!!!!!! thumps the hell up

[@ShirtlessMenNetwork]

Just picked up a 2024 OBW a few weeks ago, and though I really liked the 2020 Outback Premium I traded for it, I absolutely freaking love the OBW so far. I'm also really digging all the videos other OBW owners have posted showing their various setups, this video included. Also, if you're the same Jake Kaiser who makes the great music that's fun driving to, thanks for that as well! 🙂

[@jakekaiser1399]

Congrats on the OBW and I still love mine more every trip I take it on. I am the same Jake Kaiser and thanks for listening to my music

[@patrickweisback5835]

Just bought a 2023 outback XT - very smooth ride and tons of tech, had a Mustang but wish I had this earlier!

[@broinsocali]

Can't wait to get out an about in my 2024 Outback Wilderness. I got a couple more weeks before I hit the road.

[@jakekaiser1399]

Congratulations on the new Wilderness and have a great trip!

[@broinsocali]

@jakekaiser1399 thank you. You as well enjoy your ride. Looking to driving cross country in her soon. Calif to NC

[@TCobb47]

Great video! Looking forward to getting my OBW. Placed my order a week ago.

[@jakekaiser1399]

Thank you and good luck with the new OBW!

[@tombryant52jumpscoach]

I bought one in August and I love it.

[@derspeed5796]

Mine will be here in a couple weeks. I’ve never owned a Subaru. Some of the negative comments on KZbin regarding the windshield and the infotainment system are a little concerning though. I hope the car doesn’t disappoint.

[@TCobb47]

@@derspeed5796 I def understand the concern as I seen the same regarding front windshield. This will be my first Subaru as well. However, I am familiar with broken windshields as I had a Jeep TJ I the past.There is a video where an owner had a non OEM windshield installed at a reasonable price and hasn’t had anymore issues. Should have to go that route but it’s an option.I hope the stop sale is over soon so you can get your vehicle on time. When I ordered my OBW, dealer said it will probably take 2-3 months so I hope Subaru will have resolved the SOS issue.

[@derspeed5796]

@@TCobb47 Thank you for the response. It’s good to know there’s an option. I didn’t order my car. I intercepted it. It’s actually in transit to the dealership. It should be here by the end of the month. I’m also coming from the never ending headaches of German car ownership.

[@AvalonEndures]

I enjoyed the simplicity of your video and how chill it was. BUT, that Couscous joke had me rolling. It came out of left field lol.

[@jakekaiser1399]

Thank you and glad someone enjoyed my Couscous humor. I made this video on such a whim but am glad people enjoy it and need to make a followup one of these days with my learnings after a summer of camping with this car.

[@hithere9495]

I want to get an Outback so bad. Its such a comfortable ride. The only thing thats making me think twice is the looks of it

[@jakekaiser1399]

I love the looks of it! The normal outback looks great in my opinion but I fell in love with the more aggressive look of the Wilderness. Look at it from my trip last weekend perched at our campsite and maybe you'll change your mind haha imgur.com/a/G6TZxPO

[@hyperstation8134]

@@jakekaiser1399 Car looks gorgeous! It looks like you might have room on top of the roof to sneak on one of those cool roll-up awning things to one side of your cargo box... If so that'd be a pretty dank-yet-keeping-things-simplish upgrade.

[@Hereandtherethisandthat]

I sort of agree with Len, not in love with the look- but I still ordered one- in green. Different wheels might improve the look, but for the functionality as a daily driver and weekend warrior... can’t be beat in my opinion

[@Wheatsilo]

Bro, could not have said it better myself. I own a gorgeous blacked out 2021 outback onyx XT. The wilderness makes me think of Walmart bicycles (aka the massive amount of pointless bicycle reflectors literally splattered aimlessly all over the entire car.) Hideous

[@jakekaiser1399]

@@Wheatsilo That was my initial reaction when it was first released but it grew on me a ton. It's for sure a polarizing look

[@bryanbaker5942]

I almost lost faith in this video until I saw you had meat on your sandwich and was drinking a PBR. Nice setup.

[@CasualInTheTrees]

“I’ve pitched every tent in the world” still can’t get over that line 🤣 P.S. I’m originally from the North Bay, glad you got outta there homie 🤘🏼

[@jakekaiser1399]

Haha I was a whitewater rafting guide for years on multiday trips so have some tent setup trauma

[@hyperstation8134]

Great video, thank you for all of this information. I just bought me an Outback Limited earlier this year, and I LOVE it, but it's hard not to regret forgoing the Wilderness edition!

[@jakekaiser1399]

I was on the fence and you can't go wrong. To be honest the limited is probably a more practical car and would have met my needs better 98% of the time but for some the places I want to go figured that little extra ground clearance would give me piece of mind.

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

Nice setup car camping is way better and easier and safer, lovin my new Crosstrek…

[@jessiehead6525]

Be very careful turning the headrests around on the Wilderness! That trick always worked for me on other Subarus, but when I did it on a Wilderness….it got stuck and wouldn’t come out. There is a pin that catches and LOCKS it in. I had to take the car to a dealer and he said the only way to get it out was to pull it out with as much strength as he had, and there was no guarantee that doing so wouldn’t break the whole thing. He got it out eventually, but I will never flip them around again! 😱

[@PGB-ni1ji]

I was sold at 5:30. Roughing it only goes so far. Nice to see some proper coffee being brewed. I've like to see a full tutorial on that. If there's a Zombie Apocolypse I refuse to bug out without my coffee.

[@jakekaiser1399]

Yeah coffee is something I don't comprise on. One of these days I'll plan on showing the setup but discuss it a bit in latest car camping gear video for the moment. Thanks for watching

[@ronfromportland]

Love it!

[@Crashe2009]

Nice video man! Interested to hear about the Exped Megamat. I'm considering one or the Luno Life air mattress. I'm 6'2 so I'm wondering if the added support blocks in the Luno life package would better suit me. Cheers

[@jakekaiser1399]

Hey thanks for watching and I already posted a reply here but guess it didnt go through so let me try again: At 6'2 you may need more support under the top of the Megamat other than the headrests and if this was the case for me I was going to get a cooler that perfectly fit under the seat so a duffle bag or some radon gear would support this area. I also know people use plastic storage bins on their side and other things that support the mattress and also enable you to use the area for storage (this was my big issue with Luno Life blocks). I have not tired the Luno but everyone seems to love them and one of these days want to try one and compare for comfort. P.S. Some people also hang small boards from back of the drivers/passengers seat headrests on some cord to support the mattress which is also pretty easy to setup.

[@TCobb47]

Hello Jake. Could you post the model and size of your roof cargo box? I’m looking to purchase one and the size seem perfect for me. Thanks

[@jakekaiser1399]

It is the Thule cascade XT 1100 which was discontinued and I purchased used. It has been a great size for me, still keeps half the roof open for anything else , and fits skis and long items easily. I hope they make something similar but here are specs for this on if that helps in your search: 11 ft^3 capacity 88.5" x21" x15" dimensions

[@TCobb47]

@@jakekaiser1399 This helps me so much! Thank you!👍

[@sunsh__ine]

Just a quick observation - I noticed your license plate was censored in the beginning and in the click bait. But on the clip when you drove, it’s not censored. I love the nature clips and your setup and what a nice size sleeping pad!

[@jakekaiser1399]

Thanks for letting me know and I tried haha. Good news is I have new CO plates anyway so guess it doesn't matter

[@nickhayley]

My 2013 seats don't fold flat.. we had to build a platform to level ours out. Losing a bit of headroom does suck a bit.

[@jakekaiser1399]

Yeah I am really glad I didn't have to sacrifice any headroom as the outback doesn't have a ton to spare. I'm sure the additional storage under the platform is nice

[@Databyter]

You're livin the life bro. And I like the clean minimalist setup. That's what I've done with mine. I don't have a partner, so I'm just using half of the cargo with a mat and a sleeping bag, but no rooftop tent, no heavy gear. A power station and solar panels. An electric cooler and kettle, some very lightweight backpacking burners as a plan B and thinking about a one space induction grill for frying since they are low wattage and efficient. I actually have room for several passengers and a hitch for a trailer. Those pearl campers are tempting as well for some trips. Now all I need is a way to afford travelling instead of being stuck like I have been most of my life.

[@jakekaiser1399]

Having half the back as dedicated for gear would for sure help and minimize any setup and teardown but can't have it all haha. I would love one of those little trailers eventually and was super impressed the few times I towed with this car. I wish you the best in affording traveling more and will be working on the same on my end

[@briantodd4887]

I'm definitely thinking of purchasing a wilderness....quick question...Do the 12v outlets (cigarette lighter) work (hot)when the car is turned off? Also, what length cross bars did you buy? Thanks!!

[@jakekaiser1399]

Thanks for watching and I don't believe the one in the front stays on when car is off but I have not tested the one in the trunk and will let you know what I find (and confirm the front one). It's usually pretty easy to wire a constant power node to 12v plug in the fusebox if needed FYI As for the crossbars I have the ones I bought linked below. They are adjustable to fit the vehicle bar width which I believe was around ~43-45". I was a bit cheap to buy the super expensive Thule ones and these have worked great for me. I do like the look of the 47" Thule ones if you go that route as 50" ones stick out a bit much for me unless you need a lot of space for things up top. My cross bars: amzn.to/3RLTHi1 Great thread on OBW crossbar options: www.subaruoutback.org/threads/wilderness-crossbars.534384/page-11

[@briantodd4887]

@@jakekaiser1399 Greatly appreciate your detailed response- Subaru salesman told me the 12volt outlets do run while car is off. Just curious what you found out. I think I ordered the wrong length cross bars....53 inch thule from REI. Good thing they have a year return policy. Funny thing is I'm getting the cross bars and cargo box before I buy the car! Haha. I don't mind a little overhang, but that'd be way too much. How's your wilderness handling the forest roads?

[@jakekaiser1399]

No worries and I'll have to remember to take a look at 12v outlets later. The OEM crossbars are 50" I believe and look fine to me (see image below) but the main driver for me doing the bars I got was the cost savings as I never intend to have much weight up top. Plenty of people have the 53" ones and they work great but just are visually larger. I also got my cross bars prior to the car as I wanted to be ready to go with everything. The car has handled some very rough 4x4 roads to trailheads and camping spots like a champ and has done as well as my old Tacoma for everything I have tested it on.

[@FuryfistX]

Hey Jake, Great video. would you mind sharing how tall you are?

[@photodb]

Welcome to Colorado!

[@gevorgnazaryan8720]

Common, tell us, where does the beer go? :)

[@jakekaiser1399]

Dam how could I miss the most important thing! next time I'll share my strategy to make sure one is always in arms length

[@stevetucker7230]

What cargo box is that? Looking for a rod locker for transport. Thanks great video. Gives me some ideas.

[@jakekaiser1399]

It is the Thule cascade XT 1100 which was discontinued and I purchased used. It has been a great size for me, still keeps half the roof open for anything else , and fits skis and long items easily. I hope they make something similar but here are specs for this on if that helps in your search: 11 ft^3 capacity 88.5" x21" x15" dimensions

[@Bigstevesmb]

What is the make & model of the rooftop box?

[@jimbattista1120]

But have you ever toured with the Grateful Dead and slept in your car? Dead and Company doesn't count. Great video. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@jakekaiser1399]

I have not and unfortunately don't think I'll get the opportunity now. If I had a time machine I would be all over this tho

[@JasonHanfordSmith]

Great video! I'm switching from an Outback Onyx to the Wilderness and was wondering what brand/model of crossbar you have on the roof. Losing the built in one from the non-Wilderness is a pain

[@jakekaiser1399]

Hey I'm on vacation but this is copied from a past response to this question. I hope it helps . Let me know if you have a specific question. So I did sooo much research on roof bars and there might be better options now as more people have tested different cross bars but here is my experience from \~3 months ago: I didn't want to spend a fortune on bars I knew would never need to support a ton of weight so got the below one on Amazon. I also considered the harbor freight cross bars but never saw confirmation they fit the Wilderness so decided against it (also only silver color option at that time). I will warn you these came with rubber pads that I had to trim with a safety razer to fit perfectly but overall the cross bars they have worked great for me so far. They hold 150 pounds and I really like the black and more streamlined look. [amzn.to/3JWpFFq](amzn.to/3JWpFFq)

[@induction7895]

Cool setup. How much mpg does having that box on the roof cost? And is it noisy?

[@jakekaiser1399]

Thanks and I don't have a great comparison with roof box off but I am getting 25mpg with it on consistently. I've just kept it on as I use it ever weekend In terms of noise I do not notice it unless I have the sunroof open. With sunroof open it's for sure noisier that previously but that has not been a big deal for me

[@briantodd4887]

Curious to know what roof cross bars you went with and also the dimensions of your thule box? I was wondering if the new thule motion xt xl box would fit. 🤔

[@Jezebel_Cat]

What is your thoughts on a roof top tent.

[@jakekaiser1399]

I think they look awesome and bet it's a cool sleeping experience but personally am not currently interested in one as they cost a lot , wouldn't allow me to have my roof box (I love this for wet gear, skis, and other crap), and just becomes one more thing to setup and worry about. I also find that I sleep better in a hard closed environment as all tents make more noise in the wind and rain. Overall they are super cool but for my needs don't seem to really add a lot of value vs. just sleeping in the back. I could imagine this would change if I had way more gear to carry or was trying to sleep more than 2 people max

[@Itsaint69]

How much weight were you towing? I am waiting for my S-OB Wilderness from the factory and am excited to take it out and camp with it! Thanks for sharing your experience, I can't wait to see future videos :) Recommend you check out the OVERLANDING NOW KZbin channel too. Cheers!!

[@jakekaiser1399]

Thanks so much for watching and I'll for sure check out Overlanding Now! I towed a 5' x 8' Uhaul trailer with everything I own on my move to Colorado and was super impressed with how the car handled it. I dont know the exact weight but I bet it was near the 3500 pound limit as I had more crap than I expected haha. The car handled the trailer and load like a champ even on the steeper passes and overall towed better than I expected. I did have to take it a bit easy on the steeper sections but overall things went smoothly. Let me know if you have any questions

[@Itsaint69]

I've seen a video from a guy in Australia that towed 4400 I'll see if I can find the video and link it

[@Itsaint69]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoCXanWEmduBh5o

[@tombryant52jumpscoach]

@@jakekaiser1399 If you put everything you own into a 5' by 8' trailer good going. You must keep it that way. Don't own too much because most of it will be junk.

[@jakekaiser1399]

@@tombryant52jumpscoach That's my goal and I try to be a minimalist yet all my outdoor hobbies kill me. Mountain bikes, skis, backpacking gear, climbing gear, kayaking stuff, etc. take up much of my space but bring me so much joy I dont care

[@Marco4cinque5]

Hello Jake! I write from italy! Nice camping! I have a question! I'm tall 1.85mt.. Are there two meters of space from the front seats to sleep in? Thank you

[@jakekaiser1399]

Thank you and the bed area is 1.9 meters long so it might be a tighter fit but probably doable

[@Marco4cinque5]

@@jakekaiser1399 thank you! 😎👍🏻

[@jakelynn7810]

What’s the size again?

[@jakekaiser1399]

Happy to help but gonna need more context here

[@davidfeiler1279]

Nice video. I was wondering how tall you are and how much room did you have to spare from head to toe. Thanks

[@jakekaiser1399]

Thank you. I am 5' 9" and have a lot of extra room but do not know the exact amount. My best guess is 6-12" to the drivers seat without moving it from the driving position. I hope this helps and if I ever get more accurate number will share it.

[@davidfeiler1279]

@@jakekaiser1399 Yes this helps. I'm 5'10" so that should work. Thanks!

[@mickeybrumfield764]

Was wondering what are the dimensions of the air mattress that fits so well, especially the length.

[@jakekaiser1399]

Hey thanks for watching and the size is 72” x 41” x 4” The mat is the Exped Megamat Duo 10 if you want to look at any other details

[@mickeybrumfield764]

@@jakekaiser1399 Thank you, I'm 5'10" and just wondering if I could fit in the back cargo area behind the drivers seat without moving it from the driving position. Sounds like it would work.

[@jakekaiser1399]

@@mickeybrumfield764 If you are talking about laying down in the back at 5'10" you should not need to move the seat and still have plenty of headroom between the top of your head and the seat

[@mickeybrumfield764]

@@jakekaiser1399 Yes thats what I am talking about, thank you for your help.

[@glenfdoss]

Rooftop tent toss all your crap in back Maybe a hitch box on the back

[@GastronomicEntity]

Great review. I love the simplicity of the mattress and reversed back seat head rests. We don't want to build any sub frames etc so it's perfect for us. Did you sleep with the back hatch closed? We've read that you can't leave it open overnight because it will flatten the battery.

[@jakekaiser1399]

Thank you and yeah I have been surprised with how well this setup works after seeing so many frames and inserts online. I most often sleep with hatch closed and side windows open (have mesh inserts that I used to allow airflow). I have heard many times the battery drain issue was fixed with 2022 models and one should have no issue with battery, however, I often camp in more remote places so have not yet tested it myself just in case. When I leave the hatch open I tend to use a carabiner to trick the system into thinking it is closed which is what everyone used to do with their subies. The video below is a good simple example and when I have a chance to confirm that hatch open is not an issue on my car I will reply here kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJO2YoijYpuEp5Y

[@jackscharp8568]

Any confirmation on this?

[@GastronomicEntity]

Hiya mate, we ended up buying a pop up tent, fridge etc.

[@aexilzy-iz9ps]

what kind of stove is that

[@jakekaiser1399]

This is the classic Coleman 2 burner stove. Super basic but always gets the job done and my parents have one that is still kicking like 25 years later so hope mine will do the same Couple links but usually can find this stove anywhere: www.coleman.com/grills-stoves/camping-stoves/multi-burner/classic-propane-gas-camping-stove-2-burner/SAP_2000037883.html www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Classic-Propane-Gas-Camping-Stove-2-Burner/895629

[@CrucesNomad1]

To bad there is hold on all 2023 Subys, just cancelled my order.

[@jacquelynbritz5062]

Why is there a hold for them?

[@johnbatson8779]

Just watch out for the mice as they are tearing the wiring of my Wilderness up and this is because to make the EPA happy the wiring insulation is soy-based and to the mice this better than 3 star Michelin meal