5 Reasons Why You Should Car Camp

Camping is a no brainer. It’s an easy way to enjoy nature and get your fix of the outdoors.

Hearing the waves lapping the shore, sunbathing with your favourite book or breathing in the fresh mountain air. All those lovely images spring to mind. It’s hard not to be happy when you’re out there in the bush, right?

But let’s be real — camping can have its drawbacks. Struggling with tents, carrying heavy backpacks and getting rained on are all a pain in the backside. But with car camping, you can avoid all these dramas and skip straight to the fun stuff like finally cracking a cold one. Here are some reasons you should forgo the tent and camp in your car (and you don’t even need a ute or a 4x4 to get started).

01. It’s cheap and easy

Car camping is the way to go if you’re on a budget. You don’t need to fork out big bucks for camping gear — all you really need is an airbed, and a few of your own doonas and pillows to make it extra cosy. It’s way easier and faster to set up camp. All you need to do is lay out your bed, job’s a good’n. No more stress setting up or packing up a campsite, getting your tent poles in a twist, way more time for another stubby.

02. It’s safe and secure

We’ve all seen that Wolf Creek flick. Being concerned about safety when you're outdoors is totally normal. Whether you’re worried about strange blokes or snakes and spiders, sleeping in a car is much safer than tent camping. It doesn’t matter if you’re camping in a populated area or in nature — cars are much more secure because you can lock yourself in your vehicle. If you sense danger or if there’s an emergency, you can clamber in the driver’s seat and head off, James Bond style. We reckon it’s a great choice for solo campers or for first-timers.

03. Get organised with storage

Ever go camping and find that you can’t fit the essentials in your backpack? Or worse, end up with back pain from lugging everything about? Been there, done that. It’s not worth the hassle. One of the best things about car camping is that you can bring much more gear with you without worrying about the weight. This gives you more freedom for the things that matter — bring a kayak, fishing gear, ski gear, books, an esky, your laptop. If you have something like a raised bed frame in the back, you can organise everything efficiently, storing it all underneath the bed, just like you would at home!

04. There’s electricity

Being without electricity, even for just a few days, can be a nuisance to say the least. While we’re all about disconnecting and unplugging here at CampSetup, the great thing about car camping is that you have built-in lighting. You can install an inverter if you want to charge larger devices, or a solar system for even more power. Look at you, you little eco warrior!

05. It’s weatherproof

Is there anything worse than sitting in a tent when it’s raining cats and dogs outside? Cars are completely weatherproof, so you won’t have to worry about your tent being blown in or waking up floating in a puddle (it’s true, it happens). If you’re brave enough to camp during the winter, a car roof can support heavy snowfall up in the alps. Speaking of snow, sleeping in a car is more toasty than a tent which doesn’t usually have any insulation. Being raised off the ground keeps you warmer. Cars are a four season camping shelter, offering you the flexibility to head out into nature at any point in the year. 

Our ByronBase™ camp bed turns your vehicle into a camper in under 10 mins, easy. Designed and made in Melbourne, our no screws or tools needed kits are built for a lifetime of action from ethically sourced materials and delivered directly to you door.

Consider this a callout: it’s time to hit the highway and see what our country’s all about.