Camping is in my blood. I feel it deep in my Soul… Literally. Every summer my friends and I get together for a girls camping weekend in Forestport, NY. The 4 of us went to college together and have remained very close since those college years. While we don’t see each other every day, we still work hard to keep in touch as often as possible. The annual camping trip has become something of a staple in our lives. We look forward to it every year and it gives us a chance to really catch up, put our phones down and really take a break from our lives which have become increasingly busy.

When we started this tradition about 5 years ago everyone shared 2 tents, but I have a bad back so sleeping on the ground wasn’t exactly something that worked for me. After a while, I ended up sleeping in my car, which at the time, wasn’t that much of a step up from the ground, but it worked. From there I have developed a better system to actually set up a mini campsite in my car. When I got my Kia Soul last year from Destination Kia, my camping experience improved drastically! It took a few tries and engineering prowess that I acquired from Youtube, but I finally have a quality setup that works for me.

Here is what I did:

• 1 –  board of plywood cut 51″ Wide X 42″ Long – Then cut in half so you end up with two 25.5″ x 42″ boards. (they do this free at most lumberyards / home depo)

• 1 –  30″ Piano Hinge

• Some foam pipe Insulation

• Coleman Single High Quickbed – Full Size (not twin, queen, or king)

• Air pump

When it was all said and done, it cost $90 for everything, including bed and pump. Not bad for a make shift car bed. What you’re going to want to do is take the hinge and attach it to both halves of the plywood so that you have 51” wide x 42” piece that can fold and be stored easily. I then wrapped pipe insulation around the edges of the board and secured it with duct tape to keep the wood from scratching the interior. Make sure the driver and passenger seats are upright and pushed completely forward. This gives you about 5′ 11″ of room with the rear door shut. The sleeping board rests perfectly on the middle arm rest. No need for additional support, and you have a nice little storage space for your bags and things that you may need under the board. I then cover the sleeping board with a cushy comforter to protect the air mattress from the wood. Add the air mattress and blankets and you have a bed fit for a good night’s sleep!

Now that I have this magical camping Kia, I have to say I actually enjoy sleeping in a car more than a tent. For one thing, it keeps you off the ground, and thus away from creatures and moisture. Another thing, it protects you from the wind, rain, and other elements. For example – even better, this past year when it started to rain and hail outside, I ended up with 4 friends squished in a Kia because my sleeping option was safer! Finally, it’s just easier to pull into a parking lot, or off the road and have everything ready to go for spending the night without drawing attention to yourself. So when I go on long road trips, I have a simple and cheap bed option right there in my car!
So there you have it! Now you can camp in your Kia at your leisure! Enjoy!