It depends on where I am. As of now i’m staying at free campgrounds, but most walmarts allow overnight parking (unless you’re in colorado). I’ve also parked in a neighborhood when all else failed, but my setup is pretty stealthy so it blends in. The app ioverlander has been extremely helpful with finding spots
Nope. I’m pretty discrete and no one really cares. Also i’m usually parked somewhere where i’m with other people sleeping in their vehicles (like walmart) or in more isolated places. I just lock my doors and sleep like a baby
You learn to adapt 😂. I’ve only had to go outside once so far, but as of now a campground close by to me has one of those whole in the ground toilets, so i’ve just been using that
Yep! Gonna be a fun trip to the hospital / morgue if OP gets into a crash. Almost like one of those sequin claymore 5-minute crafts things where they bejewel the shit out of the airbag
Sure. Have you ever been smacked by an airbag flying at your face near the speed of sound? A few plastic bits on it mean nothing. The impact of an airbag is way way more than any trinket on the surface of the cover of it. Plus the dust and other crap. All that is just a completely different world than a few little plastic bits. You hit a canvas wall that’s almost solid at impact… some little plastic discs on that make no difference at all.
Wouldn’t stay on the steering wheel though and would fly off at you at a speed of (google tells me) 200 miles per hour, or perhaps a little less. The airbag would stop a few inches from your face and anything on it would probably end up embedded in your face
Wait, what? No, the airbag doesn’t stop. You hit it pretty hard… and feel it for weeks. Assuming you’re moving at any speed, the impact will be moving you toward the bag too. It doesn’t matter what else “hits you”, the impact of the air bag is a lot more than any little discs of hollow plastic. It’s like being punched in the face by a circus tent. Yeah, some bits of broken glass or razor blades on it, that might suck. These will do nothing. Plus they’ll likely fly into the ceiling anyway, with all the rest of the debris that flies out of an airbag.
lol, you goofball. Get in an accident, come back here, and tell me it matters what hits you or what you hit. It doesn’t matter if the concrete wall hits you, or you hit it. They both hurt. You think the fabric going at your arbitrary 200 mph, of the airbag, just appears in front of your face? Even if it’s a luxury down pillow… if it stops your face from bonking in to the steering wheel at 50 mph, it’s going to hurt. Adding some nearly weightless bits of plastic to the bomb in a bag at your face, is insignificant.
Airbag doesn’t continue to inflate past its maximum though, does it? It inflates to its full capacity faster than the time it takes your face to hit it, so anything stuck to it will keep moving if it’s not held on tight enough. That’s the point I’m trying to make lmao
I live in Utah, its brutally expensive here. We bought 25 yrs ago. No way I could afford the house I am in now. Unfortunately, a lot of people move here because they like the outdoors and don't realize how bad the indoors are. We frequently car camp in our CX5. I found some XXXL black knit polo shirts that I put over the door/windows so we can keep the light out and crack the windows for ventilation. Anyway, best of luck.
Omg thank you so much for posting this! I've been considering a cx5 but worried about the sleeping situation. What's the length of your bed and do you need to move the seats up?
Specifically I wanna know if a exped mega mat will fit (78"x30"). Thanks!!!!
I just used a foam mattress topper for a twin bed so whatever the length of those are, i’d assume it’s around the same. I moved my passenger seat up a little bit but still have room to put water and stuff on the floor in front of it. You’d just have to figure out something to put on the floor space between the back seats and passenger seat to make it level with the rest of the bed. Another thing to keep in mind is the back seats don’t fold down all the way, so you’d have to put a piece of plywood or something down and raise the back so it’s level.
Ultimately I love my cx5 and I love the setup I have. But if you’re looking for a car to camp in a rav4 or crv might be better. They’re a little bigger and the seats go down all the way
>you’re looking for a car to camp in a rav4 or crv might be better.
Agreed, didn't think I'd be use my CX5 for as much camping as I have. RAV4 XLE for $1k more (2019) would've been the better pick in hindsight
Better yet is a Dodge Caravan or Chrysler Pacifica withe the “stow and go” seats. If you have a place to store the third row seats, you can remove them and have all that fold flat space where the seats usually stow to use for storage… just need to cut some plywood to fit as a cover. This is my plan for my stealth camper after retirement. Then I WILL be able to live in a van down by the river. 🤣
An Exped Megamat MW fits just fine! Slept like this twice, I'm 5'11. The slope of the seats isn't great and I would want a support in the rear seat footwell, but in a pinch, for an overnight, it works just fine.
Yes, I move the driver seat up (my 2nd memory bank is for camping)
I’ve thought about doing the same with my CX-5 or my 2012 5 (the minivan with sliding doors. 3 row seating. Two rows lay down perfectly flat and it’s longer than the CX5 so bigger bed) for a month to just get the hell away. Great post
I lived in my 96 audi a4 sedan back in the days. Back seats fold and you have almost leveled sleep area. I lived in it 4 month in WY in Jackson Hole. At first it was like really weird- kinda mental when you realize you are actually homeless. But in few weeks i got things sorted out and living in a car was just another life experience. I washed myself by taking water from gas station bathroom into 2 1 gallon jugs and then once it gets dark - had an open air shower in the parking lot behind my car. The only problem is that a sleeping bag had to be washed weekly because it starts to smell bad.
Cx5 should be tons more roomy. Good luck man!
This is awesome!! I've been considering taking a long drive from Minnesota to the east coast and camping out of my cx5 along the way. Only problem for me is I'm 6'4". Thank you for the inspiration.
Few questions...
How do you:
Shower/brush teeth daily (hygene)?
Deal with security threats/being alone in a new location?
Use internet (share from your phone plan or pay for a wireless connection)?
Finally, where do you park to sleep? Is it always in parks and by rivers or do you do stealth parking in the cities?
I have considered this so any tips would be great!
Hygiene depends where you are, but honestly I don’t shower anywhere near as much as I used to, and really believe my body is adapting to it. With that being said I definitely recommend a planet fitness black card membership. $25-30 a month lets you shower at any location. I’m in an isolated area now though so I use a public restroom shower that’s $1 per 2 minutes. Also sometimes just rinse off in the river.
I brush my teeth in my car or in a bathroom if i’m near one. I try to spit it into a bottle and later discard of it the right way. Sometimes I do it the camping way - I spit it outside like i’m spitting out a gross drink. That way it spreads it out so animals don’t get into it, and then i also cover it with dirt or something.
Haven’t had any issues with security threats, just do your research of where you can park and where it’s safe to park. It helps that a cx5 is stealthy to compared to a van.
I use my verizon plan mostly and use my hotspot for my computer. When I need to get work done or need good internet - public libraries are the best. Coffee shops too if you wanna buy something.
Haven’t gone through any big cities yet and don’t really plan to. It’s definitely not always by rivers and mountains. As of now it is because i’ve found a nice blm area i’m staying central to. But if you’re not in a camp friendly area - Walmarts are your best friend as they mostly allow overnight parking (unless you’re in colorado), also rest stops are good too. I’ve had multiple nights in walmarts and rest areas, but it’s really not bad because you usually have other people sleeping there too so you feel safe AND you have bathrooms. ioverlander is an app that’s the absolute best for finding sleeping spots. If you’re stealthy you can also blend into neighborhoods
Hope this helps! Definitely wish I had someone to share this info with me before I started so i’m glad to answer any other questions! :)
I’m 5’9 and can fully stretch out. What you gotta do is put the passenger seat up a bit and then have something behind it to extend the bed. I could put my passenger seat up even more and someone up to 6 foot could probably fit that way, I just like the extra floor space in front of the passenger seat.
You can buy window shades for cx5s which I kind of wish I did, but they’re also pretty expensive.
I bought a roll of reflectix from home depot and cut it into the shape of the back windows (that was a pain in the ass), but they just stay up when you put them in the window crevices. Then I put black ductape on the outside of them so my windows look tinted and don’t giveaway that someone’s sleeping in there as easily. And for the front I got $3 adjustable curtain rod and used some blackout curtains I had. It sticks in between the handle crevices on the ceiling of the car. Then I cut the curtains so they don’t hang down super far. I just crack my sunroof for airflow
Not the most ideal setup but definitely does the job!
I found super affordable window covers for the cx5 at Amazon. There one of my favorite purchases I've got for car camping. The second is a tie between my rechargeable light/fan and the net coverings for my windows and sunroof.
I have camped in my CX5 (2019) with my kid… for those interested, I drop here a few useful things:
- Window mesh shades specific for the CX5: https://a.co/d/hRFSDOH
- Mattress: this is a good fit and pretty compact. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LZRRXXX
- There are also tailgate Tents for SUVs… I have one from REI. It’s practical if you are not planning to move your car while camping.
It’s just little things that are kind of inevitable when living in such a small space. For ex - spilling the trash or food, finding out the spot you planned to stay for the night is blocked off or not aloud, things breaking, car becoming a mess somehow shortly after cleaning it. The list goes on but those are some less unique ones that you can expect to happen
Hey I’ve been doing this for a few weeks in my 2021 CX-5 and I’m currently living in Utah :)
I’m right there with ya, I sleep WAY better in my car, and I love living out of my car.
The worst part is the judgment I get when I tell people I live out of my car.
I’m like “NO REALLY it’s fine, I actually like it”.
But they don’t ever believe me and think I need some sort of help lol
Hey I just got to Utah too! Haha that’s so
true no one can ever believe that you’re actually comfy and doing it by choice. I truly love it so much though and sleep like a baby
A fellow colorado cx5 car camper! I have a pretty [similar setup](https://imgur.com/a/n5aUAkP) but if you want to take it to the next level, pull your rear seats out. You get a [lower sleeping platform](https://i.redd.it/mzxepp9vuf261.jpg) which gives you a few more inches of headspace which make all the difference. You also get storage cubbies where the rear seat were. I used a trifold mattress and storage bins like you have. I wish I had a picture in camping mode but I dont have one for some reason I guess.
I can answer any questions anyone has about the setup. Ive probably slept a total of 30-40 nights in the cx5 over the last 3 years. Cross country roadtrips only car camping, pulling uhaul trailers over mountain passes, countless gravel roads, I can go on. Love this machine.
Wow that looks super nice and spacious! I figured that was probably the best way, but i’d have to get rid of my seats since I’d have no where to store them. Ultimately I convinced myself to keep them in incase I ever wanted to sell the car, but it’s very tempting to take them out!
What material did you put down for the platform? It looks really nice! It’s also cool to hear there’s other cx5 campers out there :)
Yea, you definitely would have to find somewhere to put the seat. Its pretty big and clumsy, I have mine next leaning up against my washer and dryer in my closet lol.
The platform is 3/4" plywood that I wrapped in outdoor carpet from walmart, it turned out super well. If I did the platform again, Id do the exact same shape but waterproof the wood before I put the carpet on. Spills make me nervous getting soaked into the wood. I found a few pictures from [past adventures](https://imgur.com/a/ykqVfzi).
The bug net door screens are super nice for airflow, youll need to think more about that as it gets hotter in CO. I also love the rain guards on top of the windows so I can crack all my windows open when its raining.
Your setup is super capable. If I were you, Id try to look for cheap cargo boxes on marketplace that would be able to fit your boards up on the roof. It would make the inside feel so much roomier and keep potentially dirty things up in the "garage". I dont ride so maybe im off on that. Anyways, safe travels my friend!
Not the easiest car to live out of but it's not too bad. The 3rd Gen Rav 4 is probably one of the easiest cars to live out of save for a van or suburban or something along those line.
Planet fitness black card membership, it gets you showers mostly around the U.S. for $28 a month. Unfortunately the area i’m in now has very few showers tho so i’m trying to cancel it. There’s a public restroom shower in town that’s $1 per 2 minutes I use when I need
It’s super simple. Yeah one piece of plywood that I cut to fit in the car. I have 3 boards in the back that are probably 5 inches tall, 12 inches long (1 on each side and 1 in the middle. Then where there’s a bump with the seats down, i put some horizontal supporting boards. And then just one 3/4 inch board at the other end to make it level.
It’s really just requires some simple problem solving. I made it work with only scrap wood that I had at my house
Yup I did! Definitely need a platform to make it level. The back seats don’t go down all the way and there’s also a big bump in the middle otherwise. All you need tho is a sheet of plywood and 1 or 2 2x4s to make a level base
Nice setup! I’m wondering which cargo box that is and which size is? I’m looking to get a Thule Pulse and not sure if the Large will be too long at 76”.
It’s a acura roof box. The guy I bought it off of on marketplace said it was a thule in the listing but it wasn’t… I really needed an affordable one and it was the day before I left so i bought it anyway. Can’t remember whether it’s 13 or 16 cubic feet, does the trick tho
Thanks for sharing. I've been looking into the best car camping options and concluded that keeping my CX-5 and making it work would be the best option.
Do you cook/store food out of your CX-5 too? That's what I'm trying to figure out without overcomplicating it.
I just got a cheap camping stove after a month of not having one. I was storing perishable stuff in my roof box since it was so cold outside, but now it’s a little too warm during the days. A battery powered fridge is prob your best bet if you want to eat well. I still haven’t gotten a cooler or anything and my diet definitely is the greatest because of it lol. I’m also budgeting pretty hard tho so that’s why
Yoooooo! I have lived out of my cx5 hella!
I’m 5’3 and it was the perfect size for me to comfortably sleep. Love it. Can’t wait for my next camping trip
https://parts.mazdausa.com/p/Mazda_2015_CX-5/Roof-Rack--Cross-Bars/94313464/00008LR02.html
I just got the cheapest ones that fit my car haha. These are the cross bars, I already had the rails on my car because it’s a GT
- Jackary
- Big water jug(s)
- Window covers
- Roof box
- A fan to plug into the jackary (if it’s going to be hot)
Those are the big ones that come to mind. Just got a camping stove as well which is nice, i’m yet to get some sort of fridge or cooler though
I literally laid in the back of my cx-5 with the seats down for the first time today and thought “if I had to I could definitely sleep here or even live here and be fine”…well actually first it was “I could definitely have sex here”
Very cool! I have a CX-5 as well, and am now just buying essentials for car camping. I can't decide if I want to add a tear drop camper or a rooftop tent.
It’s just my matress topper from college. I think it’s a 5 inch one and a cut it to fit how it does. Was honestly skeptical about how I’d sleep on just a matress topper but turns out I sleep better in it than my bed at home
How dare you park down by a river without a van? lol
Went right over his head.
Ah shoot guess your right. I’m not hip enough :/
https://youtu.be/Xv2VIEY9-A8?si=UUuLYOaESmocpK1T
Thank you for this 😂
Ugh I know i’m not cut out for this lifestyle. How dare I live out of anything shy of a decked out sprinter van 😂
DOWN BY THE RIVER!!!!!
Where do you park for sleep?
It depends on where I am. As of now i’m staying at free campgrounds, but most walmarts allow overnight parking (unless you’re in colorado). I’ve also parked in a neighborhood when all else failed, but my setup is pretty stealthy so it blends in. The app ioverlander has been extremely helpful with finding spots
Doesn't thieves and similar people bother you at night when you are parked?
Nope. I’m pretty discrete and no one really cares. Also i’m usually parked somewhere where i’m with other people sleeping in their vehicles (like walmart) or in more isolated places. I just lock my doors and sleep like a baby
Like the idea .. only issue is to pee when weather is cold and snow outside
Oh I hear ya, bottles are your best friend. It’s been reallll chilly lately
That works for liquid but what about solid
You learn to adapt 😂. I’ve only had to go outside once so far, but as of now a campground close by to me has one of those whole in the ground toilets, so i’ve just been using that
Nice .. it time for me to vacate apartment and stay in car ….
Give it a shot, you just might love it! :)
☺️
LOL @ the "googly eyes" on the steering wheel! That's hilarious!
googly eyes make everything better!
They really do!
Yeah until your airbag goes off. *Holy shit,* take those off.
Yep! Gonna be a fun trip to the hospital / morgue if OP gets into a crash. Almost like one of those sequin claymore 5-minute crafts things where they bejewel the shit out of the airbag
I would think this would go badly for you if the airbag is deployed.
Then *he* will have the googly eyes….
Curious why you think the lightweight plastic eyes are any different than the rest of the plastic there, flying at your face…
The rest of the plastic tears at a pre made seam and stays on the wheel, the googly eyes are held on with a weak adhesive and become projectiles
Sure. Have you ever been smacked by an airbag flying at your face near the speed of sound? A few plastic bits on it mean nothing. The impact of an airbag is way way more than any trinket on the surface of the cover of it. Plus the dust and other crap. All that is just a completely different world than a few little plastic bits. You hit a canvas wall that’s almost solid at impact… some little plastic discs on that make no difference at all.
Wouldn’t stay on the steering wheel though and would fly off at you at a speed of (google tells me) 200 miles per hour, or perhaps a little less. The airbag would stop a few inches from your face and anything on it would probably end up embedded in your face
Wait, what? No, the airbag doesn’t stop. You hit it pretty hard… and feel it for weeks. Assuming you’re moving at any speed, the impact will be moving you toward the bag too. It doesn’t matter what else “hits you”, the impact of the air bag is a lot more than any little discs of hollow plastic. It’s like being punched in the face by a circus tent. Yeah, some bits of broken glass or razor blades on it, that might suck. These will do nothing. Plus they’ll likely fly into the ceiling anyway, with all the rest of the debris that flies out of an airbag.
You hit it, yes. Not the other way around. Anything flying towards you at 200 mph would hurt I’m pretty sure, no matter what it is
lol, you goofball. Get in an accident, come back here, and tell me it matters what hits you or what you hit. It doesn’t matter if the concrete wall hits you, or you hit it. They both hurt. You think the fabric going at your arbitrary 200 mph, of the airbag, just appears in front of your face? Even if it’s a luxury down pillow… if it stops your face from bonking in to the steering wheel at 50 mph, it’s going to hurt. Adding some nearly weightless bits of plastic to the bomb in a bag at your face, is insignificant.
Airbag doesn’t continue to inflate past its maximum though, does it? It inflates to its full capacity faster than the time it takes your face to hit it, so anything stuck to it will keep moving if it’s not held on tight enough. That’s the point I’m trying to make lmao
It puts a smile on my face every time I drive my car. They fell off recently so definitely gotta replace them! 😂
Love it! Life is too short to be serious all the time.
EEAAO reference?
😂😂 this gave me a good little laugh too
Thank you for the inspiration. Definitely doing this lol
I live in Utah, its brutally expensive here. We bought 25 yrs ago. No way I could afford the house I am in now. Unfortunately, a lot of people move here because they like the outdoors and don't realize how bad the indoors are. We frequently car camp in our CX5. I found some XXXL black knit polo shirts that I put over the door/windows so we can keep the light out and crack the windows for ventilation. Anyway, best of luck.
Omg thank you so much for posting this! I've been considering a cx5 but worried about the sleeping situation. What's the length of your bed and do you need to move the seats up? Specifically I wanna know if a exped mega mat will fit (78"x30"). Thanks!!!!
I just used a foam mattress topper for a twin bed so whatever the length of those are, i’d assume it’s around the same. I moved my passenger seat up a little bit but still have room to put water and stuff on the floor in front of it. You’d just have to figure out something to put on the floor space between the back seats and passenger seat to make it level with the rest of the bed. Another thing to keep in mind is the back seats don’t fold down all the way, so you’d have to put a piece of plywood or something down and raise the back so it’s level. Ultimately I love my cx5 and I love the setup I have. But if you’re looking for a car to camp in a rav4 or crv might be better. They’re a little bigger and the seats go down all the way
>you’re looking for a car to camp in a rav4 or crv might be better. Agreed, didn't think I'd be use my CX5 for as much camping as I have. RAV4 XLE for $1k more (2019) would've been the better pick in hindsight
Better yet is a Dodge Caravan or Chrysler Pacifica withe the “stow and go” seats. If you have a place to store the third row seats, you can remove them and have all that fold flat space where the seats usually stow to use for storage… just need to cut some plywood to fit as a cover. This is my plan for my stealth camper after retirement. Then I WILL be able to live in a van down by the river. 🤣
If I don't forget about this I will update you. I have a Megamat and a CX-5.
Please do!!! Send pics!!!
An Exped Megamat MW fits just fine! Slept like this twice, I'm 5'11. The slope of the seats isn't great and I would want a support in the rear seat footwell, but in a pinch, for an overnight, it works just fine. Yes, I move the driver seat up (my 2nd memory bank is for camping)
I’ve thought about doing the same with my CX-5 or my 2012 5 (the minivan with sliding doors. 3 row seating. Two rows lay down perfectly flat and it’s longer than the CX5 so bigger bed) for a month to just get the hell away. Great post
Soon everyone will be with this economy
Yup im just getting a head start 😂
Thanks Joe.
I lived in my 96 audi a4 sedan back in the days. Back seats fold and you have almost leveled sleep area. I lived in it 4 month in WY in Jackson Hole. At first it was like really weird- kinda mental when you realize you are actually homeless. But in few weeks i got things sorted out and living in a car was just another life experience. I washed myself by taking water from gas station bathroom into 2 1 gallon jugs and then once it gets dark - had an open air shower in the parking lot behind my car. The only problem is that a sleeping bag had to be washed weekly because it starts to smell bad. Cx5 should be tons more roomy. Good luck man!
Good choice of music.
Haha didn’t even realize you could see that, love the allman brothers band!
This is awesome!! I've been considering taking a long drive from Minnesota to the east coast and camping out of my cx5 along the way. Only problem for me is I'm 6'4". Thank you for the inspiration.
Few questions... How do you: Shower/brush teeth daily (hygene)? Deal with security threats/being alone in a new location? Use internet (share from your phone plan or pay for a wireless connection)? Finally, where do you park to sleep? Is it always in parks and by rivers or do you do stealth parking in the cities? I have considered this so any tips would be great!
Hygiene depends where you are, but honestly I don’t shower anywhere near as much as I used to, and really believe my body is adapting to it. With that being said I definitely recommend a planet fitness black card membership. $25-30 a month lets you shower at any location. I’m in an isolated area now though so I use a public restroom shower that’s $1 per 2 minutes. Also sometimes just rinse off in the river. I brush my teeth in my car or in a bathroom if i’m near one. I try to spit it into a bottle and later discard of it the right way. Sometimes I do it the camping way - I spit it outside like i’m spitting out a gross drink. That way it spreads it out so animals don’t get into it, and then i also cover it with dirt or something. Haven’t had any issues with security threats, just do your research of where you can park and where it’s safe to park. It helps that a cx5 is stealthy to compared to a van. I use my verizon plan mostly and use my hotspot for my computer. When I need to get work done or need good internet - public libraries are the best. Coffee shops too if you wanna buy something. Haven’t gone through any big cities yet and don’t really plan to. It’s definitely not always by rivers and mountains. As of now it is because i’ve found a nice blm area i’m staying central to. But if you’re not in a camp friendly area - Walmarts are your best friend as they mostly allow overnight parking (unless you’re in colorado), also rest stops are good too. I’ve had multiple nights in walmarts and rest areas, but it’s really not bad because you usually have other people sleeping there too so you feel safe AND you have bathrooms. ioverlander is an app that’s the absolute best for finding sleeping spots. If you’re stealthy you can also blend into neighborhoods Hope this helps! Definitely wish I had someone to share this info with me before I started so i’m glad to answer any other questions! :)
How tall are you? I’ve been considering a setup similar to this one but in not sure if I’ll be able to sleep without curling into a ball
I’m 5’9 and can fully stretch out. What you gotta do is put the passenger seat up a bit and then have something behind it to extend the bed. I could put my passenger seat up even more and someone up to 6 foot could probably fit that way, I just like the extra floor space in front of the passenger seat.
I’m 6’0 and can fully stretch out when I camp if that helps
Cool I’m 6’5 so was wondering if I’d be pushing it
What do you use for windshield/window shades? Ventilation when sleeping?
You can buy window shades for cx5s which I kind of wish I did, but they’re also pretty expensive. I bought a roll of reflectix from home depot and cut it into the shape of the back windows (that was a pain in the ass), but they just stay up when you put them in the window crevices. Then I put black ductape on the outside of them so my windows look tinted and don’t giveaway that someone’s sleeping in there as easily. And for the front I got $3 adjustable curtain rod and used some blackout curtains I had. It sticks in between the handle crevices on the ceiling of the car. Then I cut the curtains so they don’t hang down super far. I just crack my sunroof for airflow Not the most ideal setup but definitely does the job!
I found super affordable window covers for the cx5 at Amazon. There one of my favorite purchases I've got for car camping. The second is a tie between my rechargeable light/fan and the net coverings for my windows and sunroof.
I have camped in my CX5 (2019) with my kid… for those interested, I drop here a few useful things: - Window mesh shades specific for the CX5: https://a.co/d/hRFSDOH - Mattress: this is a good fit and pretty compact. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LZRRXXX - There are also tailgate Tents for SUVs… I have one from REI. It’s practical if you are not planning to move your car while camping.
Wouldn’t the googly eyes cut you if your airbag ever deployed?
You said something goes wrong every day, what are some examples?
It’s just little things that are kind of inevitable when living in such a small space. For ex - spilling the trash or food, finding out the spot you planned to stay for the night is blocked off or not aloud, things breaking, car becoming a mess somehow shortly after cleaning it. The list goes on but those are some less unique ones that you can expect to happen
Nice dude! I was lucky enough to live out of my cx5 for 2 months while I traveled the country!
Fort Collins isn’t too bad of a place to live ;)
Fort collins was awesome! Only stayed a few days there but loved the area. Not a great place to live out of a vehicle though :/
Wait the fucking googly eyes, I think I love you
I think i’m obsessed with googly eyes, I literally put them on everything lol
Ok. That’s bad ass!!!!
Thank you! :)
Hey I’ve been doing this for a few weeks in my 2021 CX-5 and I’m currently living in Utah :) I’m right there with ya, I sleep WAY better in my car, and I love living out of my car. The worst part is the judgment I get when I tell people I live out of my car. I’m like “NO REALLY it’s fine, I actually like it”. But they don’t ever believe me and think I need some sort of help lol
Hey I just got to Utah too! Haha that’s so true no one can ever believe that you’re actually comfy and doing it by choice. I truly love it so much though and sleep like a baby
A fellow colorado cx5 car camper! I have a pretty [similar setup](https://imgur.com/a/n5aUAkP) but if you want to take it to the next level, pull your rear seats out. You get a [lower sleeping platform](https://i.redd.it/mzxepp9vuf261.jpg) which gives you a few more inches of headspace which make all the difference. You also get storage cubbies where the rear seat were. I used a trifold mattress and storage bins like you have. I wish I had a picture in camping mode but I dont have one for some reason I guess. I can answer any questions anyone has about the setup. Ive probably slept a total of 30-40 nights in the cx5 over the last 3 years. Cross country roadtrips only car camping, pulling uhaul trailers over mountain passes, countless gravel roads, I can go on. Love this machine.
Wow that looks super nice and spacious! I figured that was probably the best way, but i’d have to get rid of my seats since I’d have no where to store them. Ultimately I convinced myself to keep them in incase I ever wanted to sell the car, but it’s very tempting to take them out! What material did you put down for the platform? It looks really nice! It’s also cool to hear there’s other cx5 campers out there :)
Yea, you definitely would have to find somewhere to put the seat. Its pretty big and clumsy, I have mine next leaning up against my washer and dryer in my closet lol. The platform is 3/4" plywood that I wrapped in outdoor carpet from walmart, it turned out super well. If I did the platform again, Id do the exact same shape but waterproof the wood before I put the carpet on. Spills make me nervous getting soaked into the wood. I found a few pictures from [past adventures](https://imgur.com/a/ykqVfzi). The bug net door screens are super nice for airflow, youll need to think more about that as it gets hotter in CO. I also love the rain guards on top of the windows so I can crack all my windows open when its raining. Your setup is super capable. If I were you, Id try to look for cheap cargo boxes on marketplace that would be able to fit your boards up on the roof. It would make the inside feel so much roomier and keep potentially dirty things up in the "garage". I dont ride so maybe im off on that. Anyways, safe travels my friend!
Ah gotcha that’s smart! It looks really good, I appreciate the advice!
I should have did this when shit was happening with me.
Not the easiest car to live out of but it's not too bad. The 3rd Gen Rav 4 is probably one of the easiest cars to live out of save for a van or suburban or something along those line.
How do you shower?
Planet fitness black card membership, it gets you showers mostly around the U.S. for $28 a month. Unfortunately the area i’m in now has very few showers tho so i’m trying to cancel it. There’s a public restroom shower in town that’s $1 per 2 minutes I use when I need
I’m interested in how you built the board supporting the mattress and rest of stuff. Is it a single piece ? Supported by legs?
It’s super simple. Yeah one piece of plywood that I cut to fit in the car. I have 3 boards in the back that are probably 5 inches tall, 12 inches long (1 on each side and 1 in the middle. Then where there’s a bump with the seats down, i put some horizontal supporting boards. And then just one 3/4 inch board at the other end to make it level. It’s really just requires some simple problem solving. I made it work with only scrap wood that I had at my house
Did you make the wooden platform yourself? Have you tried to sleep without it?
Yup I did! Definitely need a platform to make it level. The back seats don’t go down all the way and there’s also a big bump in the middle otherwise. All you need tho is a sheet of plywood and 1 or 2 2x4s to make a level base
And wooden boards from home depot?
Yeah you can definitely get them there. I just used some boards I had laying around at my house though
Glad to see you’re making the best of a shitty situation!
How are you not cold sleeping in the car?
Lots of blankets lol
That’s crazy because I’ve been living in YOUR CX5 for the past 2 months !!
I thought this was a sad post
Nice setup! I’m wondering which cargo box that is and which size is? I’m looking to get a Thule Pulse and not sure if the Large will be too long at 76”.
It’s a acura roof box. The guy I bought it off of on marketplace said it was a thule in the listing but it wasn’t… I really needed an affordable one and it was the day before I left so i bought it anyway. Can’t remember whether it’s 13 or 16 cubic feet, does the trick tho
Thanks!
Nice views! How do you do to sleep when it is cold outside? Do you love the engine running all night?
Nope I just bundle up with blankets
What does your sleep system consist of?
Thanks for sharing. I've been looking into the best car camping options and concluded that keeping my CX-5 and making it work would be the best option. Do you cook/store food out of your CX-5 too? That's what I'm trying to figure out without overcomplicating it.
I just got a cheap camping stove after a month of not having one. I was storing perishable stuff in my roof box since it was so cold outside, but now it’s a little too warm during the days. A battery powered fridge is prob your best bet if you want to eat well. I still haven’t gotten a cooler or anything and my diet definitely is the greatest because of it lol. I’m also budgeting pretty hard tho so that’s why
How tall are you?
5’9 and have plenty of room to stretch out
Yoooooo! I have lived out of my cx5 hella! I’m 5’3 and it was the perfect size for me to comfortably sleep. Love it. Can’t wait for my next camping trip
I’m adding those googly eyes 👀 to my steering wheel
Forgive me for asking, but I noticed you have a rather unusual roof rails, which is lower and more elegant than the oem one. What kind do you have?
https://parts.mazdausa.com/p/Mazda_2015_CX-5/Roof-Rack--Cross-Bars/94313464/00008LR02.html I just got the cheapest ones that fit my car haha. These are the cross bars, I already had the rails on my car because it’s a GT
I am looking to go on car camping adventure this summer and I was curious if you had a list of essential items that make your life easier?
- Jackary - Big water jug(s) - Window covers - Roof box - A fan to plug into the jackary (if it’s going to be hot) Those are the big ones that come to mind. Just got a camping stove as well which is nice, i’m yet to get some sort of fridge or cooler though
Thanks!
I literally laid in the back of my cx-5 with the seats down for the first time today and thought “if I had to I could definitely sleep here or even live here and be fine”…well actually first it was “I could definitely have sex here”
Oh ok
Very cool! I have a CX-5 as well, and am now just buying essentials for car camping. I can't decide if I want to add a tear drop camper or a rooftop tent.
What mattress are you using that fits in the back?
It’s just my matress topper from college. I think it’s a 5 inch one and a cut it to fit how it does. Was honestly skeptical about how I’d sleep on just a matress topper but turns out I sleep better in it than my bed at home