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As an avid cyclist, I want to do some traveling, and can’t afford to stay in hotels or buy an RV or anything so I turned my ‘15 Honda Fit into a mobile camper.I’ve researched it a lot, watched countless YouTube videos about car camping. I was inspired by a post a few years ago that I found in this forum https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/general-fit-talk/90939-turning-my-fit-into-mobile-camper.htmlMy Fit is my every day driver, so I couldn’t really do anything permanently. I still work full time so I really only have time to travel on the weekends. I plan on attending various bike rides scheduled throughout Texas, and plan on driving up the night before as some of the places are 4 hours away from me and usually the rides start very early in the morning. This way I can camp, have a leisurely breakfast and enjoy the ride. If I need to, depending on the distance and extent of the ride, I could camp another night or head back home.My requirements are not that extreme. A comfortable place to sleep and a way to cook my oatmeal and brew a cup of coffee. Maybe take a shower after the ride, perhaps sneak in a short nap.So my set up is simple. It’s just me. The intent also has to be absolute minimal set up and tear down time. Pull up, sleep, wake, eat, ride, return.I didn’t want to build a platform as other Forum members have. I thought it might be heavy and cumbersome for me to take out and set up. I'm not so skilled with tools anyway. I don't think I would have any issue with sitting up heightwise if I added a platform, but I don't really need the extra storage option so it's not worth the effort for me.
Since the seats fold almost flat, I just cut out a 4” memory foam mattress to fit behind the driver’s side. My cooler just happens to squeeze in that gap between the driver’s side seat and the edge of the folded back seat so I get 6’ and some change of stretching out space. I only need 5’!. I made it about 26” wide, so I can lift the smaller seat up if I want. It’s quite comfortable. I use a yoga mat folded under the mattress to even out the unevenness of the back seat and the cargo area. But I have to deal with the hinge and that hard piece that covers it. I can feel the lump a little, and it’s right on my hip. I think I will cut out the hard piece so I can move it out of the way, and then stuff some foam to cover the hinge. Then when I set it back up I can add velcro to that piece to put it back in place.Then for my camping “kitchen” and storage, I just use plastic milk crates. Right now there are four, but that’s overkill for my one night getaways. I will drop down to 2. I like the milk crates as I can slide them forward if I want to cook using the passenger side. If I’m cooking inside the car, I can easily crack the window. I can slide it out the hatch, too, using a strap to hold it up. But I have my bike on a rack on back so I’d have to take my bike off to lift up the hatch. It can work either way though.If I need more storage for dry food or snacks, I use a large fabric bag hung up on the back of the passenger seat as my “pantry.”The reason I want to be able to lift the small back seat up is twofold. If I need to have passengers I can take 2 without having to change my camper setup. I can also use it to sit in to eat or change or whatever. And secondly, I want to be able to lift the seat all the way up in case I have to use my porta-potty in the middle of the night. I have a cheap folding one that uses plastic bags and it comes in handy. I haven’t mastered the use of the “she-we” so this just works out for me. Plenty of space for me to do my business when that seat folds up.I like my folding phone/tablet holder that fits conveniently in the rear passenger door. I use it for my tablet or phone, if I want to study the route before the ride or just surf the internet. But I also rigged a small table that will fit into it for when I want to prepare or eat my breakfast. It’s adjustable and can move to any position so I can use it when I’m in or out of the car.My bike gear and clothing easily go up front when I’m sleeping. All that dash space put to good use.I use reflectix for all the windows. I don’t get 100% blockage on the front so I have to work on that; maybe make some curtains. This setup works great, but the weather’s been cooler here in Texas for right now. I have a propane heater and also a heater attachment to put on the butane stove, but haven’t had to use either yet. I use a cold weather sleeping bag and it’s kept me warm in the low-40’s.I’m more concerned about this summer when the car will get very hot. The reflectix will help keep the sun out, but I will need the windows open I think. I’m going to have to come up with something. Keeping warm is much easier than keeping cool when sleeping in a car.I also have accessories to add to the comfort of my camp, should I decide to set up more stuff. I have a pop up privacy tent for changing/showering/toilet and pop up screen tent for bug - ree lounging. They fold down small and can fit easily under the cargo area in the spare tire holder. I also have a small profile fold up camp chair that folds up really small. The camp kitchen can also easily come out of the car and be set up on a table.So I just wanted to share how I’m enjoying my FitRV. I can always add things like a roof rack or hitch should I need more space or go for longer trips. But for right now, this “Fits” for me. My gas mileage is still exceptional and I’m saving money while traveling without sacrificing comfort.Enjoy the photos and feel free to contact me with any questions. I would appreciate some suggestions as to how to handle the heat of the summer…
Cars now can be idled all night with little negative consequences. Modern fuel injection negates most idling problems. Crack a window of course. Depending on the temperature and duration of sleeping your idling time could be minimal. As a long time truck driver, the advent of fuel injection made a big difference in idling, both in fuel consumption and wear and tear. Granted gas is different but the same technology applies. A little “googling” should ease your mind.
cool....i would just create/incorporate a stash for your stove etc (and maybe your cat) so you dont come back to it all missing after a bike ride. its unfortunate we cant just live and enjoy our belongings.
i keep forgetting i want to see how well i fit in the back of my car with them magic seats. ill just have to shimmy under my rear strut bar.
My wife and I have traveled all over the country in my 2009 Honda Fit. We have stayed in the back of the Fit with plenty of room for ourselves and our backpacks and have been quite comfortable. We have stayed at truck stops, national parks and big-box stores in many cities all over the United States for free. We have primarily traveled in the summer and our ventures have taken us from to many different climates.
During the summer months we keep our A/C running all night. This was freaky when we first did this in Texarkana in 90+ degree heat but it worked well. During the night we used about 1.5 gallons of gas and stayed very cool. We continued to do this in Roswell, NM and other cities during the hot and humid summer months with no problems. The car never overheated. We did use shiny silver reflective insulation covering over the windows from Lowe’s and that helped a lot.
For the winter months we just use 0 degree sleeping bags and that plus our body heat keeps the car warm. We’ve been doing this on multiple trips over the past 2 years and it has suited us well.
Originally Posted by dealwrite
As an avid cyclist, I want to do some traveling, and can’t afford to stay in hotels or buy an RV or anything so I turned my ‘15 Honda Fit into a mobile camper.I’ve researched it a lot, watched countless YouTube videos about car camping. I was inspired by a post a few years ago that I found in this forum https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/general-fit-talk/90939-turning-my-fit-into-mobile-camper.htmlMy Fit is my every day driver, so I couldn’t really do anything permanently. I still work full time so I really only have time to travel on the weekends. I plan on attending various bike rides scheduled throughout Texas, and plan on driving up the night before as some of the places are 4 hours away from me and usually the rides start very early in the morning. This way I can camp, have a leisurely breakfast and enjoy the ride. If I need to, depending on the distance and extent of the ride, I could camp another night or head back home.My requirements are not that extreme. A comfortable place to sleep and a way to cook my oatmeal and brew a cup of coffee. Maybe take a shower after the ride, perhaps sneak in a short nap.So my set up is simple. It’s just me. The intent also has to be absolute minimal set up and tear down time. Pull up, sleep, wake, eat, ride, return.I didn’t want to build a platform as other Forum members have. I thought it might be heavy and cumbersome for me to take out and set up. I'm not so skilled with tools anyway. I don't think I would have any issue with sitting up heightwise if I added a platform, but I don't really need the extra storage option so it's not worth the effort for me.
Since the seats fold almost flat, I just cut out a 4” memory foam mattress to fit behind the driver’s side. My cooler just happens to squeeze in that gap between the driver’s side seat and the edge of the folded back seat so I get 6’ and some change of stretching out space. I only need 5’!. I made it about 26” wide, so I can lift the smaller seat up if I want. It’s quite comfortable. I use a yoga mat folded under the mattress to even out the unevenness of the back seat and the cargo area. But I have to deal with the hinge and that hard piece that covers it. I can feel the lump a little, and it’s right on my hip. I think I will cut out the hard piece so I can move it out of the way, and then stuff some foam to cover the hinge. Then when I set it back up I can add velcro to that piece to put it back in place.Then for my camping “kitchen” and storage, I just use plastic milk crates. Right now there are four, but that’s overkill for my one night getaways. I will drop down to 2. I like the milk crates as I can slide them forward if I want to cook using the passenger side. If I’m cooking inside the car, I can easily crack the window. I can slide it out the hatch, too, using a strap to hold it up. But I have my bike on a rack on back so I’d have to take my bike off to lift up the hatch. It can work either way though.If I need more storage for dry food or snacks, I use a large fabric bag hung up on the back of the passenger seat as my “pantry.”The reason I want to be able to lift the small back seat up is twofold. If I need to have passengers I can take 2 without having to change my camper setup. I can also use it to sit in to eat or change or whatever. And secondly, I want to be able to lift the seat all the way up in case I have to use my porta-potty in the middle of the night. I have a cheap folding one that uses plastic bags and it comes in handy. I haven’t mastered the use of the “she-we” so this just works out for me. Plenty of space for me to do my business when that seat folds up.I like my folding phone/tablet holder that fits conveniently in the rear passenger door. I use it for my tablet or phone, if I want to study the route before the ride or just surf the internet. But I also rigged a small table that will fit into it for when I want to prepare or eat my breakfast. It’s adjustable and can move to any position so I can use it when I’m in or out of the car.My bike gear and clothing easily go up front when I’m sleeping. All that dash space put to good use.I use reflectix for all the windows. I don’t get 100% blockage on the front so I have to work on that; maybe make some curtains. This setup works great, but the weather’s been cooler here in Texas for right now. I have a propane heater and also a heater attachment to put on the butane stove, but haven’t had to use either yet. I use a cold weather sleeping bag and it’s kept me warm in the low-40’s.I’m more concerned about this summer when the car will get very hot. The reflectix will help keep the sun out, but I will need the windows open I think. I’m going to have to come up with something. Keeping warm is much easier than keeping cool when sleeping in a car.I also have accessories to add to the comfort of my camp, should I decide to set up more stuff. I have a pop up privacy tent for changing/showering/toilet and pop up screen tent for bug - ree lounging. They fold down small and can fit easily under the cargo area in the spare tire holder. I also have a small profile fold up camp chair that folds up really small. The camp kitchen can also easily come out of the car and be set up on a table.So I just wanted to share how I’m enjoying my FitRV. I can always add things like a roof rack or hitch should I need more space or go for longer trips. But for right now, this “Fits” for me. My gas mileage is still exceptional and I’m saving money while traveling without sacrificing comfort.Enjoy the photos and feel free to contact me with any questions. I would appreciate some suggestions as to how to handle the heat of the summer…
11-20-2018, 03:40 PM
