How to turned my jeep into a camper

[kristine]

Hi everyone! I really enjoy road trips to different cities, meeting new people, experiencing new things and smell the roses. I am getting tired of tent camping, so I am thinking of removing the back seat and turning my jeep into a camper which includes a kitchen system and bed platform inside my jeep. Does anybody have an idea or made one before? How thick should Wood be for a bed frame? Should I upgrade my cooler to a portable refrigerator?

2/10/2022 Update:
After 20 days I finally finished my project! The process is harder than I thought, how to mount and secure the system to the jeep and finding the best material fits my needs takes so much time. My first time designing and making something by myself turns out I really enjoy the process and the result. I believe this is the best gift that I made for myself in the beginning of 2022! Feel free to give me suggestions, comment or share your handmade project and the best place to overland in summer with me!

I made it into three parts: the back part(trunk), middle part (back seat), and the front part (extension when adjust the front seat)
The picture below is the back part, left side will be storage for cooking containers and the right side will be a refrigerator.


The picture below is the middle part. I also installed wireless light control on the bottom, and planned to store some daily supply and clothes under it.
The picture below is the middle and front part(extension board), the front piece/extension board will only be used when I adjust the front seat and get ready for bed. I decorate the extension board with the stickers I brought when I travel to national parks. Plan to "fill in the blank" with all the amazing places later on.




This is the whole picture of my system! I am ready for the next adventure!!

 

[smritte]

Quite a few people have built sleeping platforms in various vehicles. I have one in the back of my Cruiser. I made mine with a metal frame and 3/8 plywood. Under it is a set of drawers made completely out of metal. Most of the ones I’ve seen are 1/2 inch plywood including drawers. I didn’t go this route due to weight and how much space I would loose making the drawers out of 1/2 inch. I’m going to assume you measured it and you actually fit. My son’s 2018 4Runner, I would have to sleep diagonal. For me, getting a fridge was a game changer. Before you invest in one, find some people with different size fridges and figure out how big you actually need. Fridges take up a bit of room and getting one way too big is a waste of space. I see your in Calf but your sig doesn’t say where. If your in my area I could show you a couple of different sizes.

Forgot to add.
If your building your sleeping system for a single person you have more room for things on the side. If I’m sleeping in the back of mine, I’m alone. I have room for gear next to me. One side of my drawers has my kitchen. I pretty much cook on my tailgate. Two people sleeping would mean moving my fridge to the front seat for the night. Everything else would stay the same.

 

[Dlnuckolls]

If you have an “unlimited” jeep (4-door); you should have space for a platform. With the seats pushed forward for the night we comfortably sleep 2. I use a cooler instead of a fridge (that is a future upgrade), just move it out for the night. We have done as long as 4 nights with this setup, and while not perfect, it beats a tent and sleeping on the ground.

I am looking at an upgrade to a teardrop in 2022, so things will get even better for long outings!

 

[trail_runn4r]

Hi everyone! I really enjoy road trips to different cities, meeting new people, experiencing new things and smell the roses. I am getting tired of tent camping, so I am thinking of removing the back seat and turning my jeep into a camper which includes a kitchen system and bed platform inside my jeep. Does anybody have an idea or made one before? How thick should Wood be for a bed frame? Should I upgrade my cooler to a portable refrigerator?

if I had a Jeep I would totally buy a Ursa Minor camper!

 

[Carnage_95YJ]

I’m setting up my ‘21 Gladiator for camping inside the bed. Check out TrailRecon YouTube channel. Brad has lots of great videos with other peoples setups so you can see what they have come up with - from ground tents and plastic bags to cabinets and RTTs. It all depends on your budget, time, and skills.

 

[kristine]

Quite a few people have built sleeping platforms in various vehicles. I have one in the back of my Cruiser. I made mine with a metal frame and 3/8 plywood. Under it is a set of drawers made completely out of metal. Most of the ones I’ve seen are 1/2 inch plywood including drawers. I didn’t go this route due to weight and how much space I would loose making the drawers out of 1/2 inch. I’m going to assume you measured it and you actually fit. My son’s 2018 4Runner, I would have to sleep diagonal. For me, getting a fridge was a game changer. Before you invest in one, find some people with different size fridges and figure out how big you actually need. Fridges take up a bit of room and getting one way too big is a waste of space. I see your in Calf but your sig doesn’t say where. If your in my area I could show you a couple of different sizes.

Forgot to add.
If your building your sleeping system for a single person you have more room for things on the side. If I’m sleeping in the back of mine, I’m alone. I have room for gear next to me. One side of my drawers has my kitchen. I pretty much cook on my tailgate. Two people sleeping would mean moving my fridge to the front seat for the night. Everything else would stay the same.

Hi Scott! Thank you so much for all the valuable information! I start my draft with 1/2 plywood as the sleeping platform. Lots of people said the fridge is the thing that can't live without, so I am planning to upgrade the cooler to Dometic 35 with the Yeti 400. Most of the time I will travel with my BF, fortunately we are short and can fit into the back of the Jeep. I will keep update the progress.

 

[kristine]

Making some progress:

 

[smritte]

Looks good.
How about cutting the sides a little and adding a hinge (the part in front of the cage). That will give you access to the shallow well area. I keep small things like tow straps and tie downs in mine.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

How thick should Wood be for a bed frame?

This depends.

In MY case, probably 3/4".....

 

[Deleted member 82267]

Looks like a good start. Check out the Kreg pocket hole jig for screwing parts together and use wood glue. This system is used for building cabinets etc. It will be super strong and last a long time.

 

[kristine]

During the past weekend:

1. I paint it with BEHR-Espresso to make it look clean and nice.
2. Cover the top with self adhesive carpet tile to protect the wood surface.
3. Made a couple wood blocks on the bottom to hold it in place and easy take-off.
4. Mounted Webost

 

[kristine]

After 20 days I finally finished my project! The process is harder than I thought, how to mount and secure the system to the jeep and finding the best material fits my needs takes so much time. My first time designing and making something by myself turns out I really enjoy the process and the result. I believe this is the best gift that I made for myself in the beginning of 2022! Feel free to give me suggestions, comment or share your handmade project and the best place to overland in summer with me!

I made it into three parts: the back part(trunk), middle part (back seat), and the front part (extension when adjust the front seat)
The picture below is the back part, left side will be storage for cooking containers and the right side will be a refrigerator.

The picture below is the middle part. I also installed wireless light control on the bottom, and planned to store some daily supply and clothes under it.

The picture below is the middle and front part(extension board), the front piece/extension board will only be used when I adjust the front seat and get ready for bed. I decorate the extension board with the stickers I brought when I travel to national parks. Plan to "fill in the blank" with all the amazing places later on.

This is the whole picture of my system! I am ready for the next adventure!!

 

[200LC]

Nicely done