My Simple Car-Camping Setup (With Links)

Camping Setup

I thought I'd use this to show off the little camping setup I've evolved to. I'm not a huge camper, but wanted to get into it more since I've gotten the Jeep. I don't I really like tents (bear tacos), so I've been working on setting the Jeep for car camping.

I wanted something simple: no RTT, no roof rack, no camping fridge, easy and relatively quick to setup, and easy to prep for a trip. All of these things are important to me because the longer the setup takes to pack, change over from offroading to camping mode, etc, the less I will want to do it lol. I also want something relatively comfortable because... I'm getting old and soft at 36; let's face it I bought a nice house and bed so that I could sleep indoors lol.

I'll try to pull out the specific things here that have made this setup work so far and have included links and some feedback with the hopes it helps some others like me.

My setup includes:

• The Deepsleep JL specific self-inflating beds - Link
  • I splurged on these to make my likelihood of enjoying camping increase lol. So far I like them- the fit is a bit tight; seats have to be forward, but they fit even with the tailgate table. I'm 5'6 and there's enough room for me to lay out straight. The self inflation takes about 3-5 minutes, but doesn't require any assistance. They also don't deflate overnight, so much better than an air mattress.
• The Alltop Spare tire bag. LINK
  • This lets me keep the majority of the camping "stuff" out of the Jeep so it's much easier to pack. I've found camping much more pleasurable when the switch to camping mode is easy, and this helps a lot to just generally keep decluttered. It's a pretty big bag and I can easily fit the camping toilet/bag, camping table, cooking equipment, and other stuff in.
  • I added a large molle bag (LINK) to each side of the bag to separately store and easily access the knockoff water boiler (LINK), camp cooking utensils, and I still have room.
  • I added a paper towel holder to the top because I wanted quick access and couldn't find a better place: (LINK)
• A quick pop-up mini chaning room/toilet room. These are plentiful on Amazon. If I take the kids or am not in a campground, I'll take this.
• Roadie Window coverings - LINK
  • I need air, and tried a few different cheaper options before settling on 2 of these. I settled on them because they're easy to install, give you the option of having a screen or a waterproof flap, and have a little hood to allow you to keep the screen open even in a light rain. I hang a battery powered fan on the rollbar pulling air through the mesh and into the Jeep.
  • For blacking out the other windows, I got a set of foam window coverings (LINK). These work decently, but I'm not totally sold on them yet and am considering upgrading to a curtain that clips onto the roll bars because it would be faster AND work with the soft top.
• Soft bags for equipment- This is important because to quickly switch to camping mode, you have to take the stuff out of the cargo area in the Jeep and move it to the front seats (and front seats need to be fully forward). I've consolidated my gear into 3 bags that comfortably stack on the front seats.
  • Cooler (LINK) - This fits, but is just okay. It's a bit floppy and only keeps things cool for about 12-14 hours. But it works, and I tend to take freeze dried food or MREs, so don't really need to worry about it other than keeping my drinks cool.
  • Recovery Bag (LINK) - I've consolidated all my recovery stuff into this bag, including an elastic rope, 4 soft shackles, hitch and D ring, fold-up shovel, tree saver, extra D rings, folding branch saw, ratchet straps, and gloves.
  • Tool bag (LINK) - you can see more about what's in the tool bag here: (What's in the bags?)
  • Clothes and toiletries go in a small duffel bag.
• Saddle bags (LINK) - These have been great and I love them. They're roomy and have molle straps on the outside, so I've attached my first aid kit to them with a velcro tear-away. They're especially great for camping because they provide easy access while in the back of the Jeep - stuff like the phone battery charger, charging cords, flashlight, etc.
• Magnetic Lights (LINK) - I also love these- I magnet one to the top of the roll bar so it shines upwards (not into your eyes). They are also dimmable and you can change to a warm color. I magnet the other to top of the tailgate table so I have 2 easy access lights.
• Tailgate table (LINK) - This has also been great, and having the extra extension off the side was really helpful to cool and lay out food on.
• Inflator bag (LINK) - I use the Milwaukee M18 inflator. I found this carry case that works well to keep the inflator, battery, and spare battery together. Bonus that you can strap the case to the rear roll bar and it's always accessible, out of the way, and doesn't need to be moved to setup for camping.
• Seatback Molle (LINK)- My JLU did not come with the molle straps on the back of the front seats, so I added one of these to the passenger front seat. I like that I can configure them as I want, and primarily use them to hold:
  • Water bottle with THIS molle holder
  • Handheld radios with THIS molle holder - great for when you need to take a middle-of-the-night bathroom break and the kid is nervous to be alone. Just grab a radio and go.
  • I've found THESE tissue boxes that are the size of a water bottle and fit into the same molle holders above. Again, instantly accessible while you're sleeping in the back.
• Rubber cargo floor - I pull this out and put it on the ground for a ground mat. There are many on Amazon.
• Water Jug (LINK) - This jug fits in the space between the front seat and rear seat when the front seat is folded down. Our primary drinking water goes into the cooler, and this is mainly used as wash-up water, etc, and back-up drinking water if needed. At 3.6 gallons its comfortable for 2 people for 2 nights - and I pretty much only go for one night since... again... I'm soft and like my house bed lol.

I'm not including all the other non-Jeep things here like camping chairs, cookware, etc, but you can image that all goes in a tote or the spare tire bag.

Now for the pics:

Snapshot of the spare tire bag with attached molle pouches and paper towel holder. Also the pop-up changing/bathroom tent.






Tailgate table with dinner being laid out. You can also see one of the magnetic lights.



Quick shot of the bedding setup, floor mat on the ground for a "porch" to take you shoes off, and the Roadie window covers.


A few pics of the Deepsleep bedding and how it fits.




Bonus pic of the rollbar tablet holder I built (instructions here) with the magnetic light above:



Window light blockers - they work but I'm not sold on them yet based on wanting an easier solution that also works with the soft top windows in the back.

The Roadie window awnings are nice addition to the set-up.

I do like them.

Thanks for sharing....nice approach.

I thought hammocks were bear tacos

oubbascooba said:

I thought hammocks were bear tacos

Click to expand...

Hammocks are softshell tacos. The real question is: If a bear eats a vegetarian, will they get explosive diarrhea?

@AA_Jeeper, WOW! Thank you for sharing all this along with pics and links! Well done.

For all the years I’ve camped, I’ve never heard “bear tacos” in reference to tents or hammocks. It fits though. LOL As I’ve gotten older…much older, I’ve become less and less of a fan of sleeping in tents as far as security goes. Your post gives some ideas for building out the jeep as we switch over from camping in our long bed taco.

Really a well thought out approach. I like it, especially the pop-up latrine. I did not see a link to that.

I guess I'm still in the "bear taco" crowd. It's just a lot more room for me and the Choco Lab than trying to sleep in a 2-door. And we don't have many, if any, bears around here, but I still pack a 40S&W, just in case some "bad elements" want to f-around with me.....

LSJKU said:

Really a well thought out approach. I like it, especially the pop-up latrine. I did not see a link to that.

I guess I'm still in the "bear taco" crowd. It's just a lot more room for me and the Choco Lab than trying to sleep in a 2-door. And we don't have many, if any, bears around here, but I still pack a 40S&W, just in case some "bad elements" want to f-around with me.....

Click to expand...

I didn't include a link to the pop up latrine because it's so old that I couldn't find one, but they're plentiful on Amazon. I actually bought it originally as a mini paint-spray-booth in my garage. It worked fairly well to not get overspray all over the garage, and allowed me to paint when it was cold/rainy/etc.

LSJKU said:

Really a well thought out approach. I like it, especially the pop-up latrine. I did not see a link to that.

I guess I'm still in the "bear taco" crowd. It's just a lot more room for me and the Choco Lab than trying to sleep in a 2-door. And we don't have many, if any, bears around here, but I still pack a 40S&W, just in case some "bad elements" want to f-around with me.....

Click to expand...

Not the exact one I have but same concept- just search for "pop up changing room"

Amazon.com : Wolfwise Pop Up Shower Tent for Camping Essentials, Portable Instant Changing Tent with Ventilation Window & Carry Bag, Privacy Dressing Room Bathroom Toilet for Beach, Outdoor, Standard : Sports & Outdoors