Can You Sleep on a Cot in an SUV? (And SHOULD You??)

Thanks for watching! The cot shown in the video is here (amzn.to/4ffGla9), and this is the camp mattress I use in all of my vehicles (amzn.to/3LJLfhX). Those are Amazon affiliate links. And this video was filmed on a mountain near where I live in SW Wyoming. We've been seeing lots of smoke from nearby (and some not-so-nearby) wildfires, hence the hazy conditions. -Tristan

I built a sleeping platform for my 2022 RAV4 Hybrid, and last month finally figured out a comfortable and inexpensive mattress system: 2" memory foam mattress topper from Target on top of 3" high density foam from Michaels. The high density foam provides support, so my hips don't push down to the wooden platform when I sleep on my side.

I find it interesting and motivating that to get out does not require a tricked out rig. The places you go with awesome views are wonderful. Thanks for the tips.

Tristan, you inspired me to SUV camp a number of years ago. It has changed my life. Thank you! My biggest challenge with SUV camping was good use of vertical space. I found I was able to use an adjustable chaise lawn chair in back of my spacious 2015 Honda Pilot. When I removed the last 2 seat rows, it gave me lots of head room. A sheet of plywood made it nice and flat/level. The lounge chair was relatively cheap and allowed for great storage underneath. I could still sit up on it and also use it outside for a lawn chair.

I used this exact cot on a river trip down the grand canyon,it was great to sleep under the stars each night without having to try to find hammock spots (which dont always exist down there). It was great for that purpose. I don't use it inside my car, but I have thrown it in the roof box to have available, its useful on a hot night - when the car would trap excess heat - to have a quick way to cowboy camp under the stars and get that good radiant heat loss. Just a quick tip, but when you're setting up the side rails you can push the end of the poles into the fabric tubes,theres a little pocket to tuck the pole ends in. You'll get much better tension on the fabric that way. Although my solo setup is dialed, I have used a cot setup in the form of the REI trailgate when converting the setup for two people. That's a very nice setup for two and you don't have to worry about plywood, its adaptable to a bunch of different vehicle geometries, but obviously quite a bit more expensive than an amazon cot

Spent ten months on the road last year, mostly in the western states. In a 2015 Xterra, I use a 4" mattress on the passenger side with the seat all the way forward and a plastic storage bin to bridge the gap. Worked great! Thanks for the inspiration to SUV camp!

I love how you tried several ways to camping❤

I like how small and lightweight it is. Easy to build and breakdown. And I agree the hammock concept is great for floating over the weird, uneven surface and projections one gets when when one rips out the seats.

For those who think this is not comfortable…. I have this exact same cot and the wilco pad, and have used it for 2 years, and it’s heaven. I am late 60’s, with bad back and hip, and I sleep better on this than my home bed.

Tristan I agree you don’t need the cot in your SUV! It’s nice . I think more for a larger SUV or a tent!❤️😀🇺🇸🚙

I like that it's compact and low to the ground it'll fit my small tent perfectly. Thanks for sharing

I've started using a folding cot in the back of my first gen Sequoia, and I really like it. I also use a 1" self inflating sleeping pad to get a little extra cushion. I fold it all up during the day and I have a lot of room in the back. The 3rd row seats are removed as well as the driver side 2nd row. Because the cot gives you some "hammock", it seems you don't need to worry much about being as level when parking too.

the mattress would be just fine without the cot....just use a sleeping bag and mattress

I use an inflatable Luno mattress in my Highlander. Very comfy

I used a cot similar to this for many years in my Honda Odyssey with mush success, then moved it to my Ford ranger. It would be a good idea to measure dimensions of the space available before purchase!

Excellent! I live in an apartment now, and this cot would store a lot easier than a big piece of plywood. Not to mention the weight and maneuverability difference. I'm older and disabled so this would be great! Especially since I own a larger Honda Pilot 😊 Thank you 😊

Currently rereading your „101 Blogging Tips“ from 2012 and loved your old podcast. Great to see you succeeding so well! Congrats🎉! Took I while to recognize your changed voice 🙏 Greetings from Germany.

Hi Tristan, Interesting to see this in a small SUV. I used a cot in my minivans in the beginning and found that 60/40 split rear seats gave me 30” on one side (the width of a large cot). This is probably true of some mid-sized SUVs like a Honda Pilot. The middle seat of my 07’ Pilot did this. Ironically we just sent it to its new home this very morning, so I can’t go measure it. My 2010 Acura MDX is built on the same platform and leaves a 29” wide space. As you say, in a minivan it’s nice to have as tall a cot as possible, to store things underneath.

Looks comfortable enough but I would rather have the free space in the SUV without something that structured to work around. 👍🏻🙋🏼‍♀️

for myself in an XTERRA, I started with a Helinox cot very similar to the one you showed, which I used to use for backpacking, behind the driver's seat (which has the 60% side in the rear split) so that I could use the rear passenger seat as a changing room. This is about 8 years ago. I've since moved on to putting the bed behind the passenger seat, with the entire rear seat folded, so I don't have to adjust the driver's seat between driving and camping modes. While in this configuration I've used a Thermarest 4-in blow-up mattress, and the Wilpo memory foam pad in turns (and together) to some success. As a side sleeper I bottom out at the hip with the matterss pad. For the last year or so, however, I've been using a self-inflating pad with memory foam (so basically the two combined) from "Elegear" which has the advantages of 1) lower overall loft (as I use a shelf over the cargo area) 2) not bottoming out 3) keeping aligned during sleep.