The Pros And Cons Of Car Camping Your Way Through A Road Trip

If you're taking a lengthy adventure across the country in your car, you've got a few options for nighttime rest. You can stay at a motel every night, which can get very expensive, or you could buy and use a tent, which does require a degree of outdoor living skill and knowledge. If neither of those sound particularly appealing, there is a third avenue: camping out in your car itself. If it's good enough to ferry you across the highways, it's good enough to get some shuteye in.

Car camping has become a semi-common choice for road trippers, as not only is it more economical than purchasing tents or hotel stays, but it's generally easier to pull off safely and comfortably for the less outdoor-inclined. However, whether car camping is a realistic option for you at all is heavily contingent on the kind of car that you own, the size of your travel party, and how much stuff you've brought along on your trip. In the best-case scenario, a car would provide everything you'd want out of a tent and much more, but in the worst, you could end up being uncomfortable and miserable.

There's a lot of sound logic when it comes to deciding to car camp on a road trip. After all, you're already in the car anyway, so you might as well sleep in it. Sleeping where you drive can save you a bundle that you would otherwise have to spend on either a high-grade tent and the necessary equipment or constant motel stays, with the latter assuming you can even find a motel to stay at every night of your trip. If you're a newcomer to the camping and travel scene and aren't sure you want to invest in a tent yet, car camping is a good compromise.

It certainly helps that camping out in the car brings a certain degree of safety and comfort with it. Compared to the loose sides of a tent, a car is a solid, difficult-to-move object with sturdy, locking doors. This is particularly invaluable in the event of inclement weather like heavy rain or wind, which can snake through any small gaps in your tent setup and potentially soak your clothes and belongings. No elements will get into your car, ensuring you rest soundly. The only potential concern there is intense temperatures like cold and heat, though there are some portable gadgets like coolers and heaters that could help surmount that.

Unfortunately, just about all the perks of car camping are banking on the assumption that you have a sufficiently large car that you can sleep in, such as an SUV or an offroad-ready vehicle properly suited for overlanding. If you're driving cross-country in a little sedan, there's no way you'll be able to make enough space in the cabin to actually splay out and relax. This is especially true if you're traveling with friends and family members. Car camping is good for solo camping, or maybe a max of two campers if you don't mind being a little cramped, but any more than that, and only a big tent will be able to fit you safely.

There's also the matter of possessions to consider. It's one thing to be camping for its own sake, but if you're specifically on a road trip to a destination, you've probably got some luggage with clothes and toiletries in the car, and it may be difficult to make room for it in your car camping setup. There are tricks you can use to optimize space, like storing belongings on the roof of the car, but there's only so much optimization you can do before you just won't fit.