Car Camping is So Hot Right Now - We Tried This Trend
Move over #vanlife, car camping is fast becoming a popular way to extend road trips overnight.
Already a big scene in countries such as South Korea, where it’s known as Chabak, car camping, especially in an SUV offers a more comfortable, weather-proof experience when compared to a night under canvas. A recent survey by Hyundai showed that 60 per cent of the 2,000 respondents wouldn’t consider a traditional camping holiday and 27 per cent of people quizzed were put off by the time it takes to pitch a tent alone.
Other car makers getting in on the action include Porsche which sells roof tents suitable for almost all its cars, and a pop-up cube tent that attaches to the rear hatch to extend the living and sleeping space.
So how comfy can a car really be? Over two nights in the paddock at the Snetterton race circuit for a weekend of EnduroKA racing I would find out.
First, a bit of preparation. For privacy - and to block out the dawn light – I bought some cheap magnetic curtains that stick to the side window frames, plus a reflective shield for the windscreen and rear window, for a total cost of less than £30. I dug out a couple of lightweight inflatable camping mattresses that I’d previously used on a Caterham camping adventure and packed up a duvet and pillows, earplugs and an eye mask along with my race kit.
All this went into the boot of the Detour Kia EV6 and, upon arrival at the circuit I found a quiet-ish spot away from the pits to park. Then it was simply a case of lowering the rear seats, pumping up the mattresses and fitting the blinds. Within ten minutes Camp Kia was ready and I hadn’t had to mess around with a single tent pole.
Another bonus is the EV6’s dedicated utility mode that allows the climate control to run when parked for long periods, and with the summer temperatures soaring this proved to be invaluable, keeping the cabin at a comfortable 19 degrees throughout the night – and only consuming five per cent of the battery charge in the process. Every time I’ve camped before I’ve either been too hot, too cold, and often both in the same night, so the climate control really did add a touch of luxury.
The rear seats fold flat to provide a solid base for sleeping, but I had to lie diagonally to fit in and taller campers might struggle. It would also be quite a squeeze for two people. The other slight issue was having to pile all my gear into the front seats and then not being able to access it without getting out and opening one of the front doors.
However, these are minor moans and I slept much more soundly than I would have done under canvas. I’m definitely a car camping convert.
Whether I’m quite ready to do it full-time, like the YouTuber who lives in his Lamborghini, is another matter.
Move over #vanlife, car camping is fast becoming a popular way to extend road trips overnight.