Situation

Real camping seems not to be much cheaper than just to book a hotel and eat out in restaurants. (extra car (RV), with extra parking lot, camping fees, extra fuel, extra taxes, extra insurance... this all adds up) - but: somtimes when you're on your way there is no hotel near by or you don't have time to search for one or you are just tired...so...

Step 1: Solution

Build a convertable camper out of your standard car – for a price cheaper than a tent (just for sleeping if you don't find a hotel or you're far out the next city and already tired). Or maybe you want to go for a hike early in the morning and you sleep the night in the car already up in the mountains. We use it sometimes in the mountains to sleep after shooting milkyway pictures up there.

Step 2: How To

Buy a used foam mattress and cut it with your bread knive to the form of your car trunck and back seats (fold down).

Buy old self inflating mattresses and cut them to the form of your windows. Stick em to your windows with magnets or velcro.

Use Newspaper against the windows and mark the window form (see pictures). Use the marked and cut newspapers as a pattern to cut the self inflating mattresses. Do the same for the foam Mattress you will sleep on.

Depending on the window design sometimes the cut mattresses just fit in and don't need any magnets or velcros.