Car Camping! 🚗 My First Time Sleeping in my Land Rover Freelander Conversion

Sleeping in my car was so much fun! This was my first time car camping in my newly converted Land Rover Freelander :D A gorgeous experience – felt like proper luxury! And all done for £205 (the wood used was off-cuts that Ash had going spare, so if you can’t get hold of any odd bits of wood it’ll cost a bit more). You could of course just use your normal sleeping mat and sleeping bag instead of upholstery foam and bedding, which wouldn’t be as cosy but would save a fair bit of money. I’d put something under it though in case of splinters from the platform and to stop you sliding about.

The autumn scenery was just beautiful in one of my favourite secluded parking spots on a quite mountain valley road 🍁🍂

I am so excited to do more of this, especially a nice winter snowy one! 🤞😍

There was an issue with the windscreen cover that I forgot to mention in the video; having the side flaps shut into the front doors was letting a bit of water in, so I took them out of the doors - this meant that the wind took it though and it was on the floor by the morning. I might not use this again in heavy rain, just use it for dry nights or light showers.

The size of the wood platform is 98cm wide, 59cm deep, 22cm high.

Other channels mentioned in this video:

@AshOutdoorsUK – thank you for making an awesome wood platform for my boot-space! :D

@ksgonewild – Karen shares her videos of wild camping, bushcraft and hiking around the Dartmoor area on her channel and has just smashed 1k subs, very well deserved! :D

Apologies for the low-quality drone footage in this, I lost my new drone on the mountain trip the day after this video was filmed, so I lost the high-res footage 😭 I was absolutely heartbroken but hopefully you can get the jist of how pretty it was.

Thank you so much for watching & see you again soon for the crazy weather Glyders trip 😊 Much love, Claire 🌿🐻

Wild Stuff for your Wild Self:


⛺ GEAR LIST 🥾

This gear list contains some affiliate links (the amazon links). This means that WildBeare makes a small commission from any sales made via these links, at no extra cost to yourself - a great way to support the channel. Thank you so much!

SHELTER
My Car – Land Rover Freelander

BED
50x50” Slab of Durafoam Upholstery Foam (3” thick) – High Density, extra firm.
Bedding from Wilko – I used a single duvet and 4 pillows

STORAGE BOXES
From Wilko

WINDOWS

FOLDING TABLE
From Decathlon

COOKING
Bag for rubbish

LIGHT

TOILETRIES & PERSONAL CARE
Tissue
Baby wipes
Hand sanitiser
Hair band
Lip balm
Talc
Mini travel toothpaste
Tiny hand mirror
Mini Tweezers

BOOTS

BUNS
He’s a Squishmallow bunny called Blake

POWER BANK

FILMING

#CarCamping #CarConversion #RoadTrip #Adventure #Travel

[swainston]

As a car camper myself I'd advise you get an internal front window cover because if you get some nut case around you, you wouldn't be able to drive off without getting out to remove that cover first, and if you are camping on your own that could be a very scary thing. Stay safe and have fun :)

[Halberd]

Great Video. Can I suggest a couple of safety/crime tips for you, as campers/stealth campers are being targeted at the moment, due to their increasing popularity....

1) When parking up, leave enough room behind your vehicle to enable you to reverse a bit...just in case someone parks directly in front of you to try and block you in.
2) If you are covering your windscreen, try to have a cover inside instead of outside. This is so you don't have to open/get out of your vehicle in case you need to drive away quickly....see number 1.
3) Arrange the inside of your vehicle so that you can access your drivers seat whilst inside and your drivers position is kept clear and ready to be used...see number 1 and 2.
4) Look at your parking spot, lots of rubbish and beer cans suggest a local meeting spot. Smashed window glass on the floor says cars are broken into here, some areas just don't feel right.

[joeisuzu]

Hi WildBeare. Big fan of your videos. I am a full time van dweller. Couple of tips for you. Get some magnets to hold tarp on back of vehicle - strong but not too strong. Adding a little thin pad to help tarp seal to ripples in roof helps too. The right magnets will hold tarp & pad no problem. As suggested already mold, especially on wood, is a problem. My best solution is to seal the wood completely with sealer, primer, or paint. Best solution is to paint it with marine boat bottom paint. Bottom paint has copper in it. No mold/bacteria can live on it. Bottom paint is pricey. Skip drilling holes in it. That just makes it weaker & adds more places for mold to get to. Just seal it well so you can wipe it clean with cleaner periodically, if you don't use marine bottom paint. And lastly add a USB mini fan to drive moisture out & power by power bank to save draining auto battery.

Stay beautiful WildBeare. Thx for the adventures.

[BigDukeX]

Claire, one thing that I learned about using a solid wooden platform for this application is once the mattress is placed on top of wood, it typically starts to collect mold.... quickly! A moisture barrier between the mattress and the platform is beneficial. However, I’ve discovered that if you drill multiple 4 to 5mm circular holds into the wooden platform this will provide adequate ventilation, and minimize any moisture buildup issues. An even better solution would be to use wooden slates as your mattress base. I’ve done this too and it proved to be ideal.

[binky_bun]

The sound of rain on a car roof is one of my favourite things. I'm glad I'm not the only adult with a bun though :)

[ksgonewild]

Ah Claire thank you so much for the shout Really blown away so thank you 💕💕
Great vid as always and massive congratulations on hitting 40K wild ones that’s so incredible!!!
Love the car conversion and we’re definitely going to do something with our little van for sure!! That view in the morning when you got out, wow!!!!
Thanks again lovely! Xx

[omegauk]

Hi Claire, we did the same in our old LR 110, what we did with the tarp was make it the length of the roof plus the addition what we needed at the rear, we had brass ring holes 6" apart along all the edges, this was so we could attach the tarp to tent poles ( we use the multiple telescopic ones) and multiple tie down points, 2 poles in the front and so on, what this allows us to do is keep the tarp about 3 - 4" above the roof so when it rains in the night you don't get that feeling of sleeping in a snare drum, near silence.

[joncran]

Thank you for being amazing. I hope you're kind energy helps those like me just needing some hope that all hope is not lost. Keep being awesome.

[norfolknomad]

If you’re thinking of doing this on a regular basis, I’d recommend installing a little Chinese night heater to keep you warm and to keep the condensation at bay.
Thanks for keeping it real Claire. 🌟

[CurryFeatures]

Love the windshield tarp being referred to as an Anti-Weirdo device!

[louisguthrie]

Claire, you have so many good ideas. Traveling around America, in my travel trailer, I never felt as safe as I did tent camping in North Wales near RAF Valley. Thanks for taking us along. Stay Beautiful and safe.

[Bubba]

As usual, living on the edge, winging it as best you can, and having a ball in the process! I admire your spunk and creativeness.

[kooper]

Great vid as always. Little tip: buy yourself a USB fan and run that off a power bank at night. Keeps the air circulating and with windows cracked a little it helps avoid condensation.

[colinwebb]

Love sitting under a tarp when it’s raining. Your car is so organised and it works perfect along with your tarp.👍

[thebikepackingadventurer]

It’s awesome to camp in the vehicle. Opens up good options of long distance camping and just pulling up anywhere to sleep. Love my transit custom day van. Very good nights sleep in the back. So nice to mix it up

[badguy]

Britain is SO picturesque! Talk about a place MADE for camping!

[David-Alan]

That place was absolutely beautiful. So picturesque! You did a great job outfitting your car. One thing you might like to have is a Jackery power bank. You can run lighting, small fans, and small heater and charge everything. Can't wait for your next car campout. Stay well and be safe.

[adventuresbeyondyorkshire]

I find it easier to sleep when I can hear the rain 😅 great to see what you’ve done and how easily any of us could do it! Thank you for sharing 😊

[asaandthemarchharepart]

Brilliant one Claire, great little car conversion. I've converted a small van for weekends, weeks away travelling. Best move ever. Go to bed and wake up in mother nature. Best lifestyle ever. Keep up the wonderful adventures

[michaelhite]

As soon as I saw “camping in my Land Rover” I had to watch it. I’m in the process of rebuilding my 98 Discovery, Lola. Always looking for ideas. Right now I’m rebuilding her V8 and upgrading her dated suspension lift kit. I’ve removed my backseats in preparation to build a sleeping platform. I’ve kind of always liked British cars, and the accent. When I was a kid, we had a family move next door that were from England. I live in the US. I’m going date myself, I remember watching the Royal Wedding with them, Charles and Diana. Love the videos, especially the ones with the little stone building.