Is this post a story or something for sale? I suppose it is a little bit of both. This camper was the result of many hours of brainstorming and wondering what was possible in the back of a Subaru;) It needs a new home. It pains me to let it go, but I just can't justify owning two camper vehicles (recently acquired an AWD Astro Van).
So here it goes....for sale is a one-of-a-kind Subaru Outback camper setup. This is a professional quality camper setup that is relatively easy to put in your Outback.
My outback is a 2012 so I assume this will fit any model with the same body style (2009-2014). I think there is a decent chance it will work with other years too but I am not sure about that. The key issues for fit are not the box itself but the small details that make it sit level and the way it mounts to the frame (I built a custom wooden mounting plate that utilizes the studs that connect the rear seats to the body).
Features:
-Full size bed platform that is far enough away from the ceiling to not feel claustrophobic. Sleeps two people very comfortably.
-Two large drawers. Walnut drawer faces. One drawer has a custom cutting board (green cutting board in left drawer in first photo) that has storage underneath it. Other drawer fits a Camp Chef Everest stove but will probably fit most two burner camp stoves (considering the everest is on the large size). Stove drawer has a hole cut in the divider for using a hose to connect your propane canister.
-Drawers cantilever from the drawer carcass across a support that keeps the drawers from scraping on the vehicle's plastic trim. No drawer slides, instead I used wax on the drawer bottoms to make them slide. They slide so well that I needed to install latches (visible in photo) to keep them from sliding out while driving.
-Hinging platforms extend the bed to 6'2" when the front seats are leaned and slid forward. Bungee cord storage underneath the hinged platforms (see the last photo). The platforms are designed so that the driver seat can be in normal driving position while a passenger sleeps on the passenger side of the bed fully extended (the fourth picture shows this feature).
-Camper mounts securely to the vehicle's body without the need for any modification to your vehicle (no drilling holes, etc.). This means you can convert back to your regular Outback (seats back in) with no problems and no damage to your vehicle. I just converted mine back and it took about 2 hrs. to remove the camper and reinstall the seats.
IN ORDER TO INSTALL THIS SETUP! You must remove the back seats and the spare tire. SEE LAST PICTURE, IT SHOWS HOW YOUR OUTBACK NEEDS TO LOOK FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO INSTALL THE SETUP. I relocated my spare tire to a roof box. Doing this frees up a lot of storage under the drawers where the spare tire would be. I stored all my climbing gear in this area and it worked out well, easy to access. It is possible to leave the spare tire in place but you would not be able to remove it if you needed it (unless you removed the entire setup. I have a decent roof box (Sportrack 20 in good shape - one small crack) that I will throw in for $100 if you want it.
If you are handy, you can probably modify this to fit in other vehicles but that is up to you if you want to risk it.
The only reason I am selling this setup is because a campervan literally fell into my lap. Otherwise, I would never give it up. It is super fun.
IT IS LOCATED IN CASPER, WYOMING. If you take the rear seats and spare tire out of your Outback, I WILL INSTALL FOR YOU.
Includes: Camper setup, Custom cutting board, 4" Full size mattress, Install
ASKING $800.
$900 with Roof Cargo Box (SportRack 20 Roof Box in decent shape - one small crack that doesn't affect the functionality at all.
Taylala
January 12th, 2020
This is awesome ! I wish I had $800. I’ve make something sorta like this in mine, but this is way better
Shreditate
April 12th, 2020
Any chance you still have the camping conversion setup?
MountainGoat
May 10th, 2020
Is this still for sale?