The rig: my Forester camp setup

The rig: my Forester camp setup

June 1, 2026

Black Subaru Forester in the garage with a roof cargo box, a solar panel propped on the hood, and a mountain bike on the hitch rack

The Forester has become my basecamp. In this photo, the attached canopy, small cargo box, and Starlink Mini are all mounted. I have a solar panel mounted on the hood, seen in the pic, and an alternator charger wired under the hood. This gives me 2 ways to charge a power supply: passive and active. The Forester has nearly 9" ground clearance and AWD. With some good tires, it’s capable enough if you’re not planning on rock-crawling or something.

The X-large cargo box still fits on top without removing the canopy or small cargo box. A class 3 hitch is plenty for a bike rack or another hitch attachment.

Power

Portable power station sitting on the floor behind the rear seat, plugged in

The power station, EcoFlow Delta 2, lives behind the rear seat where it’s easy to reach but out of the way. It runs the Starlink Mini, can charge my phone and laptop, and runs a small DC fridge from BougeRV. I have the alternator charger and solar cables run in through the firewall and under the molding to the passenger seat.

The bed

Cargo area with a plywood sleeping platform on a wooden frame, foam topper, folding table, sleeping bag, and water jug

The platform is just plywood on a simple wood frame, sized to fold flat with the rear seats. There’s storage underneath for the stuff I don’t need until I’m stopped. The platform folds out to 6’, and I put a foam or inflatable pad on top for a comfortable sleep. I find using wool blankets nice, and also have a down bag if I need it.

There is an extra shelf/cabinet box that goes on the small side of the split, and the cooler or fridge fits on top. It provides some extra storage without taking away from sleep space. Also, the rear seat split can still be used up or down. I use this as a mobile office with my laptop on the bed.

The last touch is the window covers. I cut pieces from a roll of Reflectix to fit the windows and covered them with matte black tape. They fit into the windows and provide some really good privacy without that silver shine when seen from outside.

It’s all designed to be practical and adaptable, and to still let me use the car like a normal car. Everything comes off or folds away. Nothing was permanently modified.