Ray Teoh (left) and his buddy Yap Wai Yin relaxing after strapping their SUV tents to the backs of their cars.
To all the owners of sports utility and multi-purpose vehicles out there, if you have not tried car-camping, you have not yet used your car to the fullest.
There are tents specially made to fit onto the back of your vehicle to convert it into a camper’s wagon.
You won’t have to sleep in hammocks or narrow cots and instead can enjoy a comfy mattress with pillows and bolsters to boot.
Many SUVs and MPVs have rear seats that can be folded down flat, creating plenty of real estate inside.
So fold down the back seats, open the rear door, latch on the tent, and voila! Your car is now a camper’s wagon with bed space for two adults.
“It’s the most comfortable way to spend nights outdoors,” smiled regular SUV camper Ray Teoh, 46.
The biggest plus for him is sleeping off the ground and being safe from creepy crawlies.
“Even if a storm breaks out, you are completely safe, and it’s really relaxing to hear the pattering of the rain on your car while you’re inside,” he said.
Teoh, from Kuala Lumpur, likes taking off to hilltops in Pahang, such as Genting Sempah, for a couple of nights, where the night temperature can be as cool as 20ºC.
“I choose camp grounds with a phone signal so I can still stay in touch with the world.
“I use the time to reflect on my business strategies and life goals. It’s so simple,” said Teoh, who drives a Mazda CX5.
Such car camping sites can be rented for RM25 to RM50 a night and have facilities that include toilets, shower rooms and even restaurants.
As for the SUV tent itself, the variety and levels of ingenuity applied to the designs are too many to list.
Some open up to create a large, roomy cabin behind the car, relying on the open rear door to keep it secure even in windy storms.
These have mesh windows, so you can lounge on your camp chair behind your car and be safe from mosquitoes.
Teoh said if no rain is expected for the night, he would wind down the car windows and tape mosquito netting on the openings for full air circulation.
“Cover your windscreen with a foldable shield for privacy and to reduce the heat build-up during the day. Bring along window coverings for more privacy,” he said.
His modular SUV tent allows him to set it up as a simple covering on his open rear door or a more elaborate one with an attached, sheltered cabin space.
“I like being minimalistic. When we bring lots of gear, it will later be a real chore to break camp,” he added.
This style of cosy camping has even attracted women.
Loh’s Halloween- themed SUV ‘accommodation’, complete with a witch’s hat on the self-inflating mattress in her Toyota Veloz.
Kuala Lumpurian Peggy Loh, 39, bought a seven-seater Toyota Veloz this year specifically to do car-camping this way.
She started solo camping in April 2021, a hobby she researched during the stay-at-home months of Covid-19 restrictions.
When the need came to get a new car, the accounting officer decided to pair that need with car-camping.
She also started a Facebook page, “PeggyCamp & Outdoors”, to share her experiences, and this led to a women-only car-camping group.
The group now includes single mothers, and they would meet at a camping ground once every two or three months, each driving their own car, and have their own brand of ladies’ nights.
“Women do love the outdoors. Some of our husbands don’t like it, and some of us are singles. There are some risks in camping, so car-camping is a great chance for us to get away from the city,” said Loh, who is married with a seven-year-old son.
Loh posing behind her car tent.
Loh admits she tries her best to avoid elaborate meal preparations at camp and even likes bringing self-heating instant meals for her one-night camps.
This meals – you just add water – rely on chemical reactions to heat up the water and, subsequently, the food.
“We don’t have time to cook. If you bring the whole kitchen, there will be a whole lot of washing, cleaning and packing up to do when you return home.
“Between work and managing the household, there is already so much to do, so we want to make our night out at camp as simple and relaxing as possible,” she laughed.
What matters most to her at camp is jazz music during the day and warming beverages at night and dawn, accompanied by the sounds of birds and insects.
“It is our me-time. It is not expensive, and we can truly get away from the city and relax,” she said.
Loh tells her friends to never get carried away buying camping gadgets.
“Before you know it, you will have spent thousands of ringgit on all sorts of things you don’t need.
“There are social media groups where you can actually rent a full set of simple camping gear for about RM150 a night. Try them first. After you gain experience and develop your preferences, start buying.
“Remember to always keep it simple,” she said.
Ray Teoh (left) and his buddy Yap Wai Yin relaxing after strapping their SUV tents to the backs of their cars.
Loh’s Halloween- themed SUV ‘accommodation’, complete with a witch’s hat on the self-inflating mattress in her Toyota Veloz.
Loh posing behind her car tent.
