10 Car Camping Comfort Essentials: How I Make Sleeping in My Car Cosy
Updated: 6 days ago
I've already shared my 10 essential items for car camping, covering the practical things that make sleeping in an everyday car actually work.
But there's a difference between being able to sleep in your car and creating a little setup that you genuinely look forward to spending the night in.
Once I've sorted the practical stuff—privacy, a comfortable place to sleep, ventilation, water, and somewhere to cook—I want a few home comforts too.
After all, one of the things I love about car camping is arriving somewhere beautiful the evening before a hike, settling in for the night and knowing that when I wake up, I'm already exactly where I want to be.
And because I'm travelling by car rather than carrying everything on my back, I can afford to be a little more indulgent.
So, these are my 10 car camping comfort essentials for turning my everyday car into a cosy little home for the night.
Affiliate disclosure: She’s Going Solo may receive a commission from links included in this article to Amazon and other affiliate partners. Recommendations are based on products I genuinely use or would recommend.
Practical Car Camping vs Comfortable Car Camping
You absolutely don't need everything on this list to go car camping.
If you're just starting out, I'd concentrate on the basics first. You can find everything I use in my guide, 10 Essential Items for Car Camping. This list is different. I added these because they make my evenings more comfortable, my sleeping setup cosier, and the whole experience feel less like I'm simply sleeping in a car.
Some are definitely luxuries. But that's rather the point.
1. Selk'bag Wearable Sleeping Bag
One of my favourite pieces of camping kit has moved from my micro camper to my car camping setup: my Selk'bag wearable sleeping bag.
If you've never seen one before, it's essentially a sleeping bag with separate arms and legs, meaning you can actually walk around while wearing it. And yes, you look slightly ridiculous. I don't care. It's incredibly cosy.
I can put it on while I'm sitting outside in the evening, wear it while I'm making dinner, and then climb into the car without abandoning my warm little cocoon.
It's particularly good when the temperature starts dropping in autumn and winter, and because I'm car camping rather than backpacking, I'm not particularly worried about how much space it takes up.
It's one of those pieces of camping kit I definitely don't need, but I'd really miss it if I didn't have it.
View the Selk'Bag here and use code SELK-GOINGSOLO15 for 15% off
2. YETI Coffee Mug and Wine Tumbler
Space is limited when you're sleeping in a car, so knocking over a drink isn't just annoying.
It could mean spilling coffee all over your bedding. This is one reason I love my YETI drinkware for car camping. My YETI coffee mug has a MagSlider lid, which makes it much easier to use in the car without worrying as much about spills. It also keeps my coffee hot while I get organised in the morning or sit outside enjoying the view.
I also have the YETI wine tumbler, which works brilliantly for an evening drink and has the same advantage: it's insulated, sturdy, and much more practical in a confined space than an ordinary glass.
They're not cheap mugs, but they're incredibly robust, and I use mine at home and when I'm camping.
View the YETI Mugs here
3. Proper Pillow and Duvet
This is one of the joys of car camping compared with backpacking. I don't have to sleep on an inflatable pillow the size of a postage stamp.
If I have room in the car, I take a proper pillow and duvet.
It instantly makes the sleeping setup feel more like a bed and, for milder nights, I find a duvet much more comfortable than being zipped inside a sleeping bag. When the temperatures start dropping, I'll add a sleeping bag or my Selk'bag into the setup as well. The advantage of car camping is that weight isn't really an issue, so there's no pressure to take the smallest bedding possible. If my normal pillow fits in the car, it's coming.
4. Bluetti Power Station for Evening Entertainment
My Bluetti portable power station also makes the cut for practical car camping essentials, but it earns another mention here for a completely different reason.
Entertainment!
I love being outdoors, but once I've finished hiking, cooked dinner and settled into bed, I'm quite happy to have a bit of civilisation back. I might watch something on my iPad, listen to an audiobook or podcast, edit some photographs or simply scroll through whatever I've captured that day. The Bluetti means I can keep my iPad, phone, headphones, watch and other electronics charged without worrying about the car battery.
Do you need a power station for a cosy night of car camping? Absolutely not. But being tucked into bed somewhere in the Lake District, watching something on my iPad while the rain hammers against the windows, is one of those little pleasures I'm happy to make room for.
5. Audiobooks for Car Camping Evenings
Not every car camping comfort essential has to take up space in the boot.
I listen to a lot of audiobooks and podcasts, both while I’m travelling and during the quieter moments of a solo adventure. They’re especially good in the evening, once I’ve settled into the car and don’t want to stare at another screen.
I use Amazon Audible, downloading an audiobook before I leave so I can continue listening even when I’m camping somewhere with unreliable signal. It gives me a bit of company without disturbing the peace, and it lets me completely switch off after a long day outdoors.
Add a pair of headphones, get comfortable under the duvet, and suddenly a rainy evening in the car doesn’t feel particularly bad.
6. Folding Camping Chair
My small folding camping chair has followed me through several camping trips. Technically, you can sit in the car.
But when you've deliberately travelled somewhere beautiful, I don't particularly want to spend the whole evening inside it. Being able to pull out a chair, make a coffee and sit outside looking at the mountains is one of my favourite parts of camping. I'd choose something comfortable but relatively compact. You don't need an enormous reclining camping throne, particularly when everything still has to fit back into the car before bed.
7. Warm Socks or Camp Slippers
One of the simplest car camping comforts is having something warm and clean to put on my feet after a day of walking.
After hours in hiking boots—especially if the ground has been wet or muddy—taking them off and pulling on a thick pair of socks makes the car feel less like a vehicle and more like a place where I can properly relax. Camp slippers or lightweight insulated booties are another good option, especially during the colder months.
I always keep them separate from my outdoor clothing so they stay completely dry. They take up virtually no room, don’t need charging, and can make a surprisingly big difference when the evening temperature drops.
There’s something very satisfying about getting into comfortable clothes, putting on warm socks and settling beneath the duvet with a hot drink or an audiobook. It’s a small luxury, but that’s exactly what this list is about.
8. Soft-Sided Storage and Packing Cubes
Organisation becomes surprisingly important when your car is simultaneously your bedroom, wardrobe, kitchen and transport. Hard storage boxes are useful, but once I'm actually sleeping in the car, they can take up valuable space. That's why I like packing cubes and soft-sided organisers. I keep kitchen items in plastic boxes for safety.
I can separate clothes, toiletries, electronics and other bits of kit so I know where everything is, but the bags themselves squash down or move around much more easily when I'm setting up the bed. There's nothing particularly luxurious about a packing cube until you're lying in bed and realise your toothbrush is buried underneath three bags and a camping stove. Then suddenly organisation feels positively decadent.
9. Cosy Fairy Lights
I already carry a practical rechargeable lantern as part of my essential car-camping setup. But practical lighting and cosy lighting are two very different things. A small string of USB or battery-operated fairy lights makes the inside of the car feel completely different once the blackout blinds are up. They’re absolutely unnecessary—and that’s rather the point. They take up virtually no space, use hardly any power and can run from either my BLUETTI or a small battery pack. Most importantly, they make my tiny sleeping setup feel warmer, cosier and much more inviting. Sometimes comfort is justification enough.
10. A Hot Water Bottle
Simple, inexpensive and particularly lovely once autumn arrives.
A hot water bottle is an easy way to add warmth to my sleeping setup without needing electric blankets or heaters inside the car. I've already got the stove and kettle for boiling water, so I can fill it before bed, tuck it underneath the duvet and have a warm bed waiting for me. It takes up very little space when empty and doesn't need electricity. On colder car camping nights, the decidedly low-tech solution is sometimes the best.
Making Car Camping Feel Like a Tiny Home
None of these things is necessary.
And that's what separates this list from my practical car camping essentials.
You need a safe, comfortable place to sleep. You need privacy, ventilation, water, and a sensible way to deal with waste. You don't need a YETI mug, fairy lights and an audiobook. But once the practical side is sorted, those little comforts are what make me genuinely look forward to spending an evening in the car rather than simply tolerating it because I want to hike the following morning.
And that's increasingly what I love about my setup.
I can finish work, throw everything into my everyday car, drive somewhere beautiful, make some dinner and then climb into a surprisingly cosy little bed for the night.
No campervan.
No permanent conversion.
Just my car and a few carefully chosen comforts of home.
My 10 Car Camping Comfort Essentials
Selk'bag wearable sleeping bag
YETI coffee mug and wine tumbler
Proper pillow and duvet
Bluetti portable power station
Audiobooks
Folding camping chair
Warm socks or camp slippers
Packing cubes and soft-sided storage
Cosy fairy lights
Hot water bottle
What makes car camping feel comfortable for you? I'd love to know which little luxury you'd refuse to leave at home.
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