Five Ways to Sleep on the Road
If you want to camp from a vehicle, you have more options than ever, and prices range from a few hundred dollars to well over a hundred thousand. This comparison looks at the five most popular setups for people who are not ready to buy an RV: a minivan build, an SUV build, a rooftop tent, a pop-top conversion, and a full cargo van. We compare cost, comfort, fuel use, stealth, and how much each one changes the car you drive every day.
Minivan Build: The Best Value
Cost: about $250 to $4,500 on a van you already own. Sleeps: two adults comfortably.
A minivan has the flattest, longest, and widest floor of any common passenger vehicle. Low floor height makes getting in and out easy, sliding doors help ventilation, and fuel economy of about 36 mpg in a hybrid Sienna (20 to 22 in gas models) keeps road trips cheap. A reversible platform comes out in minutes, so the van is still a family car. The weak points are headroom, since you cannot stand up, and ground clearance on rough roads. Read our minivan camper conversion guide to see how the build works.
SUV Build: More Clearance, Less Room
Cost: similar to a minivan build. Sleeps: one comfortably, two if you are both on the shorter side.
An SUV wins on ground clearance and often all-wheel drive, which matters for forest roads. But most SUVs have a shorter cargo floor, a higher load floor, and folded seats that do not lie quite flat, so you often need to level the platform. Many compact SUVs offer only about 70 to 72 inches of flat floor, which forces a six-foot adult to bend or lie diagonally. Larger three-row SUVs usually do better. Measure before you commit.
Rooftop Tent: Fast Setup, Big Price
Cost: about $1,500 to $4,500 (soft shells at the low end, hard shells at the top) plus a roof rack rated for the load. Sleeps: two to three, depending on size.
A rooftop tent keeps the inside of your vehicle free for gear and gets you off the ground. Hard-shell models set up in about a minute. The downsides: they hurt fuel economy all the time, not just on trips; they add weight high on the vehicle; you have to climb a ladder at night; and they are anything but stealthy. They are also hard to take off, so in practice the tent stays on the car all season.
Pop-Top Conversion: Standing Room, Permanent Change
Cost: about $7,500 to $15,000 on a full-size van, and $16,000 or more for minivan systems like those built for the Toyota Sienna. Sleeps: two to four.
A pop-top roof gives you standing headroom and a second sleeping deck. It is a real step up in comfort, but it means cutting the roof, which is permanent. It changes how your insurer and resale buyers see the vehicle and is a professional job for most people. If you camp most weekends of the year, it can be worth it. If you camp a few times a season, it rarely is.
Cargo Van: The Full Build
Cost: a budget build often lands around $10,000 plus the van itself. Sleeps: two, with room for a real kitchen and storage.
A cargo van gives you a fixed bed, standing height in high-roof models, and space for real electrical and water systems. It is also a second vehicle for most people, with worse fuel economy and harder city parking. See our cargo van conversion on a budget and the full van to camper guide if you are going this route.
Side-by-Side Summary
- Lowest cost: minivan or SUV build
- Best fuel economy: minivan, especially a hybrid
- Most stealthy: minivan, then cargo van
- Best off-road access: SUV, with or without a rooftop tent
- Fastest setup: hard-shell rooftop tent
- Most comfortable for long trips: cargo van or pop-top
- Least change to your daily driver: reversible minivan build
How to Choose
Start with how often you will actually go. If it is a handful of weekends a year, the reversible minivan or SUV build makes the most sense, because your money stays in the car you already need. If you camp most weekends and mostly on dirt roads, a rooftop tent on an SUV earns its price. If you dream of weeks or months on the road, a cargo van is the real answer, and a cheap minivan build is a great way to find out if you like it first. Whichever you pick, our guide to sleeping in your vehicle legally applies to all of them.
Related Reading
- How Much Does a Minivan Camper Conversion Cost?
- Minivan Camper Condensation, Ventilation, and Power
- Van Life Laws by State
Ready to build? Start with the minivan to weekend micro-camper guide, and compare costs with the cost calculator.