Subaru Forester Car Camping Setup: Mattress, Airflow, Kitchen and What to Skip

The Forester earns its reputation as a car camping vehicle. With the rear seats folded, the cargo floor is long, close to flat and wide enough for two adults, which means room to sleep, get dressed, dig through a bag and eat breakfast out of the weather.

The setup still takes the right gear. A mattress that does not fit the floor costs you sleep, airflow in a closed car matters more than most people expect, and storage works differently when the bed and the gear share the same space. Here is what works, with fit taken from our product pages and the makers. Where a maker does not publish something, we say "not published" instead of guessing.

Quick pick: Forester car camping gear by job

Sleep: fit still matters, even in a bigger SUV

The Forester's cargo floor is bigger than the Crosstrek's, which makes it tempting to assume any mattress will do. It will not. The wheel wells and the seatback ledge are still there, and a mattress cut for a different vehicle, or no vehicle in particular, leaves gaps, bunches in the wrong places and shifts when you roll over.

The Luno Car Camping Mattress for Subaru Forester is Luno's Full-Size SUV cut, 80 by 53 inches and 4 inches thick, so two people can stretch out instead of sleeping around a gap. Fold the rear seats, lay it over the cargo floor and seatbacks, and clip the two Head Support Bridge attachments to the front headrests so the head end stays level. Both versions sleep two, have dual chambers so each side sets its own firmness, and carry a 3-year Luno warranty.

• AIR Pro ($349.99). Where most Forester owners land after the first season. The 300D Oxford top handles dog claws and muddy gear dragged across it, and it holds 500 lb per side. The included 12V pump fills it in about 2 minutes, it is rated R-value 1.5 for three seasons, and it unzips down the middle so you can run one half on solo trips. Packed, it is 8 by 26 inches and 13 lb.
• AIR+FOAM Pro ($499.99). The cold-weather tier. Polyurethane foam inside the air chambers adds pressure relief and insulation from the cargo floor, rated R-value 11 for four seasons. That matters on ski weekends, early-season trailheads and October nights at elevation. It self-inflates to about 60% in 3 to 5 minutes and the included AirRoll Bag tops it off. It holds 300 lb per side and packs to 29 by 11 by 18 inches.

Add a Luno Fitted Mattress Sheet ($89.99) in the Full-Size SUV cut if you want the bed to feel like a bed. Skip the 74 by 50.75 inch Compact/Mid-Size cut: Luno lists the Forester in Size 2.

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  Luno Mattress for Subaru Forester

  For the cargo floor. Pick AIR Pro or AIR+FOAM Pro.

  • Luno Size 2, 80 x 53 x 4 inch
  • Sleeps two, 500 lb (AIR Pro) or 300 lb (AIR+FOAM Pro) per side
  • R-value 1.5 (AIR Pro) or 11 (AIR+FOAM Pro)

  View Forester mattress

Airflow: bigger interior, same problem

The Forester's bigger cabin does not solve the ventilation problem, it only delays it. Sleep with every window closed and body heat and moisture build up until the cabin feels stuffy by midnight, even when it is cold outside.

Luno Vehicle Window Screens ($69.99 for a pair) slide over the rear doors and keep insects out while air moves through, and the light darkening mesh adds privacy at a busy campground. They come in Medium and Large rather than a cut for one car, and they need rear doors with framed windows. Luno's size list puts the Forester in Large. Crack one window on each side and you get cross-ventilation that makes a real difference overnight.

The Luno Car Camping Fan ($49.99) on low adds moving air. It sticks to a window with a locking suction cup, has three speeds and runs from a USB port or power bank. In the Forester's longer cabin, a fan helps move air across the whole sleeping area instead of relying on the windows alone.

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  Luno Vehicle Window Screens

  For airflow and privacy with the windows open.

  • Large for the Forester
  • Large: 21 to 30 inch tall, 28 to 44 inch wide window
  • Pair of screens plus storage pouch

  View window screens
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  Luno Car Camping Fan

  For moving air on still nights.

  • 5 inch fan, 3 speeds
  • Locking suction cup, articulating ball mount
  • Runs from a USB port or power bank

  View camping fan

Storage: the Forester has room, but it still needs a system

On solo trips, the AIR Pro unzips down the middle, so you can run one half and keep a soft cooler or gear bag on the other side. That keeps food within reach without digging through the front seats. With two people sleeping, the cooler and kitchen gear move up to the front seats for the night.

The Luno Seatback Organizer ($59.99) hangs on the back of a front seat and faces the bed, so the small stuff you reach for at night, like a headlamp, phone, book or water bottle, stays off the mattress. Luno sells it as a universal fit, with a tablet slot, a phone pouch and a bottle holder.

For everything else, the GRAYL Mission Tote 58L ($199.95) is one big, open bag for layers, boots, camp shoes or the kitchen kit. GRAYL rates it at 58 liters, with a U-shaped main zipper that opens the whole top, five zipper pockets and eight panel pockets, and water-resistant YKK AquaGuard zippers. Olive Drab and Covert Black are in stock today. It packs where you have room; on two-person nights it rides on a front seat with the cooler.

Heavier gear, like a backpack and recovery boards, lives in the front footwells or slides along the cargo floor under the edge of the mattress.

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  Luno Seatback Organizer

  For the small stuff you want within reach.

  • Universal fit, straps to a front seat
  • Tablet slot, phone pouch, bottle holder

  View seatback organizer
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  GRAYL Mission Tote 58L

  For layers, boots and the kitchen kit.

  • 58 liters, U-shaped main zipper
  • 5 zipper pockets, 8 panel pockets
  • Water-resistant YKK AquaGuard zippers

  View Mission Tote

Cooler placement, kitchen and power

The Forester's extra cargo room is a good excuse to size up the cooler. For ice, the Canyon Coolers Nomad 30 ($229.99) is a 32 quart soft cooler that Canyon rates for 32 cans at maximum ice retention, about 20 by 10.5 by 18 inches outside and 5.5 lb empty. If you would rather skip ice, the Dometic CFX2 37 ($769.99) is 37 liters and holds up to 48 cans, goes down to -7 F, and runs on 12/24 volt DC or household AC. It has no built-in battery and weighs about 34.4 lb empty, so give it a spot where it can stay put. More options are in our portable fridge freezers collection.

For power, the Dometic PLB15 Portable Battery ($299.99) is a 15 Ah lithium iron phosphate battery that Dometic rates at up to 192 Wh at 12 V, with 12 V, USB-C and USB-A outputs and an IP44 rating. It charges phones, runs the fan, and Dometic lists electric coolers among the 12 V devices it can run. Dometic does not publish a run time with a specific cooler, so treat it as a top-up rather than a weekend of fridge power.

For cooking, the UCO Flatpack Grill and Firepit ($109.99) is a stainless grill and fire bowl in one. UCO lists a 20 by 16 inch grill area, room for firewood up to 18 inches long or charcoal on the included tray, and says it serves 6 to 8 people. It folds to 1.75 inches thick and 9.5 lb, so it slides flat along the cargo floor. Pair it with the Sea to Summit Detour 5 Piece Cookset ($200.95): a 3 liter pot, two bowls and two mugs, with a three-ply base that works on gas and induction stoves. Cook outside, never in the car, and check fire restrictions before you light anything. Our camp kitchen checklist covers what else goes in the kit.

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  Canyon Coolers Nomad 30

  For ice, sized up for a bigger cargo area.

  • 32 quart, 32 cans at max ice retention
  • 20 x 10.5 x 18 inch outside, 5.5 lb

  View Nomad 30
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  Dometic CFX2 37

  For a fridge and freezer on power.

  • 37 L, up to 48 cans, down to -7 F
  • 12/24 V DC or 100 to 240 V AC, about 34.4 lb

  View CFX2 37
• 

  Dometic PLB15 Portable Battery

  For the fan, phones and small 12 V gear.

  • 15 Ah LiFePO4, up to 192 Wh at 12 V
  • 12 V, USB-C and USB-A outputs, IP44

  View PLB15
• 

  UCO Flatpack Grill and Firepit

  For a grill and a campfire in one.

  • 20 x 16 inch grill area, serves 6 to 8
  • Folds to 1.75 inch thick, 9.5 lb

  View Flatpack Grill
• 

  Sea to Summit Detour 5 Piece Cookset

  For one pot meals and coffee for two.

  • 3 L pot, 2 bowls, 2 mugs
  • Three-ply base for gas and induction

  View Detour cookset

Light and shade at camp

A real lantern beats a headlamp once you are cooking and cleaning up in the dark. The Fenix CL27R Rechargeable Lantern ($89.95) puts out up to 1,600 lumens, runs up to 285 hours on its lowest setting, and adjusts from warm 2700K to cool 6500K light. Fenix rates it IP66, it charges by USB-C, and the battery is removable. The magnetic handle can hold it to a steel surface.

For shade or a dry spot to cook in the rain, the Body Armor 4x4 4.5 Foot Awning ($209.99) rolls out from the side of the car and stands on its own legs. Our product page lists it for a roof rack or bed rack, so your Forester needs a rack first. Body Armor 4x4 does not publish Forester fit, so confirm with us before ordering.

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  Fenix CL27R Rechargeable Lantern

  For cooking and camp chores after dark.

  • Up to 1,600 lumens, up to 285 hours
  • 2700K to 6500K, IP66, USB-C
  • Removable battery, magnetic handle

  View CL27R
• 

  Body Armor 4x4 4.5 Foot Awning

  For shade and rain cover beside the car.

  • 4.5 foot awning with its own legs
  • Mounts to a roof rack or bed rack
  • Forester fit not published, confirm with us before ordering

  View awning

The 5-minute setup walkthrough

1. Fold both rear seats flat. Pull the release and the seatback drops forward.
2. Lay the Luno mattress over the cargo floor and seatbacks.
3. Inflate it. AIR Pro fills with its included 12V pump in about 2 minutes. AIR+FOAM Pro self-inflates most of the way, then you top it off with the AirRoll Bag.
4. Clip the Head Support Bridge attachments to the front headrests.
5. Slide the window screens over the rear doors you will leave cracked, and hang the seatback organizer on a front seat.
6. Sleeping solo on one half? Put the cooler or tote on the open side. Two of you? Move them to the front seats.

Teardown takes about as long. The mattress rolls into its carrying case and rides in the cargo area, and you are driving soon after you wake up. Do one practice run in the driveway before the first trip.

Cold-weather camping note

If you take the Forester into shoulder-season or winter conditions, two things matter beyond the mattress: holding heat at the glass and managing condensation. A windshield cover cuts heat loss from the front glass. Leaving the windows cracked slightly behind the screens, even in the cold, cuts the condensation that builds up inside. It feels backward, but it works.

The AIR+FOAM Pro's R-value 11 handles the cold coming up from the floor, which is where most of your body heat goes when you sleep in a car.

Recovery and first aid for the drive in

Plenty of good Forester campsites sit at the end of a forest road, and a soft shoulder or a snowy pullout is a bad place to discover you have nothing to dig with. The Metal Tooth ActionTrax Recovery Boards ($399) come as a pair, 44.5 by 12.88 inches each, with 72 metal teeth for bite in ice, mud and sand. ActionTrax notes the metal teeth are built for heavy-duty use and can damage tires if you spin the wheels on them, so ease onto the boards instead of flooring it. They slide in along the cargo floor before the mattress goes down.

For first aid, the My Medic Micro Trauma First Aid Kit ($169.95) is built for serious injuries far from help: My Medic packs it with a RATS tourniquet, QuikClot, compressed gauze, chest seals and a pressure bandage. It is a trauma kit, so keep your everyday bandages and blister care with it. Our off-road recovery kit guide goes deeper, and our Subaru Forester gear covers exterior protection and trail accessories.

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  Metal Tooth ActionTrax Recovery Boards

  For ice, mud, sand and snow.

  • Sold as a pair, 44.5 x 12.88 inch
  • 72 metal teeth
  • Ease on, do not spin

  View Metal Tooth ActionTrax
• 

  My Medic Micro Trauma First Aid Kit

  For serious bleeding and injuries.

  • RATS tourniquet, QuikClot, chest seals
  • Compressed gauze, pressure bandage

  View Micro Trauma Kit

Forester car camping build order by budget

Start with sleep, since a good night is the whole point. Add a cooler, a kitchen and a lantern next, then fridge power, shade and recovery gear for longer, colder trips. Totals are today's prices on our site, before tax. Shop more in our Subaru Forester gear, Subaru gear and sleep and camp collections.

The $529.96 sleep kit is the core of the setup. Swap in the AIR+FOAM Pro and the same kit comes to $679.96.

What to skip in a Forester

• The Compact/Mid-Size mattress cut. Luno lists the Forester in Size 2, 80 by 53 inches. The smaller 74 by 50.75 inch cut leaves gaps.
• Generic air mattresses. The wheel wells and the seatback ledge are where generic inflatables give out, and they slide on the cargo liner.
• A full-size hard cooler on the cargo floor with two sleepers. The mattress fills the floor. Run a soft or compact powered cooler and move it to the front seats at night.
• Sleeping with every window shut. You wake up to a damp, stuffy cabin. Crack two windows behind the screens.
• Cooking inside the car. Cook outside on the Flatpack or a camp stove, well away from the car and the awning.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Subaru Outback car camping setup
• Subaru Crosstrek car camping setup
• Car camping setup guide
• Camp kitchen checklist for car camping
• Off-road recovery kit guide