Subaru Outback Car Camping Setup: Cargo Floor Sleep, Kitchen and Cooler

The Outback is a wagon at heart, and its long, flat cargo floor with the rear seats folded makes a natural sleeping platform. Add all-wheel drive for the forest road in, and pulling over to sleep in the car starts to beat paying for a motel.

People who buy Outbacks tend to use them: ski weekends, shoulder-season basecamp trips, long drives with a dispersed site at the end. The car is capable. The setup decides whether you actually sleep well in it. 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: Outback car camping gear by job

Sleep: the Outback's floor rewards the right mattress

The Outback's cargo area with the rear seats folded is long enough for two adults with room to spare, which sounds like it makes the mattress choice easy. It does not. That extra length gives a generic inflatable more room to slide around, and the wheel wells and seatback ledge still break up the floor in ways a non-specific mattress will not handle.

The Luno Car Camping Mattress for Subaru Outback is Luno's Full-Size SUV cut, 80 by 53 inches and 4 inches thick, and covers the wagon floor edge to edge. Fold the rear seatbacks, lay it along the floor, and clip the two Head Support Bridge attachments to the front headrests to hold up the head end where the seatbacks meet the front seats. 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). The durable choice for people who leave every Friday. The 300D Oxford top is built for gear dragged across it, dogs and wet equipment, 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 pick for Outback owners who camp in the cold: ski approach nights, early alpine starts, fall hunting camp. Polyurethane foam inside the air chambers gives pressure relief and real floor insulation, rated R-value 11 for four seasons. 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.

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  Luno Mattress for Subaru Outback

  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 Outback mattress

Airflow: cross-ventilation in a longer interior

The Outback's longer interior means more air to move, so a single cracked window does less than it would in a smaller car. You want cross-ventilation: windows on opposite sides cracked, not just the liftgate.

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 trailhead. 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 Outback in Medium. Run screens on both rear doors and you can sleep comfortably on warm nights without waking up to a stuffy cabin.

The Luno Car Camping Fan ($49.99) on low handles nights when the windows are not enough. It sticks to a window with a locking suction cup, has three speeds and runs from a USB port or power bank. In the Outback, mount it toward the middle of the sleeping area rather than at one end.

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  Luno Vehicle Window Screens

  For airflow and privacy with the windows open.

  • Medium for the Outback
  • Medium: 17.5 to 20 inch tall, 27 to 38 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: plan where the cooler and kitchen ride

The Size 2 mattress fills the cargo floor, so plan where everything else rides at night. 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. With two people sleeping, the cooler and kitchen gear move up to the front seats.

The Luno Headrest Organizer ($39.99) straps to a front headrest and keeps headlamps, phones and keys at arm's length from the bed. Luno gives it five pockets, two built in and three in a zip pouch that comes off for a hike, plus 12 MOLLE slots underneath, and says it fits standard car, SUV, truck and van headrests.

Muddy boots stay out of the car entirely with the Luno Gear and Shoe Storage Bag ($54.99). It hangs on the outside of the car on four microfiber-coated magnets, so it needs a metal body panel, and the mesh bottom lets wet shoes drain. Luno lists it at 13 by 13 by 5 inches, room for one pair of hiking boots or two pairs of sneakers.

At a busy trailhead, the Luno Car Privacy Curtain ($99.99) closes off the front seats and windshield with a magnetic seal down the middle. Luno says it suits most SUVs and crossovers and hangs from the grab handles above the rear doors. It does not name the Outback, so confirm with us before ordering.

On multi-night trips, the front passenger footwell becomes extra storage for anything you want to reach without opening the liftgate. The roof stays free for a rack or cargo box if you run one.

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  Luno Headrest Organizer

  For the small stuff you want within reach.

  • 5 pockets, 3 in a removable zip pouch
  • 12 MOLLE slots
  • Fits standard headrests

  View headrest organizer
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  Luno Gear and Shoe Storage Bag

  For muddy boots and wet gear, outside the car.

  • 13 x 13 x 5 inch, magnetic
  • Mesh bottom drains wet shoes
  • Needs a metal body panel

  View gear and shoe bag
• 

  Luno Car Privacy Curtain

  For privacy and darkness behind the front seats.

  • Magnetic seal down the middle
  • Hangs from rear grab handles
  • Outback fit not named, confirm with us before ordering

  View privacy curtain

Kitchen and power: worth the investment in an Outback

On longer trips, the kitchen and power setup is worth thinking through rather than improvising.

A tabletop propane grill turns a camp table into a kitchen. The HitchFire F20 Portable Tabletop Propane Grill ($599) puts out 20,000 BTU, has a removable drip tray, and HitchFire says it needs no hitch receiver, swing arm or bulky mounting hardware, so it sets up on a picnic table or bench. For coffee, pasta and eggs on your camp stove, the Sea to Summit XLite Collapsible 2L Pot, Kettle and Pan Set ($229.95) gives you a 2 liter pot, a 1.2 liter kettle and an 8 inch ceramic-coated pan. Sea to Summit says the set nests to 8 by 8 by 2 inches and 825 g, which leaves room in the kitchen bin. Use it on a stove, not over an open fire. Cook outside, never in the car. Our camp kitchen checklist covers what else goes in the kit.

Once the sun goes down, the Luno Camping String Lights ($44.99) give the whole camp a soft glow. Luno lists 20 feet of warm white light that runs up to 8 hours on the included USB-C battery pack, with three brightness levels. Hang them from the open liftgate and you can find everything in the back without a headlamp.

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  HitchFire F20 Tabletop Grill

  For real meals at the picnic table.

  • 20,000 BTU
  • No hitch receiver or swing arm needed
  • Removable drip tray

  View HitchFire F20
• 

  Sea to Summit XLite Pot, Kettle and Pan Set

  For coffee and one pot meals on a stove.

  • 2 L pot, 1.2 L kettle, 8 inch pan
  • Nests to 8 x 8 x 2 inch, 825 g

  View XLite set
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  Luno Camping String Lights

  For soft light around camp.

  • 20 feet, warm white
  • Up to 8 hours on the USB-C battery pack

  View string lights

For cold food, the Dometic Unrestricted Duffel 25L ($300) is a soft cooler that looks like a gym duffel. Dometic rates it at 25 liters, or 51 cans, with a welded leakproof liner and PrimaLoft Gold insulation, and it measures about 22.6 by 13.4 by 9.5 inches, so it lies flat on the open half of the mattress on a solo night. For multi-night trips without ice, the Dometic CFX5 35 ($999.99 for the cooler only) holds up to 50 cans, uses vacuum insulated panels, goes down to -7 F and runs on 12/24 volt DC or household AC. You can check and set the temperature from the Dometic app. It rides in the front seats when two of you sleep in back. 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 covers phone charging and 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.

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  Dometic Unrestricted Duffel 25L

  For ice, in a bag that lies flat.

  • 25 L, up to 51 cans
  • Welded leakproof liner, PrimaLoft Gold
  • About 22.6 x 13.4 x 9.5 inch

  View Unrestricted Duffel
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  Dometic CFX5 35

  For a fridge and freezer on power.

  • Up to 50 cans, down to -7 F
  • Vacuum insulated panels, app control
  • 12/24 V DC or 100 to 240 V AC

  View CFX5 35
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  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

The 5-minute setup walkthrough

1. Fold both rear seats forward. Pull the release and the seatback drops, no tools needed.
2. Lay the Luno mattress along the cargo floor. It fills the floor without repositioning.
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 window screens over both rear doors for cross-ventilation, strap the headrest organizer to a front headrest, and hang the privacy curtain if you use one.
6. Sleeping solo on one half? Put the cooler or gear bag on the open side. Two of you? Move the cooler and kitchen gear to the front seats.

Teardown is the same in reverse, and you are back on the road soon after you wake up. Do one practice run in the driveway before the first trip.

Cold-weather camping note

The Outback goes places where a cold floor is a real issue. A windshield sun shade on the inside cuts heat loss from the front glass. Keep a rear window cracked slightly behind its screen even in the cold. It feels backward, but it keeps condensation from soaking your bedding overnight. The AIR+FOAM Pro's foam handles the cold from the floor, and the cracked window handles the moisture. Both matter.

Recovery and first aid for the drive in

The dispersed sites that make the Outback worth owning are usually at the end of a dirt road, and airing down for washboard or sand only works if you can air back up before the highway. The ARB Onboard Air Compressor ($359.99) does that from the car's own 12 V system. ARB rates it at 3.08 CFM at 0 PSI, up to 100 PSI and a 50% duty cycle. It is a permanent install that mounts in the car and wires to the battery, and ARB does not publish an Outback mounting spot, so confirm with us before ordering.

Add a first aid kit that lives in the door pocket. The My Medic Hiker Medic ($34.95) is a small, resealable pouch that My Medic fills with bandages and gauze, antiseptic, blister care, a whistle, a space blanket, 25 feet of paracord, water purification tablets and single-dose medications. It also comes along on the hike from camp. Our off-road recovery kit guide goes deeper, and our Outback gear collection covers protection and trail accessories.

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  ARB Onboard Air Compressor

  For airing back up after the dirt road.

  • 3.08 CFM at 0 PSI, up to 100 PSI
  • 50% duty cycle, 12 V
  • Outback mounting not published, confirm with us before ordering

  View ARB compressor
• 

  My Medic Hiker Medic

  For the door pocket and the trail.

  • Bandages, gauze, blister care
  • Whistle, space blanket, 25 ft paracord
  • Water purification tablets

  View Hiker Medic

Outback car camping build order by budget

Start with sleep, since a good night is the whole point. Add a cooler and the grill next, then fridge power, the stove kit, lights, privacy and the compressor for longer, colder trips. Totals are today's prices on our site, before tax. Shop more in our Outback gear collection, Subaru gear and sleep and camp collections.

The $564.95 sleep kit is the core of the setup. For Outback owners who camp in cold weather or do multi-night trips, the AIR+FOAM Pro is the version worth getting, and the same kit with it comes to $714.95.

What to skip in an Outback

• A generic air mattress. The extra length gives it room to slide, and the wheel wells and seatback ledge are where it gives out.
• 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.
• Relying on the liftgate for airflow. Crack windows on opposite sides behind the screens instead.
• Cooking inside the car. Cook outside on the F20 or a camp stove, then load the kitchen back in once it has cooled.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

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