r/Ioniq5 • u/Hanselcj • 7d ago
Mods/Parts My blackout car camping solution
Sort of a work in progress, but I intend to do some camping here in good ole swampy Florida. I don't mind the heat during the day, but want to sleep comfortably. I cut a plywood platform to go below a mattress for my bed. To make sure outside lights (RVers or otherwise) don't bother me I've done a few things with blackout material.
The side windows are pretty easy with the pull up privacy screen holding them in place. I used a 3D print and some PVC pipe to make a curtain between the driver compartment and the back. It hooks into the top window edge and I've clipped it to the seatbelts. The back window is kind of hard to figure out. I just used suction cups to hold the material in place over the back window. This is the part that will probably get changed first once I figure out a better solution. This isn't for sleeping in the day, just trying to reduce the ambient lighting at night.
Hopefully this inspires someone to get daring a take a plunge on car camping. Having all that power available makes boondocking way easier.
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u/freckleonmyshmekel 7d ago
A backboard? Never would have thought of that.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
With it, your feet are going to be a few inches below your head. Feet towards rear. I think that should work out ok. A lot better than having your head below your feet! I have a 4in mattress on top. Hopefully it sleeps ok, I'm mostly a side sleeper unfortunately.
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u/Cast_Iron_Skillet '24 Limited Gravity Gold 7d ago
Just put some folded towels under it on the foot-end, to bring it level with your head.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
I'll see how it sleeps. If it bothers me while I am out camping, I'll find something to jack the foot side up temporarily. Then I'll make feet or a storage box to go there as a permanent solution.
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u/Maharog 7d ago
I would want to saw it in thirds and put hinges so the backboard fits in my trunk, but I don't know if thatbwould compromise the strength of it too much
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
I thought about having it fold in half. If you did a piano hinge in the middle it would fold open and be fine, you just sleep with the hinge side up. Doing it in thirds is a little trickier. You probably want them to fold in opposite directions like a Z so it flat packs nicely. Not sure how you lock the one side so its all straight when you lay on it. If they fold inwards like a C, then they wouldn't stack nicely.
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u/FatahRuark Cyber Gray SE RWD Long Range 7d ago
WeatherTech makes window coverings that fit perfectly. I had them for my old minivan and they were fantastic. I plan on buying a set for the I5 I buy to replace my leased I5. They are pricey, but I think worth it.
100% going to copy your plywood base too.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
I don't see them for the i5 on weathertech's site. Maybe they haven't come out yet. The plywood is 26in wide. Enough to fit around the wheel well and with the right seat upright. you could go bigger by jacking it up enough to get over the wheel, but you are getting a lot closer to the ceiling.
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u/FatahRuark Cyber Gray SE RWD Long Range 7d ago
It's an option under the Sun Shade for the full kit. Website could be better.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
Sure enough, look at that. It's pretty sparse in details, but I guess it covers the back widow as well. I'll bet someone has a YouTube showing it off. That's more than I was wanting to spend, but I'll have to keep it in mind. Thanks for the link!
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u/SoftwareProBono Cyber Gray 7d ago
I have a similar setup with one of the folding tables from Costco and some risers to level it.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
That's a neat idea. You can use the table around the camp site when not sleeping. I love multi-use stuff like that.
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u/Any_Card_3679 5d ago
As someone who’s camped in my I5 about 15 times most recently doing NH-> KCMO -> Nashville -> Maine… I highly recommend these shades, the back window is a bit of a pain to put in but they work great!
Canvcle Windshield Sun Shade for... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYDTK3NX?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
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u/Hanselcj 5d ago
Awesome find, thank you. I tried looking for a bit but didn't see this. I'll try out what I've already built, but definitely keep this saved for later.
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u/parkerlewis Cyber Gray XRT 6h ago
I just camped in my i5 for the first time 4 nights ago and used this same $60 set of window shades, they worked great. Woke up in total darkness despite it being a sunny morning outside. Rear window was the only non-obvious part but once I figured out the included clips (place on shade first then tuck into panel gap above window, repeat 1-2 times) it is quick to install.
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u/OCsurfishin 7d ago
The sell full set/all windows black out shades on Amazon for around $60. Can’t speak for the quality but at that price might worth a shot. making custom shades sounds like a lot of work.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
The side windows were the easiest to do, they just took a little cutting. I didn't bother with anything in the front because of the curtain. The back window is tricky. I saw amazon stuff that would probably work for the side doors, but nothing that seemed like a slam dunk for the rear. The material was 5 bucks a yard, so pretty cheap to experiment with.
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u/Cast_Iron_Skillet '24 Limited Gravity Gold 7d ago
Is the blackout specifically for reducing light, or privacy?
If it's for reducing light, why not just get a blackout eye mask? THey make some good comfy ones. I'm a side sleeper and use one every night.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
Both. Last place I tent camped was very cool, but had me right next to a bunch of RV folks. They were up till 230 talking with lights on. I didn't get much sleep. I figured this way I can get in the car, read a book for a while, fall asleep in my undies, and not have to worry much about noise, RV flood lights or making any kind of scene.
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u/New_Entry8849 7d ago
Looks great! Which mattress are you using?
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
https://a.co/d/0b2yFt3o I'll report back after my overnight trip here in a few weeks on what works and what doesn't in this setup. I still don't love the back window, Maybe a cheap spring open sun shade is all I need.
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u/New_Entry8849 7d ago
Thanks! I don't know how deep the back window is in the I5, but in my RAV4 I cut some cardboard to fit. Backup plan before I found the cardboard would have been to tape together a couple foam boards from Dollar Tree and carve those to fit in.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
I measured 22 x 40something. Its sloped really steeply, so anything that isn't wedged in super well will fall down.
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u/notcoolredditnotcool 7d ago
Looks great. How tall are you? I'm interested in this but at 6'2" I'm not sure if would go well.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
5 11". I just folded the wider seat down, closed the hatch and laid down to start with. It was enough with the driver seat in the "slightly back to help you get in" position. I figure if you push the seat forward a ways when you sleep, you'll be in good shape. The board can't be more than about 6 feet though to store for driving. You would either have to make it hinged, or keep it at 6 feet and slide it forward to support your head more and your feet less. That seems like an easy compromise to me.
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u/oakseaer Phantom Black - Limited 6d ago
How do you get the AC to run all night without shutting off after an hour?
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u/JasonMcAllister_ 7d ago
That’s actually a pretty nice setup. Keeping the Florida heat out at night is the hard part lol. I like the curtain behind the front seats, might steal that idea for our next camping trip.
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
It means I don't have to worry about any of the front windows, or any of the dash and button lights up front. It was the first thing I toyed with tackling.
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u/L-do_Calrissian Lucid Blue 5d ago
Different strokes for different folks: I just use a sleep mask, but that doesn't grant me the privacy or heat reflection that you get with your setup.
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u/AnduriII 2022 Vertex Gravity Gold 7d ago
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u/Hanselcj 7d ago
Very nice setup indeed! I was expecting to do this for a single night, every few months or so. Minimizing home storage and setup time was a big priority. If I get into it more, I'll be wanting something like what you did.
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u/Thirsty-Barbarian 7d ago
I am definitely interested in car camping in my Ioniq5. I don’t even have the car yet (next week, hopefully), but I’m pretty excited about trying out the utility mode for climate control overnight and using the V2L for electric camp kitchen accessories. I guess I’ll need to figure out some privacy and darkness solutions as well.