Car camping in a RAV4: the complete setup

A folding aluminum frame that makes a flat bed over the folded seats. It goes in and comes out in a few minutes, so the RAV4 stays your daily driver.

• The Solo makes a bed 6 feet long and 24 inches wide, weighs 25 pounds, and holds 250 pounds. The Duo is the two-person version and holds 400 pounds.
• Its legs adjust in half-inch steps, so you can level the bed over the uneven seats or on a sloped campsite.
• Two longer legs stand in the back footwells to reach the full 6 feet, and the same legs turn it into a camp table.
• It comes with a 30-day return and a 5-year warranty, and the carry bag works as an organizer under the bed.

Reviews point to this size as the one that fits a compact SUV's cargo area.

• It runs on the car's 12-volt outlet, on house power, or on a portable power station.
• A phone app shows and sets the temperature.
• Want to spend less? Compressor fridges from BougeRV and ICECO do the same job for less money, with simpler controls.

The best way to stay warm all night. Nothing burns, so there's no carbon monoxide.

• A heated pad under you on low uses about 12 to 15 watts, so one person uses about 150 watt-hours a night and two people about 300. Pads under you use far less power than blankets on top.
• Pick one with a 10-hour auto-off, like the Beautyrest Twin XL ($33 to $57), and run it from a pure sine wave power station.
• Keep the power station inside the car with you. Cold cuts its capacity by 10 to 30%, and you shouldn't charge it below freezing.
• Skip the space heater. A 1,500-watt heater empties a 1,000 watt-hour power station in about half an hour.

Every other option depends on this, and it costs nothing to run.

• Put a closed-cell foam pad under an insulated pad rated R 5 or higher.
• Get a sleeping bag with a comfort rating of 10°F or lower for 20°F nights. A bag sold as "0°F" is usually only comfortable to about 10 to 15°F.
• Sleep in dry wool layers, socks, and a beanie, and take a bottle of hot water to bed in a sock.
• Crack two windows about half an inch on opposite sides so your breath doesn't frost the inside of the glass.

Fine for warming up before bed, but don't sleep with it running.

• The RAV4 Hybrid manual says to always turn the hybrid system off when napping, because you can bump the shifter or pedal and exhaust can build up. Don't run it where snow can pile up around the tailpipe.
• A hybrid's engine starts on its own when the battery needs it, so it can make exhaust even when it seems quiet.

Sets cut to the shape of the 2019 to 2025 RAV4's windows, with magnets sewn into the edges that stick to the metal door frame. Brands include CLIM ART (about $134 for a set) and AUSGO.

• Check that the listing is mesh, not solid sun shade fabric. Some sets are sold mainly as shades.
• Magnets only stick to metal. Where the frame is plastic, these sets use clips instead.
• Confirm the fit says 2019 to 2025. Several brands sell a different set for the 2013 to 2018 RAV4.

A stretchy mesh sleeve that pulls down over the whole door frame, so you can roll the window down behind it. They're universal and usually cost less than custom sets, and they're made for when you're parked.

Plenty of RAV4 owners sew magnets into the hem of a piece of screen mesh. Use coated magnets, because bare nickel magnets can scratch the paint if they slide. K&J Magnetics has a guide using a RAV4's rear window as the example.