Before getting started setting up my Jeep for overlanding, the first decision I needed to make was where and how we were going to sleep in the car on our trips.

Sleeping options

Rooftop Tent

My original plan was to get a rooftop tent like this Tepui Autana. Since I was going to get a solid roof rack regardless, I initially figured this was the best way to go. On the plus side, it wouldn’t take up any space inside the Jeep, and it would be very comfortable (some of my friends have these and they’re awesome). However, I ultimately decided against this due to:

1. The cost – it seems like the bare minimum here is about $1K, but more likely $2-3K+ for the one I really want. And since the tent would be our shelter for a good portion of our trip, this wasn’t something I would want to skimp on.
2. The conspicuousness – when the rooftop tent is pitched, there’s no hiding the fact that we’re sleeping there. This wouldn’t be an issue when we’re at a campground, but this is a dealbreaker when we’re trying to boondock.

Trailer

I also considered getting a small trailer. I think sleeping in an old teardrop trailer would be really cool, and like the rooftop tent plan, wouldn’t take up any space inside the car. The downside here is the flexibility I’d sacrifice by having to drive and park with a trailer. Besides the hassle of highway driving with a trailer, parking in a city would become extremely difficult. Ultimately I decided this wasn’t worth it.

Sleeping in the Car

This meant I needed a way to sleep inside the car, while still allowing storage space for everything we needed to bring with us. I read a lot of posts on Jeep forums from people who sleep in their Jeeps, either on a wooden or metal platform, or just on a partially-inflated air mattress. Some of the platform ideas were great, but none of them were exactly what I wanted, so I set out to design my own, that fit these criteria:

1. Flat – When the rear seats are folded all the way down, they don’t go completely flat. I could deal with that for occasional one-night camping trips, but not for extended periods, so sleeping on that surface with or without an air mattress wasn’t an option for me.
2. Flexible/temporary – The whole setup needs to tear down easily so that the rear seats can be used. This ruled out removing the seats, or building a fixed structure that stays in place.
3. Easy – it needs to be something I can build myself, in a single weekend or so.

My solution for sleeping in the car

I ultimately decided to build a platform out of wood, because it would be easier to work with than metal (for me at least). Then I’d cover it in carpet for padding. Below is the final CAD rendering (viewed from below).

Rear storage box

First I built a box for the rear section, using 2×6’s (2×4’s would also work, but I figured that would make the box too short to store much). The rear cubby dictated the positions of the rear and side pieces, and then I positioned the front 2×6 so that it would clear the rear seat, and be in position to use the existing cargo tie-down holes in the floor. With these constraints, I ended up with a 30″ x 24″ rectangular 2×6 box.

Next I added an additional 2×6 to the front side of the box, for the front platform sections to rest on. I made this extra 2×6 a little longer than the box so it would block the side compartments for extra security when the top is down, and to make the front platforms as stable as possible. I used metal L-braces to secure this piece to the cargo tie-down holes.

Then I cut a sheet of ¾” maple plywood to fit around the subwoofer, tailgate curve, and other hard trim. At ¾” there is no flex even with 2 people on top of it. I think any less than ⅝” would be too flimsy though.

Front platforms

For the front sections, I cut 2 mirrored sections of plywood to fit around the hard trim and center console. Since the 2×6 box was slightly taller than the highest point of the folded down rear seats, I added a riser to the front edge of the platforms using stacked up plywood, adding pieces until the front section was level with the rear. I ended up using 4 layers of 3/4″ plywood, to add about 3″.

Also, I designed the shape of the front sections so that they would stack neatly on top of the rear section, but underneath the rear storage shelf, with enough clearance to put the rear seats back up. That way I can just leave them in the back when I’m not overlanding, and I can make room for people to sit in the second row when needed. Here’s a view of the front platforms stacked on the rear:

Carpet

Once all of the wooden parts were built, I bought a 12′ roll of black indoor/outdoor carpet, and applied it to each section using 3M Super 77 spray adhesive and some heavy-duty staples. The black indoor/outdoor carpet perfectly matches the stock black interior carpet, which makes the platform look surprisingly stock. Because it matches so well, the rear section acts as very discreet storage when running with the top down. I also added some magnets to the front side of the box, and the bottom of the front platforms to hold the platforms in place a little better.

I considered putting hinges on the rear platform, but decided against it to allow access to the storage area from any direction, especially since it pretty much stays in place without being attached. If I was going to use this as secured storage with the top down, I would add hinges to the front edge and a locking mechanism under the rear edge (which would be inaccessible unless the tailgate was opened).