What Makes Sleeping in Your Car Difficult?

If you’ve tried sleeping in your car, you’ve likely discovered it’s not as simple as laying down a sleeping bag and calling it a night. Between bumpy, uneven surfaces, not enough length to stretch out, and the constant struggle to keep gear organized, a night in your vehicle can quickly become uncomfortable. Below we break down the most common challenges—and the vehicle-specific solutions that actually work.

1. Bumpy Floors and Short Trunks

Cars are built for sitting, not sleeping. When you fold down seats to make space, you often get uneven surfaces, angled seatbacks, and awkward gaps between cushions. These high and low spots put pressure on hips, shoulders, and your spine, which is why many people wake up sore after their first try at car camping.

Why that matters: uneven support leads to poor sleep quality, stiffness, and grumpy mornings- can we go home yet?

Solution: a flat, stable platform designed to bridge seat gaps and create a continuous sleeping surface. The Hideaway Sleeping Platform was designed specifically to eliminate those gaps and give you a real bed—not a patchwork of cushions.

2. Not Enough Length to Stretch Out

Most cars don’t offer enough straight-line length for an adult to lie flat. You’ll often find your head or feet hanging over the rear seat footwell, forcing you to curl up or sleep at an awkward angle.

Why that matters: lack of length = less restful sleep, which undermines the whole point of taking a break in nature.

Solution: a platform that can extend out over the footwell area and creates full-length sleep space. Our Hideaway design maximizes usable length so you can actually lie flat and wake up rested. Plus you can preserve the entire space of the footwell for valuable storage space.

3. Air Mattresses: They can Smooth Bumps but Steal Your Storage

An air mattress seems like an easy fix—until you inflate it and realize it occupies the entire cargo area. With an air mattress in place you lose interior storage, and all your gear needs to be removed and store under the car, or stacked up alongside you when you sleep. That makes sleeping inconvenient and unpacking a hassle every time you want something.

Why that matters: when your sleeping surface replaces your storage, you either sleep with your gear in the way or you sacrifice easy access to essentials.

Solution: an elevated platform that creates a sleeping surface while preserving storage underneath. With the Hideaway Platform you can keep bins, coolers, and packs neatly stored beneath your bed—so your gear is organized and accessible without interrupting your sleep.

4. Camping Cots Aren’t Ideal for Vehicles

Cots work well in tents, but inside a car they’re often a poor fit. They don’t conform to car dimensions, can’t easily adjust in length or height, and still leave you with limited under-bed storage. In short: they solve one problem but introduce others.

Why that matters: cots are bulky, inflexible, and not optimized for the unique shapes of vehicle interiors.

Solution: a vehicle-specific platform system that’s low-profile, adjustable for different vehicle layouts, and integrates storage with sleeping comfort. That’s the approach we took with the Hideaway.

The Smarter Way to Sleep in Your Car

Car camping should feel like a shortcut to enjoying the outdoors—not a compromise on sleep and comfort. When you address the core problems—uneven surfaces, limited length, lost storage, and ill-fitting gear—you unlock the versatility of your vehicle as a comfortable mobile basecamp.

The Hideaway Sleeping Platform from Pacific Adventure Works is designed to solve these vehicle-specific challenges:

• Creates a flat, stable, and continuous sleeping surface.
• Extends usable length so you can lie flat and comfortable.
• Preserves organized storage underneath the platform.
• Fits over 9,000 SUVs, vans, and trucks with minimal installation time.

Ready to sleep better on your next adventure? Explore the Hideaway Sleeping Platform and turn your vehicle into a restful, ready-to-roll basecamp.