Can You Sleep in a Subaru Forester? The Complete Guide

Yes, you can absolutely sleep in a Subaru Forester. With the rear seats folded, you get roughly 6 feet of length from the tailgate to the front seats, and 41 inches of width in the cargo area. That is about the size of a twin mattress, enough space for one adult to sleep comfortably, or two adults who do not mind close quarters. The Forester is one of the most popular SUVs for car camping because it combines all-wheel drive, solid ground clearance, and a surprisingly tall cargo opening that gives you more headroom than the Outback or Crosstrek.

But sleeping in a Forester is not as simple as folding the seats down and laying flat. There are a few problems every Forester camper runs into, and how you solve them makes the difference between a miserable night and a genuinely comfortable setup.

The Three Problems with Sleeping in a Subaru Forester:

The seats do not fold completely flat. When you fold the rear seats down in any Forester generation, you get a sleeping surface that slopes upward toward the front of the vehicle. There is also a ridge where the seatback meets the cargo floor. This uneven surface puts pressure on your hips and lower back, and it gets worse over the course of a night. Every Forester owner who has tried sleeping without a platform or a super thick mattress knows this problem.

The cargo area is shorter than you think. The raw cargo length with seats folded is approximately 69 to 72 inches to the front seats (fully slid forward) depending on your model year. That sounds like 6 feet, but the usable sleeping surface is shorter because the the last ~16” behind the front seats is an open gap where the footwell area is for the back seats. If you are taller than 5’10”, your feet will hit the tailgate or your head will be hanging over that large gap.

Storage disappears when the bed is set up. If you just lay a mattress on the folded seats, all your gear has to go somewhere. Most people end up stuffing bags in the front seats, which works for one night but gets frustrating fast on longer trips.

These are solvable problems. Here is how.

Subaru Forester Interior Dimensions by Generation
Not all Foresters are the same size inside. The cargo area has changed with each generation, which affects your sleeping setup.

6th Gen Forester (2025+): The newest redesign maintains similar cargo dimensions to the 5th gen, with 74.4 cubic feet of cargo space with seats folded. Early measurements suggest the cargo floor length is comparable to the 5th gen. The panoramic moonroof option on some trims adds to the sense of space.

5th Gen Forester (2019-2024): The current generation has up to 74.2 cubic feet of cargo space with seats folded and about 69.1 inches of cargo floor length. The cargo opening is 51.3 inches wide and 33.1 inches tall. You get approximately 21 inches of headroom between a standard 8-9” tall sleeping platform and the roof, which is enough to sit up partially.

4th Gen Forester (2014-2018): Slightly smaller cargo area at around 68 cubic feet with seats folded. Cargo floor length is approximately 68 inches. The seat fold angle creates a more noticeable slope.

3rd Gen Forester (2009-2013): The smallest of the modern Foresters. Cargo length is approximately 67 inches with seats folded. Tighter overall but still workable for solo campers up to about 5’10”.

The key measurement is always the usable sleeping length from the tailgate to the front seats. With a platform that extends over the folded seats and bridges that gap, you can get up to 72 to 74 inches of flat sleeping surface in a 5th gen Forester.

Five Ways to Sleep in a Subaru Forester (Ranked)

There are five common approaches to sleeping in a Forester, ranging from free to $1,500. Each has real tradeoffs.

Option 1: Just fold the seats and use a sleeping pad. Cost: $0 to $50. This is what most people try first. You fold the rear seats, lay down a sleeping pad or blanket, and hope for the best. It works for a single night if you are under 5’8” and do not mind the slope. For anything longer, the uneven surface and lack of storage makes this impractical. Verdict: fine for emergencies, not for regular camping.

Option 2: Air mattress on folded seats. Cost: $50 to $250. An air mattress smooths out some of the unevenness. There are SUV-specific air mattresses shaped for cargo areas that fit the Forester reasonably well. The downside is air mattresses are cold (they have almost no insulation from below), they can deflate overnight, and they take up the entire cargo area so you lose all storage. Forum users consistently report that air mattresses work for summer trips but are miserable below 40 degrees. Verdict: decent for warm-weather weekend trips.

Option 3: DIY plywood sleeping platform. Cost: $200 to $500. This is the most popular approach on forums and YouTube. You build a raised platform from plywood and 2x4s that sits above the folded seats, creating a flat surface with storage space underneath for bins and bags. The upside is full customization and low cost. The downside is it takes a full weekend (or more) to build, requires tools many people do not own, and the result is often heavy, hard to remove, and rough around the edges. The platform also does not typically extend forward over the seat gap, so you are limited to the cargo floor length. Verdict: good if you enjoy building and do not need to remove the platform often.

Option 4: Pre-built sleeping platform with storage. Cost: $700 to $1,500. This is what we make at Compass Camper. Our Forester kit uses an aluminum extrusion frame with a carpeted plywood sleeping surface and two prefinished poplar drawers on heavy-duty locking slides. It is precision-fit to your specific Forester model year, secures to your factory tie-down points with turnbuckles (no drilling, no tools), and installs in about 10 minutes. The bed extension slides forward over the folded seats to create up to 79 inches of flat sleeping surface, and retracts into the trunk for daily driving. The main advantage over a DIY build is time saved, precise fit, integrated storage, and an aluminum frame that will not warp or degrade over time. Verdict: the best option if you want a clean, reliable setup and do not want to spend a weekend building.

Option 5: Rooftop tent. Cost: $1,000 to $3,000+. A rooftop tent mounts to your Forester’s roof rails and gives you a sleeping surface above the vehicle. This frees up the entire cargo area for gear. The Forester Wilderness has an 800 lb static roof load capacity, making it well-suited for rooftop tents. The downsides are significant: added weight and wind resistance reduce fuel economy, the tent raises your center of gravity, setup and teardown takes 10 to 20 minutes, and you need a ladder to access the bed. Rooftop tents are also bulky, so they stay on your vehicle full-time or require significant effort to remove. Verdict: good for extended overland trips where you want maximum interior storage, but overkill for most weekend camping.

Subaru Forester Camping Setup: Essential Gear

Beyond the sleeping surface, a few items make Forester camping dramatically more comfortable.

Ventilation. Condensation is the number one complaint in Forester camping forums. Two people breathing inside a sealed vehicle will fog every window within an hour. Crack the windows at least half an inch, or install mesh window screens that let air flow while keeping bugs out. Rain guards (window deflectors) let you crack windows in the rain without getting water inside.

Window covers. Privacy and light blocking are essential, especially if you camp at trailheads, rest stops, or anywhere with other vehicles nearby. Cut Reflectix insulation to fit each window, or buy pre-cut window shades. These also add a small amount of insulation in cold weather.

Lighting. A magnetic LED strip or small battery-powered lantern inside the Forester makes the space feel livable after dark. Clip-on book lights work well if one person wants to read while the other sleeps.

Mattress or sleeping pad. A 2 to 3 inch memory foam tri-fold mattress on top of a sleeping platform is the gold standard for Forester camping comfort. If you are using an air mattress, bring a foam pad to put underneath it for insulation. Air mattresses lose heat fast in cool weather because the air inside conducts cold from the vehicle floor.

Power. The Forester’s 12V outlets and USB ports can charge phones and small devices. For longer trips, a portable power station (400 to 800 Wh) can run a small fan, lights, and phone chargers for 2 to 3 nights without recharging.

Cooking. With a sleeping platform that has pull-out drawers, you can store a compact camp stove, utensils, and food in organized compartments. The Forester’s tailgate height makes it a natural cooking counter surface when the drawers are extended.

Subaru Forester Wilderness: The Best Forester for Camping?

The Forester Wilderness trim (2019+) adds several features that matter for car camping:
Raised suspension with 9.2 inches of ground clearance (vs. 8.7 on standard trims). This gets you down rougher forest roads to more remote campsites.
All-terrain tires that handle mud, gravel, and snow better than the highway tires on other trims.
Upgraded dual-function X-Mode for rock, dirt, and deep snow driving.
An 800 lb static roof load capacity, which supports rooftop tents or heavy roof cargo.
StarTex water-repellent upholstery that handles muddy boots and wet gear without staining.
3,000 lb towing capacity (vs. 1,500 on other trims), useful for towing a small trailer with bikes or kayaks.
The Wilderness trim does not change the interior cargo dimensions. The sleeping area, cargo width, and cargo length are the same as other Forester trims. A sleeping platform that fits a standard Forester fits the Wilderness as well.

How to Set Up a Subaru Forester Sleeping Platform

If you decide to go with a pre-built sleeping platform, here is how the Compass Camper Forester kit works:

Fold your rear seats flat. Place the aluminum-framed trunk platform in the cargo area. It sits on your Forester’s factory cargo tie-down points using provided turnbuckles. No drilling, no cutting, no tools.The drawers ride on heavy-duty locking slides rated to 250 to 300 lbs and pull out from the tailgate for easy access.

Attach the bed extension to the trunk frame via Velcro. The extension slides forward over the folded rear seats, bridging the gap and creating a flat surface from the tailgate to behind the front seats.

Add your mattress on top. A twin-sized tri-fold foam mattress sits on the carpeted platform surface.

The entire setup takes about 10 minutes. When you are done camping, the bed extension retracts into the trunk, the drawers stay in place, and you can raise your back seats and use the Forester for daily driving.

If you need to remove the entire kit (for example, to haul large items), it comes out in under 10 minutes with no tools.