For sheer convenience and creature comforts, car camping always beats out tent camping. However, sleeping in your car is still never as cushy as overnighting in a decked-out RV or travel trailer. Czech-based Egoé is looking to split the difference with Nestbox, a clever camping kit “insert” that transforms a wide variety of automobiles into full-featured travel trailers in minutes.
Nestbox is a self-contained, all-in-one assembly that mounts inside the rear luggage compartment of many vans and SUVs. The unit is lightweight, stylish, and boasts all the essential features of a dedicated teardrop trailer or RV at a fraction of the cost. The main body houses an ultra-compact camp kitchen setup with a fridge, a cook space with two burners, a water reservoir with a tap or submersible pump, and ample storage drawers and bags for dishes, cookware, and utensils. The rear also unfolds with a sleeping grate on which to place the included hydrophobic foam mattress. The only thing missing is a bathroom, but that’s why the good lord gave us shrubs and spackle buckets.
Because Egoé is a European company, Nestbox is designed primarily for overseas vans and SUVs that most Statesiders have never heard of (like the Peugeot Traveller and Volkswagen T6). However, given the substantially larger dimensions of most American models, the device fits many U.S.-specific automobiles as well. Egoé encourages buyers who are unsure to contact them directly with any inquiries about their particular vehicle.
Egoé has designed and manufactured car camping and outdoor furniture since 2006. Their catalog includes a number of clever products designed to solve common problems many car campers face. Nestbag, for example, is an expandable, soft-sided storage device that transforms the rear window of almost any car into an on-the-go closet. Their other car-camp-friendly furniture includes Nestbed (a collapsible bed frame and mattress with a hydrophobic coating for easy cleaning) and Nestblock (a folding outdoor table and chair set compact enough to fit almost anywhere).
The entry-level Nestbox Tripper has a base price of around USD $3,400 (excluding shipping), while the larger, upgraded Nestbox Roamer and off-road-ready Nestbox Supertramp both start around USD $3,900.
