When you think of great outdoor adventure vehicles, a Subaru WRX sedan may not be the first vehicle that comes to your mind, but in reality I think it should be. This rally racing inspired sports car screams adventure and just begs to be taken into new and exotic locals. Some may argue that this vehicle is not suitable for exploring the vast wildernesses of the world, but I would care to differ.

Without further fan fare let me introduce to perhaps the greatest adventure rig ever conceived, my 2013 Subaru WRX Sedan. Which has served me well going on 79,000 miles and counting.

The Subaru WRX in its natural habitat

You may be asking yourself, well what qualities does this vehicle have that make it so great for adventures? I would be happy to explain with this handy list.

• A convenient 5-speed manual transmission for sitting comfortably in traffic on the highway while headed to your favorite outdoor locations on holiday weekends.
• Ground clearance of approximately 3-4 whole inches
• Extra wide wheels complete with extreme performance summer tires designed strictly for use on nice smooth asphalt. (Perfect for those dirt roads)
• 300hp of raw power, perfect for all of those 25mph speed limit zones and dirt roads
• Limited storage space in virtually every direction, I hope you don’t have more than 1 friend to travel with because that back seat space is key
• Undeniably always more fun to drive than a Prius

Given all of these fantastic qualifications it is easy to see why I would love traveling hundreds of miles with this trusty steed. The only real downside was how do I sleep comfortably when my vehicle was the only viable option? Seeing others at the trail head in their Subaru Outbacks and Volvo wagons sleeping quite comfortably I have to admit I was a bit jealous, but knew, there was a way I could sleep in the same comfort.

The first few times I went with the classic method of simply curling up in the backseat in the fetal position. Luckily I was never blessed with excessive height so this worked well enough but it wasn’t great. The uneven surface and lack of space made it almost certain you would wake up with a horrible kink in your neck that you would then have to hike with for 8-12 hours the next day. This was of course not optimal and I knew there had to be a better way!

This situation is what lead me to my great revolutionary idea in sedan sleeping technology. There are only two things you will need to recreate this method in your own vehicle.

1. A sedan vehicle equipped with folding rear seats.
2. An Intex Classic Downy Full size Airbed from Walmart, valued at roughly $14. (You will also need a pump to inflate it. I use a Coleman pump powered by the 12v outlet in your vehicle)

Once you have these items you will be all set to go. All you need to do is follow the steps below:

1. Fold down rear seats.
2. Lay out your air mattress from the now flat seats and into the trunk space. Your trunk does not need to be totally empty, just free of major obstructions.
3. Inflate the mattress roughly half way.
4. Lay out your blanket/pillow on your new comfortable bed. (I recommend a blanket instead of a sleeping bag as your range of motion is limited enough as it is)
5. Do some gymnastics/yoga/ninja warrior moves to lay down in your comfortable and inviting bed.

Here are some photos of the finished product:

Notice how you still have all that storage space below!

Now doesn’t this look inviting? Notice the convenient shelf you now have for all your stuff, such as your phone and glasses.

More leg room then you have legs.

Now it may seem that there is not nearly enough space to actually lay down comfortably but this is where you would be mistaken. Although the space is in fact tight, as long as the mattress is not overly inflated you will have more than enough space. As soon as you place your body on the mattress it will sink under your weight and the air will inflate the outside edges surrounding your body, giving you all the room you need.  Unfortunately you cannot really roll over or move too well once comfortably in the sleeping position. I would best describe this experience as being akin to sleeping in a hammock. Specifically the kind of hammock that every time you try to get out of it you fall on your face. Despite the difficulty of getting in and out I can say that you will undoubtedly get a better nights sleep than you would curled up in the back seat.

In the end I love my adventure machine and wouldn’t trade it for anything! There is always a way to make things work if you just take the time to come up with new and possibly very uncomfortable solutions!

Be sure to give my method a try and let me know what you think.