Honda Fit Camper: 8 Ideas & Examples

The Honda Fit, with its excellent gas mileage and versatile interior, is a fantastic vehicle for car camping. Many solo travelers use it for fun road trips lasting up to a few weeks. Some couples also use it for shorter vacations to save money on hotels and B&Bs.

There’s a special freedom that comes from camping out of a small car camper like the Honda Fit: pack it light, park it anywhere, move it as often as you like, and stay super stealthy.

Further down in this article, we will look at why you should turn a Honda Fit into camper and what you need to do it. But first, we want to share with you our favorite rigs.

8 Honda Fit Conversion Ideas

To help you kickstart your research into Honda Fit camper conversion options, we’ve collected the best ideas and examples we could find online.

HondaFit4Adventure’s Conversion

HondaFit4Adventure converted his car into an overlanding solar powerhouse. His Honda Fit doesn’t go unnoticed: it features a roof rack with three solar panels fitted on top of a storage area. These provide 240watts of solar and can swing upwards, so they can catch the sun’s rays better. Next to the cargo basket, on the left-hand side, HondaFit4Adventure added a kayak rack.

The solar powers a 12v cooler, a heated blanket, a 12in fan, and all his devices that charge off a USB plug. When the leisure battery is full, the excess power is redirected to a resistance heater in his water tank.

HondaFit4Adventure built a wooden bed frame to sleep on, keeping it as low as possible to maximize headroom. There’s some storage under it, which helps him carry all his camping gear on the road. Half the structure isn’t covered by plywood, as he uses robust plastic boxes to store his gear; these provide enough support.

HondaFit4Adventure has traveled across 48 states on his Honda Fit overland camper so far. He enjoys exploring off-road the most. This awesome overlanding rig isn’t exactly stealthy, so he decided to give his Honda Fit a brand-new look for 2023. Check out his YouTube channel and Instagram account to see what he comes up with.

Skyler Yeatman’s Honda Fit Camper

Skyler converted his Honda Fit into a camper to go hiking, snowboarding, paddle boarding, and longboarding in Upstate New York. He created the whole conversion DIY from his own original plans.

Skyler created a platform bed with storage underneath, which he finds pretty comfortable. On top of this, he added a table on which to cook and eat. He left a gap in the platform, so he can sit with his feet on the car floor while at the table. This extends over the gap and a keyboard drawer slides out towards the bed – it doubles as a desk, so he can work on the road.

Skyler uses a rooftop box to store any extra gear he needs to take on the road. This simple setup allows him to travel anywhere he likes in his little car. He says he has already slept in the camper in the winter in Upstate New York without a heater, so he feels like the camper gives him total freedom.

JMYilla’s Honda Fit Conversion

JMYilla decided to convert his Honda Fit into a camper to go on a cross-country road trip with his wife and shared his learnings on Instructables.

He built a very sleek sleeping platform out of plywood. This is level with the wheel wells, so he used all available headroom. Under the platform, there’s a lot of storage, which he can access via fold-up panels.

JMYilla didn’t opt for a foam mattress; he simply uses a camping self-inflating air mattress and sleeping bags. This means all the bedding can be easily stored away into bags in the morning, making it super easy to access the storage under the bed.

ManyUnrelatedThings’ Honda Fit Camper

ManyUnrealtedThings is handy – she often builds things out of wood and can even hand carve beautifully. She kept her Honda Fit camper simple, though.

She didn’t remove the seats, so she can turn the camper into a car anytime she wants; she stuffs the tri-folding mattress in the trunk to use the passenger seats.

Next to the bed, she keeps a battery bank, which charges off the cigarette lighter. By the trunk, there’s a traveling case with her clothes and a storage box with dry food. She keeps her kitchenware and some perishable food in a lunch box at the back of the car camper. All she uses to cook is a 12v rice cooker, in which she boils water and makes ramen.

ManyUnrealtedThings made a custom ply trunk cover, which is very solid and doubles as a table she can use while sitting inside the car. When the Honda Fit is back into car mode, the panel hides away all her camping gear, which is very handy.

This rig is very easy to set up and super stealthy – ManyUnrealtedThings can simply park up, climb into the back of the car, eat dinner, and sleep. No one will notice she’s camping there. She took her Honda Fit camper across the US, so she has tested her setup extensively and is very happy with it.

Legacy Roofing Utah’s Off-Grid Honda Fit Camper

Legacy Roofing Utah wanted to take his Honda Fit boondocking with his wife, so he made his vehicle 100% self-sufficient.

He installed a 200watt solar panel on the roof via an aluminum frame, which he screwed onto the roof himself. This saved him a few bucks. He can use the power generated via a leisure battery and a 2000 watts inverter.

Next to the solar panel, he fitted two solar showers (one each). These are made of black pipes, which warm in the sun, electric pumps to pressurize the water, garden hoses, and nozzles. This is a very original idea.

Legacy Roofing Utah also built a 4-part foldable platform bed that’s as large as the interior of the car camper. He and his wife can both sleep on it at the same time.

Guru Hikes’ Honda Fit No-build Conversion

GuruHikes has lived out of his Honda Fit for a while after hiking the PCT. Having just hiked in the wilderness for weeks, he had developed a very minimalistic camping approach, which served him well.

Guru didn’t have time to make a sleeping platform, so he simply stuffed his gear in the bottom of the car and covered it with a thick mattress. He cut a full-size 4in memory foam mattress in half lengthways and stacked the two pieces on top of each other.

For storage, he kept a few transparent plastic boxes on top of the bed, so he could quickly grab his toiletries, gas stove, and other essentials.

He used a solar charger to keep his devices’ batteries topped up and velcroed bug nets all around the windows and trunk.

While this camper is very simple and doesn’t feature lots of organized storage, it makes for a super cheap and quick conversion that’s ideal for any climber or hiker who needs a place to crash for the night after an adventure. You won’t need to build any furniture, which is a big plus if you’re not very handy.

Popsicle’s Honda Fit Conversion

Forum user Popsicle shared his Honda Fit conversion on FitFrek.net. He built a 69” by 39” sleeping platform with in-built storage.

The rear section folds up to reveal a generous storage area. Hidden in this area is a 31”x17” slide-out table which Popsicle can use to cook at the back of the vehicle. For bedding, he uses a foam mattress and a comforter. Popsicle describes his first road trip on the Honda as “incredibly liberating – I felt free on the road and connected with my car.”

When he’s not using the camper, he can fold up the whole platform into a 35”x39” piece, so it’s super easy to store at home. This solution is super clever – it’s perfect for weekend campers who need to use their car during the week.

Camp N Car – Conversion Kit for the Honda Fit

Camp N Car are a custom camper conversion specialist based in Port Townsend, Washington. The guys love transforming smaller vehicles into homes on wheels. In fact, their campervan conversion kit for small cars is called the Home on Wheels! It’s entirely made of plywood and is completely removable without any tools.

This rig features a single bed with a rear cabinet, an aluminum-lined fold-down table for outdoor cooking, and a large interior cabinet that doubles as a desk. The sleeping platform extends via a flip-up panel at the front, while the cabinets have an upper lip, so you can store some items on top of them, too. This is a clever idea you can easily copy.

Under the sleeping platform, there is a lot of storage. The spare wheel is accessible even when the camper is in the car – simply detach the latches at the bottom of the rear cabinet, lift the unit out of the vehicle, and open the trunk’s lower compartment.

Why The Honda Fit Is A Great Car To Turn Into A Camper

The Honda Fit has 4 modes: utility, long, tall, and refresh. These make it an extremely versatile vehicle, which you can use in different ways.

By folding down the front and rear seats completely flat, you can create either a long space for a bed, or a wide cargo area in which to fit a bike or a surfboard. Many campers claim it can sleep people up to 5ft7in tall.

Even though it’s a small car, the Honda Fit is rather spacious inside, if you make the most of the available space.

Pros and Cons Of Honda Fit Camping

While this little car can make a great micro camper for some dwellers, it comes with its downsides, of course. Let’s look at its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

• Great gas mileage: 36 combined
• The Magic Seats fold completely flat
• Nimble
• Stealthy
• Easy to drive.

Cons

• Not enough space for a toilet or shower
• Little headroom
• No space for an interior kitchenette – you need to cook out of the trunk
• Limited storage space, most of which needs to go under the bed.

A Honda Fit camper can be the perfect vehicle for a solo traveler who doesn’t need to carry lots of gear and doesn’t visit colder places often.

However, living and traveling out of it as a couple can be challenging. You need to stay very well-organized and use it mostly in night mode, with the bed set up. By traveling in warmer climates, you can enjoy relaxing and eating your meals on camping chairs and a picnic table at the back of the car.

How Do You Convert A Honda Fit Into A Camper?

The conversion can be as simple as you’d like it to be, so you can easily go for a no-build. However, it’s best to make a sleeping platform bed with in-built storage, so you can better organize your gear. To install this, you will need to remove the seats.

Be careful not to make the platform too high, so you won’t be too close to the ceiling when sleeping and you’ll be able to move around and read a book.

If you don’t feel like building a wooden frame, simply fit a foam mattress into the interior space and squish it down onto the seats. To cut the foam, you can use a bread or electric knife. Choose the foam density based on how high the front seats are when folded down completely flat. A memory foam topper can add extra comfort.

A slide-out table on which to cook off the back is a nice plus – you wouldn’t want to light a fire inside and risk damaging the roof covering. It will also save you from having to move the bedding every time you need to cook.

What Gear Do I Need On My Honda Fit Camper?

For power, buy a portable 12V battery, which you can charge at home and off the cigarette lighter. Some models can charge your phone up to 24 times. You can even run a small 12V cooler or fridge off these. To save space and money, you could opt for eating non-perishable foods. After all, you can stop at a grocery store as often as you like in a car.

To make things easy, keep a shower bag with your toiletries somewhere handy, so you can quickly grab it and go for a shower at a truck stop, gym, or campground toilet. For a shower in the wilderness, you can use a garden sprayer – warm up some water on your camping stove and pour it into the bottle.

If it’s too warm, mix it with cold water. Slip on a swimsuit and you’re ready for an outdoor shower.

Attach a hanging shoe organizer off the front passenger seat, so you’ll be able to find and grab gear quickly even when you’re in bed.

Need extra cargo space? You can add roof racks and a rooftop box. It’s best to keep your adventure gear in there, though, so you won’t need to get anything out of it while you’re inside the car camper.

A nice add-on is to install rain deflectors on the windows. These will allow you to crack the windows open while sleeping in the car. The air will be able to circulate, while you’ll retain plenty of privacy.

USB fans will help keep the air moving inside the car when you’re sleeping, making it a lot more comfortable and keeping condensation at bay.

Finally, you’ll need some good window covers. It’s best if you make them DIY, so they fit the windows perfectly. Add a layer of insulation to the side facing the inside of the car camper. Make sure to use waterproof and damp-proof materials, so condensation won’t be a huge problem. If you travel in the summer, make sure to add some bug screens, too.

There is nothing as annoying as being trapped inside a small vehicle with a mosquito all night.

Final Thoughts On Honda Fit Conversions

Converting a Honda Fit into a small camper van is a very cheap and quick way to hit the road for solo travelers. On it, you can try the van life out without investing a lot of cash into the vehicle, which is great, because it’s definitely not for everyone.

The Honda Fit is no motorhome, of course. You’ll need to make do when it comes to personal hygiene, cooking, and relaxing. However, it will allow you to fulfill your travel cravings without breaking the bank. Plus, if you can, you can break up your trips up by couch surfing or stopping at friends’ places or B&Bs.

Still thinking of living in a car camper but you’re not sure the Honda Fit is for you? Check out the 7 best cars to live in here. Another great option is the Honda Element – check it out here.