Subaru Forester Camping Build: Rooftop Tent, Awning, Lift, and Off-Road Essentials
2020 Subaru Forester with rooftop tent and awning setup at camp. Photo by David Wong.
Explore our complete Subaru Forester camping build, featuring a rooftop tent, awning, wheels, tires, lift kit, and essential gear for off-road comfort and capability. Built for road trips, national parks, and dispersed camping across Colorado and road trips beyond. Skip to the end for a full build list.
Introduction
Our Subaru Forester before any modifications in Squamish, BC. Photo by David Wong.
When I first bought my 2020 Subaru Forester Premium, I had no idea how much it would evolve. What started as a reliable daily driver quickly transformed into a comfortable and capable car camping setup perfect for exploring Colorado's backroads and remote campsites. Here's a full breakdown of the current build, lessons learned, and the gear that makes it all feel like home.
🚗 Wheels and Tires: Where It All Started
The first modification I made was upgrading the stock wheels. This was purely cosmetic, but I wanted to upgrade to all-terrain tires and figured I would get it all installed at the same time. After finding a great deal on Falcon V2 wheels (17x9 ET 0 in matte gunmetal) during a holiday sale, I brought my car to a local shop that specialized in Subarus for an install. I asked them to recommend a Falken Wildpeak AT3W tire size that wouldn't rub on a stock-height Forester. I was recommended and invoiced for 235/65/17s, but when I picked up the car, I found they installed 245/65R17s without my approval. I was reassured everything was fine.
What followed was a mess: tire rub, bottoming out, multiple return visits, shredding the new tires against the wheel well, destroyed my liners, and the shop owner putting the blaming on me for thinking I could go camping for a weekend with camping gear in the back.
After all the back and forth, the owner agreed to replace the tires with the size I was originally invoiced for (235/65R17), mounted on the new Falcon wheels. If you’re wondering about the affect on MPG, I did notice a small expected drop, settling around 27 MPG.
Lesson learned? Trust and filter through the online Subaru community for guidance, and don’t put all your trust on a local shop owner.
🛠️ Spacer Lift: ADF and Additional Clearance
Falken Wildpeak AT3W 235/65R17 with spacer lift on traction board to level rooftop tent. Photo by David Wong.
I originally had no plans on installing a lift, however after all the back-and-forth with the initial tire install, I still found myself bottoming out with an occasional full car on paved streets and freeways. My options were to, once again, replace all tires out-of-pocket or install a lift to accommodate the tire upgrade.
I eventually bit the bullet and installed an Anderson Design Fabrication (ADF) 2019-2024 Subaru Forester 1.5" Leveling Lift Kit, which combined with the additional tire height, gave me about 2.2" of total lift in the front and 1.7" in the rear. I chose ADF for their notable reputation and reviews online, and their straightforward, no-BS stance on limiting spacer lift heights for the latest Subaru platform.
I had the lift professionally installed at Simply Subaru’s in Arvada, CO and booked an alignment immediately after since I don’t have a garage or the experience to DIY suspension work. The ride post-lift? Surprisingly close to stock, and no additional impact to MPG.
⛺ Rooftop Tent: Freespirit Recreation Aspen V2
After years of tent camping, a few windy and rocky experiences made setting up our ground tent miserable. We pulled the trigger on a rooftop tent, and chose the Freespirit Recreation (FSR) Aspen V2 for a few key reasons:
Lightweight and compact, ideal for Subarus
Included a 3" insulated mattress
Full blackout interior (we love to sleep in)
Insulated walls for cold Colorado nights
We mounted it to Thule Wingbar Evo crossbars. One tip: because it’s a clamshell design, it doesn’t offer much storage space when closed. We deflate the mattress completely with a small air pump, and only store small camping pillows and thin heated blanket inside.
Condensation is the biggest issue with rooftop tents, especially on colder nights when all windows are zipped up for warmth. Our solution was using quality, comfortable sleeping bags rated for the cold and half-zipped windows for airflow. Honestly, it’s the best sleep we’ve had outside.
🌦️ Awning Setup: Finally Dialed
The year before, I had bought a Yakima Slim Shady 6.5' awning, but after installing the rooftop tent, I was unable to mount it, so it sat unused for a season. This year, I installed FSR’s awning brackets directly to the Aspen V2 and finally mounted our awning.
The shade is critical for our dog and for ourselves in high-altitude summer heat. Colorado sun and sudden rainstorms are no joke. Between the tent, the awning, and the rear hatch, we now have three separate covered zones and is really starting to feel like a setup home base.
✅ Rear Storage and Camp Organization
We keep things simple but functional. Here's what lives in the back:
Generic plastic black bin for our kitchen box
Radius Outfitters Gear Box 3500 for our home base essentials (lights, headlamps, first aid, etc.)
A few IKEA bags for organizing gear
It’s a quick load/unload system that’s adaptable depending on the trip.
🧰 Essential Gear for Remote Travel
These items are permanent fixtures in our Forester:
NOCO Jump Starter: I’ve used it multiple times and once is all it takes to realize how crucial it is. No waiting, no flagging down strangers, or calling a tow truck company to jump your car with.. you guessed it, one of these jump starters.
Tire Plug Kit + AstroAI Air Compressor: Nothing fancy, but these stay in the car. The AstroAI Air Compressor is slow to fill all four tires, but easily gets one tire filled in an emergency. These are also accompanied by our full-size spare tire for redundancy.
AllTop Mini Traction Boards: Stashed behind the 60/40 split rear seats using lashing straps. Doubles as leveling aids and backup recovery tools.
We don’t do any difficult trails or serious off-roading, but this gear gives us confidence while exploring new dirt roads far from service.
👀 What’s Next? Future Upgrades
This setup is solid for now, but if the suspension wears out early, I’m eyeing a Rallitek Assembled Suspension Lift Kit with overload springs and Bilstein shocks.
Final Thoughts
This Forester camping build evolved over time and is built for comfort, ease, and the freedom to go off-grid without going full off-roader. If you're looking to transform your Subaru into a camping rig, I hope this helps you make informed and confident upgrades.
Our Complete Subaru Camping Build and Mod List
Falcon V2 matte 17x8 wheels
Falken AT3W 235/65R/17 tires
Anderson Design Fabrication 2019-2024 Subaru Forester 1.5" Leveling Lift Kit
Thule WingBar Evo 127cm
Freespirit Recreation Aspen V2 Rooftop Tent
Yakima Slim Shady 6.5’ Awning
Infinity Kappa 90csx speakers in front/dash
Kicker 46CSC654 speakers in rear
MTX TN8MS amplified sub under driver seat
Viofo A229 Pro 4K + Hardwire Kit
Ceramic tint on all windows
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