Build a sleeping platform of about 1 × 1.85 m (39 × 73 in) in your Forester SJ 2013-2018. Choose a set of plans and make it yourself.
Digital kits:
Plywood, cutting and hardware are paid separately: about 6,000-15,000 UAH (≈ $130-330) at Ukrainian prices.
Forester 2017Plus prototype built and tested
10+ nightson trips
Under 1 minto set up
Plus in my Forester 2017
On the road the box takes only the cargo area. At camp the panels unfold forward into a flat sleeping surface of 1 × 1.85 m. The photos show Plus; Base and Free have no drawers.
I designed and built a camper box for my Forester 2017. After more than 10 nights on trips I prepared plans and instructions so you can make one yourself.
Watch the build (video on Instagram in Ukrainian, opens in a new tab)Three versions
The price on a card is the digital kit you get from BILBOX. Plywood, cutting and hardware you pay for separately: the starting project budget at Ukrainian prices is shown under the price.
A simpler build for those ready to work things out themselves
FreePDF in English, 6 pages
Starting project budget - ≈ 6,000 UAH (≈ $130 / €120)
Plans, plywood, hardware, finish and cutting at Ukrainian prices. Without a mattress, tools or your own time.
This version has not been built yet
Download the PDF
A low sleeping platform without drawers
940 UAHdigital kit, ≈ $21 / €19
Starting project budget - ≈ 9,400 UAH (≈ $210 / €190)
Plans, plywood, hardware, finish and cutting at Ukrainian prices. Without a mattress, tools or your own time.
New design. Not built yet
Request Base in English
A sleeping platform, two drawers and a table top
1,790 UAHdigital kit, ≈ $39 / €35
Starting project budget - ≈ 16,800 UAH (≈ $370 / €330)
Plans, plywood, hardware, finish and cutting at Ukrainian prices. Without a mattress, tools or your own time.
Prototype tested on trips. The updated files still await their first full build
Request Plus in EnglishEnglish editions: today the Base and Plus text manuals are in Ukrainian; the picture manuals and the DXF files have no words. I prepare the English edition on request: leave a request, and I will write to you first. What beta means: the kits are complete, but nobody has built from the Base and Plus files yet; the Plus prototype was tested on trips, and I refine the manuals based on feedback from the first builders.
| Approximate, Ukraine | Free | Base | Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital kit, UAH | 0 UAH | 940 UAH | 1,790 UAH |
| Plywood 15 mm, sheet 1250 × 2500 | 1 sheet | 1 sheet | 2 sheets |
| Cutting | at a store | CNC | CNC |
| Plywood, hardware, finish and cutting, UAH | ≈ 6,000 UAH | ≈ 8,500 UAH | ≈ 15,000 UAH |
| Starting project budget, UAH | ≈ 6,000 UAH | ≈ 9,400 UAH | ≈ 16,800 UAH |
Materials and cutting were estimated in October 2026 in Ukraine: 15 mm birch plywood, CNC cutting at a shop in Lviv, glue, screws, fixings and finishing oil at Ukrainian store prices, delivery of the sheets to the shop. Without tools, a mattress or your own time; prices change, and in your country they will differ. Free: cutting to size at a plywood store ≈ 300 UAH, the parts fit in the trunk. The starting budget is about $130 / €120 for Free, $210 / €190 for Base and $370 / €330 for Plus. US$ and € amounts are approximate, at the National Bank of Ukraine rate of 9 November 2026; a kit is charged in UAH and your bank converts it.
Designed for the Subaru Forester SJ 2013-2018
The Plus prototype was tested in a Forester 2017. Check your car's measurements before cutting.
Another car? Measure three sizes as shown in the diagrams and leave a request.
How to measure the cargo area of a Forester SJ
Base
Plus
BILBOX: car measurements Car (make, model, year, country): 1. Width between the wheel arches: ___ mm 2. Depth to the rear seats: ___ mm 3. Length to the front seats: ___ mm
Another car needs its own version.
Base · Plus
A kit has a step-by-step manual, a picture manual, files for a CNC shop and an invitation to the private Telegram group of your version. Plus is a box of the same size that I built and tested on trips, with improved fixings: all holes for screws and hardware are already in the CNC files. Base is a new low platform with tab-and-slot joints; it has not been built yet. The text manuals are in Ukrainian for now.
Check measurements, preparing for cutting, assembly, fixing in the car and checks. Plus: 27 pages and 23 more in pictures; Base: 19 and 7 more in pictures. The text is in Ukrainian for now.
A ready layout of the parts on 1250 × 2500 mm sheets: one sheet for Base, two for Plus. Separate DXF files for every part let a shop lay them out on other sheet sizes too.
Each version has its own private Telegram group for questions while you build; the invitation comes in the e-mail with the files. The groups talk in Ukrainian; in English, write to me at info@bilbox.com.ua.
7 pages without words: lettered parts and 5 assembly steps with arrows and close-ups. It comes with the step-by-step PDF manual. Click a page to enlarge it.
23 pages without words: lettered parts, hardware with quantities and 19 assembly steps with arrows and close-ups. It comes with the step-by-step PDF manual. Click a page to enlarge it.
| Base | Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Pages in the manual | 19 | 27 |
| Pages in the picture manual | 7 | 23 |
| Parts from 15 mm plywood | 10 | 25 |
| Part DXF files | 6 | 16 |
| Sheets in the 1250 × 2500 mm layout | 1 | 2 |
| Drawers on slides | none | 2 |
| Physically built | not yet | yes (prototype) |
01_Instruction - the step-by-step PDF manual and the picture manual;02_DXF_parts_15mm - a separate DXF for every part, named in English as in the cut list;03_CNC_nesting_1250x2500 - the layout for the shop: CUT layer (contours), DRILL layer (holes), millimeters;04_Cut_list - the cut list: sizes and quantities.
| Part | What it is | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Box Side Panel | side wall | 2 |
| Box Middle Panel | middle wall | 1 |
| Drawer Front Face | drawer front | 2 |
| Ext Panel | extender panel | 2 |
| T Support Top | top of the T-support | 1 |
This is how the Plus prototype works in my Forester 2017. The Plus kit files have the same sizes, with improved holes and fixings.
Check yourself first
Digital kits
Free - a free PDF in English with the part sizes for cutting without CNC: download.
Not sure it fits your car, which version to choose or where to get the parts cut? Message me on Instagram; I answer personally, in English or Ukrainian.
No Instagram? Write to info@bilbox.com.ua. A message is not an order or a payment.
How to build
You get the plans and the instructions. Plywood, cutting and hardware you arrange yourself: the manual tells you exactly what you need.
Questions while you build: in your version's private Telegram group or by e-mail in English. I answer in the evenings.
Briefly check that the shop takes such a job. Free needs no CNC shop: a plywood store can cut the parts to size from the list in the PDF.
Hello! I would like to order CNC cutting of 15 mm birch plywood from ready DXF files. Do you take such jobs, do you have the plywood, and what is the approximate lead time? I will send the full files for a quote.
Send it to the shop together with the layout file from the 03_CNC_nesting_1250x2500 folder.
Plus
Hello! I need CNC cutting of 15 mm birch plywood from ready DXF files (attached). - Sheets 1250 × 2500 mm: 2 pcs. Do you have moisture-resistant plywood, grade BB/BB or B/BB, or should I bring my own? - Files: plus_v1.1_nested_sheet_1_cut_drill_only.dxf and plus_v1.1_nested_sheet_2_cut_drill_only.dxf, units are millimeters. - CUT layer: through contours and cutouts. DRILL layer: 148 holes, 102 × Ø4, 26 × Ø6.2 and 20 × Ø8 mm; please drill them on the machine. - Do not mirror the parts. Ext Panel, Box Top Panel, Drawer Top Table and Drawer Bottom lie along the long side of the sheet: please keep this as the grain direction of the face veneer. - Before cutting, please check that the contours are closed, the hole diameters and the cutter radius compensation. How much will it cost, and when can you do it? Thank you!
Base
Hello! I need CNC cutting of 15 mm birch plywood from a ready DXF file (attached). - Sheet 1250 × 2500 mm: 1 pc. Do you have moisture-resistant plywood, grade BB/BB or B/BB, or should I bring my own? - File: base_v2_nested_sheet_1_cut_drill_only.dxf, units are millimeters. - CUT layer: contours, slots, windows and ventilation slots. DRILL layer: 18 holes Ø4 mm, drilled through. - The 15.4 mm slots are made for plywood up to 15.1 mm thick. If the sheet is thicker, please widen the slots to the sheet thickness plus 0.3-0.4 mm. - Cutter no larger than Ø6 mm; do not remove the round R3.1 mm reliefs in the slot corners. Inner contours first, then outer ones. - Do not mirror or rotate the parts: the long parts lie along the grain of the sheet. How much will it cost, and when can you do it? Thank you!
The manual has a section on preparing for cutting: what to give the shop and what to check before the machine starts.
Specifications
Plus dimensions in the cargo area and when unfolded. Be sure to check them against your car before cutting.
Width × depth (39.4 × 29.1 in), plus a 15 mm rail at the back
7.0-7.7 in, lower at the seats: the bottom follows the floor slope
39.4 × 72.7 in, fully unfolded
Two identical panels, 19.7 × 43.6 in
These are approximate sizes. The body side is not rectangular: it makes up for about 1.3° of cargo floor slope, so the bed is level. Base is lower: the body is ≈ 1000 × 740 mm and 114-130 mm (4.5-5.1 in) high, the bed ≈ 1000 × 1832 mm (39.4 × 72.1 in).
Weight: Plus 56.6 kg (125 lb), the modules come out separately. Base is about 21 kg (46 lb) by calculation.
Free is at least 17 kg (37 lb) lighter, as it has no drawers or table top, and Base weighs ≈ 21 kg (46 lb) with all parts by calculation. The heaviest part of Plus is the box without drawers, 26.8 kg (59 lb).
Weighed on the author's Plus prototype. The weight of your build depends on the plywood and the finish.
Before you start
Free gives you the sizes of simple parts to cut at a store, without a step-by-step manual, CNC files or support. Base is a low bed without drawers: a step-by-step manual, a picture manual, files for a CNC shop and support. Plus is a taller body with two drawers on slides and a table top, with a step-by-step manual, a picture manual, files and support; I built the Plus prototype and tested it on trips, and in the kit files I improved the fixings after that build. Prices and budgets are side by side in the version comparison.
Not yet. Today the Base and Plus text manuals are in Ukrainian; the picture manuals and the DXF files have no words. Leave a request: when several people ask, I prepare the English edition and write to you first. Prices: Base 940 UAH (≈ $21 / €19), Plus 1,790 UAH (≈ $39 / €35); a kit is charged in UAH, and your bank converts the amount.
These are digital instructions and plans for building it yourself, with no physical parts. Plywood, CNC cutting, hardware, tools, finish and a mattress you arrange and pay for separately.
The Plus prototype was physically tested in my Forester 2017 (SJ generation): the kit files have the same sizes, with improved holes and fixings. Base and Free have not been built yet: their sizes come from the same 3D model, and I checked the Base height in my car. The project is for the SJ 2013-2018 (model years 2014-2018 in North America). Cargo areas can differ by market and trim, so check measurements of your own car are required before cutting. If in doubt, write to me first.
For now there are versions only for the Forester SJ 2013-2018. Leave a request or send me the make, model and year on Instagram @andrewbil, and if you can, the three measurements from "Will it fit your car": I keep a list, and when several people ask for one model, I make a version for it. Those who wrote hear first.
To the factory tie-down hooks in the cargo area. Tie-down loops 25 × 30 mm go on the body, and hook-hook turnbuckles 8 × 110 mm (DIN 1480) connect them to the hooks, at least at two symmetric points. The system is never fixed to the plastic trim. In Base this step is recommended: the body sits between the trim panels, and the fixing keeps it from sliding under hard braking. The Base and Plus manuals describe it step by step.
The spare stays in its place under the cargo floor. To reach it, you have to take the box out: first the removable parts, then the body. Keep this in mind for long trips.
Unfolded, the sleeping surface is about 1000 × 1847 mm (39.4 × 72.7 in); about 1832 mm (72.1 in) in Free and Base. I am 171 cm (5 ft 7 in) tall and sleep with room to spare; it should be comfortable up to about 185 cm (6 ft 1 in). A longer bed, up to ≈1950 mm (76.8 in) in total, is possible if you lengthen the panels and move the front seats fully forward with their backrests, but that is your own change to the design: measure your car first.
For Base and Plus, any shop with a CNC router that cuts plywood from DXF files will do: the kit has a ready layout for 1250 × 2500 mm sheets and a list of what the shop should check before cutting; the separate DXF files of the parts let a shop use other sheet sizes too. For Free, a plywood store with a cut-to-size service cuts the parts. The plywood is 15 mm moisture-resistant birch, for example Baltic birch. A ready first message to the shop is in "From files to a finished box".
In Ukraine, as estimated in October 2026, plywood, hardware, finish and cutting cost about: Free 6,000 UAH (≈ $130 / €120), Base 8,500 UAH (≈ $190 / €170), Plus 15,000 UAH (≈ $330 / €300); prices change. This is separate from the price of the digital kit. In your country these costs will differ: ask a local plywood supplier and CNC shop. The breakdown is under the cards in "What the whole project costs".
My first assembly took about 8 hours. Sanding and finishing come on top. If it is your first build, plan for more time.
Plus was designed as a bed for two with a central support and a T-shaped one, and it has been used on trips. In Base the panels rest on the body, a bar with feet and the armrest; this version has not been built yet. There is no certified load rating.
The kit has separate DXF files, CUT/DRILL layers and a ready layout. While Base and Plus are in beta, buyers can ask questions in their version's Telegram group or by e-mail. I add answers to common questions to the manual.
All versions come with a standard license: one build for personal, non-commercial use. A commercial license is not included.
The story on Instagram
Five short episodes, from the idea and the plans in Fusion 360 to the finished bed. Over 100k views in total. The videos are in Ukrainian.
Andrii Biletskyi
Author of BILBOX, Lviv, Ukraine
I designed BILBOX for my Forester 2017: I started with YouTube videos, learned Fusion 360, drew the box and built it in a garage. After 10+ nights on trips I share the plans, so you do not have to start from scratch.
How I built the camper box Message on Instagram Profile @andrewbil
Free PDF in EnglishBase 940 UAH · Plus 1,790 UAH
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