Pacific Adventure Works Hideaway Sidekick Review

The two things you need to know about me are that I generally like to hike and camp alone and that I like to hit the trailhead before sunrise. To catch those early morning adventures over the years, I’ve had to sleep in my vehicle, and it’s never been optimal.

To date, I can confirm that it is uncomfortable to sleep in a VW Jetta, Toyota Tacoma, and Toyota 4Runner. I’m sure you can add to the list of vehicles that, no matter how creative you get, you’ll never get a good night’s sleep in.

And it only gets worse as you get older …

That being the case, when my friend Reed reached out about a new project he was working on, I was hooked within the first few minutes of our conversation. Under the brand name “Pacific Adventure Works,” Reed and his team have developed a series of lightweight, durable, and adjustable sleeping platforms that fit inside your hatchback or SUV. The goal of these platforms is to provide you with an excellent night of sleep without sacrificing storage space.

In July, Reed sent me its newest platform, the Hideaway Sidekick. At only 24 inches wide, it’s Pacific Adventure Works’ narrowest platform. As a bigger guy who moves around a lot at night, I was pensive. Would I have enough wiggle room on the narrow platform? Once I set it up and saw how easily it adjusted to the space I had in my 4Runner, I really hoped it would. (Psst, it did!)

In short: If you’re the kind of person who ends up sleeping in their vehicle, or even random, remote places from time to time, the Pacific Adventure Works Hideaway Sidekick will help make a quality night’s sleep possible.

Pacific Adventure Works Hideaway Sidekick Review

The Hideaway Sidekick is the latest in a series of lightweight and adaptable sleeping platforms from Pacific Adventure Works. Like the three other platforms available, the Sidekick aspires to be easy to assemble and use, so you can have a good night’s sleep in the back of your vehicle. At 24 inches wide, the Sidekick is the narrowest of the platforms, which makes it the most versatile.

Made from an aluminum frame and featuring a 500D Cordura nylon rolltop, the Sidekick supports up to 400 pounds and has seemingly infinite adjustments in all 4 directions, adapting to your specific needs.

Where the Sidekick can be considered a complete sleeping solution, it does require a sleeping pad. I am sure you can get away without it, but the slats in the rolltop that provide structural support are uncomfortable on their own — especially if you roam around in your sleep.

Additionally, being that the Sidekick is made from aluminum and has stainless hardware, it can be used in all environments — not just the back of your vehicle. Its oversized rubber feet will make sure the platform stays in place on nearly any surface.

It’s All in the Legs

All models of the Hideway Sleep Platform can be customized with leg kits to compensate for the floor of your vehicle. By using the “Check Vehicle Fit” option, you can determine which legs you’ll need to get your platform dialed into your vehicle.

My 4Runner has an uneven floor. However, the flat floor option was recommended for my setup. This isn’t wrong! Within each leg set, there are additional height adjustments to allow you to really dial in how the platform compensates for height differences in all directions — right down to the difference in height your floor mats might make.

So why are there different sets of legs then? Because some vehicles have what’s called a “step floor,” which literally looks like a tub. This is common in some larger SUVs from the 1970s and 1980s, but can be found in some newer models as well. These sleep platforms are an investment, so make sure to use the “Check Vehicle Fit” option to get it right the first time.

Cargo Management

Because of the design of the Sidekick and its adjustable sets of legs, you can utilize the space under the platform to store things. This really makes the impact of the Hideway on your storage space minimal. It’s so minimal that I left the Sidekick set up for a week while I traveled around New England. I didn’t have to take anything out of my vehicle, and was able to add even more gear.

The Fit

In the back of my 4Runner, I have 60/40 bench seats that fold down and tuck behind the front seats. The Sidekick fits perfectly in the space created by folding down and storing the 60 section. I was able to store my pack, axe, one of my gear boxes, and some extra blankets under the platform with room for more things. This kept both front seats empty as well as one of the rear seats. 

Additionally, tight fits like this, which is what the Sidekick was made for, are great for people who roam around in their sleep. Between the rear passenger door and the rear driver’s seat, I could have rolled around all night and never fallen off the platform.

Set Up, Sleeping, Etc.

Setting up the platform takes less than 10 minutes the first time around and then about 5 minutes every time after. However, fresh out of the box, you may find it hard to get some of the buttons on the crossbars to actually lock into the main beams of the platform. To remedy this, I built the Sidekick on its side and pushed down to get everything locked in.

Adjusting the platform to length and strapping the roll top down on it was a piece of cake as well.

In the three times I slept on the Sidekick for this review, I used both the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Regular Rectangle Wide (which fit perfectly on top of the roll top) and the Boab 30 Degree Synthetic Sleeping Bag. For a little extra comfort, I threw in the Therm-A-Rest Regular Compressible Pillow.

Where I would recommend all three of those items to anyone camping anywhere, the roominess of the Boab allowed me to move around without feeling confined. This allowed me to side sleep, facing toward the door, on the 24-inch-wide platform.

Now this is the part in the review where I would normally talk about any quirks that I had with the Sidekick. But, I don’t have any. I was initially worried that I wouldn’t be able to sit up without hitting my head on the ceiling of the 4Runner, but that wasn’t even an issue.

Unlimited Locations

Due to its portable design and range of adjustability, the Sidekick can be set up virtually anywhere for a good night’s sleep. From a friend’s house, to a lean-to, to the banks of your favorite river, this platform is an excellent alternative to sleeping on the ground.

Wherever you’re sleeping, the oversized rubber feet will keep the Sidekick in place overnight. If you’re staying someplace remote, long-term, you can still keep your footprint minimal but storing your gear under the platform.

The Founder

Reed, the founder of Pacific Adventure Works, and I were both engineers at Thule during a time when Thule was growing and expanding into new channels. This gave both of us many sleepless nights (where we could have used these platforms!), but it also let us stretch our creative legs. He’s a wicked creative and detail-oriented guy — and the Hideaway platform series is a clear indication of that.

Though I consider Reed a good friend, he knows I would give him shit if the platform didn’t perform to my standards. And where I did break one of the knobs off of the tightening clamps when adjusting the platform to fit the back of my 4Runner, that one was on me.

Kudos, buddy!

Pacific Adventure Works Hideaway Sleep Platform Review: Summary

There are just some times when you need to sleep in your vehicle — and it doesn’t have to suck. The Pacific Adventure Works Hideaway Sidekick proved to be a necessity on night one. No more sleeping in a reclined front seat for this guy!

Considering the size of most modern SUVs and hatchbacks, the Sidekick will probably be the most versatile solution in the Hideaway lineup, but for those folks with larger vehicles — using the vehicle fit configuration tool on the website will clue you in to the best solution for you.

All in all, I’ll continue to use the Sidekick for those early mornings at the trailhead and beyond. It takes up very little space in the back of my 4Runner and would be even less of a cargo burden in a rooftop box. I’m still impressed with how easy it is to set up, how well it’s built, and the great sleep I get on it. At this point, if something was going to go wrong with it — it would have. 

Pro tip: Even though the Sidekick can be adjusted in so many ways, parking on a flat surface will help out a lot.