Tesla Camp Mode
Discussion
Kind of inspired by the Tesla-Camping subreddit (and after watching a video of someone camping in his Model Y at Mt. Rushmore at -15° 
), I thought I'd give 'Camp Mode' a go.
The aim is not to use this set-up for holidays, I'm just a weekend warrior i.e. shoot off after work on a Friday, easy/fast set-up, hiking with the dogs on the Saturday then returning. Minimum kit, not even any cooking gear, the largest thing I take is a karcher dog wash to blast the mud off the dogs
Tailgater Air awning and a Exped TXY mattress which is designed for the car. Camp mode overnight powers the HVAC from the main battery so it's warm and only consumes 1% of the battery per hour.
I thought car camping would be pretty rough but it's actually comfortable and I can see me doing quite a bit of this over the next few months. Next year I plan to retire so I'll probs get sensible and do it properly by buying a motorhome but this set-up is intriguing for doing large distance driving into Europe at higher speeds, without towing, etc...
Anyone else doing similar?
Exped SIM : https://i.imgur.com/qNmU6Cp.jpg
), I thought I'd give 'Camp Mode' a go.The aim is not to use this set-up for holidays, I'm just a weekend warrior i.e. shoot off after work on a Friday, easy/fast set-up, hiking with the dogs on the Saturday then returning. Minimum kit, not even any cooking gear, the largest thing I take is a karcher dog wash to blast the mud off the dogs
Tailgater Air awning and a Exped TXY mattress which is designed for the car. Camp mode overnight powers the HVAC from the main battery so it's warm and only consumes 1% of the battery per hour.
I thought car camping would be pretty rough but it's actually comfortable and I can see me doing quite a bit of this over the next few months. Next year I plan to retire so I'll probs get sensible and do it properly by buying a motorhome but this set-up is intriguing for doing large distance driving into Europe at higher speeds, without towing, etc...
Anyone else doing similar?
Exped SIM : https://i.imgur.com/qNmU6Cp.jpg
Edited by mids on Monday 24th April 08:05
Yeah, rear seats fold down and I have plenty of room (I'm 6 foot 1"). The link below the photo ^^ shows the Exped TXY mattress in the car (before sheets/duvet).
I sleep in the car and the dogs are in the tent. This weekend I had the hatchback open whilst I slept and it did a perfect job of keeping the temperature at the preset 18° whilst it was 9° outside. I use the Tessie app which monitors this : https://i.imgur.com/DYrYDqS.png. I've seen youtube videos of people camping in snow, during winter and the camp mode can cope fine.
If the temps are a lot lower (or very hot in summer) and it struggles to maintain the temp due to being open to the tent then I can always close the hatchback and there's plenty of room for the dogs
I sleep in the car and the dogs are in the tent. This weekend I had the hatchback open whilst I slept and it did a perfect job of keeping the temperature at the preset 18° whilst it was 9° outside. I use the Tessie app which monitors this : https://i.imgur.com/DYrYDqS.png. I've seen youtube videos of people camping in snow, during winter and the camp mode can cope fine.
If the temps are a lot lower (or very hot in summer) and it struggles to maintain the temp due to being open to the tent then I can always close the hatchback and there's plenty of room for the dogs
Yeah, probably not good enough. The car can store a lot though, 854 litres in the rear and 117 in the front. I can easily fit the mattress, sheet, pillow all in the frunk.
The best thing about this set-up is how much distance you can cover quickly
but, in reality, I'll probs just use this method this year for weekend trips and then will get a proper motorhome next year when retired.
The best thing about this set-up is how much distance you can cover quickly
but, in reality, I'll probs just use this method this year for weekend trips and then will get a proper motorhome next year when retired.mids said:
Yeah, probably not good enough. The car can store a lot though, 854 litres in the rear and 117 in the front. I can easily fit the mattress, sheet, pillow all in the frunk.
The best thing about this set-up is how much distance you can cover quickly but, in reality, I'll probs just use this method this year for weekend trips and then will get a proper motorhome next year when retired.
Did'nt consider a 'frunk'! On my last trip to Portugal in my Ford Connect I was suprised at the number of electric charger points shown on my Tomtom. So longer distances are getting to be more practical by EV. Indeed, I spotted several NL registered Tesla's on the Algarve on that trip.The best thing about this set-up is how much distance you can cover quickly
but, in reality, I'll probs just use this method this year for weekend trips and then will get a proper motorhome next year when retired.Gassing Station | Tents, Caravans & Motorhomes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff