Campsite experiences: is 14-50 or TT-30 more common?

[Uncle Paul]

Was camping last week, and brought my X along as a support vehicle.

Plugged the 24' Motorhome into a 30 amp circuit and Tesla into the adjacent household type 120v outlet.

Everything worked great. RV was able to run AC and Tesla got 3-4 MPH from the standard outlet.

Got enough juice to keep the Tesla charged and still able to take 4 people around to neighboring cities and hot spots.

Worked better than expected.

 

[wws]

Generally any RV campground that has 14-50 also has TT-30 available - often on the same pedestal. But there are also campgrounds that have TT-30 and no 14-50. And some that have a limited number of 14-50s, plus additional TT-30s for overflow or those that don't need a 14-50. So the answer to the OP is TT-30.

Tesla should consider making a TT-30 UMC adapter. I bet it'd be fairly popular. But the TT-30 UMC adapter from evseadapters works great. They offer versions for both the Gen 1 and Gen 2 UMCs.

 

[wws]

Was camping last week, and brought my X along as a support vehicle.

Plugged the 24' Motorhome into a 30 amp circuit and Tesla into the adjacent household type 120v outlet.

Everything worked great. RV was able to run AC and Tesla got 3-4 MPH from the standard outlet.

Got enough juice to keep the Tesla charged and still able to take 4 people around to neighboring cities and hot spots.

Worked better than expected.

If you look closely, often the "household 120V outlets" are 5-20s. So if you carry the 5-20 adapter, you can get a couple more mph of charging than with the 5-15 adapter.

 

[jerry33]

Because the only campground/RV park that matters is the one you're going to be using, try RV Parking for information on the ones that you use. My understanding is that varies by location and randomness. I know one where the 14-50 is about 10X of TT-30. There's another one I know of that's just the opposite. Both have a large number of spots (over 50).

 

[gfunkdave]

Can I ask a dumb question? Having only used an RV campground when I was traveling in an RV (as a kid, no less), are people staying at these campgrounds with their Teslas and an RV? Or are you staying at a nearby hotel or something and the campground owner is letting you plug in there?

 

[captanzuelo]

Can I ask a dumb question? Having only used an RV campground when I was traveling in an RV (as a kid, no less), are people staying at these campgrounds with their Teslas and an RV? Or are you staying at a nearby hotel or something and the campground owner is letting you plug in there?

I paid the $30 fee for a spot and slept in my Tesla. It was great. Didn’t even have to walk the wife to the bathroom at 2am, just hopped in the front and drove her there

 

[jerry33]

Can I ask a dumb question? Having only used an RV campground when I was traveling in an RV (as a kid, no less), are people staying at these campgrounds with their Teslas and an RV? Or are you staying at a nearby hotel or something and the campground owner is letting you plug in there?

For the past seven plus years, I've just been staying the Tesla. The benefit is that you charge while you sleep rather than having to make a special stop to charge. It's really just the same as a destination charger at a hotel (but less expensive). Some people carry tents to sleep in but the Tesla is more comfortable since Camp Mode gives you climate control.

 

[Rocky_H]

Can I ask a dumb question? Having only used an RV campground when I was traveling in an RV (as a kid, no less), are people staying at these campgrounds with their Teslas and an RV? Or are you staying at a nearby hotel or something and the campground owner is letting you plug in there?

I would think usually not with an RV. But you left out the most common answer, which is just car camping. The Model S is great for that, with the huge space in the back if you flip down the seats, so bringing sleeping bags or an air mattress is perfect. I've done that. Also, depending on the place's policies or attitude if they will allow it, sometimes it's just having the car plugged in and setting up a tent next to it.

 

[wws]

Can I ask a dumb question? Having only used an RV campground when I was traveling in an RV (as a kid, no less), are people staying at these campgrounds with their Teslas and an RV? Or are you staying at a nearby hotel or something and the campground owner is letting you plug in there?

I've done both overnight camping in "Hotel Elon", and also stopping for an hour or two to charge while eating at a co-located restaurant.

When overnight camping, I've brought a blanket, air mattress, and pillow. Then fold down the rear seats and put the car in "camp mode". I plugged the car into the 14-50. Then used my 25' TT-30 extension cord to power/charge a laptop. (Used an off-the-shelf TT-30P -> 5-15R adapter for the laptop. While I could have used one of my 120V inverters plugged into the cars 12V outlet, they have fans and are noisy...) Of course this was driving solo. I'm an old Boy Scout so car camping doesn't bother me. If I was travelling with my wife, things would have been different...

 

[mark95476]

Thanks! I need to buy one of these.

This is the one required for TT-30 sites.

TT-30 Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3/Y Gen 2 – EVSE Adapters

 

[mark95476]

What's the backstory on this? I've found your posts informative and very helpful.

Uh oh. @qdeathstar is throwing a tantrum and just looked up the last several of my comments across multiple threads and marked them all with disagrees.

 

[JPWX]

Has there been a consensus yet on which adapter works best for the TT-30 outlets at campsites? Looking to do a bunch of camping with the kids this spring/summer season up in the PNW. TIA!!

 

[brkaus]

Has there been a consensus yet on which adapter works best for the TT-30 outlets at campsites? Looking to do a bunch of camping with the kids this spring/summer season up in the PNW. TIA!!

Need to make sure it’s one labeled for EV charging. And then TEST IT before getting stuck in the back woods.

I would go with a solution from EVSE Adapters – Electric vehicle charging solutions, adapter cords for EV, RV, welders, and more. Charge anywhere.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Has there been a consensus yet on which adapter works best for the TT-30 outlets at campsites? Looking to do a bunch of camping with the kids this spring/summer season up in the PNW. TIA!!

We got the one from EVSE adaptors for the tesla mobile charger. Works well. Camping season has started here. Woohoo.

 

[CapsEngineer]

I’ve been using https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XNSXWM4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 at my in-laws all week. they had a TT-30 installed for their motor home.

I feed that into a 30 foot, 50 amp extension cord then into the 14-50 adapter on the mobile charger. When I first set it up, I dialed the amps back to 24. It’s been working fine.

 

[Tonedog77]

We got the one from EVSE adaptors for the tesla mobile charger. Works well. Camping season has started here. Woohoo.

View attachment 793619

which camper is that? how do you like it?

 

[Webeevdrivers]

which camper is that? how do you like it?

T@B 400. We really enjoy it. Good match with the model Y.

 

[DerbyCityY]

T@B 400. We really enjoy it. Good match with the model Y.

View attachment 793790

Oh this was my retirement dream with a Tab 400. Beautiful trailer. I thought I might go with the Tab 320s for towing sake and I'm single. Availability pretty much dampened my thoughts though so decided to get a Model Y and travel/camp. Do you mind saying your range and how do you manage the frequent charging. Very envious!

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Oh this was my retirement dream with a Tab 400. Beautiful trailer. I thought I might go with the Tab 320s for towing sake and I'm single. Availability pretty much dampened my thoughts though so decided to get a Model Y and travel/camp. Do you mind saying your range and how do you manage the frequent charging. Very envious!

Hey Derby. I’m Canadian so response will be in kilometres and Wh per kilometre. Wh/km

We are retired so a long travel day for us is four hours and most are 1 or 2 hours. Charging is a mix of campgrounds, Superchargers and DC fast chargers as we have the Chademo adapter. I’m also 60 so I have a prostate the size of a grapefruit...eg...I pee a lot. So I welcome the every 70 to 90 minute or so supercharger stops. My wife and chihuahua also need to pee a lot although it’s probably not their prostates. .

Max courtesy. We don’t assume charging at a campground is free. We always ask. At Superchargers if there are no trailer charge spots and it’s quiet we stay connected to the trailer and take up 2 or3 spots. If it’s busy we don’t. Unhook and back in.

We count on losing half our range when towing but sometimes it’s not that bad if speed limits are slower. Common in BC. We travel max 90 kmh. Depending on speed 300 to 400 Wh per kilometre is a safe bet.

If we were pulling with our old grand Cherokee we would still be stopping as often, we would still be blocking two sets of pumps, the gas stations would still be stinkier and the avg “fuel price” would be much higher.

All JMHO.

 

[DerbyCityY]

Hey Derby. I’m Canadian so response will be in kilometres and Wh per kilometre. Wh/km

We are retired so a long travel day for us is four hours and most are 1 or 2 hours. Charging is a mix of campgrounds, Superchargers and DC fast chargers as we have the Chademo adapter. I’m also 60 so I have a prostate the size of a grapefruit...eg...I pee a lot. So I welcome the every 70 to 90 minute or so supercharger stops. My wife and chihuahua also need to pee a lot although it’s probably not their prostates. .

Max courtesy. We don’t assume charging at a campground is free. We always ask. At Superchargers if there are no trailer charge spots and it’s quiet we stay connected to the trailer and take up 2 or3 spots. If it’s busy we don’t. Unhook and back in.

We count on losing half our range when towing but sometimes it’s not that bad if speed limits are slower. Common in BC. We travel max 90 kmh. Depending on speed 300 to 400 Wh per kilometre is a safe bet.

If we were pulling with our old grand Cherokee we would still be stopping as often, we would still be blocking two sets of pumps, the gas stations would still be stinkier and the avg “fuel price” would be much higher.

All JMHO.

Thank you so much for your reply!
Well maybe that Tab 320s is still on the list! A little lighter and a little less of a footprint for the 66 year old bachelor life. lol I could use a tent for that.
I agree with travel time in retirement. You have to remember the 7 day vacation and 12 hours in the drivers seat so you could spend your time at the vacation spot. It's the journey, always has been.
Thanks again!

PS When I was looking at campers I was very interested the Arlo Safari, a Canadian made camper and super lightweight. It may be too much of a compromise from that Tab 400 though. Problem for me were no dealerships or little customer service, etc..