I've looked at the products from DreamCase, TesMat, Evannex and Tesla and just thought they cost way too much for what they were and the amount of use I'd get out of them. I'll probably only sleep in the car a handful of times throughout a year. Instead, I wondered if I could achieve similar levels of comfort and blackout for far less.
I put this kit together for less than £76.87:
For testing light reduction, I downloaded a phone app that measures Lux. Admittedly I've no idea if that's the right unit of measure but before installing the following the reading was 26 which reduced to 2 once everything was in place.
One thing to note, with camp mode enabled, I lost around 7 miles of range per hour. Worth considering that camp mode deactivates when your battery goes down to 20% and you should try to avoid charging to 100% so you've then got 70% of your battery pack to dedicate to camp mode less the battery used to get to/from the site. It's certainly manageable but something you do need to keep an eye on.
Some pictures/description of the setup:
Total 'Footprint'
Fits well in the sub trunk
Front windscreen blackout shade:
Covers well, droops a little bit in places but easily fixed with a few charging cards.
Front and Rear Side Window Nets:
Not sure what more to expect for a fiver. These aren't designed for the Tesla however, as long as you ensure the excess material is towards the bottom they don't prevent the windows from closing and block out a decent amount of light. They come is a set of 4 and are designed to be used whilst driving (in other countries) as the front ones have a hole in them to see the wing mirrors. I'm investigating creating some custom window covers, probably made with lycra.
Front and rear roof window shades with additional blackout cloth
Really happy with these for the price. They're full length so cover all of the roof and the blackout cloth is detachable so you could use it as a normal sunshade if you wish. The two shades come with around 12 clips that secure the shade to the cars trim. Bit fiddly but no big problem.
Rear quarter panel shades
These fit so well that I've just left them in (read: need to find something suitable to eject them with. Not blackout but when lying down it's actually useful to see a little bit of what's outside and going on around you.
Self inflating double camp mat
I'd originally bought an airbed which was about 7 cm tall when inflated. There just wasn't enough space to move about in the cabin and fitting your legs underneath the parcel shelf was a struggle. Got this camping mat instead (purple was the only colour left in stock). It's reasonably comfy once inflated, and a few blankets and a sleeping bag on top of it help too. Importantly, there's sufficient room to manoeuvre once inside the cabin.
If you're looking to buy any of these products, there's a (non-commercial) link in my signature which takes you to a site that lists everything I've added to the car, including the above, with non-affiliate links to the retailers.
I put this kit together for less than £76.87:
- Front windscreen blackout shade (£15.59)
- Front and rear side window nets (£5.80)
- Front and rear roof window shades with additional blackout cloth (£26.45)
- Rear quarter panel shades (£4.05)
- Self inflating double camp mat (£24.98)
For testing light reduction, I downloaded a phone app that measures Lux. Admittedly I've no idea if that's the right unit of measure but before installing the following the reading was 26 which reduced to 2 once everything was in place.
One thing to note, with camp mode enabled, I lost around 7 miles of range per hour. Worth considering that camp mode deactivates when your battery goes down to 20% and you should try to avoid charging to 100% so you've then got 70% of your battery pack to dedicate to camp mode less the battery used to get to/from the site. It's certainly manageable but something you do need to keep an eye on.
Some pictures/description of the setup:
Total 'Footprint'
Fits well in the sub trunk
Front windscreen blackout shade:
Covers well, droops a little bit in places but easily fixed with a few charging cards.
Front and Rear Side Window Nets:
Not sure what more to expect for a fiver. These aren't designed for the Tesla however, as long as you ensure the excess material is towards the bottom they don't prevent the windows from closing and block out a decent amount of light. They come is a set of 4 and are designed to be used whilst driving (in other countries) as the front ones have a hole in them to see the wing mirrors. I'm investigating creating some custom window covers, probably made with lycra.
Front and rear roof window shades with additional blackout cloth
Really happy with these for the price. They're full length so cover all of the roof and the blackout cloth is detachable so you could use it as a normal sunshade if you wish. The two shades come with around 12 clips that secure the shade to the cars trim. Bit fiddly but no big problem.
Rear quarter panel shades
These fit so well that I've just left them in (read: need to find something suitable to eject them with. Not blackout but when lying down it's actually useful to see a little bit of what's outside and going on around you.
Self inflating double camp mat
I'd originally bought an airbed which was about 7 cm tall when inflated. There just wasn't enough space to move about in the cabin and fitting your legs underneath the parcel shelf was a struggle. Got this camping mat instead (purple was the only colour left in stock). It's reasonably comfy once inflated, and a few blankets and a sleeping bag on top of it help too. Importantly, there's sufficient room to manoeuvre once inside the cabin.
If you're looking to buy any of these products, there's a (non-commercial) link in my signature which takes you to a site that lists everything I've added to the car, including the above, with non-affiliate links to the retailers.
