So camping mode is useless.

[thepoynt]

I tried camping in my M3 a few weeks ago and yeah, the climate settings/getting the screen to turn off were a nightmare. I had just assumed camping mode would do, you know, reasonable stuff. But no. Everything else about it was great, though! Just took my twin memory foam mattress topper off my bed and put it in the back and slept great!

I ended up going the manual route - turning on climate control (which I could then control the temperature of with my phone from the back), dimming the screen and putting a shirt over it, and then manually turning sentry mode off and back on every time I had to get out of the car. Which brings up another pet peeve of mine: why the alarm goes off even when the car knows someone's in the car, in the seat next to the door being opened. I guess it could be a heavy backpack or something for all it knows, but it's BEYOND annoying to have the alarm go off when you're in the car, especially in the middle of the night in an RV park...

 

[Timojames]

Just completed another camping trip.
Things that work:

Do not use Camp Mode!

• Turn off Lights
  
  
• Set Temp to Keep Climate On
  
  
• Set to rear vents
  
  
• Turn off Walkaway Door Locks
  
  
• Turn off Dome lights
  
  
• Turn off Sentry
  
  
• Turn off Alarm under Safety and Security (scroll down on the screen, below Joe Mode)

DO NOT OPEN THE DRIVERS DOOR once you have set these and are out of the vehicle. If you do you get the pleasure of resetting them again.

Once you are in your bed and comfortable, Press the door locks on your phone app. The car screen will immediately go black.

Enjoy the night sky-views, Good Night

Wait, had a few beverages and you have to go to the bathroom….

Unlock the doors via the Phone app. If you hit the button on the door, your head lights will go on and the car will make its sound. So make sure you unlock from the phone app first. When you return climb back in bed and hit the door lock again on the phone. Remember DO NOT OPEN THE DRIVER DOOR!!!!

You can store your phone on the back seat shelf, or in the door pocket, which ever is easier for you to reach. Door pocket or door handle works well if you are charging your phone via the usb’s for the back seats. Just make sure your cable is long enough.

Be prepared to answer fellow camper questions. I usually leave the doors and trunk open the second night after my wife has made the bed so inquisitive minds can get the answers they were seeking on where we slept last night when they didn’t see a tent.

if you set up a camping profile you won’t need to reset every time.

 

[DopeGhoti]

Can you created a hotspot on your phone with no cell service? If so can you connect the car to that hotspot? Will that get you access to control the various settings you want/need from the back seats when away from cell coverage?

In all probability: Yes, yes, and no, respectively.

Controlling the car's various 'advanced' features happens by your phone not talking to the car, but by talking to the Tesla mothership. Your app tells Tesla, "Please turn the A/C on in my car with this VIN"; Tesla sends a message to the car saying "Your owner has authorized a request to turn on the A/C". Without the ability to talk to Tesla or for Tesla to talk to the car, there's no path for your A/C control requests to follow from your phone to the car.

 

[skygraff]

I believe the air is non recirculate seeing the windows are not fogging. We keep the windows closed and haven't had any problems in the event it rains, sleets or snows. Plus I don't want the mosquito's having a buffet with us.

Yup. Wish there was a way to secure screens to these frameless windows without inhibiting ability to open/close doors or windows (with auto-closing windows when rain is detected).

That said, as much as I’d like to breath the brisk fresh campground air, I’ve not minded the HVAC (can always shut it off via app or screen) and it’s been nice not having other people’s campfire smoke permeating my car/bed (recirc). You can set the HVAC as desired however recirc, fan power, and vent options have to be done on the main UI rather than the app.

 

[skygraff]

When I tried camp mode recently I had my car already plugged into the RV site outlet. As soon as I turned on camp mode, it shut off charging. That is nonsensical. Is there a way to use camp mode while having the car continue to charge?

I never had a problem with charging in camp mode. You have to raise the charge point since, as far as I know, only superchargers will disregard that.

 

[skygraff]

I tried camping in my M3 a few weeks ago and yeah, the climate settings/getting the screen to turn off were a nightmare. I had just assumed camping mode would do, you know, reasonable stuff. But no. Everything else about it was great, though! Just took my twin memory foam mattress topper off my bed and put it in the back and slept great!

I ended up going the manual route - turning on climate control (which I could then control the temperature of with my phone from the back), dimming the screen and putting a shirt over it, and then manually turning sentry mode off and back on every time I had to get out of the car. Which brings up another pet peeve of mine: why the alarm goes off even when the car knows someone's in the car, in the seat next to the door being opened. I guess it could be a heavy backpack or something for all it knows, but it's BEYOND annoying to have the alarm go off when you're in the car, especially in the middle of the night in an RV park...

I think you should give camp mode another try after reading all about what it does (and doesn’t).

Climate settings are just like normal until the screen switches to campsight then, all you have to do is tap the screen to access the normal UI. Set your desired vents, fan speed, mode, and temp then manage the temp and on/off via the app unless no cell service.

Camp mode will disable external lights (allowing you to be a conscientious neighbor in the campground) as well as sentry mode. As for the alarm, I think the trick is making sure the doors are unlocked (screen or app) before opening from the inside; can’t recall if camp mode disables that.

For me, I take it out of camp mode when I go hiking or leave the site for a long time so sentry mode is back on (if connected to power and/or with plenty of juice to spare). The big thing is that, since I use a camping profile for the driver seat (and other minor things), I unlink my phone from my normal profile so it doesn’t adjust everything as I walk up. Sure wish a profile could be paired with and walk up reconfigure automatically suspended in camp mode (would just turn sentry mode on manually when hiking).

 

[Backpacker42]

Only useful feature of camp mode is disabling headlights. SInce the rear seat doesn't fold flat and the shelf is so low, it is far more comfortable to set up a tent, which only takes ten minutes alone and which I have to set up anyway to hold all the stuff in the trunk I'd have to remove to have enough space for me and my dog. And the tent takes no more room than two wool blankets. Condensation when I sleep in the vehicle is really bad too - I worry about what it would do to the electronics. I'd have to run the fan/defroster, but I'm often tight on range - last trip my destination supercharger was 75 miles away (but mostly downhill) when I only had 40 miles of supposed range left.

 

[jerry33]

I think you should give camp mode another try after reading all about what it does (and doesn’t).

Climate settings are just like normal until the screen switches to campsight then, all you have to do is tap the screen to access the normal UI. Set your desired vents, fan speed, mode, and temp then manage the temp and on/off via the app unless no cell service.

Camp mode will disable external lights (allowing you to be a conscientious neighbor in the campground) as well as sentry mode. As for the alarm, I think the trick is making sure the doors are unlocked (screen or app) before opening from the inside; can’t recall if camp mode disables that.

For me, I take it out of camp mode when I go hiking or leave the site for a long time so sentry mode is back on (if connected to power and/or with plenty of juice to spare). The big thing is that, since I use a camping profile for the driver seat (and other minor things), I unlink my phone from my normal profile so it doesn’t adjust everything as I walk up. Sure wish a profile could be paired with and walk up reconfigure automatically suspended in camp mode (would just turn sentry mode on manually when hiking).

Camp mode works fine in the X. It disables the lights and alarms. Have used it many times with no issues. Yes, the screen stays lit, but the front seats block almost all the light.

 

[JayNJ]

Only for entertainment and locks. BT is not used for climate control, window venting, communication about charge, summon, or (not that it matters when camping) homelink.

But it could if they wanted it to. So if they were moving those controls for camping to the phone they could also make it work over bluetooth.

 

[skygraff]

Only useful feature of camp mode is disabling headlights. SInce the rear seat doesn't fold flat and the shelf is so low, it is far more comfortable to set up a tent, which only takes ten minutes alone and which I have to set up anyway to hold all the stuff in the trunk I'd have to remove to have enough space for me and my dog. And the tent takes no more room than two wool blankets. Condensation when I sleep in the vehicle is really bad too - I worry about what it would do to the electronics. I'd have to run the fan/defroster, but I'm often tight on range - last trip my destination supercharger was 75 miles away (but mostly downhill) when I only had 40 miles of supposed range left.

Can't speak to the condensation (maybe that's the dog? - another reason why screens for the windows would be great) but, as tedious as the process may be, I've always found it pretty easy to relocate stuff from the trunk to the front seats and/or on the floor in front of the back seat. The shelf is a little low but, even with my wide birthin' hips, I've been able to sleep on my side with on top of a 4" memory foam mattress with no problem and it makes a great place to put a phone/tablet/computer for entertainment. Granted, I have the 2018 style back seat so don't have as much cushioning.

Range thing is another story. If you do get the condensation and have to run fan (defroster may take more energy), it may be a deal breaker but, then again, I don't think the condensation will impact Tesla's electronics unless you're dealing with sauna level moisture since everything is designed and tested for automotive conditions. When you can't plug in, range is definitely a consideration but, aside from keeping bugs out of a hot car with no screens for the open windows, a hibernating Tesla compares favorably to a tent for sleeping purposes in almost all conditions (especially precipitation) and one with enough range to run some heat/AC does even better.

Ultimately, to each their own. I don't think anyone's trying to convert tent campers by offering camp mode nor do I think any of us would disagree that there are pluses and minuses to all camping methods. The fact that car camping is an option facilitated by both the nature of EVs and by this manufacturer's settings is just an added benefit to adoption by those who don't always end up at home or other house-like locales during their travels.

 

[jerry33]

Can't speak to the condensation (maybe that's the dog? - another reason why screens for the windows would be great) but, as tedious as the process may be, I've always found it pretty easy to relocate stuff from the trunk to the front seats and/or on the floor in front of the back seat. The shelf is a little low but, even with my wide birthin' hips, I've been able to sleep on my side with on top of a 4" memory foam mattress with no problem and it makes a great place to put a phone/tablet/computer for entertainment. Granted, I have the 2018 style back seat so don't have as much cushioning.

Range thing is another story. If you do get the condensation and have to run fan (defroster may take more energy), it may be a deal breaker but, then again, I don't think the condensation will impact Tesla's electronics unless you're dealing with sauna level moisture since everything is designed and tested for automotive conditions. When you can't plug in, range is definitely a consideration but, aside from keeping bugs out of a hot car with no screens for the open windows, a hibernating Tesla compares favorably to a tent for sleeping purposes in almost all conditions (especially precipitation) and one with enough range to run some heat/AC does even better.

Ultimately, to each their own. I don't think anyone's trying to convert tent campers by offering camp mode nor do I think any of us would disagree that there are pluses and minuses to all camping methods. The fact that car camping is an option facilitated by both the nature of EVs and by this manufacturer's settings is just an added benefit to adoption by those who don't always end up at home or other house-like locales during their travels.

I suspect a good percentage of Tesla camping is done at RV parks and campgrounds with electrical service, so battery use isn't typically an issue. When I camp with no electrical service, it uses 5% to 10% of the battery in reasonable weather. Will see what happens in below freezing weather this winter. I'd expect 10% to 25%, but I don't really know.

 

[dahaz22]

"Camp" mode was implemented by a team of software engineers have never camped out in the woods. The screen never turning off is a clear example.

 

[JayNJ]

"Camp" mode was implemented by a team of software engineers have never camped out in the woods. The screen never turning off is a clear example.

The software engineers shouldn't be the ones coming up with the requirements, that is the systems engineer's job. But get your point.

 

[Gamdwelf]

OP here and overall after I covered the screen with my shorts. It was pretty ok. Wish the screen would go off do I didn't have to do that but it worked.

Camp mode was pretty decent for the multiple daytday trip even in the RV park with no electricity, I only used about 15% battery overnight when the low was 27F overnight. I kept the heat around 65F as I could remember.

Really for me the main change needs to be the screen. Can't sleep with that thing on.

 

[kbecks13]

Sounds like a case of the programmers never taking the car camping for a weekend to try it out.

Eat your own dog food. It's clear that they don't camp much and it's especially crazy since this seems like such an easy change. Who's gonna tweet Elon?

 

[Magnetic]

if you set up a camping profile you won’t need to reset every time.

A Camping profile will not save all the settings, i.e., alarms. turn off lights, etc. At least on mine it won't.

 

[Gasaraki]

Question: I've yet to actually camp in my 2016-02 Model S, but... My musings are as follows: Can you created a hotspot on your phone with no cell service? If so can you connect the car to that hotspot? Will that get you access to control the various settings you want/need from the back seats when away from cell coverage?

Unfortunately, that's not how cell phone hotspots work

 

[Westfaliaboy]

Couldn't be too hard to have a camping parameters page so that when you personalize it in your profile, it sets everything up.............

 

[Big Earl]

I've used Camp Mode several times over the past few months and it's been great. I turn the screen brightness down to 0%, turn off ambient lights and lock the doors from my phone. No issues with climate control at all, although when the weather is cool, I run it in manual mode instead of automatic mode. Keep Climate On sends you alerts reminding you that it's running, while Camp Mode does not. Camp mode also disables the alarm, so you can open the doors from the inside without accidentally waking everyone up. I've found that I use about 20% of the long range battery on a typical fair weather night.

I don't require pitch black to sleep, so I haven't been bothered by the screen at all. If it caused problems, I'd just cover it with a shirt or something else.

 

[Inara]

"Don't use camp mode"?

Could not disagree more. I use it extensively camping at L2 chargers while moving across the country... slept through very hot nights, and very cold nights, cannot imagine it working any better; seriously one of my favorite added features. Don't like the campfire scene (has never bothered me in the slightest)? Throw a towel over it. Using a complex 12-step work-around instead of throwing a towel over the screen seems a little odd... I suppose I could be missing something there...