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Tent Camping in a Model S
- Thread starter holstein13
- Start date
green1
Active Member
Yes, and if you watch the video it shows that he uses the car in neutral, park selected from the screen trick.
downsides:
- you can't charge in this mode (this is the HUGE one, as most people want the camping to wait out a long charge session)
- your centre screen and dashboard are on all night lighting up the vehicle
- in Canada your daytime running lights will be on all night
Can anyone recommend a tent like this from REI or Amazon? Wanted to order something for this weekend. Thanks.
Last time I was at REI I showed them this picture and they couldn't seem to find something similar.
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Found this. Looks pretty good I think and similar to one above. Fits 4 people.
Sportz SUV Blue/Tan Tent (9 x9 x 7.25-Feet):Amazon:Sports Outdoors
ThosEM
Space Weatherman
How do you like it by now? This was the biggest issue for us in sleeping over a night: how to get the back deck level with the tops of the folded down seats. Extra firm foam on the deck with a soft foam cover seems like just the trick. We tried filling the gap with all sorts of soft stuff that did not really succeed in establishing the same level.
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skdave
Member
purplewalt
Active Member
I had previously reached out to dmetcalf, and he said that the tent he got was from Amazon
"Heres the link where i ordered it for the size that ended up being perfect! good luck!
Amazon.com: Texsport The Lodge Square Dome Tent: Sports Outdoors"
I recall that a smart camper will need two people to assemble the tent (be sure to practice once or twice before going on your trip), and you probably need some specialty liquid sealant to use on the seams, as it might leak a bit during a heavy rain.
When I did my first long drive, I used a double layer of very dense cardboard to assist with leveling the ridge at the area where the seats fold down, and then a Thermarest inflatable mattress, then sleeping bag with pillows.
Even with me being 6'-3", it was very comfortable in the back.
You might need to bring a sleeping mask for the odd occasional adjacent night lights.
OR KOA (RV Parks) does have Kabins at a lot of their locations.
Most Kabins have a covered front porch with a swing, a cooking area and community restroom showers.
They typically have a queen size bed and a bunk bed, AC, Heater, lights, electricity in the room, sometimes even a TV.
Some Kabins also have a restroom, but no shower, except largest ones.
Oh, and your car might or might not be right outside your Kabin as it over-night charges.
Beds do not have linens or pillows, just a mattress.
pairtrader
Member
I'm 6'1" and my foam setup had plenty of room. I just put the driver's seat all the way forward and filled the empty space behind it with bags and blankets. I slept on it 10 nights straight and was very comfortable. Tent Camping in a Model S - Page 5
We bought the SUV tent. We did a test run on the setup and breakdown process, so we were ready and pitched the tent quickly in near-dark conditions and spent the night in the "tentsla" on a trip to Florida last month. It was handy to be able to access the car directly from inside the tent in the evening and morning. Downsides: (1) tent setup is somewhat confusing and takes longer than regular tents, and (2) tent is not especially stable unless it's actually attached to the car. Now that we know about the "Camping mode" we can take this "tentsla" to a whole new dimension of camping comfort -- heated tent in the winter and cooling in the summer -- Way To Go!
SW2Fiddler
We Are Cognitive Dissidents
Which one? There are several "SUV Tents" on Amazon by now.
I thought I was going to have to make my own hybrid tent! looks like there are a few to choose from, from ~$150 to over $300.
My daughter and I -along with are ever present great Dane- are planning our next big Tesla adventure, which is a (bit under) 3 week road trip from Florida, through Texas (where we are picking up another 4 legged youngster) and on to the Grand Canyon, Yellow Stone, or whatever else strikes our fancy in that unfamiliar turf. The planned addition of the new yearling got us looking at making this a car camping adventure. I'm estimating about half the car-camping days will be one nighters, and the other half will be where we set up for a few days at a time while we check out the sites. We are not new to camping, but this idea is definitely outside of our experience zone, so we are looking at our Tesla family for help/suggestions/advice.
1. The tent: The little Texsport one looks very easy to set up/break down, which is great for my 16 year old (who will be doing most of the labor by herself) and is probably beneficial for those quick one night stays... but might not be so appealing when we are spending 3 or 4 days camping in a destination location. What we really need is the biggest tent available that can be [fairly] easily set up by one person. Suggestions? Is the Texsport Lodge as small as it looks?
2. Out West: The furthest we've been in the Tesla, is the boarder of Tennessee and Arkansas. What are the most common free/ish j1772 brands out there? Do I need to apply for membership cards ahead of time? Best way to get charged when out of the Supercharger network? Any hotels or hostels known to be pet friendly? \
3. The Tesla bed: Foam will take up too much space, and my oversized deep queen air mattress is too wide and too thick. So I will be buying a mattress specifically for the Tesla. I know I read somewhere on the forum where somebody said they found one that had the perfect fit.... what do you recommend, and where would I find it?
4. Car Camping pro's: words of wisdom? Anything I need to make sure that is a must for the packing list?
5. Travel route suggestions- The only part of this trip that is written in stone, is the leg from Tampa Florida to Avery Texas. The rest is up in the air, and we would love to hear suggestions from those with some vacation travel experience 'out west.' Can we keep within the Supercharger Network (for the most part... at least theoretically) and hit some worthwhile and must-see vacation locations?
Angel
1. The tent: The little Texsport one looks very easy to set up/break down, which is great for my 16 year old (who will be doing most of the labor by herself) and is probably beneficial for those quick one night stays... but might not be so appealing when we are spending 3 or 4 days camping in a destination location. What we really need is the biggest tent available that can be [fairly] easily set up by one person. Suggestions? Is the Texsport Lodge as small as it looks?
2. Out West: The furthest we've been in the Tesla, is the boarder of Tennessee and Arkansas. What are the most common free/ish j1772 brands out there? Do I need to apply for membership cards ahead of time? Best way to get charged when out of the Supercharger network? Any hotels or hostels known to be pet friendly? \
3. The Tesla bed: Foam will take up too much space, and my oversized deep queen air mattress is too wide and too thick. So I will be buying a mattress specifically for the Tesla. I know I read somewhere on the forum where somebody said they found one that had the perfect fit.... what do you recommend, and where would I find it?
4. Car Camping pro's: words of wisdom? Anything I need to make sure that is a must for the packing list?
5. Travel route suggestions- The only part of this trip that is written in stone, is the leg from Tampa Florida to Avery Texas. The rest is up in the air, and we would love to hear suggestions from those with some vacation travel experience 'out west.' Can we keep within the Supercharger Network (for the most part... at least theoretically) and hit some worthwhile and must-see vacation locations?
Angel
SW2Fiddler
We Are Cognitive Dissidents
TaoJones
Beyond Driven
This thread has all sorts of useful info in it: Utah Parks/Beyond trip | Forums | Tesla Motors
I'm headed to Tucson shortly, but due to the abject lack of SC progress within 70 miles, and exactly nothing for hundreds of miles east along I-10, I'll stop there. Not interested in anything less than a ChaDeMo for distance travel. Of course, at this writing, all 4 ChaDeMo within 50 miles of Tucson are or were recently broken.
Coming from the east, you'll have no problem once you detour around West Texas and most of New Mexico (see evtripplanner.com). Starting from campgrounds each morning with a full charge will be nice - not sure even with that that west along I-10 to/past El Paso would be wise. Besides, it will be cooler if you take a more northern route, tornados notwithstanding.
Note that along the ONLY fully-functional transcontinental SC-enabled route at this time, it's supposed
to SNOW in South Dakota this weekend. Smoke and mirrors until more resources are dedicated to getting back to the deployment rate for *both* distance and density chargers. Otherwise, expect the rate for each to be halved.
One thing that would help would be if one of the national truck stop chains put in 80A HPWCs pronto. Hello Pilot/Flying J... I'd spring for the dual charger option tomorrow if that was the case today.
I'm headed to Tucson shortly, but due to the abject lack of SC progress within 70 miles, and exactly nothing for hundreds of miles east along I-10, I'll stop there. Not interested in anything less than a ChaDeMo for distance travel. Of course, at this writing, all 4 ChaDeMo within 50 miles of Tucson are or were recently broken.
Coming from the east, you'll have no problem once you detour around West Texas and most of New Mexico (see evtripplanner.com). Starting from campgrounds each morning with a full charge will be nice - not sure even with that that west along I-10 to/past El Paso would be wise. Besides, it will be cooler if you take a more northern route, tornados notwithstanding.
Note that along the ONLY fully-functional transcontinental SC-enabled route at this time, it's supposed
to SNOW in South Dakota this weekend. Smoke and mirrors until more resources are dedicated to getting back to the deployment rate for *both* distance and density chargers. Otherwise, expect the rate for each to be halved.
One thing that would help would be if one of the national truck stop chains put in 80A HPWCs pronto. Hello Pilot/Flying J... I'd spring for the dual charger option tomorrow if that was the case today.
Your best route is along I-10 until you get to the Lake Charles SC, then go northwest to the Huntsville SC. Go up 45 to the Corsicana SC and top off for the trip to Avery. If you're spending the night in Avery, I'd try to find a dryer outlet to use or a 50A outlet behind a stove at someone's house. I don't see any RV parks or EV spots to charge in Avery, but if you go 17 miles west on 82 to Clarksville, there's an insurance company downtown that has a 14-50 for use: Goodman Insurance Agency, Inc. | Clarksville, TX | Electric Car Charging Station | PlugShare
I would charge up enough there in Clarksville (since it's 10kW) to get to the Ardmore SC. You'll need ~6hrs of charge in Clarksville, so you might want to spend the night there unless you're spending the night and charging in Avery.
Once you make it to Ardmore, you're back on the Supercharger Highway!
I highly recommend bringing a CHAdeMO adapter, as well. It shaved many hours of charging on my recent trip to Nashville.
Good luck!
Coming from the east, you'll have no problem once you detour around West Texas and most of New Mexico (see evtripplanner.com). Starting from campgrounds each morning with a full charge will be nice - not sure even with that that west along I-10 to/past El Paso would be wise.
Which east/west supercharger laden route do you think will put me in proximity to the most (or best) 'must see' stops?
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I highly recommend bringing a CHAdeMO adapter, as well. It shaved many hours of charging on my recent trip to Nashville.
Good luck![/QUOTE]
I was considering getting the dual-charger installed before this trip. Do you think that the CHadeMO adapter would be a wiser investment. I don't really want to invest in both right now
Which east/west supercharger laden route do you think will put me in proximity to the most (or best) 'must see' stops?
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I highly recommend bringing a CHAdeMO adapter, as well. It shaved many hours of charging on my recent trip to Nashville.
Good luck![/QUOTE]
I was considering getting the dual-charger installed before this trip. Do you think that the CHadeMO adapter would be a wiser investment. I don't really want to invest in both right now
CHAdeMO is almost like having a slow Supercharger, and it's great when you need it. It's only $450, too.
As for twin chargers, I know there are many HPWC that were full amperage that I would have LOVED to have them. You do cut your charging time in half, and lots of the destination chargers with HPWC are on 3-phase which cuts down to 208VAC which is only 8.3kW. With twin chargers, you get up to almost 17kW in those situations, and 20kW at full power locations. If you have a spouse and kids, it's worth every penny for both of them.
The Sportz SVU tent is quite roomy and has a full floor and a side vestibule, so it is rather large and heavy when folded up in its duffle bag. The initial setup can be a bit confusing and may require two adults, so you should definitely give it a dry run at home before heading out to enjoy. Once you do that, it's a great tentsla.
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