Tent Camping in a Model S

[jerry33]

There are lights in there??? In the trunk??????? Are you sure? I don't think I have ever seen any!

They are there in mine. Choose a dark night with no moon, drive out to the country and you'll be able to see them quite well.

 

[Chipper]

They are there in mine. Choose a dark night with no moon, drive out to the country and you'll be able to see them quite well.

I enjoy a good, dark, moonless, country drive but I guess I was in the dark on this. Now a little (VERY LITTLE) light has been shed!

 

[Mikial]

@agileone -- What kind of tent is that?

 

[pairtrader]

After a very long drive from Vancouver to Edmonton, I realized that my air mattress was a failure and I'm now giving this a shot. 4"x24"x40" extra firm foam with 2"x24"x72" soft foam on top. Cost me $150 Canadian. I kept the extra piece in case I want to upgrade to a double.

 

[ThosEM]

We made our second out-of-range trip at 500+ km this weekend, with overnight in the back of the Model S. Annapolis to Catoctin Mtn. Park for a potluck dinner/stargazing party with sleepover. Then via Hagerstown SC (breakfast at Cracker Barrel) to Winchester VA to check out a wedding venue with our daughter. Then to Martinsburg WV, Shenandoah Junction WV, and Shepherdstown WV for lunch and to check out another venue (York Hill, spectacular 18th century farm/barn). Then to Ashburn VA for dinner with future in-laws, and home to Annapolis via Bethesda SC (Montgomery Mall). That was disappointing at ~ 50 kW peak, but there were two of us on one SC and it was certainly better than running close to empty getting home. The only range anxiety we had all day was resisting AC longer than necessary on what got to be a warm day (31 C). Totally unnecessary, of course, since we planned on "rated" consumption and consistently hit "ideal" on this warm sunny Memorial Day.

There is a pretty big jump, maybe 4-5 cm, from the rear deck to the folded down seats. We put a wood shelf wedge in the low part, then a couple of moving blankets in the low area, a feather bed and two sleeping bags on top of that for padding. It wasn't bad but still could have used a foam pad. And the wedge could probably use some work.

 

[Bulletproof]

Tesla should advertise such a photo. Amazing!

Amen! We love Westgate River Ranch here in FL, but 90+ degree 95% humidity, Mosquitos and heat make it unthinkable in Florida Summers, until...

View attachment 25686

Tentsla. Setting the A/C to 11 and putting a couple heavy bags on the seat kept the air on all night, while charging. The mobile app reported 51 in the car and it was low 70s in the tent for the boys and no bugs. Setup was about 15 min and the SUV tunnel fit perfectly around the hatch when I set it to half way up. Also attached the ends by closing them in the door. Really easy. I plan to keep the tent and air mattress in the front well of the Frunk, out of the way. The boy's loved it and we now have cheap camping year round...

 

[jerry33]

There is a pretty big jump, maybe 4-5 cm, from the rear deck to the folded down seats. We put a wood shelf wedge in the low part, then a couple of moving blankets in the low area, a feather bed and two sleeping bags on top of that for padding. It wasn't bad but still could have used a foam pad. And the wedge could probably use some work.

We've slept in the back without any padding. It's pretty comfortable but the trick is to put your head facing the rear.

 

[rjcbox]

View attachment 25686

This is just awesome!

 

[buckerine]

Oh the irony of people spending 100k on a car, but unwilling to spend $100 (or less) to get a comfortable motel room somewhere! But, I love it. Awesome idea. We're going camping tomorrow and would love to try this.

 

[ThosEM]

Oh the irony of people spending 100k on a car, but unwilling to spend $100 (or less) to get a comfortable motel room somewhere! But, I love it. Awesome idea. We're going camping tomorrow and would love to try this.

Heh! Skinflints R Us. But note that our camping involved a star gazing party, with some drinking involved as well, so a drive to a comfy motel could have been risky at multiple levels, and kind of a pain. It was more fun to just turn in locally. ;=)

 

[ljwobker]

There are lots of scenarios where I (assuming others as well) would more than happily drop $100 a night on a motel, IF ONLY there was an option that didn't involve driving 60+ minutes each way to whereever we are spending our days. ;-) There are plenty of fun places in the world where hotels are as sparse as EV chargers...

Oh the irony of people spending 100k on a car, but unwilling to spend $100 (or less) to get a comfortable motel room somewhere! But, I love it. Awesome idea. We're going camping tomorrow and would love to try this.

 

[L-I-B]

We purchased a Sportz SUV tent with sun room. The picture is from our driveway. Be trying it next week on camping trip

 

[dsm363]

Amen! We love Westgate River Ranch here in FL, but 90+ degree 95% humidity, Mosquitos and heat make it unthinkable in Florida Summers, until...

View attachment 25686

Tentsla. Setting the A/C to 11 and putting a couple heavy bags on the seat kept the air on all night, while charging. The mobile app reported 51 in the car and it was low 70s in the tent for the boys and no bugs. Setup was about 15 min and the SUV tunnel fit perfectly around the hatch when I set it to half way up. Also attached the ends by closing them in the door. Really easy. I plan to keep the tent and air mattress in the front well of the Frunk, out of the way. The boy's loved it and we now have cheap camping year round...

Any advice on what dimensions or what features to look for when ordering a tent to replicate this? It looks like the hooded section/entrance is the key feature. Will check out REI.com and see what they have.

 

[detlefo]

How heavy were those bags?

 

[Sasmania]

Here is a great video of a guy & his wife sleeping in his Tesla in cold NORWAY. He explains how to keep the car heater running ALL night!

 

[mochouinard]

It suck to be 6'4" tall ! I don't think I could find any way to be confortable camping in a Tesla model S.

 

[fluxemag]

And they said I was crazy to put a 5th wheel hitch on there...

 

[jdbob]

It suck to be 6'4" tall ! I don't think I could find any way to be confortable camping in a Tesla model S.

In one of his other videos he gave dimensions for the cargo area with the rear seats folded down. I'm pretty sure it was 7' x 3.3'. You might fit after all.

 

[mochouinard]

I though he said 72inch ! If it 7', that would be amazing !!!

 

[green1]

I though he said 72inch ! If it 7', that would be amazing !!!

72" is the longest measurement I've heard, and my understanding is that that is to the back of the front seat, not to the front of the folded down seat (meaning there's a gap that needs to be filled to use the whole 72") I'm 74" tall, and plan when I get my Model S to camp in it, but I think it will mean some diagonal sleeping and/or some creativity in bed construction.