Happy (Tesla) Trails
A few insights into how we car camp
Over our last two Tesla roadtrip adventures—driving to and from Scottsdale during the early pandemic and then again over the last few weeks—Taylor and I have researched, experimented, and learned a lot about how we are able to car camp and what makes for the most fun and comfortable experience along the way.
Car camping is admittedly not something everyone would enjoy, but it has been an intriguing and timely way for us to combine our interests in travel with an initial foray into tiny living principles: being intentional about space, material goods, the resources we invest in, and what we actually need in order to live the life that we want.
Something that brings us both joy is the connection and curiosity we have tapped into on our Tesla travels, when strangers stop to ask us questions about how it works, grant that they never thought about camping this way before, or are excited to pass along a translatable resource or hack for life on the road.
In that spirit, we wanted to answer a few questions we’ve encountered, share some photos, and reflect on what the experience has been like for us so far.
You can also click on the individual links below to skip directly to specific questions
How, logistically, do you actually sleep in the car?
Before leaving for a car camping trip, we flip down the back seats and organize our sleeping set-up by layering an inflatable camping mattress and twin-sized foam mattress topper with a sheet set, pillows, insulated puffer blankets (which double as whimsical but also practical camping capes), and a weighted blanket for extra warmth.
Once we arrive at our campsite, we move the front seats forward a bit (tilted towards the dash) and shove our duffel bags of clothes directly behind the two front seats to provide additional support for our pillows, which rest against the back of the car’s front seats. This arrangement puts our heads in the middle of the car, where we have the most headspace possible (almost enough to sit upright) as well as direct views up through the glass roof (perfect for stargazing!) and also can plug our phones into the center console to charge overnight.
The last step is to slide privacy covers over all of the windows. A tiny pouch the size of a book holds all six of the thin fabric covers; four slip over the side windows and the other two attach to the front and back windshields with small suction cups.
Finally, to get into bed at night, we climb in through the side doors and slide our feet down towards the bottom of the trunk, as if the trunk itself is our sleeping bag, which it essentially is. We wrap the blankets around the foot of the mattress pad, as it is hard to adjust the blankets in the trunk and this helps keep them in place.
Where do you put your bags when you’re sleeping in the back of the car?
With our clothing duffels underneath the folded-down seats, we are able to fit a few bags in the “thrunk” (large “third trunk” that drops down between the back wheels where most cars have a spare tire) and our camping gear bag in the “frunk” (smaller “front trunk” under the front hood).
Upon reaching our camp site for the night, we move everything else into the two front seats, making sure to keep a few items accessible on top: the car organizer that holds our water bottles and headlamps needed to find the bathroom in the middle of the night, and also our food bag, so we can grab snacks directly from bed (very important) and quickly grab the oatmeal and coffee grounds first thing in the morning.
In the morning, we simply make our bed and toss the rest of our stuff atop the blankets, which keeps our sleeping set-up intact but opens up the front seats again.
Is it actually comfortable to sleep in the car?
Yes! It probably wouldn’t be your jam if you are claustrophobic, but it’s a similar amount of space as most two-person tents and it definitely beats sleeping on the ground with an inflatable or foam camping mattress.
The length of the trunk and back seat area couldn’t comfortably accommodate a person significantly much taller than six feet, but Taylor and I can sleep fully stretched out without hitting our heads on the front seats or touching our toes on the end of the trunk. Double layers of insulation underneath us help support our aging backs and hips made sore by hiking, and the foam mattress topper we use is a standard twin (~75in x 38in), which gives you a sense of the width of the sleeping area.
The only awkward part is navigating from laying down to sitting upright and shifting out of the side doors in the morning. We keep a pair of crocs tucked into each side door pocket because they’re easy to slip on as you sort of tuck-and-roll out the door (especially if you’re attempting this in the dark, to run to the bathroom or something). Once you’re standing up outside, in your crocs, you can then slide another pair of shoes or hiking boots from under the seats and have a place to sit and lace them up.
What is Tesla’s “camp mode”?
“Camp mode” is a setting in all Tesla models that you can turn on through the front dash computer interface to enable comfortable and efficient car camping overnight. Its base functions keep air circulating and allow you to set a consistent temperature for the night (automatically running the heat or air conditioning as needed), while powering essentially everything else off. You can still use the main dash computer and turn on interior lights, but the car uses little battery overnight (~10 to 50 miles of charge depending on how cold it is), which is important if you are anywhere remote or far from a charging station or plug. Camp mode can run whether you are plugged in to charge overnight or not.
What if it snows or is really cold outside?
Since camp mode keeps interior temperatures stable, it’s really not an issue if the temperature outside plummets…which it did unexpectedly during both of our last trips: first in 2020 as we camped overnight in the desert outside of Santa Fe, and then again during our recent trip while we spent the night in Arches National Park. Both times, we woke up to heavy frost, ice, or snow covering the car and were able to simply laugh in wonder and surprise, as we’d slept soundly, warmly, and completely unaware throughout the night!
What makes car camping extra fun or cozy?
Tesla’s camp mode itself has some whimsical features, as well as making car camping possible to begin with. One option we love (especially when it starts to get dark and chilly at night) is the digital screensaver of a campsite complete with a crackling fire, campfire sounds, warm air, and tiny forest animals who scamper across the screen.
Taylor also bought some dimmable LED rope lights that we like to string up inside of the car (essentially draping them around the front head rests and through the hooks above each back door), which we can also snap magnetically to the outside of the car or along a metal picnic table when we want a little extra light at our campsite. We upgraded the setup this year with two small magnetic motion activated lights that stick to either side of the car and turn on when we get out at night.
What gear do you use or recommend for car camping?
We compiled a Car Camping list on Amazon (simply because of its sharable list function) of our specific tools, essentials, and recommended supplies. Our preference is always to find items at REI (Taylor is a former employee and we’re both proud lifetime REI members) or other outdoor/local stores, but we’ve also found excellent and shockingly cheap used gear on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
Where do you park the car while you are sleeping in it?
We essentially have four options for where to park:
Find a campsite at a state or national park, KOA, or private local campground. This is our preference, because these sites will have bathrooms, water, and sometimes electric outlets where RVs typically plug in but we can also charge the car. Typically these sites run between $25-45/night in the off-season. Charging on an RV plug is surprisingly fast, allowing us to have a full battery in the morning even when running the heat all night.
Use Hipcamp, a site/app where people list spots where you are able to camp on their property (mostly open acreage or farms) for a small fee.
Camp on BLM land (federal land owned by the Bureau of Land Management) in designated areas where there is no infrastructure or services, but it is legal to “off-grid” camp for free. This is called “dispersed camping” and we did this on our last trip, essentially parking at a random spot in the desert outside of Santa Fe!
Our dispersed camp “site” in New Mexico’s BLM land Technically we could also park overnight in a Walmart parking lot, which Walmart allows and I guess is popular with RVs, but if we can’t find another camping option, Taylor and I have always just opted to look for a hotel.
How do you find places to charge along the way?
Plenty of charging options exist, in more places and more remotely around the country than you might think. Our preferred charging option is always a Tesla Supercharger, because these are the fastest-charging and don’t require an adapter plug or separate app download. You can find Supercharger locations by typing “Tesla Supercharger” into Google Maps, or we also often use the Tesla Trip Planner tool to identify stations along our route in advance and look for nearby camping.
Tesla Supercharging stations are most often located in the parking lots of grocery stores, gas stations (ironically), hotels, malls, or restaurants, which can help enable access to food, supplies, or public toilets while you are waiting for your vehicle to charge. Depending on the location and charger popularity, most Tesla stations have between 5 and 30 individual charging ports.
We are also able to use alternative EV chargers, such as ChargePoint or Blink, with a small adapter plug that Taylor keeps in the car. Non-Tesla charging stations typically charge at a much slower rate, have less consistent maintenance or upkeep, and may require a separate app download to access and pay for charging, which can be an issue if they haven’t also provided wifi at the charging location. Google Maps once again pulls up most options for “EV chargers” along a specific route or in large areas of the country, but we also utilize PlugShare web-based maps when planning ahead. This allows us to see if there is a charger at or near our hotel for a free and convenient charge at night.
How long do you need to spend charging?
For long trips, we aim to stop and charge every 2.5 - 4 hours, which is just about the same cadence as when we’re wanting to get out and stretch, find restrooms, or grab something to eat anyways (all of which we can do at most charging stations).
Unless we are anticipating an unusually long next stretch of road before the next charger, or major weather or altitude gain that would especially tax the battery, we typically charge 15-30 minutes before hitting the road again. This usually equates to charging to ~80% and, just like your phone, EVs charge VERY fast when the battery is low and slower as you get closer to 100%. If we aren’t able to charge overnight (returning to a full charge of ~ 300+ miles), we try to juice up in the morning, but never need to spend more than 45 minutes charging. All of this sounds complicated but Tesla’s mapping app optimizes your route to minimize your charge time, even preconditioning the battery for faster charging at your next location.
How much does charging cost?
On average, it costs under $10 to get 200+ miles of charge at a Tesla Supercharger. However, the cost does depend on a few different factors, including local electricity regulations and costs (in kWh or Kilowatt-hours) and the level of charger.
It has been interesting to watch the charging infrastructure grow over the years. On our first roadtrip in 2020, we relied almost exclusively on Tesla Superchargers, with a few RV or Level 2 chargers on the way. This year, in addition to more Tesla Supercharger locations, it was easy to find a Level 2 charger in almost every town. It was also easy to find multiple hotels in a town with a free Level 2 charger.
Other questions?
Send them our way or drop a comment on Substack or our socials. We are always excited to talk about the Tesla, car camping, or our road trip adventures! L+T
Great write up. I think this could be made into a book for all the upcoming EV travelers and campers. LeAnn