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In the grand tradition of motorists who’ve turned their cars into more than transportation, road-trippers, van lifers, and that one guy who swore by his Volvo wagon as a full-time apartment, we now have a tale from the electric frontier. A Tesla Model 3 owner, posting under the handle TranceMist on r/TeslaModel3.
The Appalachian Mountains became his proving ground, and instead of waxing poetic about stars over a ridge, he focused on seat geometry, cabin climate control, and charging logistics.
“I thought I’d share my experience of solo camping in my new M3 with Camp Mode. My excursions thus far have just been in the southwestern Appalachians in GA, TN and NC where it’s too hot and too humid to camp in a tent in the summer unless you’re above 1500m / 5,000′.
Here are some pictures I took of the setup and the description of how it’s worked out.
I move the front seats forward to get the rear seats down. Then I move the front seats all the way forward so that I can fit while laying down. I’m 1.98m (6’4″) tall. That leaves a big gap between the folded down seat and the one in front of it (over a foot). At first I bought one of these camping extensions on Amazon, which was ok but it has some downsides, like you can’t access the rear usb-c ports easily, nor the rear footwell next to you if you’re camping alone.
And it makes reaching over to the front screen more difficult. I also use these usb-c multi cables that provide usb-c, usb-a and micro-usb to charge things. But they do not support PD so I have a usb-c PD cable for my laptop if I want to use it in the car. Front usb-c ports can provide 36w via PD, which is fine for charging. The rear ones I think can do up to 27w.
I use an older blow up Thermarest backpacking mattress to sleep on and a household pillow. And I sleep in a sleeping bag, which is perfect if you set the cabin temperature to 19ºC (66ºF).
The second time I went I just brought a smaller cooler, placed it behind the passenger seat (moved forward) and something else on top of it to have it match the height of the folded rear seat and place my Thermarest on top of that. That worked better than that camping extension thing and gave me a lot more room. But the problem is that the seats don’t fold flat. Not anywhere near flat. They are up more than I would like and I slide down at night.
So then I learned to take the rear seat cushion out, placed a towel over the open area just so the folded seats don’t get damaged and now the folded seats are completely flat. Perfect for sleeping. Except now you have to put the rear seat somewhere. I put it up front and that worked OK. But doing it multiple nights in a row is a bit much since you end up moving a lot of stuff around.
The charging in the photos was at a different campground where it was at a lower elevation and too hot to sleep in a tent (for me). At that campground It was level 1 and with Camp Mode running all night I still managed to add about 6% to the state of charge.
I’ve since bought a TT-30 adapter that plugs into the Tesla Mobile Connector but haven’t tried it yet. TT-30 gives 24A at 120v. (WARNING: Don’t buy cheap TT-30 to NEMA 14-50 plug adapters, you can’t charge that way).
You can see the TT-30 plug at that campground in one of my photos. I didn’t have the plug then. Some campgrounds have NEMA 14-50 plugs which would likely be at least 24A at 240v so much better.
I also got these window covers, which are great. I actually use the front windshield one all of the time when I park my car in the summer to block out the sun. Or even while I’m charging and don’t want the glare. Later I got these roof shades with which you can’t see into the car at all.
With the rear seat cushion out the seats fold flat and it is quite comfortable to sleep in. It’s not the same outdoor experience as sleeping in a tent but I’ll leave that for cooler weather. Also, getting in and out if it’s raining can be tricky. I bring a small umbrella.
Having Camp Mode on all night uses about 14% of my LR battery in summer. I also turn off the walk-away lock sound and set the external lights to OFF at campgrounds. Reaching a campground from my house might consume up to 60% battery (if leaving with 100%).
So arriving at 40% and using 14% overnight naturally you start to think about charging if you don’t have power at the campground. There are a couple of Tesla Superchargers in that area but I have yet to use any of them. It turns out that many of the towns have free Level 2 chargers.
Most have J-1772 plugs at 7 kW/h but I have even found two with Tesla Destination Chargers at 11 kW/h, all free. If you are not in a hurry you can recharge for free. On my last trip I drove nearly 500 miles and never paid for charging away from home.”
That’s the core of it: a practical adventure in the Blue Ridge heat, made possible by a sedan that doubles as an air-conditioned bunkhouse.
The setup required some improvisation. At six-foot-four, TranceMist discovered that folding the Model 3’s seats wasn’t quite enough.
A camping extension from Amazon helped at first, but soon gave way to a better hack: pulling out the rear seat cushions entirely, laying a Thermarest on top, and finally getting a flat surface to sleep on. The trade-off was having to stash the dislodged seat somewhere, which he managed by cramming it up front. It was more work than simply pitching a tent, but the reward was waking up at 66°F while the Appalachian humidity clawed at the canvas tents nearby.
Tesla Model 3 – Can You Camp With It?
- Many owners tuck a mattress in the Model 3’s trunk, folding down seats to convert it into a compact, cozy sleeping space.
- Tent extensions designed for Tesla Model 3 provide extra usable space, ideal for weatherproof setups with easy access to the frunk or dash.
- Owners appreciate the Model 3’s simplicity: plug it in for charge, turn on Camp Mode (if equipped), and settle in for a restful night.
- A Model 3 clocking over 200,000 miles with ~80% original battery capacity shows it’s durable for extended camping road trips and daily driving.
If the physical logistics were a puzzle, the electrical side was a chess match. Camp Mode drained about 14% of the battery per night, but clever charging strategies turned potential worry into advantage. At one campground, plugged into a basic outlet, he actually added six percent overnight while keeping the climate control humming. With a TT-30 adapter in the arsenal and towns offering free Level 2 chargers, some pushing 7 kW, others a brisker 11 kW, he stitched together a 500-mile loop without paying a dime. That detail alone reframes the conversation about EV road trips: this isn’t range anxiety, it’s range opportunism.
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The Reddit thread filled out the picture with commentary and context. One user compared the experience to living out of a Hyundai Ioniq for six months, a reminder that car camping isn’t new, just newly electrified. Another suggested pulling the rear seats out permanently, but TranceMist pushed back, citing both insulation against motor whine and the reluctance to leave parts of the car exposed. It’s a level of feedback only possible from someone who has spent multiple nights in the machine, and it gave the post the weight of lived-in authority.
What surprised many was his loyalty to the Model 3 over the roomier Model Y. The Y may offer more cargo space, but to TranceMist it felt like an “over inflated M3” compared to the sportier sedan that reminded him of the BMW 3 Series he once cherished. The trade-off between space and driving character is as old as cars themselves. Here, it was settled in favor of the machine that feels right behind the wheel, even if it meant rearranging coolers and seat cushions at night.
Transitioning To Electric Vehicles
- Owners often report that the Model 3 made the EV transition smooth and enjoyable, “I can’t imagine driving anything else.”
- The near-instant power delivery makes setting up camp, reversing in tight spaces, or navigating remote roads feel seamless.
- Many buyers highlighted the base RWD Model 3’s balance of affordability and EV credentials, including its layout ideal for overnight stays.
- While love for the car runs deep, some owners report minor build-quality issues, panel misalignments, rattles after 20,000 miles, realities that matter on long road trips.
This is where the story tilts from camping diary to something more universal. Sleeping in a Model 3 isn’t about chasing a minimalist aesthetic or scoring Instagram points. It’s about bending a thoroughly modern car to one’s needs, just as earlier generations turned wagons, pickups, and hatchbacks into temporary homes on the road. The difference is that this time, climate control and kilowatts replace Coleman lanterns and propane stoves. And instead of waking to a drained battery, the car can actually gain charge while you sleep.
Ultimately, the lesson here is not that Tesla invented car camping, but that an owner found joy in making the car fit his life. The Model 3 became both driving machine and shelter, equal parts BMW 3 Series memory and Appalachian cabin on wheels. For those who see cars as more than metal and screens, the story is reassuring: even in the electric age, an automobile can still serve as our most faithful traveling companion, ready to take us down the highway and then quietly keep watch through the night.
Have you taken your Tesla Model 3 camping before?How did it perform? Let us know in the comments below.
Image Sources: Tesla Media Center
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
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Source: torquenews.com
