Tesla Model 3 Camping Experience
We have already reported in detail about Tesla Camping and what makes Tesla Model Y and 3 great camping vehicles. In this article you will now get camping tips that were gathered over many trips. And probably no one has more Tesla Model 3 Camping experience than Franzi and David from "Tesla Camper auf Reisen". These two will now report on their Model 3 adventures and give tips on how to successfully camp in a Tesla Model 3.
About the authors
Hi, we are Franzi and David from "Tesla Camper auf Reisen". For two years we have been on the road with our Tesla Model 3 Long Range and travel through Germany and Europe to create our landscape calendars for Hennen Arts.
In the beginning we were only on the road for a few days at a time, but later our longest journey was over 10 weeks. And you know what? With the right equipment and the right knowledge, you can easily get by in the smallest of spaces over this long period of time and have a lot of fun doing it.
We have therefore brought you a few tips and ideas that can make your camping trip with the Tesla much easier.
What should you take with you when camping in the Model 3?
Certainly a point that needs to be thought through particularly well. It all depends on your personal needs. To find out, you can, for example, mentally go through a day from morning to evening. Include points such as sleeping, eating, working if necessary, hygiene, etc. In the following we will go into a few points and tell you how we do it. Maybe there is one or the other idea for you.
Sleeping in the Tesla
The first question that arises here, for example, is: how long is my journey? Do I want to get a mattress and fold down the back seat, or do I prefer a roof tent?
If you follow us on social media, then you already know that we decided on a mattress back then because we want to be flexible because of the photography. It must be possible to move quickly, for example when we check the weather conditions (clouds) again early before sunrise.
The fact that we benefit from the camp mode both in summer and in winter and thus from a pleasant sleeping temperature is of course also a big plus. And if we are honest: without a roof tent you are of course less conspicuous.
If you have everything designed for vacation and rest and stay in one place for longer, then a roof tent might make sense. It just depends on what you're up to :)
Dining at the Tesla
Here you should ask yourself again how long you will be on the road and what is important to you. For example, we have a gas cooker so that we can sometimes prepare something warm. On short trips, it is often enough for us to eat muesli, bread and homemade salads.
If you don't have a cooling box (like we do at the moment), it's sometimes annoying to go shopping in the summer. So that you only have to go shopping once a day, you can, for example, get food from the refrigerated section for breakfast, whether milk, cheese, sausage, yoghurt, etc., and then plan bread, spreads, fruit and salad, for example, or cook something for the day . Snacks for in between are always very practical.
Other things we carry with us
We also have two camping chairs and a table with us so that we can eat or relax outside in peace and quiet. As far as clothing is concerned, the motto is: not too many clothes, you wash them in the laundromat.
For working on the MacBook we have a table that you put on the armrests of the front seat. So you can work perfectly on it (by the way, our MacBook charges normally via USB port).
As you can imagine, that's about it for bigger things. There are still boxes behind our seats in which we store some groceries.
How do I find parking for the night?
Not all parking lots allow overnight parking or sleeping in cars. We check this beforehand using the park4night app. There you will also find information about which parking spaces are free. For example, you can only display parking spaces where there is a toilet or shower nearby. Also very practical. We can recommend the app to anyone who goes camping with the Tesla Model 3.
Finding Toilets
If you want to spend a lot of time in touristy areas or on beaches, you won't have as many problems here. You will find a lot of toilets - but you should note the opening hours. Very early in the morning or late in the evening it can happen that you stand in front of closed doors. Many are free, many charge a fee, but are usually open all day.
Whatever you can think of when looking for a toilet: Of course pull-ins, certain shops in the village and large shopping centers. You will always find something there. Otherwise you will find many toilet tips in the park4night app.
By the way, to be on the safe side, we always have a folding toilet with us, with a bag clamped at the bottom. However, this has only been used once so far, as we personally always make sure that we have a toilet nearby when choosing a seat. Nothing else really comes into question for us.
The thing with showers
Showers are often not that easy to find. We often drive to pull-ins here or see what is displayed on park4night. Sometimes you're lucky, and you can even find warm showers at beaches - sometimes even real showers, where you can also use normal shower gel. This is luxury!
If you want to wash yourself outside, there are special biological outdoor shower gels / shampoos that are environmentally friendly and biodegradable. Absolutely suggested. We also have a small camping shower with a battery for this case.
Our tip: especially if you can go into the sea and then have the opportunity to shower off with normal water, you really don't need shower gel. The salt water in the sea cleans the skin very well - you're welcome to try it. A "real" shower with shampoo is then only due at the latest for washing your hair.
Here are a few tips from our experience before you take off
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Don't take on too much on your first camping experiences with the Tesla. You learn something new every time and get better at it over time.
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Look for a few possible places to sleep in advance (e.g. using the park4night app)
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Before the Tesla Camping Trip, check where restrooms are located. When we arrive on site, we usually drive directly to them to see if they are open - this point should not be underestimated :D
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Finding out about charging stations in the vicinity in good time is also a good idea. We use both Tesla Superchargers and public charging stations, which we find with the APP Chargemap, among other things. If you're lucky, you can occasionally find Tesla Destination Chargers too.
Conclusion of our camping experience in the Model 3
One of our most important learnings in a small space: you don't need much to be happy :) At the beginning we never thought that it would all work so well. But in the end we had everything with us that is really important. It was important that we made it easy and started small - the rest gradually developed.
On Instagram and TikTok you can find some insights from our travels. If you like, please follow us. You can find us under “ Tesla Camper auf Reisen ”.
We hope you enjoy your first camping tour with the Tesla. Maybe we'll see each other on the road sometime?
See you soon, Franzi and David
