CyberTent (formerly Basecamp Tent) Camping for 2 Days Using DIY HVAC Solution - Takeaways (and reaction to other video)

[bwilliam79]

We just took our truck with the Basecamp tent out for a couple of nights of camping and I was planning on making a post about it, so Kara and Nate's Basecamp video is timely. Their video has some legitimate complaints, and some misses, so I figured I'd just use this thread to offer our perspective and comments on their experience. I have also included with some pictures folks may find interesting

For anyone who hasn't already seen it, my wife and I posted a video about a month ago showing the unboxing, setup, and teardown of the Basecamp tent:

Our thoughts on the tent after spending a couple of nights in it in East Texas:

- Setup and teardown: Better than a ground tent, but probably not as great as other RTT options. We've timed setup and teardown and it takes roughly 8-10 minutes for each process. Definitely gets faster after you have done it a couple of times and as pointed out in the video, is considerably more difficult to pack away if you don't use the ratchet strap. I made that same mistake the first time we packed our tent up, and never again since. Also, don't make the mistake of trying to set something up for the first time in the dark. It seems they could have avoided some unnecessary damage had they done a test deployment before their first outing. We set the tent up one time in the dark and one time after quite a few drinks this weekend and both are doable so long as you've been through it at least once in the daylight and understand the whole process.

- The aeroflap: This is by far my biggest frustration with the tent. Even though I opted to make it easier by purchasing a couple of thumb screws to allow for toolless removal and reinstallation, it's still a bit of a pain in the ass. That being said, since picking up our tent about a month ago, Tesla has come out with a redesign for the aeroflap which does not require the removal of screws to get the aeroflap off. It is my understanding the redesigned attachment mechanism is part of the Basecamp kit and I have reached out to my local service center asking for those parts.

- The air pump: As pointed out in their video, the tent comes with a hand pump for inflating. Is it ideal? Not really, but at the same time, the tent inflates to a whopping 8 PSI. The pump is pretty high quality and has a lever on it to switch from only inflating on the down stroke to inflating on both the up and down stroke. If that switch is set to only inflate on the down stroke, it does take a lot more pumping to inflate. The pump also includes a pressure gauge so you know when you've achieved the right level of inflation.

- Comfort: The built-in mattress is better than nothing, but we found it to be less than we'd like, so we purchased a 2" memory foam topper to put on top. It definitely helped, but I think what's really needed is a 4" air mattress to provide some additional comfort. I've looked at a couple of options on Amazon and will probably pick something up before our next outing.

- Heating and cooling: As many have already pointed out, there is no passthrough to get air from the cabin into the tent. Fortunately, there are options. For those who want to DIY something, it's possible to build a solution relatively inexpensively. For those looking for an off the shelf solution, you could consider a portable heat pump or take a look at what the folks at Campstream have done for other Tesla and Rivian vehicles. Full disclosure, I am working with the wonderful team at Campstream on a product for the Cybertruck and you can see some prototyping we did to test the concept this weekend in the pictures below.

The HVAC solution in the pictures below is all built using parts to prototype what I'm working on with the Campstream team. They provided me with files to 3D print an adapter to capture air from the vent, but I didn't have time to print it before we took off on Friday so I just used a very crude one I had printed previously. They also have a first design for the window insert they will be sending me in the next week or two to test fitment. All of their hoses have quick connects on them vs the hose clamps I used for the weekend.

- Access to power: In their video they mention there isn't a way to get power into the tent, but that is not accurate. The side pocket on the driver side, closest to the tent entrance, has a zipper in the bottom of the pocket which is almost right above the power outlets in the bed. It's not pointed out anywhere in the documentation, but we used it to plug in a power strip and plugged all of our phones and other devices into it inside the tent.

- Cost: While the tent is pricey, it's not out of line with other RTTs on the market and I consider this a form of a RTT. e.g. Rivian's RTT is $2800, but I don't see anywhere near as much hate about the cost of that product. Where I think the Basecamp design comes out better is there is 0 drag for having the tent on the truck.

- Taking up bed space: There's about 15" of clearance under the tent while it's installed, but if you want to remove it entirely, there are two screws to remove which then allow you to take the tent completely out of the bed. The tent weighs about 90 lbs and I was able to get it into the truck on my own when we first installed it. We've also had 16 bags of mulch in the bed along with the tent, so I don't really feel like it takes up a ton of usable space unless you want to haul something that sticks up higher than the tonneau cover.

Overall, we are very pleased with the tent and were very comfortable in it for the weekend. The integration with the truck is nice, quality feels good, and the setup and teardown aren't too bad after you've done it a time or two. We really like that we can just leave it on the truck all the time without significant downside and nobody even knows its on the truck unless we open the tonneau. Ultimately, each individual will have their own needs, use case, and tolerance but I wish the toxic comments about how something sucks because another person doesn't like it would just stop... and that's not specific to this one product, just a general comment. This tent is not for everyone, but I am glad to see others are posting content about it for people who are curious to know what it's like to own one.

And now for the pictures.

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[DiGi805]

Could you run the AC out of the back HVAC register for less ducting and maybe a little less visual clunk? Love the idea though.

and attempt 2 would be something that fits a replacement rear window with a detachable hose into tent right?

good luck and keep us posted on the project

 

[bwilliam79]

Could you run the AC out of the back HVAC register for less ducting and maybe a little less visual clunk? Love the idea though.

and attempt 2 would be something that fits a replacement rear window with a detachable hose into tent right?

good luck and keep us posted on the project

I asked them about using the vents in the rear console, but the adapter needed to draw air from there would be very oddly shaped and not easy to pack away. Another reason the Campstream folks have opted for the front vents is because some newer Tesla's have the ability to shut off the passenger side vent in the front, so using the vent from the driver's side allows maximum capture of air flow if all other vents are closed. Currently, the Cybertruck does not allow for disabling the passenger side vent and it's unknown if it ever will, but it's best to design a product that's thinking about the future, IMO.

Correct on the detachable hoses. Here are some pictures of their kit for the Rivian showing off the quality of their window insert and the quick connect hoses.

 

[bwilliam79]

A couple of other bits I forgot to mention:

- We had the HVAC set to LO both nights we slept in the tent. Sentry mode was also enabled. We used about 10% of the battery the first night and 12% the second night. Our friends we were camping with had a 50 amp plug on their property, so it made things very easy for us to stay juiced up.

- Currently, you cannot use the outlets in the truck while a charger is plugged in (regardless of whether it's actively charging). According to a post from a Tesla engineer on X/Twitter, Tesla will be releasing a firmware update to allow for this in the future. What that meant is we had to charge during the day, but unplug at night so we could use the outlets to keep our phones charged in the tent.

 

[jackychu]

Very nice! Awesome.
@bwiilam79 Does Campstream team work on Cybertruck version? Hope they can make it sooner.

 

[FutureTruck]

Great report, awesome pics.
What a nightmare on the HVAC side. Having that rear window not roll down was such a cheapout.

 

[Derektsla]

I asked them about using the vents in the rear console, but the adapter needed to draw air from there would be very oddly shaped and not easy to pack away. Another reason the Campstream folks have opted for the front vents is because some newer Tesla's have the ability to shut off the passenger side vent in the front, so using the vent from the driver's side allows maximum capture of air flow if all other vents are closed. Currently, the Cybertruck does not allow for disabling the passenger side vent and it's unknown if it ever will, but it's best to design a product that's thinking about the future, IMO.

Correct on the detachable hoses. Here are some pictures of their kit for the Rivian showing off the quality of their window insert and the quick connect hoses.

Really cool to see people getting creative with this. A few questions on this idea…

1. is the hose insulated? Seems like you would be pretty inefficient if not.
2. Assuming no any way to report temperature back to the car? Did you just set to low so it runs all night? Maybe another hose back to other side window to create airflow back to the cabin so you don’t have to set to low? Maybe a low power fan I to the outlet to help anir feed back. And it can turn on/off based on cabin temp? Might work if you play with it and always set cabin temp 5-7F lower than you want the tent?
3. Are there small efficient AC units you can run from bed outlets?

(Update) just spit-balling here, but what about not connecting to vents. Put an outlet hose and inlet hose on either window. Each has a fan on the window end that pushes air in/out. Those fans are plugged into outlets inside the truck cabin. This allows cabin temp to be closer to tent temp to conserve energy? Seems like fans might be a lot lower power than heat pump in truck. Should create a lot more airflow as well. - Just an idea, it does make kit more expensive with more failure points, but I wouldn’t spend money on this unless it worked really well. OR maybe none of this matters with how much heat defeats/escapes tent?

 

[bwilliam79]

Really cool to see people getting creative with this. A few questions on this idea…

1. is the hose insulated? Seems like you would be pretty inefficient if not.

The Campstream product comes with insulating sleeves for the hose, I just didn't bother to put them on for the testing this weekend. One morning the hose was pretty covered in condensation, so insulation definitely helps.

2. Assuming no any way to report temperature back to the car? Did you just set to low so it runs all night? Maybe another hose back to other side window to create airflow back to the cabin so you don’t have to set to low? Maybe a low power fan I to the outlet to help anir feed back. And it can turn on/off based on cabin temp? Might work if you play with it and always set cabin temp 5-7F lower than you want the tent?

Correct, there is no way for the truck to know what the temperature is in the tent, but you can control the HVAC of the truck from the Tesla app on your phone if it's too hot or too cold for your liking. The only thing I couldn't control was vent direction or fan speed, but if you set it on LO or HI, the fan seems to run at a pretty high speed. In tinkering with fans to improve air flow when I was DIYing this, fans actually seemed to impede airflow, likely because they didn't match the speed of the air being driven by the car's HVAC.


3. Are there small efficient AC units you can run from bed outlets?

There are some products on the market, but I haven't looked at them closely. Best I recall, they were pretty pricey.

(Update) just spit-balling here, but what about not connecting to vents. Put an outlet hose and inlet hose on either window. Each has a fan on the window end that pushes air in/out. Those fans are plugged into outlets inside the truck cabin. This allows cabin temp to be closer to tent temp to conserve energy? Seems like fans might be a lot lower power than heat pump in truck. Should create a lot more airflow as well. - Just an idea, it does make kit more expensive with more failure points, but I wouldn’t spend money on this unless it worked really well. OR maybe none of this matters with how much heat defeats/escapes tent?

Yea, you're heating/cooling a very poorly insulated space. Good airflow seems to be plenty to make for a comfortable sleeping space and the flow provided by the fans in the truck's HVAC is plenty. I have a print of a better fitting vent adapter and it is noticeably better than the flow I was getting from the crude adapter I used this past weekend.

 

[bwilliam79]

Very nice! Awesome.
@bwiilam79 Does Campstream team work on Cybertruck version? Hope they can make it sooner.

That's what I'm working on with them right now. I've done a bunch of 3D scanning of my truck for them and they are sending me some parts to test fitting before going to production. I'm not sure on the timing for its release, but I can say with certainty it is in the works.

 

[tmeyer3]

Has anyone figured out how difficult it would be replace the bed window? Say, with something like the Jeep gladiator design?

 

[Carlos Thomas]

That is doing too much.

 

[FutureTruck]

That is doing too much.

Yea, ton of equipment, looks terrible (no offense to original poster), and does not do a good job, all to get around design flaws.

 

[Green Gene]

We just took our truck with the Basecamp tent out for a couple of nights of camping and I was planning on making a post about it, so Kara and Nate's Basecamp video is timely. Their video has some legitimate complaints, and some misses, so I figured I'd just use this thread to offer our perspective and comments on their experience. I have also included with some pictures folks may find interesting

For anyone who hasn't already seen it, my wife and I posted a video about a month ago showing the unboxing, setup, and teardown of the Basecamp tent:

Our thoughts on the tent after spending a couple of nights in it in East Texas:

- Setup and teardown: Better than a ground tent, but probably not as great as other RTT options. We've timed setup and teardown and it takes roughly 8-10 minutes for each process. Definitely gets faster after you have done it a couple of times and as pointed out in the video, is considerably more difficult to pack away if you don't use the ratchet strap. I made that same mistake the first time we packed our tent up, and never again since. Also, don't make the mistake of trying to set something up for the first time in the dark. It seems they could have avoided some unnecessary damage had they done a test deployment before their first outing. We set the tent up one time in the dark and one time after quite a few drinks this weekend and both are doable so long as you've been through it at least once in the daylight and understand the whole process.

- The aeroflap: This is by far my biggest frustration with the tent. Even though I opted to make it easier by purchasing a couple of thumb screws to allow for toolless removal and reinstallation, it's still a bit of a pain in the ass. That being said, since picking up our tent about a month ago, Tesla has come out with a redesign for the aeroflap which does not require the removal of screws to get the aeroflap off. It is my understanding the redesigned attachment mechanism is part of the Basecamp kit and I have reached out to my local service center asking for those parts.

- The air pump: As pointed out in their video, the tent comes with a hand pump for inflating. Is it ideal? Not really, but at the same time, the tent inflates to a whopping 8 PSI. The pump is pretty high quality and has a lever on it to switch from only inflating on the down stroke to inflating on both the up and down stroke. If that switch is set to only inflate on the down stroke, it does take a lot more pumping to inflate. The pump also includes a pressure gauge so you know when you've achieved the right level of inflation.

- Comfort: The built-in mattress is better than nothing, but we found it to be less than we'd like, so we purchased a 2" memory foam topper to put on top. It definitely helped, but I think what's really needed is a 4" air mattress to provide some additional comfort. I've looked at a couple of options on Amazon and will probably pick something up before our next outing.

- Heating and cooling: As many have already pointed out, there is no passthrough to get air from the cabin into the tent. Fortunately, there are options. For those who want to DIY something, it's possible to build a solution relatively inexpensively. For those looking for an off the shelf solution, you could consider a portable heat pump or take a look at what the folks at Campstream have done for other Tesla and Rivian vehicles. Full disclosure, I am working with the wonderful team at Campstream on a product for the Cybertruck and you can see some prototyping we did to test the concept this weekend in the pictures below.

The HVAC solution in the pictures below is all built using parts to prototype what I'm working on with the Campstream team. They provided me with files to 3D print an adapter to capture air from the vent, but I didn't have time to print it before we took off on Friday so I just used a very crude one I had printed previously. They also have a first design for the window insert they will be sending me in the next week or two to test fitment. All of their hoses have quick connects on them vs the hose clamps I used for the weekend.

- Access to power: In their video they mention there isn't a way to get power into the tent, but that is not accurate. The side pocket on the driver side, closest to the tent entrance, has a zipper in the bottom of the pocket which is almost right above the power outlets in the bed. It's not pointed out anywhere in the documentation, but we used it to plug in a power strip and plugged all of our phones and other devices into it inside the tent.

- Cost: While the tent is pricey, it's not out of line with other RTTs on the market and I consider this a form of a RTT. e.g. Rivian's RTT is $2800, but I don't see anywhere near as much hate about the cost of that product. Where I think the Basecamp design comes out better is there is 0 drag for having the tent on the truck.

- Taking up bed space: There's about 15" of clearance under the tent while it's installed, but if you want to remove it entirely, there are two screws to remove which then allow you to take the tent completely out of the bed. The tent weighs about 90 lbs and I was able to get it into the truck on my own when we first installed it. We've also had 16 bags of mulch in the bed along with the tent, so I don't really feel like it takes up a ton of usable space unless you want to haul something that sticks up higher than the tonneau cover.

Overall, we are very pleased with the tent and were very comfortable in it for the weekend. The integration with the truck is nice, quality feels good, and the setup and teardown aren't too bad after you've done it a time or two. We really like that we can just leave it on the truck all the time without significant downside and nobody even knows its on the truck unless we open the tonneau. Ultimately, each individual will have their own needs, use case, and tolerance but I wish the toxic comments about how something sucks because another person doesn't like it would just stop... and that's not specific to this one product, just a general comment. This tent is not for everyone, but I am glad to see others are posting content about it for people who are curious to know what it's like to own one.

And now for the pictures.

If you can hang in there for a while I wrote in to Breezer and spoke to someone named Ben via email and he said that they plan on making a removable rear window for cybertruck. Unfortunately no date on when it would be available was given. If someone out there has a cybertruck and is near the company maybe they could pop in and let them take measurements. This would help out a lot of us. Website is: https://breezerwindows.com/shop/

 

[bwilliam79]

If you can hang in there for a while I wrote in to Breezer and spoke to someone named Ben via email and he said that they plan on making a removable rear window for cybertruck. Unfortunately no date on when it would be available was given. If someone out there has a cybertruck and is near the company maybe they could pop in and let them take measurements. This would help out a lot of us. Website is: https://breezerwindows.com/shop/

I don't really want to beat a dead horse on this topic, but I do feel compelled to share my perspective on this after having the truck for a couple of months.

I understand the appeal for a pass through window on the surface, as it could provide for a temperature controlled sleeping environment in the bed, but it just doesn't feel like a very practical sleeping space when I start to think about using it for that purpose. What I mean by that is there isn't even enough height for me to sit straight up in the bed with the tonneau cover closed. I'd have to open the tonneau just to sit up, and exiting the vault means either opening the tonneau or shimmying down to the end of the bed to get out via the tailgate. I don't think my wife would be too keen on either if she was still asleep as it would make considerable noise. Also if it's raining outside, you definitely don't want to open the tonneau cover or your entire sleeping area would get wet, so you're left belly crawling in and out of the bed onto a wet tailgate. Also, the tonneau cover itself is not waterproof, so you'd likely still end up with water in your sleeping area. Additionally, the bed is only 6' from it's furthest point to the tailgate and that 6' becomes even less the higher you go. Once you put an air mattress or some kind of padding back there, you have less than 6' of length and anyone over 5'10" won't be able to stretch out unless they're back there alone.

My reason for making these counter arguments is not to say there is zero value in a rear window pass-through of some kind, just that I don't think it makes sense for the reasons I keep seeing people say it does. I've also seen comments about possibly using a pass through window as a way to keep pets cool and having them travel in the bed, but again, I'm not sure that would work so great in practice as the tonneau cover is uninsulated (AFAIK) and black, meaning it could end up conducting a lot of heat in direct sunlight. It's highly unlikely the HVAC system is designed to cool such a large space when half of it is uninsulated and there are no vents to get air back that far, so you could end up with an overall less comfortable ride as the HVAC system struggles to keep up.

In the end, there are compromises with any design decision and I have to believe Tesla looked into a passthrough of some kind, but decided not to do so at this time. It could have been due to additional cost, additional complexity, perhaps doing so would reduce rigidity in some way... only Tesla knows the answers. My purpose in this thread is just to let others know it's not the end of the world and there are solutions out there that weren't even conceivable in the days of ICE vehicles. As more people adopt EVs, I have zero doubt there will be new aftermarket solutions available and manufacturers will start to make EVs designed around specific use cases, such as camping, but it's just not realistic to design a single vehicle that does everything for everyone.

The Cybertruck is an amazing piece of engineering, and while I recognize there are some disappointments on what we all were told it would be capable of (e.g. six seats, range, and towing capacity), and there were things we hoped it would be capable of (e.g. rear window pass through), I hope threads like this help encourage more people to use their EVs in ways they haven't considered before, or inspire people to come up with new designs and ideas to enable additional use cases.

I'll be using this thread to provide updates on the progress with Campstream's offering for the Cybertruck, but would love to see what others come up with as well.

 

[Gurule92]

I think i'll just run a little electric heater from the plugs lol

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