🇨🇦 4000 km BC to Vegas roadtrip while sleeping on cab floor

[J.Graham]

I just completed a 5 Day Road trip from British Columbia to Las Vegas and back. Made it down in 2 days and back in 2.

Slept in the cab of the truck. I had a small mattress that fit perfectly across the floor with the back seats folded up. I’m 5‘9“ tall so it was doable but not perfect. However, I managed to sleep well with camp mode, a couple pillows and a duvet.

This is my first Tesla and I was completely blown away by how well the truck handled this trip. This thing is an incredible road tripping vehicle. FSD is a game changer! Being able to turn it on, recline the seat a bit and stretch your legs while listening to podcasts made the time go by and the drive effortless. Also being able to use the outlets in the back to boil water, make fresh coffee, and grill some snacks was awesome! To be fair, it isn’t necessary as there are coffee shops and restaurants all along the highway. For me it was great, as I was cutting weight to compete in a jiu-jitsu tournament.

The roads were bare all the way down and most of the way back. I did encounter a bit of snow on the way home and I feel like the DRL was impeding visibility by lighting up the snowflakes similar to having high beams on. I still need to test this by driving in the snow with duct tape over the DRL and without to confirm, but I’m pretty sure the DRL is not helping in snowy conditions. I think we really need an option to be able to turn this off! I didn’t experience any snow buildup on the bumper around the headlights.

I’ll definitely be doing more road tripping with this thing, although I would much prefer to sleep in the back.

What I’d like to see available is a good canopy so I can outfit a full-size mattress in the back. Also a way to feed heat and air conditioning through camp mode into this area. I saw there’s a new window replacement with a grill, which could work. As I was driving and designing in my head, I was thinking even just a 4 inch hole cut into the back glass where you can attach a hose and also screw a cap back over it when not in use.

Also, I never once felt range anxiety. The truck tells you where and when to stop and that coincides pretty well with bathroom breaks and getting out to stretch your legs.

I didn’t really keep track of my kilowatt hours but when I did check, it I seemed to be running 400 to 600, give or take. The entire trip there and back cost me $740 Canadian (about $500 US).

I think I covered everything but let me know if you have any questions. After one month of ownership, I’ve put 6800 km on this thing… And loving it!

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[greggertruck]

What a journey!

 

[Cyber111]

Excellent information thank you so much for sharing! I too have been wondering if there’s someway to be able to heat and cool the cargo area. This would be great for sleeping back there and also I play the upright bass and sometimes we have snow and cold weather and it would be bad for my instrument to be exposed to those low temperatures.

Maybe Tesla or some third-party company will eventually make some kind of climate control ability for the cargo area.

I got my CT a few weeks ago and will be putting a clear PPF and ceramic coating on the outside to protect it from surface rust and fingerprints.

 

[HaulingAss]

I got my CT a few weeks ago and will be putting a clear PPF and ceramic coating on the outside to protect it from surface rust and fingerprints.

Huh? That makes no sense.

Protect it from rust? ?

 

[Jack27]

That’s Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Cyber111]

Huh? That makes no sense.

Protect it from rust? ?

There have been numerous reports of surface rust forming on the outside stainless steel panels and also on the inside of the door stainless steel. The only debate has been is it actually the surface of the stainless steel rusting or is it rail dust or some other metal that has bonded to the stainless steel that is rusting. Either way I’m getting the clear PPF and also adding ceramic coating to really make it shine.

 

[HaulingAss]

There have been numerous reports of surface rust forming on the outside stainless steel panels and also on the inside of the door stainless steel. The only debate has been is it actually the surface of the stainless steel rusting or is it rail dust or some other metal that has bonded to the stainless steel that is rusting. Either way I’m getting the clear PPF and also adding ceramic coating to really make it shine.

It's not surface rust, this shouldn't be a debate. And any car can get iron particles on it. It's not only from railroads, it's also from brake dust. Because brake rotors are made of iron.

I'm surprised you think its a problem. It's super easy to take care of, easier than if your car is painted. Paint is a lot more fragile and harder to maintain without damaging it.

 

[Jack27]

There have been numerous reports of surface rust forming on the outside stainless steel panels and also on the inside of the door stainless steel. The only debate has been is it actually the surface of the stainless steel rusting or is it rail dust or some other metal that has bonded to the stainless steel that is rusting. Either way I’m getting the clear PPF and also adding ceramic coating to really make it shine.

If i stayed with the stainless look i for sure would have gotten a PPF for finger prints alone. Don’t no about the rust being a big deal but I guess it depends on where you live. You should just say it’s for finger prints and avoid the rust debates ?

 

[Jack27]

I have a real question regarding the heat to the bed as I’ve seen this “want” allot on here for camping.
why isn’t anyone just getting a small safe space or ceramic heater and plugging it into the outlet in the bed ? Seems like the easiest way to me ?

 

[AlmostHuman]

Nice post. I agree, have done a couple 600+ mile trips before FSD and it was still an easy run.

 

[swengl]

I have a real question regarding the heat to the bed as I’ve seen this “want” allot on here for camping.
why isn’t anyone just getting a small safe space or ceramic heater and plugging it into the outlet in the bed ? Seems like the easiest way to me ?

I wonder what the power draw/heating efficiency would be between using built-in HVAC and a ceramic heater? I know those ceramic heaters can really "burn" through some electricity. Speaking of burn, that would be my biggest concern about using one in an occupied bed, the ceramic heater getting accidentally covered and starting a fire as a result.

 

[TyPope]

I wonder what the power draw/heating efficiency would be between using built-in HVAC and a ceramic heater? I know those ceramic heaters can really "burn" through some electricity. Speaking of burn, that would be my biggest concern about using one in an occupied bed, the ceramic heater getting accidentally covered and starting a fire as a result.

MyHeat makes a little 200W heater which should be enough to keep the bed warm. I used one in Minot, ND to keep the cab of my F-350 warm overnight. The heater puts out just a little heat - feels like someone exhaling - which doesn't seem like a fire hazard.
4 years in Minot, ND... parking outside and never having to preheat before taking off. I never had to scrape my windshield. I suppose it never got really warm in there and the cab is insulated probably much better than the CT bed (Spray insulation? Hmm...).

Anyway, my 2 Cents. Get a MyHeat and give it a try... just $26 at Home Depot and maybe take a trip with it plugged in and heating the whole time... It would only use 1KwH every 5 hours of driving. It's small and trying it out would be a lot cheaper and easier than swapping out the rear window. Now, Summertime trips are another story...

 

[Jon Snow]

I just completed a 5 Day Road trip from British Columbia to Las Vegas and back. Made it down in 2 days and back in 2.

Slept in the cab of the truck. I had a small mattress that fit perfectly across the floor with the back seats folded up. I’m 5‘9“ tall so it was doable but not perfect. However, I managed to sleep well with camp mode, a couple pillows and a duvet.

This is my first Tesla and I was completely blown away by how well the truck handled this trip. This thing is an incredible road tripping vehicle. FSD is a game changer! Being able to turn it on, recline the seat a bit and stretch your legs while listening to podcasts made the time go by and the drive effortless. Also being able to use the outlets in the back to boil water, make fresh coffee, and grill some snacks was awesome! To be fair, it isn’t necessary as there are coffee shops and restaurants all along the highway. For me it was great, as I was cutting weight to compete in a jiu-jitsu tournament.

The roads were bare all the way down and most of the way back. I did encounter a bit of snow on the way home and I feel like the DRL was impeding visibility by lighting up the snowflakes similar to having high beams on. I still need to test this by driving in the snow with duct tape over the DRL and without to confirm, but I’m pretty sure the DRL is not helping in snowy conditions. I think we really need an option to be able to turn this off! I didn’t experience any snow buildup on the bumper around the headlights.

I’ll definitely be doing more road tripping with this thing, although I would much prefer to sleep in the back.

What I’d like to see available is a good canopy so I can outfit a full-size mattress in the back. Also a way to feed heat and air conditioning through camp mode into this area. I saw there’s a new window replacement with a grill, which could work. As I was driving and designing in my head, I was thinking even just a 4 inch hole cut into the back glass where you can attach a hose and also screw a cap back over it when not in use.

Also, I never once felt range anxiety. The truck tells you where and when to stop and that coincides pretty well with bathroom breaks and getting out to stretch your legs.

I didn’t really keep track of my kilowatt hours but when I did check, it I seemed to be running 400 to 600, give or take. The entire trip there and back cost me $740 Canadian (about $500 US).

I think I covered everything but let me know if you have any questions. After one month of ownership, I’ve put 6800 km on this thing… And loving it!

… you spent over 100 grand on your truck and you sleep in it instead of a hotel?

 

[HaulingAss]

… you spent over 100 grand on your truck and you sleep in it instead of a hotel?

That's what I don't get.

I've had a lot of fun camping in beautiful and amazing places (sometimes very cold places), but I never felt like I was missing a heater. If I felt the cold creeping in, I would start moving to warm up.

I did wear a heated jacket under my riding suit for cold-weather motorcycling, and that is always a camping option for people who can't generate enough heat internally to stay warm. My jacket was very thin and only 77 watts and I couldn't run it continuously at full blast with feeling like I was burning myself so it had a PWM power controller to cycle the power which reduced my typical draw to around 40 watts. I also have heated pants but have never turned them on.

On a motorcycle you are fighting windchill and sitting in the saddle for hours. When camping I prefer to just dress warmly. That said, an electric jacket would make more sense than heating uninsulated spaces. The heat will just constantly flow away. Put the heat where it's needed.

 

[J.Graham]

… you spent over 100 grand on your truck and you sleep in it instead of a hotel?

You sound like my wife! ?

This wasn’t a vacation. I was on a mission. Get to Vegas, fight a bunch of dudes and become a world champion. Mission accomplished. I’ve flown down a few times and that was fine but with all the hassle/waiting of flying internationally, I figured I’d try driving. It worked out well and I’d do it again ?

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