1st Off-Road trip in my Cybertruck - Takeaways & Experience

[rlhamil]

I plan to load the vault/subvault with things that won't be damaged by water or dust:

Couldn't you have a plastic sheet large enough to cover the contents, secured by bungees or the like? It could double as a ground cloth if you're not too fussy, and keep the clean side toward the covered items.

Unless you have enough water come in to actually have a puddle in there, I think that might do it.

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[Beyond]

Thanks for the trip report.

The mirrors won't really look good until you get a lot more scratches on them for a more uniform, natural appearance.

Yes, a great, fun trip report. Thanks! Of course another option is removing the mirrors. A bit more range and a narrower profile for garage parking etc. Put the shiny mirrors back on if/when you sell it. I just use the cameras on Teslas, much better field of view and now blind spot monitoring. I would add a Wi-Fi rear view clip on camera/mirror over the center one. Have one of those on my Subaru and it's great. Even saved me a ticket once after mentioning to the officer that I had high resolution cameras recording. Not everyone is honest.

 

[Mal]

I have the weather tech tonneau cover for my f150 and have never gotten dust inside. It’s well sealed fortunately unlike most other covers. Not looking forward to the bed getting dusty since all our important stuff is back there. We’ll need to figure out a way to fix this.

I seem to remember reading that the CT bed has some small gaps in the bed floor that are open to the bottom of the truck. I wonder if fine dust gets sucked UP into the bed from underneath when moving fast on a dirt road. (Edit: It was Dblcapcrimpin who talked about it).

 

[Cybergirl]

Couldn't you have a plastic sheet large enough to cover the contents, secured by bungees or the like? It could double as a ground cloth if you're not too fussy, and keep the clean side toward the covered items.

Unless you have enough water come in to actually have a puddle in there, I think that might do it.

I don't have a problem with water penetration into the vault.

 

[Cybergirl]

This is a great post and write up! It's awesome to see people using the truck for off-road truck stuff!
Some of my takeaways from this would be to suggest the OnX off-road app on that iPad mini and mount it up on the dash. It offers off line maps so when you lose service, it still works and has literally thousands upon thousands of miles of trails in it as well as boundaries from privately owned land etc.
Secondly, black plastic will scratch when encountered by bushes and sticks and such. There's not a lot you can do to avoid it, kind of comes with the territory of off-roading and trail running and think of them as merit badges. Have fun out there!

The GaiaGPS is similar to OnX.
Here's a comparison review.

 

[up_justin]

The GaiaGPS is similar to OnX.
Here's a comparison review.

That's a decently old article by now. I've been using OnX for quite sometime and used it in the very beginning of release. Never used Gaia but if it works then it works. Do you have any plans for your Cybertruck for any off-road goodies?

 

[HaulingAss]

That's a decently old article by now. I've been using OnX for quite sometime and used it in the very beginning of release. Never used Gaia but if it works then it works. Do you have any plans for your Cybertruck for any off-road goodies?

The most important off-road goody to have is a good nut. I'm talking about the nut behind the wheel!

 

[up_justin]

The most important off-road goody to have is a good nut. I'm talking about the nut behind the wheel!

Full send or nothing at all!

 

[AxelR]

I have the weather tech tonneau cover for my f150 and have never gotten dust inside. It’s well sealed fortunately unlike most other covers. Not looking forward to the bed getting dusty since all our important stuff is back there. We’ll need to figure out a way to fix this.

I had the Retrax on our Raptor. Pretty well sealed but fine dust would come through the lower section of the tail gate. Bought the gasket. Never installed it

 

[Cybergirl]

That's a decently old article by now. I've been using OnX for quite sometime and used it in the very beginning of release. Never used Gaia but if it works then it works. Do you have any plans for your Cybertruck for any off-road goodies?

My plan is to equip my Cyber truck with everything I'll need for off-road camping without a third-party camper add-on, e.g., Space Camper. Everything has to fit inside the vault and the cab. I don't want to change the aerodynamic characteristics of the CT and reduce my highway range.

Instead of a tent, I will setup a canopy for protection from sun and rain. Here's my Crown Shades 10' x 10' canopy which is large enough to back CT's vault under at night to allow us to open the tonneau cover without getting bedding wet. We have side panels for the canopy for privacy and to block the wind.

The canopy stores as an 8" x 8" x 48" bundle that I'll transport in the vault.

At the campsite we'll put up the canopy with guy ropes and then deploy our Cabela's Deluxe Camp Kitchen which we just got; shown here set up in the living room. It's pretty easy to set up and take down.

It's 7' long and 30" (table top) high. It folds up and fits into a canvas case that's 40" x 20" x 6", weighs 36 lbs, and will be stored in the vault.

We have a Coleman Cascade 3 in 1 propane stove on order for cooking. A 20 lb propane tank fuels the stove; both are carried in the vault.

If driving range is an concern, I'll take along a couple of 30 lb propane tanks and this Westinghouse Dual Fuel iGen4500 generator:

I can add 30 kWh of charge to CT's battery from a 30 lb bottle of propane. The iGen4500 generator has a continuous power output of 3300W on propane, 3700W on gasoline. At 3.3kW, it takes 9 hours to add 30 kWh to CT's battery. Fortunately, it's one of the quietest generators of its size for camping.

The Cybertruck doesn't come with a spare tire, so I ordered one from TSportline. It's a full size steel wheel with 285/65R20 tire. I'll carry the spare in the vault if possible. I want to avoid a tire carrier that would increase aero drag. Unfortunately, it's on back order at present.

Speaking of tires, I bought a 4 ton Yellow Jacket bottle jack. It's much smaller than the Tesla jack with a lifting range from 7 3/8" to 14 5/16". I raise the truck to "Extraction Level" first (16") then set the jack on a 4" block and raise the truck to 18 1/4" to remove and replace a tire. The tires weigh 87 lbs, so putting a tire on without lifting it requires aligning the studs with the wheel holes as closely as possible.

For airing down my tires, I use Coyote deflator valves set to 35 psi. To air up I have a portable 120VAC two-cylinder tankless air compressor.

I've mentioned my BougeRV A/C unit previously.

All this is loaded into the vault or sub-vault, along with two camp chairs, a portable toilet and privacy tent, Starlink antenna, shovel, tools, and firewood.

My refrigerator is kept in the cab behind the driver's seat. It's a 53 qt BOGEDA refrigerator/freezer which I plug into the 120VAC outlet (adapter). Other things are stowed in the cab behind the front seats (air mattresses, bedding, clothing, food, personal items, first aid kit, radio, cameras, binoculars, etc.)

The frunk is used for rain gear, boots, walking sticks, water supply, lock and chain (to secure gear outside overnight), tarps, broom, cleaning supplies, etc.

I'm sure I'll find ways to improve my system as I gain experience doing off-road camping. Any suggestions?

 

[up_justin]

That is quite the plan and looks like a lot of cool and useful stuff for camping. Very nice. I know you're focusing a lot on aero and range, but some things we offer at Unplugged are some crossbars for the bed as well as side Molle Panels for additional storage.

 

[CyberGus]

I want a carpeted campsite with a fireplace and flatscreen

 

[Outdoors]

https://gphxo.org/

A great suggestion. I know many of us get caught up in the tech of things. Me included. GPS, Satphone, Two/way Garmins...
Organizations such as these really give people a firm grip on where they are and how to really navigate. They are very approachable, and some find it fun. I wouldn't go that far, but learning how to read a map, and sight via compass. Move along a course etc.... There is usually one in any major metro area.


I know there a few things that you will never catch me without. Is a Gazetteer of my State(s), Quads if I can, and a compass. Trails come and go. Just like the snow and wind. A compass can most often guide the way. Other things we think we can depend on sometimes aren't there even if promised.

 

[CyberGus]

https://gphxo.org/

A great suggestion. I know many of us get caught up in the tech of things. Me included. GPS, Satphone, Two/way Garmins...
Organizations such as these really give people a firm grip on where they are and how to really navigate. They are very approachable, and some find it fun. I wouldn't go that far, but learning how to read a map, and sight via compass. Move along a course etc.... There is usually one in any major metro area.


I know there a few things that you will never catch me without. Is a Gazetteer of my State(s), Quads if I can, and a compass. Trails come and go. Just like the snow and wind. A compass can most often guide the way. Other things we think we can depend on sometimes aren't there even if promised.

Next time I’m on vacation, I’ll ask the concierge to place a compass on my pillow

 

[Sasmania]

I have the weather tech tonneau cover for my f150 and have never gotten dust inside. It’s well sealed fortunately unlike most other covers. Not looking forward to the bed getting dusty since all our important stuff is back there. We’ll need to figure out a way to fix this.

I agree.

I was also thinking it would be nice to have some sort of custom-fitted tarp cover that would also keep out rain/snow and provide a small amount of insulation to retain heat (or AC) when camping in the bed. It could also extend the life of the tonneau by keeping it cleaner and preventing a build-up of dirt...

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