TownBiz
Well-known member
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- #1
Morbid curiosity got the best of me and I decided to buy the $3K Basecamp rather than wrap the CT.
Local SC did the install yesterday which was comprised of screwing 6 brackets into the correct vault rail holes and then screwing in two T25 bolts to secure the packed tent - that’s it. Based on the how the manual reads, it’s likely that at some point Tesla will ship these direct to CT owners to DIY install because it’s that easy. Trickiest part is aligning those two T25 bolts because of the angle. Per the instruction book, if you use a flashlight it’s much easier.
Lots of rain here so I haven’t had a chance to fully deploy the tent yet, but I did practice removing the 90lb tent by unscrewing the two bolts and lifting at an angle. Totally doable solo. Putting it back in was a little trickier, but not bad.
I also tried the initial tent deployment step which requires popping out the CT’s Aeroflap (long metal piece right between the can and the bed) - a little tricky because you need to unscrew two T30 bolts, not drop them into the abyss below, and then forcefully pop out the Aeroflap. This will be much easier with a ratching small torx wrench vs the wrenches that come w the tent. It was pretty easy to reinstall the Aeroflap, but I am a little concerned about losing some of the water proof sealant between it and the cab. According to the manual, after removing the Aeroflap, you should be able activate Tent mode, but it’s still not showing for me. I’m asking support if there’s a specific SW upgrade that should have been done to enable it…
I am hesitant to provide an initial impression since I haven’t even set up the tent yet. That said, I will say that it takes up a pretty big chunk of bedspace which makes transporting multiple bikes in the bed a non-option. It’s nice to confirm that you can remove or install it pretty easily though. It looks a little bit trickier than I hoped based on the instructions alone - but let’s see how it shakes out. Can’t say if it’s worth the price tag yet either - especially if the suspension leveling tent mode is available to people who don’t buy the Basecamp. If a 3rd party released some easy to install + remove in-vault crossbars, there could be some interesting other 3rd party over-bed tent options at some point (assuming there’s ever enough CT volume to make it compelling to design and release such a thing).
Once the weather clears tomorrow I’ll try setting up the tent in completely. I’ll also post various pics or a video
Few more pics…
Local SC did the install yesterday which was comprised of screwing 6 brackets into the correct vault rail holes and then screwing in two T25 bolts to secure the packed tent - that’s it. Based on the how the manual reads, it’s likely that at some point Tesla will ship these direct to CT owners to DIY install because it’s that easy. Trickiest part is aligning those two T25 bolts because of the angle. Per the instruction book, if you use a flashlight it’s much easier.
Lots of rain here so I haven’t had a chance to fully deploy the tent yet, but I did practice removing the 90lb tent by unscrewing the two bolts and lifting at an angle. Totally doable solo. Putting it back in was a little trickier, but not bad.
I also tried the initial tent deployment step which requires popping out the CT’s Aeroflap (long metal piece right between the can and the bed) - a little tricky because you need to unscrew two T30 bolts, not drop them into the abyss below, and then forcefully pop out the Aeroflap. This will be much easier with a ratching small torx wrench vs the wrenches that come w the tent. It was pretty easy to reinstall the Aeroflap, but I am a little concerned about losing some of the water proof sealant between it and the cab. According to the manual, after removing the Aeroflap, you should be able activate Tent mode, but it’s still not showing for me. I’m asking support if there’s a specific SW upgrade that should have been done to enable it…
I am hesitant to provide an initial impression since I haven’t even set up the tent yet. That said, I will say that it takes up a pretty big chunk of bedspace which makes transporting multiple bikes in the bed a non-option. It’s nice to confirm that you can remove or install it pretty easily though. It looks a little bit trickier than I hoped based on the instructions alone - but let’s see how it shakes out. Can’t say if it’s worth the price tag yet either - especially if the suspension leveling tent mode is available to people who don’t buy the Basecamp. If a 3rd party released some easy to install + remove in-vault crossbars, there could be some interesting other 3rd party over-bed tent options at some point (assuming there’s ever enough CT volume to make it compelling to design and release such a thing).
Once the weather clears tomorrow I’ll try setting up the tent in completely. I’ll also post various pics or a video
Few more pics…
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